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MUSIC
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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1941
.._ _ .. y .. .. _._
Grace
Moore
Will
Open
Choral
Union Program
_ .
.
Soprano Will Open
Boston Symphony Orchestra To
Present
Concert
.I
Season's
Concerts
Grace Moore, Opera Star,
One Of Most Decorated
Women In America
Presidents, lings
Present Honors
Grace Moore, Dixie's prima donna
of music, will bring to Ann Arbor fort
the 'first time the voice which has
thrilled four kings and three presi-1
dents when she appears in the initial
)Choral Union concert on Oct. 22 inc
Hill Auditorium.,
The famous concert and opera star
is one of the most decorated queens
of song. She was one of the last1
American women to receive the covet-I
ed cross of the Legion of Honor ofc
the French Republic. This was1
awarded to her in recognition of her
brilliant successes in the Charpentier
opera "Louise" in both opera housec
and on the screen.
Decorated By Kingsc
In Oslo, Norway, King Haakon
awarded the American singer thec
highest honor of his Country for ac-
complishmets in the arts-a bar
pin bearing a loyal crown of dia-t
mends. In Sweden, she received the
king's Gold Medal., Belgium gave]
her the Order of Leopold after shes
sang for the royal family in Brussels.
In Copenhagen, King Christian pre-c
sented her with the Order of His
Majesty, when she sang at the Royal
Opera.t
Her most recent decorations in-
elude one from Cuba and a co- .
memorative gold medal of Mexico
City. Miss Moore already hold
Gold Medal award from :the Ameri-t
can Society of Arts and Sciences for
her picture, "One Night of Love."t
Dreamed Of OperaE
Tennessee-born Miss Moore sang
in church choirs as a child, went to
New York for musical comedy andk
to Paris to star in the Opera Comique.
The latter had been her fondest oper-
atic dream which came to realiza-
tion only after years of study, three
months of which were spent in filal
preparation with the composer, Char-
pentier.
With her Parisian conquest made,
Miss Moore returned to the States int
1928 to sing the role at the Metropol'
tan Opera House in New York. ThisI
performance the critics called one1
of the real achievements in contem-
porary American mtusic.
The romantic story of Miss Moore's
early appearance' in musical come-
dies to raise mbnY for operatic les-
sons, and of how she sang her way
up to the Mebropolitan is' a popular
American lgend. .
But it is not told how the songstruck
girl of 16 years came to New York
from a polite girls school in the
South and made her first appearance
on the stage in Syacuse in a musical
show called "Suite Sixteen."
"I told them I had had experiences
as an actress out West," Miss More,
said, "when the truth was, I had
never even had makeup on. I had
merely tiptoed around to the differ-
ent dressing rooms to get an idea how
they made up."
Now she visits Syracuse in the role
honored by kings and preidents, but
she never fails to mentiona ale
day n Syracuse and the old opera
house where she "first set a foot up-
on a stage."
Sziget Has Flair
For 'Discovering'
On Concert Tours
Violinist Szigeti has a flair for "dis-
covering" interesting things in every
city that he visits.
To him, a concert-tour is not just
a series of hotel-rooms and auditori-
ums, because he has the faculty of
catching a bit of the individual spirit
of each town in which he plays. That
is why 'he is one of the few artists
who get genuine pleasure and stimu-
lation out of the constant traveling
that is the lot of successful artists in
+1, 'a .n.r
Will Appear Here
Feuermann, Casadesus, Szigeti, Martinelli,
Pinza, Vronsky-Babin, Four Popular
Symphony Groups Will Be Heard
Dr. Rodzinshi
Knows Little
Spare Time
One of the busiest musical direc-
tors in the world will bring his fam-
ous body of Cleveland musicians to
Hill Auditorium on Nov. 9.
Artur Rodzinski, conductor of the
Cleveland Symphony Orchestra is not
only occupied with daily rehearsals
and concerts from the first of October
until the end of April-his summer
holiday is continuously being inter-
rupted by engagements as guest con-
ductor at the various music festivals
that are becoming increasingly num-
erous and important all over America.
But the maestro doesn't mind. It's
all in the business.
Last summer Dr. Rodzinski con-
ducted the New York Philharmonic-
Symphony f Orchestra during the
opening week of its warm weather
season of outdoOr concerts in the
Lewisohn Stadium, New York. Later
the same summer he led the Chicago,
Orchestra through two weeks of its
Ravinia Festival in Ravinia Park,
near Chicago, and was invited by
Dr. Serge Koussevitzky to conduct one
concert of the Boston Symphony Or-
chestra's Berkshire Festival at "Tan-
glewood," in the Berkshire Hills of
Vassachusetts.
Two summers ago Dr. Rodzinski
divided his engagements between. Ra-
vinia Park and the Hollywood Bowl,
and three years ago- he conducted
the Stadium Philharmonic Orches-
tra of Portland, Ore., in addition to
the Chicago and Los Angeles groups
at the Park and Bowl respectively.
In previous seasons he has been guest
conductor of the Vienna Philharmon-
ic Orchestra in concerts at the Salz-
burg Festival, in Vienna, and in Paris.
Gaby Casadesus Can
Really fCook-And Play
Touring and playing two-piano re-
citals with her famous husband, and
bringing up two talented boys at
the same time leave Gaby Cadadesus.
little time for the feminine joys of
iolisekeeping.
Gaby Casadesus is an artist and
she is French-which is synonymous
with saying that she is practically a
"cordon bleu" cook. Like her hus-
band, she relishes a good cuisine and,
when she has time, can turn out an
omelette or thro y together a salad
in the best Galli tradition.
Quartet To Play Here
The Roth String Quartet has been
brought back io Ann Arbor this year
to present the' second annual Cham-
ber Music Festival, Jan. 23 and 24,
1942.
Koss evi R To Conduct
Boston Group In Concert
The Choral Union will get its sixty-third annual concert series off to
a banner start with a recital by Grace Moore, noted operatic soprano, on
Oct. 22 in Hill Auditorium.
Giovanni Martinelli and Ezio Pinza, Metropolitan Opera stars, will fol-
low Miss Moore to the Auditorium platform. Other famous artists to appear
in the series will be pianists Vitya Vronsky and Victor Babin; Robert Casad-
esus, noted French pianist; violoncellist Emanuel Feuermann, and Joseph
Szigeti, violinist.
The Choral Union will also bring to Ann Arbor four well known sym-
phony orchestras. The Cleveland Orchestra, under Artur Rodzinski, and
the Chicago Symphony, under Frederick Stock, are scheduled to partici-
-- - ----pate. Other conductors who will
i
s
i
1
1
,
SERGE KOUSSEVITZKY
Vronsky.-Babin
Piano Team
To Play HereI
Russian Couple First Met1
As Students In Berlin;
Applauded By Critics
If two Russians met in Berlin to-
day it would be news-but it wast
such an occurrence several years ago1
that has resulted in the superb duo-
piano team of Vronsky and Babin.'
Vitya Vronsky, born in Kiev, and
Victor Babin, of Moscow, discoveredk
each other while studying under the:
master piarist Artur. Schnab'el in,
Germany. With their marriage, they1
gave up their proposed separate car-
eers to create an art of their Ownt
which has since been rewarded by 1
the plaudits of concert-goers in Eur-
ope and the United States.
Their New York debut, made in
February, 1937, was received by the:
cheers' of the audience and columns
of enthusiastic copy by the Gotham
critics. A second season introduced
them to still further triumphs in a
tour that stretched from coast to
coast.
Their playing is remarkable forj
the perfect accord of tastes and tem-
perament, the two pianos sounding
"like matched voices."
The two young artists, neither oft
-whom is over thirty, will make their
first Ann Arbor appearance in the
final concert of the Choral Union
Series, Tuesday, March 3.
Under the distinguished baton of
Russian-born Serge Koussevitzky,
the Boston Symphony Orchestra with
107 artists will make its twelfth con-
secutive appearance in the Choral
Union Series Wednesday, Dec. 10 in
Hill Auditorium.
Founded 61 years ago, two years
after the organization of the Uni-
versity Musical Society, the Boston
Orchestra has grown from a group of
60 players to its present size.
Major Henry Lee Higginson
brought the first group together at
4is own expense for the purpose of
giving the city of Boston an orches-
tra it could call its own.
The first series o1 concerts was
given in 1881 under the leadership of
the famed conductor Georg Henschela,
Twenty concerts were offered that
year. and since that time the cultural
prestige of the Boston Orchestra has
increased until it is now impossible
for the performers to fill the many
engagements asked of them.
For more than 25 years, the orch-
estra has been under the guidance
of its present conductor, Serge Kous-
sevitzky, whose unusual musical
background would make a complete!
story in itself.
As a boy, Koussevitzky applied at
the Philharmonic School in Moscow.
Penniless, he was permitted to eiter
under the only scholarship which
happened to be open at the time-a
scholarship in the study of the double
bass.
He was not satisfied for long, how-
ever, with such a limited outlet for
his musical sensitivity, and soon he
organized his own symphony orches-
tra, which gained fame throughout
his country.
Later he organized two other sym-
Popular Basso
Has Few 'Pet'
Superstitin
Although he admits that he was
"lucky" in that success as a singer'
came to him with far less than the
usual struggle encountered by oper-
atic stars. Ezio Pinza, famous basso
of the Metropolitan insists he doesn't
believe in luck as such.
However, he confesses he has a few
pet superstitions.
The basso, tvho is coming here for
a recital on Nov. 18 still uses the
dingy third floor dressing room where
he donned his costume for his Met-
ropolitan debut in 1926. He refuses
to dress in any -other.
He says he "likes" Fridays and the
number 13 and he owns and treas-
ures a mascot--a small, battered
doll which he eeps in his make-up
box. He stands it beside his dressing-
able mirror while he prepares him-
self for the stage, and it remains
there throughout each of his per-
formances.
Schedule Of Concerts
Wednesday. Oct. 22
Grace Moore........... Soprano
Thursday, Oct. 30
Emanuel Feuermlann, Violoncellist
Sunday. Nov. 9 afternoon)
Cleveland Orchestra
Artur Rodzinski, Conductor
Tuesday, Nov. 18
Giovanni Martinelli, Tenor and
Ezio Pinza, Bass, in joint recital
Sunday, Nov. 30 (afternoon)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
phony orchestras, one being estab-
lished in Moscow and the other in
St. Petersburg. In Paris he continued
his artistic development with the or-
ganization of the Concerts Kousse-
vitzky, which enjoyed tremendous
success.
When the Boston Symphony found
itself without a conductor after the
resignation of the French musician
Pierre Monteaux, Koussevitzky took
over the post which he has held con-
tinuously ever since.
He is noted for his policy of intro-
ducing the works of new composers
to his audiences, and was one of the
first to popularize such modern com-
posers as Debussy, Ravel, Prokofieff,
Honneger, Roussel, Berg and Stravin-
sky.
Noted 'Cellist
To Play Here
Feuermann Will
In Recital Oct.
Appear
30
Austrian-born Emanuel Feuer-
mann, called the "peer of any in
whatever instrument," will present a
recital on the violoncello in the sec-
ond concert of the Choral Union Ser-
ies Thursday, Oct. 30.
Now an American citizen, Feuer- I
mann made his debut at the age of
eleven with the Vienna Symphony
Orchestra under Felix Weingartner,
and at the age of sixteen was ap-
pointed a professor at the Conserva-
tory of Cologne.
Coming to America in 1934, he
made his first appearance with the
New York Philharmonic-Symphony
Orchestra under the direction of
Bruno Walter, where his performance
caused a sensation in the musical
world.
Demands for appearances through-
out the country, including concerts
with nearly every major American
symphony orchestra, immediately DR CHARLES A SINK
followed his American debut. zations. Programs of greatest artistic
In the 1940 May Festival he ap- and eduational significance, both
peared with Joseph Szigeti in the- modern and classic, have been pro-
Brahms Double Concerto for violin vided New artists and former fav-
and violoncello, which was so well orites are included each year.
received that demands from Michi- The Society is particularly happy
gan music-lovers have resulted in in- to present so imposing a series of
vitations to both artists for separate concerts during this period of stress
concerts here this year. and strain."
Father Vs. Son: I
Martinelli Sr. Wanted Giovanni'
To Take Over Cabinet Business
The Puff That Relaxes:
Old Man Martinelli wanted his tal-
ented son to take over the cabinet-
making business-and the two used to
engage in many earnest arguments
before the father was conyinced that
Giovanni should train for the operatic;
stage.
Martinelli was the oldest of 14 chil-
dren. Naturally the father was op-
posed to permitting the young hope-
ful to give up a good living as a
cabinet-maker for an uncertain
career on the stage.
When his father had finally con-
sented, Giovanni went to Milan to
study under Professor Madnolini and
made his first public appearance in
"Stabat Mater" in 1910. A fortnight
later came his operatic debut in
"Ernani."
A stroke of good fortune the fol-
lowing year gave Martinelli his op-
norinity to attract nublic notice and
tain-for the English people regis-
tered unqualified enthusiasm for his'
performance.
In 1913 Martinelli came to America
to join the Metropolitan Opera, mak-
ing his American debut on November3
".1
Pianist Casadesus Admits Best
Friends Are His Twenty Pipes
Robert Casadesus, eminent French the cause of contemporary music. He
pianist who appears here in a concert himself is also well-known as a com-
on Jan. 19, 1942, at Hill Auidtorium, poser and many of his works have
admits that his 20 best friends are been played with success in France
his pipes, and other countries.
He travels with them. He com- In January, 1935, Casadesus came
poses with them. They fill in the to America for the first time, made
moments of contemplation. his New York debut with the Phil-
harmonic° Symphony Orchestra 'in a
,Each of my pipes is an individual- work of his favorite composer, the
ist, he says. "Each has a different "Coronation" Concerto of Mozart.
taste. Each is for a particular mood." The conductor of the occasion was
Besides a love for his pipes, he Hans Lange. The maestro listened,
holds two things dear-good food went backstage when the pianist had
and good music. Born4 in Paris of a finished-a most unusual procedure
family of international musical repu- for him-and congratulated him en-
tation, Robert Casadesus was a prize fhianc o aty.
pupi ofthe onsrvaoire Hehasthusiastically.
pupyl df threuonservatoire.pHeha "I will have you as my soloist next
played throughout all of Europe, as~
well as North Africa and South season, 'he said.
America. The next January, Robert Casa-
desus returned to New York for the
Very often he gives joint recitals c-n -,. . ra -i x .a
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