RUSSIAN MUSICIANS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17264, 4 September 1916, Page 4

RUSSIAN MUSICIANS.

TWO VISITING ARTISTS

A CHAT "WITH MM. MIROVITCH AND PIASTRO.

On Saturday a reporter hnd an interesting chat with M. Mirovitch, a Russian pianist, and M. Piastro, a Russian violinist, who commenced a brief season in Christchurch at the Choral Hall on Saturday evening. M. Mirovitch, who is still a young man, was born in Potrograd. M. Piastro is not more than twenty-live years of age, and is a southern Russian, from Krime, on the Black Sea, near Sebastopol. Both artists graduated at tho Petrograd Conscrvatorium, M. Mirovitch finishing his studies in 1909 and Mr Piastro a year inter. A reinarkablo thing about M. Piastre's connection with the Conservatorium is that he was under the same professor on tho violin as his fatlier was forty years previously—Professor Howard. After finishing his studies M. Mirovitch toured through Russia, Germany and Scandinavia. Ho had just arranged for a series of concerts in London when tin war started, and ho then changed h's plana, starting on a tour through Siberia with M. Piastro. This wa.i in th<? winter of 1914, and it has lasted since with no prospect of finishing for a long time to come. They had not intended to leave Siberia, hut a contract was pressed on them for tho Far East, and they visited the large cities of China twice. Then they went to the Philippines, Siam, tho Straits Settlements, Java and Sumatra. With M. E. Bucker, of Java, an Australian and New Zealand tour was arranged, and a journey through India is to follow, with tho United States of America in immediate prospect.. MM. Mirovitch and Piastro have toured Australia, and say that they onjoyed their tour immensely. While in Melbourne thety spent two* days at Madame Melba's temporary home, and wero most hospitably entertained by the great prima donna. Both artists are charmed with Christchurch. They think it a very neat town, so clean and pretty, and they are relieved to find that they do not need to wear fur garments. People in Austialia told them it was very cold in New Zealand. Tho littlo inaccuracies of colonial journalism afford both young men a good doal of quiet enjoyment. M. Piastro has frequently been described as a singer, while one newspaper recently said that M. Mirovitch's playing resembled that of Micha Elman. M. Mirovitcli, however, is a pianist, not a violinist. While in Melbourne MM. Mirovitch and Piastro wero informed that tho second division ot the Russian Reserve, of which they are members, had been called up. Both presented themselves for examination, and both were rejected, so that they can continue their IrAtr with a clear conscience.

The musicians wore agreeably surprised by the very excellent musical organisations in Australasia. They played with amateur orchestras in Sydney and Melbourne, and would bo glad of an opportunity to play with the Christchurch Orchestral Society. In their programmes Russian music naturally figures largely, with Tschaikowsky in the forefront, but they have no prejudices against Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Bach or tho other great classical composers. "Yoti cannot regard Beethoven as German." was tho way M. Mirovitch put it. "He belongs to all tho world, like vour Shakespeare. We would not play the works of a Hying German composer, such as Max Roger, but Beethoven—that is another matter."