MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2552, 28 August 1915, Page 9

MUSIC.

TBi Tbebu CuMd i • ' A Prize Opera. Mr. Horatio Parker, the American composer, won a 10,000 dollar prize [ with his new opera "'Fairyland," which ■ had its premiere at Los Angeles on , July 1. This is what the editor of the ; New York "Musical Courier" wrote of i it:—"Horatio Parker's music disapi pointed me exceedingly, as I had been i led to expect that it'marked .an'im- . provement over ,'Mona' in inspiration [ and interests It does not. The score i is academical and technically routined, . but it fails to. stir the imagination, . or touch the heart. There are whole i pages, intensely dry, and others markedly monotonous: The chorus writing' is scholarly and ilueiit. Brian Hooker's book is weak in dramatic construction, suspense, . and climax. Plot abstruse and too symbolical; has no human in- , terest. Individual performance* • nn- , commonly good. .Ralph Errole, tenor, was excellent in song and action. William_ Hinshaw was sonorous and authoritative: Kathleen Howard was splendid in thankless part. Marcella Craft revealed sympathetic voice 'and' histrionic finish." No prize opera, or play written in America has ever been a success, whilst many plays that have turned out to be fortune-makers have been refused by leading managers, as was, tlio case in |'The Lion and: the' Mouse" and "Within the Law." ; As'far as opera is concerned Victor Herbert may claim to be the most successful composer America has produced, but his work, though' melodious enough, in patches, lacks the free imagination of the poetcomposer. A rational conclusion to arrive at is that if composers cannot write good opera spontaneously they cannot do so with a 10,000 or 100,000, dollar bait dangling before their, noses/ Thero_ is too much .easy monov in America for the musician-composer to induce the production of great music, and when greatness does arise in that land of' promise it, is more likely to emerge from tome eighth story den or Bast Sido . than. from the modified palace of the music man on Brooklyn Heights. . ' ■ Josef Lhevlnne,a Prisoner. Each season Josef . Lhevinne adds something to 'a, ■ tcchnic already considered ' with the [.world's greatest: Although the Russian 'pianist is held in Germany, a' : virtual; prisoner , he ■nevertheless has ample oportunities to keep ,up-his constant practice and even .fill a few concert engagements. His treatment by the Germans, he writes, has been extremely considerate, and lie lias added materially to his repertoire in anticipation of coming to ; America at the first opportunity he is permitted to do so. One of Lhevinne's last appearances in New,. York, _ before; be ' sailed for. Europe, was, with the Volpo Symphony Orchestra, an occasion which led Mas Smith, bf'tho.New.York Preis, to' declare that' Lhevinne's, piano playing "seems to grow in breadth' and power, delicacy and refinement, with every, appearanoe. ' : His selection was the Rubinstein concerto in D minor, and it is safe to say that no such performance of this concerto has been heard in New • York'- since.it. was given by. the :com-poser';-himself; some 'forty'years" ago. The listeners were breathless, and at the close the applause was 60' violent and ' prolonged that the pianist yielded at last and gave a prelude by the same ccmposer as an encore—an exceedingly difficult composition and' almost - unknown to concertrgoers of .the present generation. ■ Even: then' the crowd was not satisfied,- recalling ' the virtuoso again and again." A Ono-Armod Pianist. ..'One of the most: remarkable concerts ever heard in Berlin, and in fact anywhere in the 'world, was (says the New York "Musical; Courier") given ;late in May at the. end of' the' Berlin season just -past. •' A one-armed pianist played before 'a one-armed audience. This was Count ' Geza - Zichy, the famous onearmed Hungarian' pianist of Budapest, who gave a lecture followed by a piano recital for j the benefit of soldiers who have lost one arm, or tlio use of one arm, in the present war. ■ Count Zichy is. .'a,-most extraordinary man and. a unique example of what can be accomplished with only one arm arid hand, and. his lecture was given! chiefly forthe' piirposo of encouraging the thousands .who have lost an arm in the great struggle: . He'succeeded-first with his talk and later with his 'piano-playing in convincing liis . 'audience' that: life 'still has much to offer.even to the onearmed'. ■ Count:Zicliy, like:;every normal ho* man being, was born with two arms. He begaji to study the piano' at an early age, 1 being remarkably gifted for thej instrument, but at the age of fifteen he.,had the great, misfortune to lose iis ; entire right arm through the careless discharge ,of a gun while on a hunting expedition. The member was amputated at the shoulder. This surely would have been enough to have discouraged ' any ordinary mortal so for as pianistic aspirations'could be con-, cerned, but young' Zichy was not to be classed,: among ordinary 'mortals.'As' toon as\ he had recovered; from the first shock' he determined to-.accomplish with ibis left,hand alone 'what'is given: to but few to accomplish- with the use of both hands and arms, and how well he succeeded in his gigantic task ; has been demonstrated -by his remarkable career as a pianist, i Tko wonderful strength of 1 will power and 'force of character, which enabled him to'accomplish the seemingly impossible, "astonished no less a, personage than Franz Liszt some forty .years- ago, .and since, then'all Europe lias tendered him homage. ' . i: , . '. Notes. A\New Zealand national song, , entitled "New Zealand, the. Land- 'Neath the' Southern Cross,", has been composed by two , well-known Wellingtonians— words by.-Mr.' G. A. Troup and music by Mr. D. A. Kenny. Those who have' heard the song have been favourably impressed by its musical and literary spirit. I understand/ that it will be published at an early date. "The Kennedys" Concert Company intend paying a visit to Wellington early next month. . ' 1 '