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-A PHENOMENAL PIANIST.
MisCHA LEVITZKI AT THE TOWN
" HALL.'
Pianists conic and pianists go, and each
—from a technical point of view— seems' to
be more wonderful than the last. Mr.
Levitzki. who gave his firfet recita. in the
Town Hall on Saturday night, is certainly
one of the- select band of phenomenal pian-
ista. Even wore it wise to do 'so, it would
not be easy to assign to hint his relative
niche in to-day's itemp'.e of fame. Of his
success as a public jwrfonner the conclu
sion of Saturday tiight's concert, left no
; doubt whatsoever. Encore alter encore
i was played tb an ex'ritcd audience, . the
i members of which-- -standing in their places
jor crowding around the platform — berirme
increasingly insatiable as the grave, un
smiling p.aii'iat eudeavored -to appease in-
: ordinate appetites. This was the success
of the virtuoso, for the majority of the
clamorous were obvfously tliose who ap
preciated Mr, Levitzki's wonderful lingers
more than the musicianship, which enabled
him to give — earlier in the evening — remark
able performances of the music of Bach
and Beethoven. Also, perhaps,' it was the
; success of a man .who almosfc cynfually
totBed to an audience which had j'eaeived
Iris finer work with respectful enthusiasm
such inferior music as would move it to
frenzy. ,
Mr. Levitzki's artistic personality is
strong and well defined. He is hot so
youthful as his years, and he is very seri
ous. He played with a directness that is
at times well nigh brutally emphatic, or—
to soften this expression— lie is forcible to
tbo occasional degree of apparent callous
ucss. Absolute and easy master of himself,
he is heard cut his best- in music demanding
tlie greatest virility ff utterance. He had
plenty of control, and does exactly what lie
means to do. Revelling in rich and mighty
sonorities, his tone never degenerates into
mere noiae. He docs not spurn the more
sensational aide of tlie pianist's art; in fact
aewomn sccm.ro enjoy lr wan imiuw
rforothought ! Yet— mid tlio point is im
portuit — what is sensational in his playing
is so far artistic that it ia the result of de
liberate intention ,and' as never due to
what might be culled melodramatic rant-
ing. . , '' , : .
In Thusig's arrangement of Bacli's Toc
cata, and Fugue in D minor Mr. Levitzki
was provided with material peculiarly suit
ed to iiia robust powers. lie is readily
responsive to the heroic mood in' music, and
apparently appreciates to .the full, a wide
field for the exercise of his artistic opera
tions. An occaSion.il trucu.ii.uce, charac
teristic of the 'pianist, was not out
of keeping with the virile inter-
pretairion of the first movement ot
Beethoven's ; Appassinata. honaui. ft
is too commonly considered that only a
few pianists can play Beetlioven's music a
it shoiild be played. But Beeluoven's '-cuius
i»«of do universal a nature tnat probably
every piaqist of any notable attainment
can, and does, express some particular
aspect of Beethoven s music coiTcetly. How
ever, tliere will be few to deny Mr. Le
vitzki the. credit of presenting iieelnuveii 111
a most striking and convincing manner.
The nobility, tnc forceful, power and tho
csscntal bigness of. Beethoven were never
absent from bis interpretation. Apart from
the pianist's pre-occcnpation with tiie mat
ter of Bonority his reading Was simple and
uii-cct, and one that compelled tlie unwaver
ing attention of his entire audience. The
whole sonata was superbly played— tlie pcr-
iorpiance in more tnan one respect being
oomjial-a hie Willi that 'ol' li Aib.-r. amuse i.
who — in those moments when he is a pian
ist and not a composer — is probably tlie!
greatest living exponent of Bectnoven's'
pianoforte music.
As to Mr. Levitzki's playing of Cliopin
opinions will probably differ, and differ
widely. His sensational treatment of the
so-called "Butterfly" and "Black Note"
studies oertainly excited a majority ol' the
audience to vociferous demands for readily
conceded repetitions, but Mr. Levitzki's
amazing left hand was far too strenuously
in eyiuenoe for traditionally, bcautiiul
Ghopin . playing. ,\Ve may be grateful tj
him for the avoidance of scntiuichtality
in his readings of tlio Polish composer's
music, and also for, his realisation of the
fact that this music is not necessarily
effeminate. On the other hand— and even
in tlie Nocturne in I1' sharp— there was
i.httle of the tendernais witli which much
iof Chopin's. music is instinct in Mr Lc-
ivitzki's interpretatiions. 'TWs is not to
.say that his playing of Cliopin is not
Ipianistically remarkable— for this it surely
lis— but rather to record critically that it
is not of the authentic nualitv tvnieal of
liisp laying of Beethoven.
Mr. Levitzki's. first programme was,
in tlie main, better calculated to dis
play qualities of strength,, brilliance, viri
lity and compelling force fulne=s tlian
those equally valuable and significant ouch
of tenderness; subtlety and charm, al
though his playing of the Gluck item (tiie
slow movement of the Beethoven Sonata)
was ample proof; that ho possesses these
latter virtues.
His, succesB on Saturday Tiiglit was ex
traordinary, and his ' Melbourne season
should be 0110 of plienomonal popularity;
in aphc of liis comiiarative youth he is
already one of the great, pianists of the
day. He is an artist whose best work is
epic in quality, and though time will in
evitably bring into his playing a greatci
measure ol' intimacy than it lias at pre
sent. liis powers are already of astonishing
maturity; an<i, in coueliision, lie is emplia-
iiciilly a pianist whom no lover of niusie
can afford to miss hearing.
The second recital will be given to-mor
row night', and will be attended by .lascha
Heifetz, who will be' on. hia way to Sydney
from Adelaide, Where he has completed a
most successful season.
$