JAN KUBELIK

Hokitika Guardian, 27 September 1930, Page 6

JAN KUBELIK

FAMOUS CZECH. VIOLINIST. MUSICIAL TASTE OF EAST. Jt is twenty-two years since Jan Kubelik drew a bow across his valuable “Strad” in Wellington city. Since than time be lias never revisited the country until now. He expressed-J.iis great surprise and delight at the. growth during that interval of Auckland' and Wellington, the only two places lie has visited so far on his present tour.

Elderly people here will have .memories of the sensation the young Czech caused on that memorable visit. He was, in a way, the first of a' remarkable line of notable exponents of the violin to expound with almost miraculous ease the difficulties invented for the embarrassment of others by genii such as Pnganini, Sarasate, and Wieniawsky. Kubelik flashed like a meteor across the musical skv of Europe, and afterwards completely subjugated England, Australia, America, and the rest of the world. Now lie i s here again to charm New Zealanders with his magic bow and interesting personality. Kubelik still lias a fine mop of black hair, and there is the depth, of refined intellectuality in his dark brown eyes. Still, in addendance is Mr Dawson, Kubelik’s faithful Hindu servant for a quarter of a century. ALWAYS PLAYING. When interviewed recently Kubelik said that during the twenty-two years since lie was in New Zealand, he had been touring the world, and never for more than three months at a stretch bad he ceased playing before the public. It was his work, his life, his happiness to play—and so the melody lingers on, and probably will until the fingers lose their cunning and the brain its extraordinary power of memory.

“During the last two years I have had no holiday at all,” said the visitor. “That was a big tom* which began in India, and extended through China, Japan, Manila, and so on to Australia and New Zealand. In the Bast one finds a surprising variety of audiences. In China the audiences consist of Europeans and Americans almost exclusively. The Chinese are simply not interested in European music, apparently, as it is altogether removed from their queer tonic scale.' Japan—-what a difference! I suppose my audiences in Japan were 90 per cent; Japanese, who listened and applauded with the keenest intelligence and appreciation. Perhaps nothing marks s° strikingly the Europeanisation of Japan jas their taste for all that is best in music. It was delightful to play for them. In. India the audiences are comprised, mostly of Europeans (army and civilian . officers, business men,,- and visitors), and a few Hindus; but in Bom-bay-.the-Parsees are very keen on good music. are the wealthiest of the native peoples, and many of" the men h-ave been- -educated in European universities. Curiously enough, they prefer the concertos and sonatas of the masters to what they call ‘the little pieces heard through the medium of the gramophone.’ IDEAL PROGRAMME. “I. think that is very remarkable,’' said Kubelik, “for even to-day there are several places—l will not say countries—where the little ear-tickling pieces are preferred to those compositions for.the violin that really matter.'. My: ideal of a programme'would be three concertos or sonatas. This may sonnet formidable to some, but you only have to regard a concerto of three movements a- s three pieces, and a sonata, as four, and they amount to the same thing, as the A B C numbers of a bracket.- That is quite logical, as usually they differ in mood and colour a,s'much as do individual short, pieces.” THE SOULLESS MICROPHONE. , Kubelik said that'of- late years he had not made many mophone refolds. He had played some pieces a little time ago for records, but be was not at ail satisfied, with them, and did not agree to them being marketed. “As a .matter of fact, I do not think that I play so well before the microphone as I do before an audience,” he said. “It is such a lifeless, soulless thing, to play to; yet strangely enough there are some artists whose records sound to me better than the music direct from the player. It takes such little things, too slight almost to analyse, to change the nuance in the tone of the violin; and with many fine artists many records are taken at times before a satisfactory one is or>. tained.” Kubelik confesses to being a composer. He has six concertos to his credit. The fourth was played both in Sydney (with pianoforte) and Brisbane 5 (with orchestra) and was most . enthusiastically received.