MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1687, 1 March 1913, Page 11

MUSIC.

ri3r Treble Clef."]

John M'Cormack in America,

John M'Cormack, the renowned Irish tenor, who promises to revisit Australia in September next under J. and N.. Tait's direction, has been lately appearing in America with marked artistic and financial success. He made ono particuJarlv fine appearance at the Pabst Hall, Muwaukeej and rendered a programme that _ testified not only to tho catholicity of his taste, but the great extent of his musical culture. In addition to several cliaracteristically Irish airs, which ho sang with his customary sweetness and abandon, he gave n noted aria by Leoncavallo, Lalo's superb "Anbade from "Le Eoi d'Ys" and "ltudolph's Narrative" from "La Bohemo."

The young artist, so it is reported, also sang at a recital at Trenton, Now Jersey, and excited tho audience to extraordinary demonstrations of feeling. The local Tronton "Advertiser" thus speaks of tlio performance:—"Thero were many in tho house visibly affected by tho amount of feeling and pathos injected with every number, but moro especially his Irisn songs. Again and again Ije was forced to acknowledge tho applause by giving extra numbers."

tuoso, par excellence (writes Senor Alberto Jonas in tho "Etude"), and both lie and Anton Rubinstein (1829) will ever stand as the two highest exponents of piano playing. Anton Rubinstein at the piano was a lion; on onrushing whirlwind ?,„i!" ! ' y i al 'v„? assio!l tllat "O barriers of technical difficulties could stay; tho breadth and sweep of his playing were I'Pallmg and thrilling, yet tho lion's paw could caress tho keys with a touch f.i. If •' a tono he drew Liszt > on - tho other hand, Z™ evoking all the splenour of tho Last; its hot, surging volup™mUT.eSS'i. < ' azzl ' n ff brilliancy of gorgeously set gems. But he could also let "I 1 lightning and thunder of a torrential temperament, and his playing, m the palmy days of his virtuosity, is said to havo exercised over his hearers Uio same witchery that was attributed to x 3 y a mm.

? en9 '. himself one of the greatest iTench pianists, and whoso piano compositions, especially his concertos, havo enlarged not a little the brilliant and efteetivo repertoire of the modern pianist, says in his "Portraits et Souvenirs": Ono would hardly believe with . what radiance, what magic prestige the name of Liszt appeared to tho young musicians y ''"y 5 the Imperial peiiod; a name so strange for us I>enchmen, sharp and cutting like a blade of steel traversed by its Slavic Z as if by the flash of lightning. As an artist and as a man ho seemed to belong to tho legendary world. , JWority of the pieces which he nad published seemed impossible of execution to anybody but liim, and they were « cco «lin ff to the precepts of the old method which prescribed immobilitv, the elbows immovable, near tho body, with a limited action feft.to tho fingers and to the lorearms. . . . The influence of Liszt on the destiny of the piano j seo nothing to bo hSiJf v° i i exccpt t,le revolution ■ J v 'ctor Hugo in the niechanism of the French languago. It is more powerful than the influence of iaganmi in the world of the violin."

Herr Michael Balling,

rlX'jk- til!! 10 Conc " t Society has been chieth the means of securing eminence to whieh r"3 1? musical centro which many authorities have placed before London Sir Charles Halle conducted his orchestra there for a whole genera- ' "jjd such great works as Berlioz' nil introduced in England r llß ? After his death the reputation of the city was entrusted to another famous musician, Dr. Hans Richter, and last year Herr Michael Balling took charge. This artist found tho Halle society drifting placidly through.the doldrums, duo to a too conservative policy. . J 1 ? se t about "shaking things up," and Ins enterprising methods have excited attention throughout musical England. It seems that the annual losses oil tho Hallo concerts for the past few y n e S amounted in round numbers to JttOO, .£IOOO, and .£IOO. Mr. Balling intends to drop many of the constantly performed favourito classics, and to deliberately run risks with seldom heard pieces and new works. \\hnt will happen .remains to be seen j but his enthusiasm has so stirred up Manchester that already 50 of tho existing 185 guarantors havo put down .£IOO apiece to further tho artistic scheme. Obviously, art experiments can be indulged 'J 1 for 6omo years upon a reserve fund of ajOOO, and a full list of subscribers.' But the precautions thus taken by Mr. Balling are not calculated "pour encourager les ttutres." On tho contrary, in the case of societies less generously backed by wealthy patrons, it rather seems to emphasise the need for reliance on tho old works just in order that novelties may bo introduced without courting utter financial disaster. This has always'been tho policy of tho Royal Philharmonic Society, Svdney, and, judging by reoont reports, still more has it kept the Royal Choral Society, London, on a permanent basis. This choir 1 was only founded in 1873, yet on January 1, 1913, when Mines. Esta d'Argo and Ada Crossley, Messrs. Lloyd Chandos .and Robert Radford were the soloists, the society gavo thoir 100 th performance of the "Messiah." Handel's masterpiece, brought forward always twice, and frequently thrice, a year, was thus relied on to raise revenue.

Manchester will drop these mid similar works altogether under tho Balling direction; a fact 'which will not prevent the fortiinntely-placed citizens- from hearing tho repertoire .pieces finely performed at neighbouring centres—a condition of affairs not existing here. 'Mr. Balling, by the way, is not unknown at tho antipoues. Born near Wurzburg, Bavaria, and trained at tho Royal School of Music there, he rose to eminence as a viola player in Germany before settling in Nelson; 'New Zealand. There he remained two years, and wis then (189G) recalled to Germany as assistant at tho Bayreiith Festival for tho "Ring" series. Later,, ho succeeded Mottl as conductor of tho Karlsruhe orchestra. Recently he conducted the "Ring" series at Bayreuth in succession to Richter;. so that ho' must be numbered amongst tire great musicians of tho day.