FOURTH KOWALSKI CONCERT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 308, 30 December 1891, Page 9

FOURTH KOWALSKI CONCERT.

The adage that " Good wine needs no bush " presupposes that the wine has been already tasted, and the meagre patronage hitherto extended to what is probably the best collective concert company Auckland ba3 ever heard, shows that in tho first insbaaca ab least good music must bo " bushed." Withii; tha last threa years or so Auckland has been visited by four high-class concert coinpaniea, each, of which has been more or less dependent upon one groat vocal star as their " draw," but which have been also vocally strong in other respects. In the case of tho Kowalski Company, however, its excellence lies in the fact that sines that time, ten years ago, when the great Wilbelmj toured this colony, no such magnificent interpretation of the finest class of instrumental music has been heard in New Zealand. Indeed, ib is doubtful whether such a combination as Henri Kowalski and Ilerr Pechotsch has ever before bean presented in these parbs, and those who can relish the pleasuresof finepianoand violin-playing,and whom the .holiday season has still left resident in town, are losing tho opportunity of hearing performances which are at once a3 delightful as they aro rare.

Any notion that a high-class concert can be dull is obviated by the astonishing tone, fire and brilliancy, and the superb taste exhibited by the groat piano-virEuoso, Kovvalski, both in his rendition and in his selection of pieces. Theso range through every school of music—popular, operatic, and classical—and whether he is expounding the work of another composer or dealing: with his own arrangement of a well-known melody, the exhibition of consummate artistic power and iasto is the satno. He is veritably the ■Chopinisb of the South. In the vocal de.parfc'merjb, al?o, there is no weakness, as the Applause of the assembled enthusiasts and tho invariable encore accorded to iSliss Hewsow and Madame Vanderveer-Grserie testify. Why, with so much lino artistic eft'orb on ono side and so much appreciation upon tho other, tho siudiouco* dc not increase faster, is only fco he explained by the fact that this is the dead week of the year. Jh cannob be possible that Auckland taete has degenerated so inab from the days of Santley and Patey.

Last evening tho programme was perhaps the fines!; hitherto presented, and the gratification exhibited by the audience was proportionately high. In the three movements of Beethoven's Sonata in F, Tv'lons. KuwalskiandHerr Pechocs-cb excelled themeolves, while in the Caprice of Vieuxtemps the latter exhibited his peculiarly sterling qualities. Miss Bertha llossow fairly brought down the house with her admirable rendering of "Dear Heart" jind "Ib Was a Dream," and Madame Vandorveer-Greene in Hullah's song, "Three Fishers," completely entranced her hearors with the dramatic singing of the old favourite. Mons. Kovvalski, in his two items of Chopin, played as he .never played .hero before, and served us a foil for showing us how Chopin i 3 habitually iflisrend'ered by ordinary players. The startling feature of the evening however, was Kowalski's "Marche Hougroiso" for two pianos, in which the com poser and his enthusiastic pupil. Miss G-riftibhs, completely electrified the audience and hud to "submit to an imperative though exhaustive •encore. 'This evening the programme promises to be tho very iincst yot presented, and those- who earn for beautiful aiuaic, •capably interpreted, will do well to bo there. "