BUSONI STIRS LOS ANGELES
VON STEIN ACADEMY NEWS
Busoni, the great piano virtuoso, appeared here and disclosed new possibilities of the pianistic art. The praise that has preceded him does not do him justice. Bach, Schumann, Chopin and Liszt were the composers treated by him with his extraordinary command of technic and esthetic perception, demonstrating that the essence of tone art is the expression of thought, feeling and inspiration, the three most powerful impulses of human nature. It may be added that Busoni's conservative sentiment, but deep eloquence in performing Bach, elicited unbounded admiration. His poetic conception of Chopin - the same poor Chopin too often outraged by teachers and pupils - was a revelation. His rendering of the whirling, yearning, roaring, swelling, rippling, splashing notes of Liszt's gorgeous selections lifted his listeners to the realms of rapture.
Busoni should also be classified among leading modern composers, nay, one of the most erudite doctors in music. It is enough to persue his revision of many Bach works to concede him such an honor; yet the musical world is now eagerly waiting for the production of his three act opera "Der Brautwal," which will be given next fall in Berlin. This grand opera, translated into Italian - "La Sposa Sorteggiata" - will surely be rendered also in Rome during the festivities for the fiftieth anniversary of Italy's independence.
