MUSICAL BERLIN.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 22, 25 January 1913, Page 11

MUSICAL BERLIN.

ATFCKIi&ITD LADY'S TBIBUTK. HAED BUT PLEASANT STUDY.

Miss Alice E. Law, I,J3LA_AL (London), tie distinguished Auckland pi&niste, has Just retained to New Zealand after an absence of more than- eighteen months, strenuously .devoted by that ambitiou3 young musician'to the study of her art *t the Stem Conservatorinm, in Berlin. The famoas college, which is the biggest institution of its kind in Europe, having an enrolment of 1,300 pupils, provided IGas Law with an opportunity to add Mother spray to the wreath of laurels she has won in the musical field. Almost jawiably. the Stern Conservatorinm naat3 npon its students de-rotting three jers , hard study before there is any suggestion of granting the coveted, diploma, but the Auckland lady earned tke unique honour of gaining the diploma »&er fourteen months' work. At the conKTratorinm she was the pupil of Georg Bertram, but she also studied harmony and composition under the private tuition of Herman Durra, the well-known Berlin composer. She gained the approbation of te tutor in this department of her "°&es, Dnrra expressing the opinion Sit her songs displayed verjj great talent Miss lew proposes to devote aerseif earnestly to teaching at her studio in Devonport, and she does not anticipate that she win have much leisure time to spare for indulging in composition in the meantime?

'When interviewed by a "Star ,, reporter \ yesterday Miss Law was enthusiastic in -. Mr appreciation of her musical expert i race in Berlin. Last winter the eelebra- 1 "On. of the Liszt centenary gave many opportunities of hearing good music, and • Mc recaHs with delight the concerts at I waich she heard Bosom, the great Italian pianist, Godovsky, Rosenthal, Gabrilo- '' witch, Lamoct, LUierinne, Carreno, and ! imfle Sauar among others. The vio™ais Ysaye, Kreisler, and Thibaud, and '■ ">e singers Emmy Destinn, Marcella Sem"nch, Elena Gerhardt, and Julia Gulp *« also living memories of her stay abroad. Miss Law was fortunate to be M 'e to attend the magnificent orchestral wncerta given m Berlin by the Philharm «uc Orchestra (conducted by Nikisch). the Opera Orchestra (condncted by aicaard Strauss). Richard Strauss is the ™an of the day in Berlin, Miss Law says, w a it a extremely difficult, almost imPossble unless- by special favour, for a stranger to obtain a ticket for his Jfowded concerts. Hie new opera,! Anadne atlf Naxos." has already been ' formed in Stutgaxt, and is to be perlonned in Berlin shortly. -They don't think much in Berlin (MJ33 a S 73 ' 01 " the frothy 1 frivolous «* French style of music, ox which Dβ a the leading exponent, although, hold their own modern composers ™ great honour. There has been a notaoie change in the* teaching of technique ; ™ the past ten yean, the Breithaupt "jstem being adopted as an improvement ™ the Leschetiaky method, which is not *£ w ao popular with the more progres**e teachers. Musical education in Ger™*n y U infinitely superior to that pre"■"Btg in England, remarked this critiAnckland lady, who is qualified -to of both. The German teachers *"*m a great point of memorising, which r? snai strain on the student at first, i 2" Makes for confidence. During vaca- ; •Mβ tnne ifisa law travelled widely in i

various Continental towns of musical, artistic, and historical interest, but eyer her thoughts turn back to Berlin as the most charming of them all.