GORDON SHORT RECITAL

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 109, 9 May 1924, Page 2

GORDON SHORT RECITAL

' After a period of "musical drougbt in Wellington, Mr. .Gordon Short's pianoforte recital last evening was most refreshing. His audience was large and sympathetic. w It. listened with .rapt attention far a full two' hours (except for quite short intervals), and then asked for more. Mr. Short's reputation/as an exceedingly abhi performer, in fact, as a thorough artist, is now so firmly established here that there is' no need to do more than, refer to the fact. His programme last night opened with the sonata "Pathetique," of Beethoven. It was, on the whole, a satisfying and. conscientious performance;, except for the final movement, which ended unimpressively. Followed'a Ballade of Reiriecke, unfamiliar, perhaps, to by far the greater part of those who heard it. This number, as Mr:,'Shoft played it, stood out as probably the'most brilliant feature in his programme.•.. It showed him' plainly enough as a' pianist of infinite resource,' in power and in technique. . At any time, Mr. Short's playing is entirely devoid of anything that offends. : If, as in his performance of the Beethoven sonata, •he left the impression that he may.never reach perfection—and-who can ?—he showed the way, made an Approach to its possibility, r Some, other outstanding riumTjers in his; programme were ■ Brahms's Sonata in F Minor7 (first', second, and fifth movements), a t 'not "over-stirring performance, but masterly .'^considered from the strictly technical' point; of -view, and much the same could be said of the Introduction and Toccata.'of Rheinberger. The per^ formance of 'Mendelssohn's popular Andante, and Rondo Capriccio ranked next in importance to/ the Reinecke Ballade. It enabled Mr. Short to display his undoubted ability/to reveal the great beauties of a given place to the trained and untrained listener, alike. Chopin received adequate treatment at his hands in the study in, E Fantasia impromptu, waltz in A Flat, and "Berceuse." Mr. Short is always on good terms with Chopin, indeed, he is a remarkably able exponent of. that master. The. imposing Second Rhapsody of Liszt was followed (after stormy applause) by the "Rigoletto" paraphrase. These were preceded by a couple of gems of Debussy, examples of Mr. Short's, extreme delicacy. The recital was an unqualified success, and most welcome, top, .because it wris given .by an otherwise busy resident artist.

Lord Lonsdale has sold the Derwent Hall fishery en the Derwent, in Cumberland, which has been in the possession of his family for centuries, to fho Derwent Fisheries Association. It extends for five miles'on both bunks from the mouth of the. river. . . . ■ ■-.

•It is said that;, ill fifty years artificial lighting ;will'coat nbout v - fiftieth, of its m-oscttt wico. ■-"■