WORLD FAMOUS PIANIST

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 286, 17 August 1926, Page 3

WORLD FAMOUS PIANIST

MR. WILLIAM BACKHAUS

Mr. William Backhaus, the worldfamous pianist, arrived in Wellington on Sunday. Mr. Backhaus has just completed a series of concerts in Auckland, and motored through via Napier and Wanganui. In Sydney the great pianist gave ten concerts in twenty-two days. "It was perfectly wonderful,” said Mr. Backhaus, “and I was amazed at the size and attention of the audiences. I have never before played to so many people in so short a space of time. I suppose it is partly because they have fewer opportunities that the people are so appreciative. In America for instance, music-lovers nightly have many concerts to choose fioni, lint in this part of the world such is not the case. In Auckland, too, I found wonderful audiences—really appreciative. I am quite pleased with the requests for certain items that I have already had—they are all pieces after my own heart.” Talking about tnddern composers and modern music, Mr. Backhaus said that on this question he preferred to maintain a benevolent neutrality. "As far as I personally am concerned,” he said, “no modern composer has for me the appeal and uplift that those of the period passed have. The colour or atmosphere which modern composers aim at, it seems to me, can best be effected bv using an orchestra as the means of expression, with the piano as part of the orchestra. The

last composer whose pianoforte music is really beautiful was Scriabin, and he is almost comparable to Chopin. No artist can really play everything, or should attempt to do so, so I prefer to interpret what f can understand, like the works of Beethoven, Schumann and Chopin.” Mr. Backhaus added that he thought that the Russian, Stravinsky, was one of the best of the moderns, and also Respighi, an Italian, whose orchestral music is very popular. “Why it is that modern, composers cannot rise to the heights of the old masters I do not know; but it appears to me that they cannot.” The visitor likes to have his own pianos for concerts, and the’ instruments for his present .scries of concerts have been shipped from America. He also takes with him his own special music stool, which he considers is of very great importance. Mr. Backhaus has nothing but praise far the modern development of the gramophone, and considers it an adjunct of great value towards the appreciation of good music.