MR. HENRY KETTEN'S RECITAL.

Evening Post, Volume XXI, Issue 8, 11 January 1881, Page 2

MR. HENRY KETTEN'S RECITAL.

? Mr. Henry Ketten made his first appear ~snce at the Theatre Royal last night, before Iflarge and enthusiastic audience. The programme was judiciously varied to exhibit his skill in strongly contrasted styles of pianoforte composition. Mr. Ketten is a pianist of rare ability : the facility with which he overcomes the greatest difficulties of '- manipulation is very remarkable, his execution being especially noticeable for the "clearness" and "crispness" of its quality. His octave scales and double shakes are particularly clear and good, as also are his crescendo, diminuendo, and sforzando effects, and his power is immense ; while, on the other hand, he often displays extreme delicacy of touch, and his force- of expression is always intense and often impassioned. He was heard, perhaps, at his best last night in his own compositions, which are very clever and artistic, also thoroughly adapted for the display of his facility in overcoming technical difficulties, including passages tor left hand alone (after Wehli), arid lengthened repetition of one note in Hitter's style. Among his interpretation of other masters, his perfect exeoution of Chopin's lovely "Berceuse," Mendelssohn's Caprice in E minor, and Boccherini's "Minuet" must carry off the palm. He played the famous " Waldstein" Sonata of Beethoven (op. 53, in C) — never before heard publicly in Wellington— with great power, introducing some entirely new " readings" of that work. He occasionally exhibited considerable boldness in disregarding the marks of expression with which Beethovenhas so plentifully besprinkled his pages, ignoring the composer's indications of crescendo and diminuendo, "p" and "/," and substituting his own ideas of what ought to have been .written. In Gottschalk's " Pasquinade," 5 and Heller's transoription of Schubert's I Truite," Mr. Ketten also infused his own I individuality somewhat pointedly. We alvlude to these variations simply as affecting the actual interpretation of the compositions referred to : in regard to the striking brilliancy with whioh they were performed by i Mr. Ketten there could be but one opinion, and the applause which followed each solo ¦ ( was 'vociferous to a degree seldom heard from onr somewhat apathetic audiences. It is rarely, indeed, that a pianist can hold his hearers entranced during a whole evening unaided by a single assistant, vocal or instrumental. That Mr. Ketten can do this -is in itself conclusive evidence of his exceptional powers.