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Lhevinne Plays the Liszt
Chickering Grand
Famous Russian Pianist Plays One of the Two Liszt
\Chickerings, [Preserved in Royal Hungarian Acad-
emy of Music, Budapest, at Carnegie Hall Concert
MUSICAL event of unusual importance
and sentimental interest occurred recently
in Carnegie Hall when Josef Lhevinne,
the noted Russian pianist, closed his first con-
A
continuously until his death when he willed it
to the Hungarian Nation. Some time before while
in Rome Liszt acquired a second Chickering
concert grand which at his death was placed
Franz Liszt
several documents on each instrument possessed
by that institution: It reads:
"From Franz Liszt, Weimar, May 21, 1881,
to Franz Erkel.
"Highly honored director and dear old friend.
"As already stated the American concert
grand Chickering—the superb instrument—
should be placed in the Music Hall of the
Royal Hungarian Academy of Music, and render
its distinguished services on gala occasions.
"Respectfully and devotedly,
(Signed) FRANZ LISZT."
Another letter of Liszt's, written to Chicker-
ing & Sons, and one of the greatest tributes ever
Lhevinne Trying the Liszt Chickering
cert of the 1927-28 season with the playing of with the first in the T> oyal Hungarian Academy
the Liebestraum by Franz Liszt on the very of Music at Budapc-'
Chickering concert grand which once belonged
After long effort permission was secured last
to that famous composer.
Summer to bring these noted instruments to
It was in 1867 that Liszt secured the Chicker- the United States. They are in splendid condi-
tion and are to be played in some sixty or
more cities of the country before being returned
to Hungary. On tour they are accompanied by
a number of interesting Liszt mementos, in-
cluding a contemporary drawing of the com-
poser's enormous hand, a photograph of his let-
ter presenting the instruments to the Govern-
ment, and photographs of the pianos on display
in Budapest. The first concert at which they
were presented was that given by Lhevinne.
Among the Liszt memoirs is included a letter
written by Edward Grieg, who, when a young
man, went to visit Liszt and was received most
kindly. The letter reads in part:
"My courage dropped below zero when he
asked me to play the Sonata (it was Grieg's
Sonata for the piano and the violin). It had
never occurred to me to attempt the whole
score on the pianoforte, and I was anxious, on
the other hand, to avoid stumbling when playing
for him, but there was no help for it. so I started
on his splend : d Chickering Grand."
Now in the possession of the Royal Hun-
garian "Franz Liszt" Academy of Music is an-
other letter in Liszt's own handwriting under
The Liszt Studio
ing piano which had been awarded a gold medal date of 1881, a few years before he died. This
at the Paris Exposition of that year. He placed letter, to a director of the ancient Academy of
it in his private studio at Weimar, and used it which Liszt was at one time president, is one of
Presenting One of the Liszt Chickerings
given a pianoforte manufacturer, contains the
now famous word, perfectissimos" (superla-
tively perfect). This letter under date of De-
cember 26, 1867, is as follows:
"Messrs. Chickering: It is very agreeable to
me to add my name to the concert of praises
of which your pianos are the object.
"To be just, I must declare them perfect, and
perfectissimos (superlatively perfect).
"There is no quality which is foreign to them.
Your instruments possess in the supreme degree
nobility and power of tone, elasticity and
security of the touch, harmony, brilliancy,
solidity, charms and prestige; and thus offer a
{Continued on page 23)