FOUR .TilE MICHIGAN DAILY
,ritics Acclaim Joseph Szigeti As 'Incomparable
Violinist'
Violinist Rated
With Kreisler,
Jaseha Heifetz
Gets Praise Of Prokofieff
And Bloch For Playing
Of Their Concertos -
"Time" magazine for Jan. 23, 1939,'
iroclaimed: "Of today's fine fiadlers,
he finest are brilliant Jascha Heif-
tz, mellow Fritz Kreisler, fastidious
oseph Szigeti. Connoisseurs, who
udge by form rather than knock-
uts, have long rated Szigeti tops." .
It is now 12 years since Stokowski
evealed Joseph Szigeti to the Ameri-
an public in a Philadelphia Orches-
ra debut. Since then the "incon-
,arable violinist" has encircled the
lobe twice on successful tours.
Awarded Medals
For his performances, Szigcti ha
wen recipient of such honors as tLel
rench Legion of Honor, the title of
ommandcr of the Order of Leopdid
f Belg'um, the officer's Cross oft
he Hungarian "Ordre pour le Mer-
te." The style of his playing, accord-
ri.k to one critic, "vividly recalls the
erfect beauty and balance of a Ben-
enuto Cellini masterpiece."
The last two years have brought
oseph Sigeti to far greater promi-
Lence than ever before. In 1939,
izigeti and Kreisler were chosen the
nly violinists at the London May
fusic -'es ival. Also in 1939, he was
olost iu the Beethoven Cycle in
Wrusse, under the great Beethoven
rterpreter, Weingartner.
I'rokofieff Praises
Great composers have expressed}
,w at the violinist's interpretation o
heir works. Serge Prokofieff calledI
in the "greatest interpreter of. my.
) najor concerto," he was termed a
glorious violinist" by Carl Gold-
iark; Richard Strauss hailed, Szig-
ti's playing as "wonderful."
Ernest Bloch said of Szigeti: "I
an't describe my emo ion in listen-
ng to your records of my concerto!
Vhat joy to hear it come to life with
uch color, such astonishing contrasts,
o muc himagination!" Joseph Marx
xclaimed that Szigeti was ."Perfec-
ion itself! This sorcerer can do jus-
ice to everything."
Even Benny Goodman has said,
Szigeti is my musical idol."
Price To Present
Ctri lon Programs
Prof. Percival Price, University
arilloueur, will play short pi'ograms
n the Charles Baird Carillon each
vening at 7:45 p.m. preceding the
'estival concerts.
He received his training in Canada
nd Europe and holds among other
wards, the 1934 Pulitzer Prize for
iusic. He is the author of the book,
The Carillon."
Metropolitan
I Baritone Star
Native Artist
Norman Cordon Began His
Career As Choir Boy At
Four Dollars Per Month
Norman Cordon, the Metropolitan
Opera's new bass-baritone star is
truly an American artist.
Born in Washington, North Caro-
lina, he started his singing career
as a choir boy, earning four dollars
a month. He attended Fishbourne+
Military Academy and later entered
the University of North Carolina,
where he played in a saxaphone quar-
tet. It was there that he began the
serious study of music which he con-
tinued for four years at the Nash-
ville Conservatory of Music under
GaCetano de Luca, then for two years
in Chicago under Hadley 'Outland.
Career Launched
Cordon's real singing career was
launched when, after a series of per-
formances with the San Carlo Opera
Company, he was signed by the Chi-
cago Grand Opera Company. He
made his debut with that organiza-
tion as Angelotti in "Tosca," and was
hailed by Herman Devries, dean of
Chicago criticis, as "a singer of great
promise."
Cordon followed this very success-
ful first appearance with an amaz-
ing operatic record, which included
learning simultaneously a score of
roles in 15 lyric works and singing
24 performances in five weeks with
ever-increasing success.
Appearances Listed
. Next came appearances with the
Detroit Civic Opera, the Philadelphia
Orchestra under Stokowski, a return
engagement with the Chicago Grand
Opera Company and a 39-week radio
engagement.
Last season he sang with the St.
Louis Grand Opera Company as
Landgrave in "Tannhauser." Re-
turning to Chicago, he sang in
"Thais," "Rigoletto," "La Traviata,"
"Turnadot," "Aida," "Lucia," "Car-
men" and "La Famma" with the
Chicago City Opera Company.
Who Said Spare Time?
In answer to the question what a
symphony player does with his spare
time: If he is a member of the Phila-
delphia Symphony Orchestra, he is
rehearsed by Conductor Ormandy for
three hours daily. He averages four
concerts a week in the busy season,
and travels thousands of miles each
year. On top of that, he usually has
outside playing and teaching engage-
ments. Sparertime? Hah!
Feuermann, Austrian Cellist,
Is 'One Of Greatest Virtuosi'
Schna bel Reveals Modern Trends
Pronounced by critics "one of the$
greatest living virtuosi," Emanuela
Feuermann, the Austrian cellist wast
exiled from his post as head of the !
cello department of the famous Ber-
lin Hochschule fur Musik five years
ago, and turned toward the Unitedl
States as the "last frontier of liberty."
Feuermann, who, with his wife
took out citizenship papers a few 1
months ago, was born a little more
than 30 years ago to a family of
musicians at Kolomea, Galicia. He
made his debut when only 11 years
old with the Vienna Symphony Or-
chestra under Felix Weingartner.
The young artist had studied first
with his father, a gifted cellist and
later with the famed Julius Klengel.
When only 16 he was appointed
to a professorship at the Conserva-
tory of Music in Cologne. From there
he assumed his post at the Hochschule
---until his exile.
America And Music
Upon entering America, the cellist
was struck by the widespread and
intense interest in music so prevalent
here.
"Europe has for centuries had a
great musical tradition, but of late
it has been resting on this tradition,"
Feuermann observed. "The United
States is doing something active
about music;--I have never seen so
many schools with fine music de-
partments, so many clubs that exist
just for music. Every child seems
to be studying music in some form.
With such an admirable state of
affairs this country will soon have the
highest standar d of musical appreci-
ation among the people-at-large that
'any country has ever achieved."
Feuermann's first American ap-
pearance was as guest soloist with the
Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
under the direction of Bruno Walter
five years ago.
Recognized In Europe
Although he is becoming widely
known in American concert circles,
Feuermann's recognition in Europe:
as a soloist is widespread among the
great orchestral conductors. In addi-
tion to his appearance with the Vien-
na Symphony, he has been featured
with the Berlin Philharmonic under
Bruno Walter, Wilhelm Furtwaeng-
ler and Artur Nikisch; the Hamburg!
Philharmonic under Carl Muck; the
Paris Symphony orchestra under the,
baton of Pierre Monteux; under
Pierne withthe Cologne Orchestra;
the Berlin Opera Orchetra under
Otto Klemperer; the Leipsig Gewand-
haus Orchestra under Fritz Busch,
and again with Monteux in the Am-
sterdam Concertgebouw.
Whenever his concert dates call
for night travelling, Emanuel Feuer-
mann considers it imperative to re,
serve an extra Pullman berth for his
cello.
The famed virtuoso never lets his
$30,000 Stradivarius out of his sight,
and since cellos are too cumbersome
to leave in train aisles or to crowd in
the same berth with oneself, he of1
necessity must book an upper and a
lower. It's a two-man job getting
Artur Schnabel, the pianist who
plays nothing but the classics at his
recitals, confesses that everything he
has written himself has been in the
ultra-modern manner.
For that reason he has never
played his own works publicly and
seldom in private preferring to "cre-
ate them and then cast them adrift
to make their own way."
Questioned about how he recon-
ciled composing ultra-modern music
with his policy of performing nothing
but the classics, the pianist said:
"One cannot control the form that
music takes when it comes from
within one. If I tried to distort my
music into the form of the classics
I should be merely an imitator and
dishonest with myself."
"The music I have written is of
the kind that some people would de-
scribe as 'offensive to the ear' but
that is generally associated with so-
called ultra-modern music," he added.
6 .
4 Brahms
Concerto
Played by
Two
GREAT
ARTISTS
JOSEPH SZIGETI
EMANUEL FEUERMANN
AT THE FIFTH MAY FESTIVAL CONCERT these
two fine musicians will appear in a violin and cello
concerto, with the hPiladelphia Orchestra. /Mr.
Feuermann, who has gained widespread recog-
nition in this country during the past five years,
appeared as solist with Europe's finest orchestras.
I
*
MR. SZIGETI has gained great popularity in the
twelve years that he has appeared on American
concert stages. Besides his performance in the
Brahms concerto, he will join Miss Lily Pons in
her performance at the May Festival Concert on
May 10th.
I
.,
m
U
m
The
1940
The Univ rsity Musical Society presents.the forty-seventh annual May Festival, to he held
May 8-11. For almost fifty years the May Festivals have presented the outstanding Music
Personalities, and this year have again attained the same high standards.
x
SOLOISTS
LILY PONS....
DOROTHY MAYNOR ....
ROSA 'TENTONI.
ENI) 5ZANTH(
GHOVANNI MA RTIN ELLI
LAWRENCE TI I3ETT
. Soprano
Soprano
. Soprano
SContralto
.Tenor
Baritone
ROBERT WEEDE .............Baritone
NORMAN CORDON
RICHARD HALE
JOSEPH SZIGETI
.... ..Bass
. . Narrator
. Violinist
ORGANIZATI ON S
The Philadelphia Orchestra
The University Choral Union
EMANUEL FEUERMANN Violoncellist
ARTUR SCHNABEL......
. Pianist
CHORAL WORKS
"THE INIMITABLE LOVERS"
Vardell
"SAMSON AND DELILAH"
0
i
The Young People's Chorus
A very linlted nuirier of tickets will he on sale over the
counter so long as the supply lasts at the School of Music
lab 10 041_ -
Saint-Saens
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