PADEREWSKI.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8120, 20 September 1904, Page 4

PADEREWSKI.

THE LYPvIC PIANIST

THE OPENING RECITAL. y So many stars from the i^a-net-studded { plain of far lands have flickered across the ? ' southern firmament, only to sit, like the fr. lost pleiad Merope, "unlighted on a lightp- lass sun," that even the -best intentioned » r public has grown chary of accepting new * sonstellations upon trust*. But Paderewski j*' km been well boomed. To be well boomed i_ { -aowadays ie, in musical and dramatic cir- '{• ; des, generally accepted as being a su3picir -Wisly supervenient introduction-. But the exploitation of the Polish pianist came from m-aooustbmed quarters, and, with a knowledge of hia musical .history and am nnbias*d endorsement of his qualification's', the kwnendous audience which assembled at the •Canterbury Hell last night hold ite seats with a more comfortable preliminary conviction of justification than usual. That _,_ conviction was amply justified, for, from the fc moment of his entry until the final, almost i frantic, reception of his last number, the £ pianist literally held the audience in the if' hollow of his hand. Tlie enthusiasm waa $£■ -that of impressive silences alternating witih f damorous applause, silences whose creepy (ju-ality bespoke an almost senimous enjoyment of that music whioh "softlier falls' than dew upon blown roses," and clamours I whioh were the spontaneous recognition of I. ftppreciated g-enius., It ha* been written of t Paidemewski that he leaves the suggestion that be is wrapped up in his art, and that! he is \ always "millions of utiles away from his audi- ,. ence," and the grave, smileless mystic, un- |/ reticently reticent performer certainly lends j|, colour to the suggestion. Paderewski, nevertheless, is not a spiritual poseur, for [' the quality of his music forbids the accut -totibn of any such banal artificiality. When p Jud Brownin wrote his celebrated apos- \. ( trophe to Rubinstein's playing he might, L" ' bnt for an accident of age, have had Pader|s~ swski in his mind. But the Polish pianis. ffl' bas bad many hysterical rhapsodize dediP. sated to him of late years, and his experiR ence of criticism has not unnaturally been p ' more one of vivid and neurotic appreciation than one of saner criticism.. The t . quality of his playing in a large measuro justifies the use of superlatives, but, this Apart, lie is, after all, an intensely human tnd approachable musician. Personally, as In the case of Mliss, the " daisies don't lift .heir heads much to look after him," and the angels don't shed more tears than are absolutely necessary upon, the keyboard of tis Erard. Paderewski's programme last, night was Tery properly framed upon somewhat j -stereotyped lines, but as the conventional lines are designed to cover as representative a selection of compositions as possible, , this' must be regarded as a virtue rather j than as a reproach. The first number was I ■ Liszt's transcription of Bach's great Organ a Fugue and Prelude in A minor. The play- '/" ing of this number, severely classical though it is, showed at once that so far as • 1 the Germanic phase of musical art is cori-- -? cerned, Paderewski is a past < master. ' Baoh's counterpoint is of a more intense r \A »nd more immediately personal kind than -. Ihe polyphonous splendour of Palestrina or Orlando di Lasso, and ho has vivified the rigid forms of the fugue with a fine indiyidual passion. Naturally, these especial characteristics have been fully maintained in the transcriptions by Liszt, and even the

cold, stately, mathematical precision of this fugue was endowed last night with something of passionate fervour by the fingers of Paderewski. His tone was magnificent, and the alternate exclamations of the voices were quietly but impressively brought out in the fugue, in delightful contrast with the deep and sonorous climax of the prelude. Beethoven's "Waldstein" isonata, a composition dedicated to Count Waldstein, by Beethoven, as a tribute to his earliest friend and protector, followed. This sonata belongs to what is known as Beethoven's "second period," and it is one of those compositions which have brought the technical resources of the piano to a perfection previously unknown.' At the same time, they embody an infinite variety and depth of emotion. Little of this was lost in Paderewski's in-terpre-Wtion. There was a technical imperfection or two noticeable in the opening allegro con brio, but the tone the pianist secured was again -delightful. Even more charming was the short but exquisita adagio, which was instinct with tenderness and song-feeling. , The closing pi-estissiniOv particularly in the difficult octave passages, was a brilliant effort thafc wa** just shorb of perfection. It s-e-med as if at every moment the player would reach his absolute best, and yet that zenith remained tantal- i isingly aloof. It was a noble -llusta-atiou! of Browning's philosophy: Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his i grasp, Else what's a Heaven for: Schubert's Impromptu in B-flat, which followed, is a composition well-known to amateurs, and Paderewskils fine performance of it must have been particularly useful as an object lesson. Tlie beleanto theme was specially expressive, and the brilliant scale passages in the closing numbers were played with amazing ease and accuracy. Paderewski next played two of those immortal lieder with which Schubert's name must be eternally associated. These were Liszt's transcriptions of " Hark, Hark, the Lark," and' "Tbe Erl King." The marvellous facility with which Schubert wrote his songs is exemplified by tbe story I that the original manuscript of " Hark*. ; Hark, the Lark" was written at a "beergarden" on the back of a bill-of-fare, the moment after 'the composer had first read the words." It is certain, at any rate, tbat he dashed many o| his songs off under v the spell of the briefest inspiration, and the bright, fresh, irresistible melodies are characteristic yet of the felicity of their evolution. Paderewski did not fail to maintain this i character. " Hark, Hark, the Lark " became a spirited and lovely lyric at his hands, and

was at the same time a marvellous illustration of the onomatopoeia, of musi.-. But it was left to the pianist to make thi success of the evening with his playing of the " Erl King." The number was t-he epitome of weird, concentrated pathos, and the listener forgot- for the moment the splendid technique in the listening to the impressive tragedy of the player's life. It was a number that stood out clear-cut as an exquisite cameo, yet sentient with ;tn almost painful personal emotionalism. The storm of applause which followed was continued until the pianist was compelled to return, when he played as an encore Mendelssohn's .spirited and triumphant " Hunting Song." A bra-cket of six Chopin numbers opened the second part- of the programme, and these covered a representative selection from the great lyrical composer's shorter works. Naturally a great deal of interest centred round Paderewski's interpretation of his countryman's music. He had already showed his ability to interpret the Germanic music of Bach's school, and he at once proved that he was equally at home with the Romantic compositions of Chopin. Indeed, he is primarily aChopin player. The intensity of expression, the high-strung passion, the subtle sentiment, the melancholy nuances, the splendid clearness of the phrasing, and the rare me- -■ chanical dexterity combined to make the Chopin numbers a brilliant and appealing education. As in the case of Chopin himself, there was in Paderewski's playing a negation of bravura*, and an absolute perfection of finger play and of the legatiss-imo touch, to the exclusion of that high relief characteristic of the German school. Tbe nocturne in G major was invested with a considerable amount of pathos, and seemed to sing, as it was intended to do, vaguely, and mysteriously something of the lost glory of Poland. The Etude .(No. 9), "Les Papillons." was a flower in a flower's setting, dainty, crisp and winsome, and, in truth, a veritable " flight of white butterflies." The " study " had to be repeated in response to a vociferous encore. Tho first waltz, that in E flat, and the encore waltz in C sharp minor, .were scarcely as satisfying, leaving the impression that they were not sufficiently worked up. The mazurka was, however, excellent, and the noble Polonaise, played with an impressive fire and abandon, was one of the best numbers on tha programme. Paderewski's own composition, the well-known "Minuet," was another - number i a-mili-ar to the audience. It is probably a misnomer to call the composition a minuet, for the minuet movement is confined to a few recurring phrases only. The pianist revealed his composition in an entirely new light, mainly owing to the quaint and melodic rhythm with which he invested the minuet movement, a marked improvement on the generally accepted accentuation of the passage. The minuet had to be replayed, and ' the pianist" then settled down to his final number, Liszt's Second Hungarian Rhapsodic This was a magnificent tour de force, played with a fire and a rousing energy that were contagious, and that worked the audience to a pitch of enthusiasm that necessitated the player's return. Summing up generally, Paderewski's > playing suggests that he should be characterised rather as pre-eminently the lyric poet of the piano than the exponent of the dramatic muse of music. It was in the lyric capacity that he gave of his best. Not that he is by any means lacking in' dramatic force, but the warmth of his singing tone, his. marvellous feeling of rhythm, and the melodic quality of his playing are all essentially lyrical. It is the thrush's J "half a ranid arc oi $ong v ,fchafc| he interprets best, not tbe thun-

ders of battle nor the Valkyrie of the elements in conflict. His virtuosity- is abeolutely sure, jur.t as his interpretations are always -sane,' although there is just* a* «ug. gestion that his technique has suffered a little by the 'hazards of ibis long voyage and the incessant, trying travel incidental to hia tour. As an kli-rooind exponent of the piano he bas few, if any, equals, though individual players might be named who would surpass him in the interpretation of individual composers. Busoni and Ei-gen D'Albert are probably better Beethoven disciples, Padhmann is assuredly a better Chopin player, whilst in bravura work Resent-hal has undoubtedly a surer * technique. It is Paderewski's fortune, though, to be all t«hese things to all men, and the comparison is no disparagement to a genius who, having been faithful in one thing, hag been made ruler over many. Temperamentally the man is all an artist, and tihe impressionistic imagery of "his playing, must lave come with almost hopelfes "force to those despairing music-lovers who toil after him in vain. " I'll never play it again," said one passionate young enthusiast, as she tore his " Minuet" into tearful pieces, and perhaps no studied compliment could have been a saner or more effective criticism than this one impetuous action.