FAMOUS FIDDLERS

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19918, 3 May 1930, Page 9

FAMOUS FIDDLERS

VISITORS OF FIFTY YEARS.

VMRCIAIXI WSITTMT FOB TITB P*®»S.) [Bt Taos. W. !>««•]

Whs* Mr John Dunn arrived in Christohurch last week, he confessed t6 being handicapped by tho possession of an English n&ine. This set mo thinking. 1 began asking myself how many, of all the fiddlers I had ever heard, were similarly handicapped, and I was astonished to discover that I could count them on one hand. From this I began turning over tho names of all the famous fiddlers who had visited Christchurch, in my lifetime, and ended with compiling this chroniele of half a century. Although the visits of the two earliest fiddlers—probably two of the greatest also—were prior to thfc writer's participation in raattors musical, there are probably many Pkes* readers who 6tul remember tho visits of Auguste Wilhehnj and Edouard Remenyi. Auguste Wilhelmj was born at Usingen, Nassau, Germany, September 21st, 1845, and studied under Ferdinand David at Leipzig. It was to Ferdinand David that Mendelssohn dedicated his well-known and still popular Violin Concerto in E Minor—in recognition of the assistance given by the violinist in marking the fingering and bowing of this great work —tho only Violin Concerto Mendelssohn ever wrote. Wilholmj therefore had tho privilege of having Mendelssohn's own ideas-H,hrough Ferdinand David — and, it is said, his interpretation of it was imbued with qualities that subsequent artists were unlikely to attain; this, and tho prodigious technique possessed by Wilhelmj, placed him uniquely in this particular work. Wilhelmj appeared at the old Theatre Royal in 1880, and, of course, aroused the utmost enthusiasm among the local cognoscenti of that period. Wilhelmj owned a magnificent "Strad" (1725) —aftorwards acquired by tho well-known collector J. E. Greiner,

Edcmard Remenyi, tlie famous Hungarian, a particularly picturesque personality, was born at Hevea in 1830, and was a great rover, dying actually ou the concert platform during a recital in San Francisco, May 15th, 1898, after having toured the world several tinios. He was in London in 1854, on which occasion he was appointed solo violinist to Queen Victoria. Returning to Vienna in- 1860, however, he was appointed solo violinist to the Emperor of Austria, and held that appointment a few years. His inborn wanderlust, however, compelled him to see the world again, and he continued touring practically all the time until his tragic exit. Johannes Brahms acted as Bemenyi '• accompanist during one of his tours 'through Germany—truly an illustrious pair. Eemenyi was In Christchureh in 1888 or early in 1889, and —as in the ease of Wllhelmj—"astonished the natives." Camilla Una came to Christchureh as this violiniste of the De Vere Sapio Concert Company—undoubtedly one of the greatest coteries of artists that ever crossed the Pacific. They appeared at the old Opera House about 1894, and at that time Ursa was at her zenith. 8h j ,-was approaching middle-age, and had "she been compelled to depend up>u personal appearance for box offiee returns would surely have had a "thin time,'? being short, fat, and, at that time, she wore a "Picadilly" fringe coming right down to her eyebrows. But wien she played she earned you away to realms of ethereal beauty with the magic of her artistry. Mer tou* was as pure gold, full and round, rich and warm. Her technique was extraordinary. Marvela sueh as were beyond even the imagination of average violinists she managed with no apparent effort.. Octave passages at lightning speed, doubly atopping in all positions, double harmonics, and impeccable bowing, made her marvellous to see, as weu as to hear. At one of few Christchureh concerts she was playing an intricate work—l. have forgotten the nario long ago, buttheiacident remains vividly—• .when her B spring broke. Unperturbed, she moved up to higher positions, and finished the movement on three strings, and only those close to the stage were aware of what had happened* A. famous Belgian who visited Christ' ohureh in 1892, was Ouide Mutin, whose jovial features and rotundity would more appropriately have fitted a Boniface than a great artist. His playing of Wieniawski's "Obertass" Mazurka do Concert was an occasion to be remembered by the violinists present. Be- ; wildering in ita brilliance and technical difficulties, it was a masterly performance; left hand pizzicatos crackling like pistol shots, amid whirling arpeggios, stand out' in bold relief from a background of many marvellous musical memories. His Bpicoato bowing has probably neve? been excelled to thfl present day. Madame Gower Burns was the assisting artist on this occasion. Musin died on November 24th last at the age of 75, in New York, where he settled many 7 T 8 Br!£>& artist, Marie Hall, was in Christchureh in 1907, but I was unable to bear her, being stationed in Hastings, H,8., at the time;.but her performances, according to critiques, written ft* the time, ftpd Tier undoubted position among the world's best of that period, give her a niche aqpng the great in violin history. It is to Marie Hall that i« attributed.tfe# saying:—l miss a J>raetl«9 one day, I notice it; if for two days, the critics notice it; if for three days, the public notice it." , Jan Kubelik wa# at the zenith of his career when he visited Christchureh in 1908. A Bohemian by birth, he studied under Seveik in Prague, and toured the world between 1903 and 1908. He was greeted with acclaim and enthusiasm wherever he played, Kubelik owned the famous "Emperor" Strad, as it is commonly ealled. Experts refer to it as tho '' Imperator." White in Kubelik'a possession it was valued at £25,000, and was insured' for £IO,OOO. On one occasion, while crossing the English Channel, the boat on which Kubelik travelled was run into by another vessel and shipwreck seemed imminent. It is said: that Kubelik's first act was to wrap bis instrument up in waterproof casing and lash it to a lifebelt, before making any attempt for his own safety. Luckily, it did not get in the water. This violin was eventually acquired by Mr" J, S. Phipps, a wealthy enthusiast iand collector. In 1914, we had the famous Russian violinist. Mischa Elman, in New Zealand, and on July 20th of that year, he played the great Beethoven Concerto in b D major with the Christchureh Orches*tra,» under'the conductorsliip of Mr W. Handel Thorley. The performance was one of the greatest the Christchureh Orchestral Society has ever participated in, and the soloist was obviously pleased with the support of the orchestra. The conductor, however, proved to be a "bird of passage," as he left New Zealand in 1915, before the Orchestral Society had completed its season, Ernest Toy, an Australian violinist, toured New Zealand with Paul Dufault, the French-Canadian tenor, about thirteen or fourteen years ago, and played tho difficult Souvenir do Moscow (Wienijiwski). In 1920, Christchureh had tho first visit of that wonderfufcgalaxy of musicians, the New South Wales State Orchcstra, under M. Henri Verbruggheh, in which orchestra several notable solo, ists assisted. Daisy Kennedy, the Australian violinist, was in Christchureh at the same time, and after she bad |*yen her own recitals ehe plaved the Mendelssobn Concerto in B Minor with that orchestra. But great as were'all concerned. conductor, orchestra, and soloiat, the performance of the same work

to' pianoforto accompaniment, a few evenings earlier, seemed more satisfactory, with greater individuality and clarity, according to my idea, at that time. The New South Wales Orchestra paid its final visit to New Zealand in February, 1922. Tcscha Seidel, another famous Russian violinist, visited Christchureh in August, 1922, and gave three recitals, in which he was assisted by tho New Zealand pianist, Frank Ilutchens. Among tho many great Sonatas played by this pair, the Beethovon Kreutzer (Op. 47), played at the second recital, was a revelation in cohesion between violinist ftnd pianist, a point particularly noted :v Tub Pbbss criticism of the concert. Yananovitch Bratza—a young Sorbian violinist, who e&mo here with the American tenor, Charles Hackett, delighted local enthusiasts in August, 1924; his playing of the D Minor Concerto (Wieniawskl) at his second concert, and tho Biea "Moto Perpetuo," also Tartini's "Trill de Piabolo," were all wonderful, and all beautiful. These works have been made into records by Brutza. '• Fritz Kreisler, probably the greatest violinist ever in New Zealand, gave his recitals in the Theatre Royal to "capacity" houses. These recitals left a lasting impression on all the truly musical, whether violinists or not, Kreisler's personality, as well aa his outstanding genius, making the occasions memorable indeed., He included the Mendelssohn Concerto in E Minor in his first programme, and took the final Allegro at a speed which took the breath away, and which, to anyone but Kreisler, would seem like courting disaster. He never slackened, never faltered by a fraction. The last of the great ones to visit Christchureh was Heifetz, another of the great Russian flayers, whose technique ia probably even more perfect than either Kreisler, Elman, or Seidel, and whose gramophone records are undoubtedly the finest of all. His statuesque immobility, however, fails to captivate, as compared with his famous compatriots, Elman* and Soidol, both of whom were very human, and entered into the mood of whatever they played with undisguised enjoyment. Heifetz also played the Mendelssohn Concerto, and while it was quite as flawless as was Kreisler's performance, it failed to arouse the enthusiasm which marked Kreisler's interpretation of it. Heifetz and Seidel were both under Leopold Auer's tuition prior to their concert caroers, and Auer, in his book, "The Violin as I Teach It," refers to Heifetz as "The Angel of the Violin" and to Toscha Seidel as "The Devil of the Violin."

Seidell volatile and genorous personality was demonstrated at his final concert in Christchurch, He had played a wonderful programme, had responded willingly to encores, had played three encores to' hia final number, and was smilingly bowing his acknowledgment of the unabated enthusiasm, when his E string broke with a loud craclc. He held up his hand, pointed to his broken string, and said: "My E string was burst. Eef you will wait till I put heem on, I will again play!" At once there* was a voice from the gallery: "You bet your boots we'll wait!" And now to end, as we began, with John Dunn. The fact that he had played to some of the world's moat critical audiences made us expect a good deal,* but we were not disappointed. It is a very great pity that wo were restricted to a single concert.