Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-03-15
JASCHA HEIFETz
|SUSTAINS fame
AS fine ARTIST
Russian ViOlinist in Concert at Aug.
ustana DiSpelIs Doubts of His
Supremacy.
ENCHANTs VAST AUDIENCE
Plays Program That Delights-Per-
sonality Of VirtuOsO Affords In
teresting Study.

Jascha Heifetz, a solemn, unaf-
fected really retiring youth. dispell-
ed all doubts as to his supremacy
as violin player when he had COM
pleted a program that thrilled his
auditors at Augustana gymnasium
last night. The young artist, boy
phenom. affords an interesting
Study to tho auditor. Whether the
fluent magic OF his bow is drawing
the most ethereal music from his
violin, or is vibrating with lightning
speed in the most florid passages, it
is still the self-contained and impas-
sive artist that holds the center of
the stage. There are neither smiles
nor tears in his eyes, amid the wild
gallop of the ,crescendOes or as the
violin sang as some live thing, not
once did he change countenance or
seem overcome by an consciousness
Of artistic feeling. Though the soul
of the artist did not shine through
his eyes IL did find its avenue of es-
cape through his deft fingers and
the intelligence controlling such
wonderful technical facility as ne
displayed has never been seen IN
one so young.
The auditorium Of the Augustana
gymnasium was damned with one
of those vast gatherings that walt
upon the performance of the art1s-
tically elect. Not a seat was to be
had for money-Certainly not for
love-Which is less persuasive, long
before the artist made his appear
ence. From the Introductory chord
Of the Handel sonata to the final
note of the last encore, HeifetZ held
bis audience spellbound. There is a
certain contagious enthusiasm Gre
ated by his magical art from which
no one IN hearing distance escapes.
There is something almost I'M
eany in Heifetz' playing, a glow
ing and ardent temperament IS ex-
pressed through tone of surprising
beauty, broad, vital. yet suave and
pure. With a perfect technic
which masters everything, he COM
bines an absolute musical senti-
fnent, so that the listener is affected
BY his interpretations and has the
feeling of security that radiates
from everybody, who feels sure that
ne IS absolutely sure of himself
But he IS no mere mechanical
virtuoso and it IS not so much that
there are no blemishes in Heifetz'
playing as that there beats through
it all the sympathy, the thorough
appreciation by which it came to
life.
Program Varied.
The first number on the program
was Handel's sonata No. In d
minro-large maestoso- allegro;
Larghetto-a allegro con brio move
ments. Admirable was his playing
of these numbers-playing that
made much of the grave dignity of
the work and which disclosed the
fine musicianship of the interpreter,
and which convinced the audience
at once that Heifetz' fame is based
upon something more than press
notices.
The second number was the
Wieniawsk1 concerto in d minor
the allegro modeTate; Romanza,
Sandante non troppo and finale a la
zingara movements. In this passion
ate selection, especially the
romanZa, Heifetz assembled heights.
Of emotional expression rarely re
vealed by even the most exalted. 1t
was wonderfully portrayed In the
smooth, soulful tone and 1t was one
Of the most enjoyable movements
on the program.
There followed a group of five
short selections; Schruberts Ave
Maria; Mozart's Menuetta";
Chopin-Auer Nocturne in e minor,
and two Beethoven-Auer numbers
Chorus Of the Dervishers" and
"Marche OrientaIe."
1t is not difficult TO understand
now short compositions like those
IN this group find immediate favor
for the numbers glowed and paled
and glowed again as he presented
.hem-there were moments of genu-
me lyric beauty interpreted with
consummate skill and musical
Taste. Artistic and poetic are
adjectives toe commonly used to
fully describe the character of the
Interpretation. but more explicit
cannot be found. Shades and varia-
lions of tone seemed almost endless
and his pianissimo was the faintest
whisper-the tone that in the final
expression OF a temperament was
as ardent and as impetuous as
youth itself.
The concluding numbers were
"On Wings of Song" by Men
1elssohn and La Ronde des
tatiyc'' nv Razzfpi HE Darfo--,o,co