PIANOFORTE RECITAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1494, 17 July 1912, Page 9

PIANOFORTE RECITAL.

ME. BAXTER. BUCKLEY AT THE CONCERT CHAMBER.' To the accompaniment of a swishing rainstorm Mr. Baxter Buckley, the talented pianist, gave the third of his Tecitals this season in the Town Hall Concert Chomber. Mr. Buckley has already given ample evidence of his powers as a front-ra.uk pianist in this part of the world, and last evening gavo a further exposition of his talent in a programme almost too liberal in its offering of good things. Included'in the shower of musical gems, performed last evening was Beethoven's roraanlic "Moonlight Sonata," of which Mr. Buckley gave an impressive interpretation, bringing out with facile skill and feeling.the 11001.17 of the work, and emphasising with power and virility the emotional storms which ruffle the beautiful serenity of the moonlight theme. In the second • bracket was Schumann's galloping "Novelette in K," a Chopin nocturne, and the same composer's dazzlingly brilliant "Scherzo in C Sharp Minor, which makes a full demand on the executive capacity of the pianist. Mr. Buckley's admirable playing.in this number aroused enthusiasm. An outstanding feature of the programme was the Schumann "Concerto: in A Minor," in which Mr. Buckley was assisted by Miss-Phyllis Hanify,. who played the orchestral part on a second piano. This great number—a Herculean task technically—was really magnificcntly played. Tho soloist was at the top of his*form in the rapid and strongly-mark-ed maze of chords and runs in the allegro movement, and the andantiiio movement, was played with a good deal tf artistic restraint and feeling. -Mr. Buckley was fortunate in having so able an associate as Miss Hanify, who played the difficult orchestral part with .admirable assurance and precision. It was delightful to'iioor. a fragment, of the mighty Rachmaninoff. His "Polishinelle" is fiery with, the: Slavonic spirit, and the dash and verve with which it was played induced a burst of sincere applause. Auothcr interesting example cf Mr. Buckley's technical mastery was in Minkowski's "Concert Etude," a composition with amazingly difficult work for the.left hand. Other "pieces played were: 'The Scarlatti-Tausig "Pastorale" and "Cap-, riccio," "Scliwanongesang" (Farjeon), .one, of Brahms's "Hungarian Dances," and' Rubinstein's "Waltz Caprice." The vocalist of the evening was Miss Hannah Sweeney, a ..soprano, .who (I ,,hfls evidently' had training', but who-is inclined to .sacrifice purity for bigness in ,toho. She sang Robundi's "Alia, Stella Confidente" • and "Willows" ..(Goring Thomas). Mr, Frank Johnstone,.'cellist, ■ gave a scholarly. interpretation of Max Bruch's sombre-toned 'Tinlnndishc," and was also heard to advantage in Widor's "Meditation" and a lively "Tarantelle" by Cossmnnn. Mrs. Johnstone-.played her husband's; accompaniments,. and Mr. Buckley accompanied Miss Sweeney.