A GREAT PIANISTE

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1847, 31 July 1907, Page 29

A GREAT PIANISTE

MADAME CADRENO T S RECITAL. AN ARTISTIC TRIUMPH. The preliminary advertisements published in the daily press by advance agents for musical and dramatic entertainments sometimes- —and sometimes do not —convince the public that the people so heralded are x worthy of the patronage that is craved. This, however, is not the case in regard to Madame Teresa Carreno. As a matter of fact, the paragraphs that have appeared in the columns of the press in reference to this lady but faintly outline her life story, and inadequately describe her artistic triumphs. And any authentic work on matters musical proclaims this to be the case. Let ns quote one unchallenged authority. The writer, Robin 11. Legge, after describing Madame Carreno’s early career —she is the daughter of a Minister for Finance of the Venezuelan Republic (South America)—states that from childhood she was recognised as a musical prodigy. When but nine years of age she made her debut as a pianiste, and occasioned such enthusiastic admiration that when on a visit to New York (we think it should have been stated as New Orleans) she was immediately taken as a most acceptable pupil by the splendid pianist and well-known composer, L. Gottschallc, whose works have lived after him. Later the young genius went to Paris, where her remarkable talent attracted the attention of G. A. St. C. Mathias, a noted teacher, from whom she received valuable instruction. Later still she became a much-prized pupil of Rubenstein —one of the greatest, if not the greatest, pianists the world has known But Carreno's successes did not end at the conclusion of her piano studies. She proved herself a vocalist of no mean calibre. At four days’ notice she appeared on the professional stage, and sang faultlessly the part of the Queen in Meyerhier's deathless opera “Les Huguenots." This was in connection with an opera company tinder the world-famed American impressario Colonel Mapleson. Shortly afterwards she composed the Venezuelan “National Anthem." In 1875, Carreno practically adopted the operatic stage professionally as a singer under the management of Maurice Strakosch—probably the greatest of modern producers of the great stage works of the masters of operatic music—and in this company she was associated. with such artists as Brignoli and Taglia-Pietra. Subsequently, while touring in her own native Venezuela with an opera company, a quarrel occurred ■ between the vocalists and the official conductor, who declined to take his seat with, the orchestra. Carreno filled the breach, and actually conducted all the operas —and they were not light, flimsy works—that were produced during three busy weeks. It was in 1889 that she reappeared as a pianiste, and it is from that date that her then remarkable technique and wondrous sympathy has developed and reached its present puissance. Thus it will be seen that even before she reached her present standing as the greatest female pianiste living, or perhaps who has ever lived, she was a vocalist, a composer, and a musician capable of conducting the orchestra and chorus and guiding the principal vocalists of a grand opera company.

Some of the preliminary announcements that have been made with regard to this great artiste are in a sense misleading. It might be imagined that Carreno can play nothing that is not marked at least f f f f. Nothing of the kind. When ehe appeared on the platform on Monday evening it was manifest that she was a woman of magnificent physique, with arms roundly feminine, yet splendid in their muscular development. Everyone in the audience sat back in the expectation of hearing a fearsome crash and perhaps seeing damage done to a valuable instrument so soon as she touched the keys. Again, nothing of the land. The artiste did not come up fn anv unpleasant expectations of this %i a t might have been entertained. ?K„ MaLfherself at the instrument ouietlv, and to the delight of everyone refrained from announcing her arrival byway of a series , of pyrotechnioal

arpeggi and deafening chords. She opened with a dainty little improvisation of about eight bars, and then after a pause —as if she had accustomed her fingers to the “touch" of the piano—burst into the splendid allegro assai of Beethoven's “Sonata Apassionata.” This work is regarded by many as the finest of the master’s compositions. The opening, with its short, abrupt, staccato yet solemn and sonorous chords, was given out with the virile power and fulness we had been led to look for from Carreno; but the tender gentleness of the softer intermediate passages came almost as a surprise. The delightful runs and intermixed snatches of pure melody in which Carreno seemed to shake pearly gems of tunefulness from her finger-tips contrasted with the rugged, stormy and fitful peculiarities of other sections of the work—so characteristic of the composer—were entrancing. The first movement glided almost imperceptibly into the graceful, stately “Andante Con Moto," and this progression gave the members of the audience no opportunity for the applausive demonstration they were eager to make. Which was the more enjoyable—the brilliant energy of the allegro or the peaceful hymn-like strains of the andante? The audience judged for themselves; but at the conclusion of the sonata., when the “Allegro Ma Non Troppo" and the brilliant Presto was arrived at and concluded, the audience fully realised that they were listening to one of the world's greatest pianists.

Out here ni Australasia during the last thirty years or so we have only heard three firm lady exponents of music written for the piano, so far as vve can remember. They were Arabella Locidard, Madame Tosca, and Mdlle Adela \ erne. Comparisons—-especially m regard to ladies—are not generally acceptable. But it is undeniable that Madame Carreno is an artist, a profound musician, aud an executant of wnom we would like to hear much, and whose equal we have never heard. After the Beethoven sonata, Carreno by way of contrast—treated her audience to four excerpts from the works of and these in themselves each differed from what is usually regarded as the “style" that composer—that is to say, they showed the writer in at all events four of * hbs many varying moods. There is as little resemblance between Chopin's prelude Op. 23 and his polonaise in G fiat as there _is between Scarlatti and Elgar. But thesi beautiful numbers of Chopin and each was beautiful —were* made by the intense musical fervour of this great pianiste to stand out as mdividnalisms. Eacli work had its own story to tell, and under the hands of Carreno that story was interpreted, in such manner that those who listened learned a/ new lesson in music. The Etude in G fiat, a short, but tumultous j umble or melody anti perfect harmony, played at a terrific rate, was so remarkable a perfrrmance that Carreno by compulsory applause had to repeat it Quite a different phase of musical thought and interpretation was presented in the second part of the programme. It opened with a charming Romanza of Rubinstein’s—a sweet little melody such as would hardly be expected to have come from the pen of that great, forceful pianist: And following them was a Barcarolle by the same musician, which was another extreme contrast, inasmuch that it displayed the composer, and also the player, in an entirely changed frame of musical thought. Liszt's transcription of Paganini's “La Campanella" was another alternation of musical effect. The melody is not of—one would say of an inspiring character; yet Liszt made of it, a study calculated to tax the technique of the most brilliant pianist—even himself, despite the enormous finger-stretch he possessed—to its utmost. Carreno, although her arms are powerful, has small hands, yet by the marvellousness of her digital dexterity she overcame th 9 prodigious “skips" on the keyboard, and' every note in the chords of the long registers which many of them required, sang out fully, truly. Encored enthusiastically and undeniably, the artist played oqually acceptably a valse of l her own composition. As another encore, Carreno played a very pretty Cappriceio Staccato by Max Vogrich.