KREISLER.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18408, 15 June 1925, Page 12

KREISLER.

THE FIRST CONCERT.

Kreisler" Who 13 Kreisler? Is he the motor-car! Imagine the consternation of tho Kreislerian pilot -when these questions were snapped at him here from a prominent citizen. He had come to a wilderness where they knew not Kreisler! The poor man never guessed that people will sometimes have their little jokes. Who, indeed, did not know Kreisler? For years past his coming was annually trumpeted. His name is never absent from any concert graced by a fiddle. "Who owns a gramophono without Kreisler records? He has dug up the old Italians and the old Germans and whom not, and has polished them, and one of these days, to.be sure, will be found in an Egyptian tomb a musical manuscript waiting for Kreisler alone to "finish." Would the .hundreds of people, congregated in- tho gallery of the Theatre Eoyal pay 8s 3d for the privilege of occupying the most abominablo seats devised by the callousness of man? At last, he stood before us, in corpore on Saturday night, no longer a myth! T-here is something uncanny about those great violinists who tower above their would-be rivals in solitary grandeur. They brook no compeer, and their magic savours of evil bondage. Tartini would only confess: to communing with "Dia-' volo"in dreams.; Paganini, looking himself like tho fiend incarnate, admitted bartering his soul away, and even over Joachim hung some mysterious influence. None is perceptible in Kreisler. Grave, serene, but kindly lie looks, and master of himself in every movement. Yet he is exasperatingly unfair to his belated critics under the Southern Cross, for all the outside world has proclaimed him the'"greatest living of violinists" without demur and cavil. So he has taken tho wind out of our sails;. one may either 'join 'one's ' feeble voice with - tho great chorus or stand for ever Without, choice we must accept facts, and just try to analyse what it means to bo the greatest in art. It lias been truly said that the essential gifts of .a, great artist are the sense of beauty and the sense of colour. But whereas the creative artist draws from his own soiil and imagination, the in- • terpreter must also own the gift of reading and transmitting the innermost feelings implanted in any workjie touches, and. yet crown the reproduction with an imprint, of his own individuality., music ho also needs a keen seiiao of rhythm, a transcendent technique to be no more than a.means to unbounded expression,' and a tone of sensuous charm. He is to convey sentiment without sentimentality,. passion and power without exaggeration, touch in us every spring that makes' us "dreamers of dreams." That he should withstand the corrupting' influences of' so-called popularity, goes without saying. These claims involve an.immensity of achievement and purpose", but ploas'e to remember'that wo'speak of those famed to be tho in their art. How does .Kreisler.fulfil the qualifications briefly sketched? We were bound to anticipate I surpassing all those artists' of the violin who before him found their way ■■ to .our shores.. From a long list .may bo quoted. Wilhelmj, greatest of.,.tone-- | makers; Eemenyi, saccharine to a decree that one wondered how he ever could havo been associated with the virile Brahms; Kubelik, with his tremendous technique anil, not much beyond; Hugo lieermaun," the elassicir above reproach; Miseha Elm'ah, variable, but sometimes dangerously near the zenith; the highly, gifted' Daisy Kennedy, .aiid ,-,clever, .sympathetic Brazza. In comparing Kreisler's. per- • f ormance ■ on Saturday night with the '. violinists mentioned, a serious difficulty arose,' le'aving at least' one ■, aspect unsolved from -the first • hearing.' The Christchurch peoplo rjaspouded splen•didly to..the. appeal 0f.,.50 famous an artist; not a seat was left vacant in the house.. But the management chose to placo in addition a number of people on the' stage.' At theatres ' aro, from .an acoustic.point of view, poor places for the soloist. In this instance the. constructional defects' were aggra- ( vated;, the sound Being swallowed up not merely in the wings and flies, but still moro in the extended depth of the stage. -AH those who know Kreisler's gramophono records have ever,admired the richness, beauty, and variety of hi.-tone-production; The tone we heard never rose above a certain level; it was always -sweet,', silken, lovely, but, in the 1 main, thinned; Wh-it that implied, in Kreisler himself will best understand. -In every other respect Kreisler''livid j..up,to an ideal,of perfect artistry.- The dignity and deep , earnestness of the man enchained tho audienco from the first. 'All felt Ih'af a master mind controlled* his every note; that the music ho played came completed, matured- in ..evory inflection, like a sculptured model: I .inspired by brain and heart and infinite ! resource. With the slightest of movements ho contrived the most intricate technical combinations, but scorned to parade them, as so many do, as if the display of their virtuosity were the one' legitimate object and wonder of music Everything seemed so simple, so easy:' you fancy you could do it yourself. It recalled the;, atory of Joachim, who! once took it. in his head to learn skating engaging! a coach. Various first attempts ; led to disaster. "Of course," said the fiddl' '»' aia,t aS eaSy M playing the The programme, in its main features, brought us great music; at tho head the boautiful Sonata in A major byHaende! a new Handel'as it were; inspired, by old Italian art at its best, profuse in melodious invention.. With the Prelude of Bach's fine '.'Suite" in E major entered the element: of a highly developed technique similarly exacted in , the.. Gigue movement, and how finely Kreisler, dealt with 'both, how characteristically' he pictured Gavotte and Menuet! There followed a magnificent interpretation of Mendelssohn's Concerto, perfectly, thrilling at moments, especially where, at the end of tho Cadenza in the opening movement, tho original theme reenters, and in tho matchless passage ■work of tho Finalo at lightning speed. As encore, the Pugnani-Kreisler Allegro was added witlugreat effect. After the interval, the Tartini-Kreis-ler variations; an exquisite translation of a Schubert-Kreisler Ballet-Air; the " Indian Lament," by Dvora*-i£roisler,, indescribably refined in its reading and efcherial harmonics, and then to the end, Kreisler undefiled, his "Caprice Viennois," " Tambourin Chinois," " Spanish Serenade," "The Old Eefrain," etc. One could not possibly suggest that these products of a Viennese heart might be played by anyone else more alluringly. It could not be. What could one say better in his praise than; that Mr Carl Lamson, has the honour of being chosen the associ-. ate of a Kreisler. They work together with a mutual understanding, wholly admirable, that allows o.f no flaw, no relaxation of .vigilance/ always in artistic solidarity. All credit is duo to tho gifted young pianist. And so we left full of deep impressions, gaining new standards of musical genius• at'its height, elevated by the glorious music flowing from the lovely Guatnerius of : a great master. Mr Kreisler carried the great audience with Mm from Ms' first' bar," and Roused it to

increased enthusiasm with every succeeding number. A final concert -will be -given :*n the Theatre Eoyal to-night. ~

THE MASTER VIOLINIST. # . KKEISLER AND HIS AUDIENCE,

Asa great artist, a great preacher, or a great writer has a message to impart to his fellow-men, so has a master musician. This is the opinion of Kreisler, the world-famous violinist, who is at present in Christchurch. In the course of a half-hour's chat yesterday afternoon, he told a representative of "The Press" that during the course of his recitals he forgot his immediate surroundings, and, in fact, all outside things that he might enter . into the soul and spirit of the work with whieh he was dealing. "Of course," he said, in reply to a question, "the audience too must bring something with them, and that something I found with those who heard me at tho Theatre Eoyal on Saturday night. It.was a sympathy and expectation which a , true artist senses before he has been with his audience very long. He finds himself able to respond to it and convey to his hearers that message which it is his to give." Message to Hearers. New Zealand audiences, he said, had been both attentive and aprpeciativo, They appeared to recognise that he was giving them of his best and attempting to satisfy the expectation; which they displayed- in coming to hear him. With only two concerts in Christchurch, however, it was difficult —extremely difficult —to bear them the whole of the. message which he felt he was.here to give. There was a better " opportunity of doing so in Sydney, where, ho was giving several recitals.. There lie could teach, his audiences gradually. "One cannot give them the 'boulders' at first," ho explained, laughingly. "If someone thought he should like some music, he would say, for instance:'' Let us go along and hear Kreisler;' I might play one of tho" greatest compositions, and the person would go away bewildered. He could not grasp the vast meaning of the piece. Therefore it is. necessary for them to learn .to appreciato by degrees. With only two recitals, I have to arrange the programme differently, so that my audience might understand. ; To.-morrow night," he added, ."I. am playing Beethoven's greatest piece—in fact, I consider .it is the greatest piece which has ever been written for the violin." Speaking of his concert on Saturday night,, he said he forgot the cold while he was playing, but when he went to his hotel ho found his hands were like ice. He hoped the weather would clear lip and make it less uncomfortable for his audiences. - The Master's Violin.' "My, violin*," he, said, .when asked if he played a Strad, "is a Guarnieri. It is a fine instrument,, and I , can graduate its tone : down to nothingness, or swell its notes to the volume of the organ. , I had a.fine Strad for many years, but I like my Guarnieri best.'?. Speaking, of famous violins,. Kreisler stated that there had been fashions in. these instruments, just as thero were fashions in. clothing. Years' ago-there was a-general demand-for Amatis, and some genuine Strads were labelled with this."maker?s name'to ensure their sale. .Then, ..too,' these were such a number of Strads,* and thoir quality : extended over a fairly wide range. Thero could be n'o-doub't; however, that the Stradivarius school had produced 'fino instruments, but for quite a long timo some .of the best examples of this famous maker.'s productions bore no label-at all. This was -rather surprising, but nevertheless it was a fact; and the reason was the then fashion in violins. MWhy," said Kreisler, with a ; smile,/'the r fashion may even yet change. There is no reason why some Scottish or New Zealand genius should not discover some great secret in. violin-making,. and 100 years her.ee genuine Strads will be labelled 'Mcintosh- 1 to bo in the fashion and ensure their sale."