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But the size of the audience made little difference to the long-legged, bulky shouldered man with the almost baby face. He walked on to the stage, bent himself up in a bow, sat down, played numbers by Bach, Scarlatti, Schumann, Busoni, Debussy, played no one better than the other, played them all magnificently. The small audience hugged itself in ecstacy, would scarcely wait to applaud after the concert, ran out to tell others about Gieseking the Great. They heard him again, heard him as soloist with the New York Symphony play a new Hindemith concerto and de Falla's "Night in the Gardens of Spain," heard him again at a Biltmore musicale, waited eagerly to hear him again in recital, bought tickets for themselves and friends.
Last week, again in Aeolian Hall, Walter Gieseking gave his second recital. There were no yawning seats this time. There were no office boys or office hangers-on filling critics' chairs. There was a very large audience and the air was electric with expectations and pianists. On came Walter Gieseking, went through his program with the complete concentration of a master, a program that made no concessions to popular taste, a program that paid court only to Music. He played Bach's English Suite in D Minor, played it with marvelous fluency, never, no matter how involved the mechanics, lost the easy singing melody without which there is no Bach. He played Schubert's Fantasie in C, played the second book of Debussy preludes, played with long slim fingers that hovered over the keys without seeming, ever to come actually in contact with them, made Debussy a thing of darkness and light.
There were encores for which hundreds jammed their way to the front, stood with their noses hard pressed against the platform to see by what trick the long slim fingers drew such beauty from a mere piano.
There was an announcement by Manager Charles Wagner to the effect that Gieseking the Great had outgrown Aeolian Hall, that he would give a third and last recital sometime in March, in Carnegie.
U.S. Best
William Mengelberg, famed Dutch conductor, leader** for the first half of the season of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, arrived last week in Rotterdam after several months in the U. S. Said he to pressmen there: "America leads the world in the field of music."
*Wilhelm Furtwangler was born 40 years ago in Schonberg, just outside Berlin, the son of an archeologist. He began his musical career in the theatres of Breslau, Zurich, Munich and Strasburg. From 1911 to 1915 he was symphony conductor at Lubeck; in 1915 succeeded Artur Bodanzky as conductor of the opera in Mannheim; in 1920 succeeded Richard Strauss as conductor of the symphony concerts of She Berlin Staatsoper orchestra; at the same time followed Willem Mengelberg as conductor of the museum concerts at Frankfort. When Artur Nikisch died in 1922, Herr Furtwangler succeeded him as leader of the Gewandhaus concerts at Leipzig and of the Berlin Philharmonic. He is also associated with the Vienna Friends of Music. His programs in the U. S. last season were notably conservative. Abroad he is famed as a supporter of "moderns." Last year, he said, for his first apearance in the U. S. he wanted the public to judge him in familiar works. This year's programs will bring many novelties and renewals.