Evening star., 1941-10-31


introducing the artists, and the
audience seemed to like the idea.
It's welcome was genuinely hearty
and the way was open for the per-
formers TO give of their best.
Mr.. Renardy is no stranger here,
having appeared with the National
Symphony, but last nights program
offered greater opportunity to en-
Joy his art. Already his superb
technique has dazzled concert goers,
perhaps too much in the way of
proclaiming him solely as a fine
teChnician. In the numbers he
played last evening, a broader side
of his ability was disclosed, as in
the Schubert Sonata in A Minor,
Op. 1877, No. 2" with which he
opened the program. Here his
musical feeling, refinement of style
and gift for persuasive delivery
stood out more impressively than
the smooth and expert manipula-
ton of fingers and bow arm.
A special interest was attached
to Mr.. Renardy's performance last
evening, for he used an American
made instrument in place of the
Stradivarius he customarily plays.
The announcement of the make of
the violin was made by Mr.. Cappel,
possibly with the idea of a judg-
ment being formed of its worth.
The instrument is responsive to
degree and has a fine, pure tone. A
new violin, as violins go, it is
remarkably flexible and shows good
workmanship.
The display piece for Mr.. Renardy
was the Ernst Concerto in F Sharp
Minor, Op. 23," a work abounding in
technical difficulties and requiring
q virtuoso handling. The young
artist played it in a dashingly bril-
liant fashion and with perfect clar-
ity in the taxing passages. Two en-
cores, both of which emphasized
once more his interpretive ability,
followed, the lyric Poems" by Fib-
ich and the "Viennese Serenade'
by Burmeister being contrasting
works.
Warmly greeted after the inter-
mission as indication of the au-
dience's admiration, he played a
final group consisting of Brahms
Sonata Movement in c Minor"
stoessels Failing Leaves" and
'Nodding Mandarins" and Sarasate's /.
'Zapateado, Op. %, No. 2"
Miss Steber, who had had busy /
day being Honized by her fellow
West Virginians, has a charming |
stage presence that Immediately won
the audience. She has an eXcep- |
tionally beautiful voice. with pc
culiar warmth and tenderness in it
that is rarely associated with either |
q lyric or coloratura soprano. She .
uses it effortlessly throughout her /
range, retaining its pure upSpoiled .
quality even on high c. She feels /
her music also and delivers the text |
with artistry.
With all this richness of endow-
ment, however, the voice is not one |
for as large a hall as the D. A. r. /
auditorium. 1t can be, but it is not /.
at present 1t lacks the kind Of res
onance that carries to the farthest .
corner and which embellishes the .
quality. At close quarters. the
beauty of the voice is manifest but
from distance its special charm is
lost. Although in reality its pro-
duction is easy and smooth, it seems
less secure when the volume is dis
persed in the breadth of the hall.
She sang both songs and arias
with charm and finish. Among the
former were Mozart'S "Alleluia,"
Purcells 'Nymphs and Shepherds"
Bachelet's "Chere Mutt" and Delibes'
"Passepied" and Les Files de
Cadiz" For arias she gave the "Ah.
fors lui" from La Traviata" and
for an encore "DepuiS le jour" from
Charpentier's Louise" In a final
group were Stanford's Sea Wrack,"
Vaughan Williams Silent Noon"
Sacco's "Rapunzep and Hageman's
Ill