MISCHA ELMAN, VIOLINIST.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 409, 19 January 1909, Page 7

MISCHA ELMAN, VIOLINIST.

: r\:.;ji ;■/;:; :;coMi^(j ,£ ]ffiffifi:; : *H;nci ; t::v . ~Misohtt Elrmm I will be : ;th'e' noxt'^yiplimstf' jf.' note to visit; New Zealand. I' As an'.'artii>t-;he"Jig held'..'6i .1)o': : fcllo\y to',J{reisler' , and'"Kubelib:' : . l He" : ..has Europe talking of him, bntTis'Ss■.'toiusMiig'. success does not"seem; t'o,:haVe. sjoil'cfl;; him. Ho , .is:simple. and'.liuaffe6ted : in< raariiip'r' (says il.; W.'.'ltalbne J :more than modest in Speaking ofvliiitfself :'C.' -:■ ; .'■' An only son, ho .was bovix Eussiaj'in. 1891. -His grantlfatlier". was- I ,a,:.yiolinist. p|' Considorable. local TeputaHoii;,.and Ill's:fath'6r:a. 'ioliqoluiaster..':.Ais..a\mere/child,,l^iso^a , slfoy(;U! talent, and'he' accepted as a" free pupil at the conservatory; at.Otfessa' Ahir'studied.'.TvitV frof; This'")vas lx ili' Hay,; iIS96. i,; In the autumif: of- 1902;'-.-Prbtess6i' : Auer, head'of -the .violin ".deparfmc'iit-ofthe'St." , Pcteisbu'v'g. GonservatoriVv.while a , ■vconcert- ; tour,' heard the: child;plajV arid;Tyas"so.:,imi; ■pressed 'tliat ;he coffered" to -take ■hini'as ; n >pnpil if it- could, be arranged. .This .m&lit soineidifficulties to , be overconie. First,-, the periuissiou' ■of the Czar- had:- to be ; olJFaine'dj—since no J.e\v borii outsitle of St. Petersburg" is allowed h' live in thrif city.' When'this ■perinissiohi'njt. piily for" the boy, but for his. family, "was se-: .cured, there ivas : tro'iible-Myith-the , authorities of the conservatory, a'nd.if isisaidth'atAuer actuallr threatened .toSresißn"; if-he. Svci-S 'ilot .a]- , lowed .to" have "the, best 'pupil ever .offered rme,!' Professor ■ Auer-did. not; intend;tjlat:his,'sifted M pupil should appear; as [b. ■'•'. child- wonder.", ••Hβ!was, to study, ijuietly until;hfe,.hdd'r^acjied v .(;lre' ago of maturity, and theri , :apJsear''as "fi/fulU grown, thoroughly, developed artist; :Ybt 11- was ;due solely to" his teachor did make his; artistic debut in ;St; Petersburg 'iu October; 190-4, consequently.: wheh;rDuti thirteen years old. He appeared, siibseqnontly" ; in-"Bei'-lin , on October 15, ,and had wonderful Tsuccess: Dresden, '/Hamburg,; .Busseldorf,:;,. , Hanover; waxed - enthusiastic, one Hdiiover critic (of-the " Anzeiger") 'declaring , that >h'e; "could- not-re-., member over to have heard-the violin concerto in D ■■major by Pag»nini,-with" its' hair-raising- : on-etid difficulties,. mow 'perfectly played." / And in Lieptig the child played .at a.Gewandhaus concert, an almost ..unheard-of occurrenco'.'for' a youthful artist. : The following season■ he apain ■■ played .there, and later in. Paris.and England. ,•