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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Josef
Hofmann Scores Another Triumph at His Second Recital—Displayed His Marvelous
Virtuosity Through the Medium of the Steinway Piano—Miss Cottlow and the MacDowell
Fund—Katherine Goodson Plays With a Large Number of Orchestras—Hambourg's Remark-
able Technical Display at His Last Recital—That Carreno Is as Great an Artist as Ever
Revealed in Her Western Concerts—An Important Ditson Publication—Paderewski Heard
With the Boston Symphony—The Reappearance of the Kneisel Quartette—Witherspoon to
be Heard After His Great Success in Europe—Other Comments of Interest.
The Steinway piano was much in evidence the
past week, commencing with Josef Hofmann's
second recital at Carnegie Hall on Saturday
afternoon. His program, as referred to in last
week's Review, was one that brought joy to
many. It was played from beginning to end
with a rare charm. It is never necessary to
speak of Hofmann's technique, for it is sans
reproache, but at this recital he displayed a
deeper insight into the secret things of music
JOSEF HOFMANN.
than heretofore. He played the Bach number
with a spirit truly romantic, a clearness of enun-
ciation and symmetry of phrase that delighted,
and this is true practically of every number on
the program. He worked up a ravishing array of
colors on the musical palette and made the Stein-
way piano a thing of joy to the audience. Such
richness and beauty of tone in connection with
piano playing has rarely been heard. He roused
the audience to great enthusiasm, and of course
had to give a number of encores. He fully
earned the commendation bestowed on this occa-
sion. On this (Saturday) evening and to-mor-
row afternoon Mr. Hofmann will be the soloist
with the New York Symphony Society, appearing
with orchestra for the first time here this season.
He will play a new concerto for piano, with or-
chestra by Liapunouw, also three unaccompanied
pieces—"Funerailles," "Lorelei," and "Gnomen-
reigen"—of Liszt. Josef Hofmann's last recital
in New York before his extended trip to Mexico
and the Pacific Coast will take place in Carnegie
Hall on Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 19. The pro-
gram will consist mostly of compositions by
Chopin and Liszt, closing with Hofmann's piece
de resistance, the Tannhauser Overture.
• * * •
Miss Augusta Cottlow, who has been using the
Steinway piano with great success on her con-
cert tour this season, will play the MacDowell
his instrument! Nothing more can be said in,
praise of the Knabe piano' which he used, as he
always does, than that it proved itself eminently
fitted to survive the ord.eai of such a trying re-
cital. It was a piano of rare musical charm
and worthy the traditions of the Knabe house.
*
*
•
•
Teresa Carreno, who inaugurated her present
tour of the United States with the Everett piano
"Sonata Tragica," op. 45, by special request at
the piano recital to be given by her next week
for the benefit of the MacDowell Fund under
the auspices of the Women's Philharmonic of
New York.
* * * *
In a recent chat with Henry L. Mason he re-
lated a fact which is as significant as it is
unique. It is that Miss Katharine Goodson is en-
gaged to play with a larger number of orchestras
in this country this season
than any other artist has
ever been engaged to play
with in one season in
MMB. CARRENO.
America. The list includes in Chicago on Sunday of last week, after an ab-
the following: The Wor- sence of seven years from our shores, iscored a
cester Festival Orchestra, tremendous success. Her playing of the Bee-
Oct. 4; the T h e o d o r e thoven Waldstein Sonata demonstrated that she
Thomas Orchestra, Oct. 25 is still the old Carreno—an artist of superb inter-
and 26; the Hartford Phil- pretative power, and amazing technique. She
harmonic Orchestra, Nov. revealed her charms subsequently in numbers by
19; the St. Paul Orchestra, Chopin and Schumann in a manner to delight
Dec. 10; the Minneapolis the large audience in attendance. The critics of
Orchestra, Dec. 15; the the Chicago dailies devoted considerable space to
Philadelphia Orchestra, Jan. the recital, and showered compliments on the
10 and 11; the New Haven artist. The beautiful Everett which she used
Orchestra, Jan. 14; the New came in inferentially for no limited share of
York Philharmonic Orches- appreciation. On yesterday and to-day Mme.
tra, Jan. 24 and 25; the St. Carreno was scheduled to appear with the Theo-
Louis Orchestra, aJn. 30; dore Thomas Orchestra, her number being the
the New York Young Peo- MacDowell No. 2 Concerto—a recognition by the
ple's Symphony Orchestra, way of the great American composer that will
Feb. 29; the Boston Sym- be much appreciated.
phony Orchestra, March 6
• • * *
and 7, and there is a possi-
There is certain to be a wide demand for
bility of engagements now "Music Club Programs From All Nations" by
pending being closed with Arthur Elson and published by the Oliver Ditson
some other orchestras also. Co., of Boston. The hackneyed saying, "it fills
Another telling fact is that a long felt want" may be very truly applied to
wherever Miss Goodson was this work, as it enables the student tp secure
engaged last season, on the within one volume what he has been hitherto
occasion of her American obliged to collate from many books. With each
debut, when she was here
for several weeks, she has
"DISTINCTIVELY HIGH GRADE"
been re-engaged this season.
They say "the proof of the
pudding is in the eating";
it seems that the popularity
of an artist is certainly tested, at any rate, by
the return engagments of that artist.
* * * *
Mark Hambourg played his last New York
program for this season at Mendelssohn Hall on
Monday afternoon. Opening with D'Albert's ar-
rangement of the well-known Bach D major
Prelude and Fugue, he went through quite a
miscellaneous list, which included an early
Beethoven sonata, op. 2, No. 3, three Schumann
numbers, three Chopin Etudes, and the Liszt
Polonaise in E. Hambourg yearly grows in tech-
nical power. His virtuosity is something mar-
velous and he continually treats us to new sur-
prises in the way of mechanical tours de force.
Yet he falls short of true greatness. His habit
of treating the piano as if it were absolutely
unlimited in its resources, and his neglect of its
obvious limitations; in short, his deplorable habit
of "pounding" serves only too often to take the
edge off one's enjoyment of his magnificent tech-
nique and far from ordinary musical intelligence
and depth of conception. For example, he
marred the playing of the beautiful slow move-
ment of the sonata by just this fault, and really
seemed to spoil an otherwise splendid reading
of that not too welL known work. Technical
difficulties do not exist for Hambourg; what a
pity that he should persistently pursue the dra-
matic at the expense both of the music and of
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