MATTERS MUSICAL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 194, 15 August 1907, Page 2

MATTERS MUSICAL.

■:. JOT^VIEW;WITH - SCHEREK. .Herr Benno Scherek, whose name is a household:word among musical people throughout Australasia, ; !hae returned toAuckland, after an absence of- four years, as impresario for Madame Carreno. During the course of a. chaj; with-, a " Star " representative, to-day, Herr Seherekhad much to say :that was interesting. "Where have you been since we last saw yon?" he wae asked.. ':

"Well, I have been right-round the world, three times to South Africa, twice to America, and have-travelled the whole European Continent. I have naturally heard and seen all that is worth seeing and bearing in the world of.music, and lam trying to bring out'to Australia some of the best; artists of the world. You know there, is one great difficulty in getting celebrities;, their' time is so fully occupied that ■ engagements out here, owing td; the: limitations of the place, more or less, prevent their coming unless they require rest of, as is the case with Carreno, can be persuaded to make an Australian before an American trip. Another great difficulty is that a manager must find artists known to fame who will be as attractive to the non-musical public as to the musical" . . . '.",-.

"Have you given tip playing altogether?"'was asked.

"No, indeed,".replied Herr Scherek. "I will play the orchestral- accompaniments and the second piano jui the concerts next "week, as I have right through Australasia. Shortly before coming out here I played through the English provinces, in Holland, Sweden and Denmark, when I toured with Mark Hambourg and his brothers. Solo playing I have given up for some time."

" Has Mark Hambdurg's playing developed?" , . .

"To a very great degree. When he was out here he was very young; he was then a great technician, now he is a really great artist. He !has improved immensely, and. his playing is .now more : interesting from an intellectual point of view that it was when he'"was- out here, and he has lost none o his technical ability. When he comes out again—and I hope he will at some time—the people will be surprised at the difference. I took Hambourg out to South Africa-* , .

"And your other trips to that colony? , * "I took out Jean Gerardy, the 'cellist, (who, by the way, has recently married a Sydney girl), and an opera company which included Lilian Coomber and Salvi, both of whom you will remember ac members of the Grand Opera Company which visited Australasia four years ago.

"Then as to your impressions of the Continent ?"

"What impressed me-most was the excellence of the orchestras and of the

opera, and the number of really great artists one hears. You see, there is no standing orchestra in Australasia, and it is only on rare occasions that one hears a full orchestra. In Europe, on the other hand, there is an excellent orchestra in almost every city. Then in places like London, Berlin, Vienna, Liep-

sig, one can hear six or. eight great artists in one evening, all celebrities,

and there is no advertising them as the "greatest on earth." With people like Birsoni, Carreno, or Paderewski just a few lines apjjear that the artist will appear at such affit~Buctra place. That is quite .sufficients ;T was Bfirprised In Denmark and Holland at the number of excellent concerts and fine artists. . ■ ' "And in Australas: , *?"

"In Australasia I find a very much greater appreciation of music now than some years ago. There have been more frequent visits of great artists, and the public are being educated in consequence. I timed my visit to America very well," Herr Scherek continued. "I left 'Frisco three days before the earthquake—l did not think it good enough to stay for it, I was not ambitious. Then I arrived in New York three days after the Thaw murder, so altogether I timed my visit very well. Both my, wife and myself have been much touched with the reception which we have met in Auckland, it is good to know one is not forgotten, although we have been away four years." "Your future plans?" "Well, as I have stated, I intend to

bring out a number of great European artists in the near future. It will not be necessary for mc to go to America, as every one of the eighty concerts to be given there by Madame has already been sold."