Artists who are not preceded by their fame, gerecrally find themselves in a difficult position toward the public. They must at first captivate their audience. Mastery of instruments is not any longer rare today, and the public must be convinced that the artist is a master before it is willing to hear him.

It is not surprising under surprising those circumstances, that the concert given last night in the now Chicago theater, by the Russian pianist, Mme. Annette Essipoff, did not draw a large crowd, but there were a great number of piano teachers in the audience.

Mme. Annette Essipoff is an excellent pianist and is certainly not inferior to Alice Topp or Anna Heslig. She played to perfection the Andante and the Impromptu from: "Rose wade" by Schubert, as well as Schumanns's "Traumeswirren" and "Les doux Alouettes", a composition by her husband, Director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music.

The public awaited with special interest her interprotation of Chapin. Her requtation to be the best interpreter of this composer does not seem to us to be justified. Her playing lacks the necessary power to render the stormy ideas of Chopin.

Mrs. Essipoff lived up to the expectations of her audience. The only thing lacking seemed to be power, and this was perhaps due to the almost empty hall.