4 MUSIC SECTION LL lit> igan :43 at l 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 :" . . .. ... ........ ... :':lY. . .: