SUNbAV, APIM 1111940

THE IICIIIGAN DAILY

PAGETHREE

1 11 WHO WIN I


Bidu Sayao
Featured in
May Festival
Star Defies Society
For Musical Career
A story, which reads like a fairy
tale, telling of a little girl who de-
fied conventions and her elders and
then "made good", makes up the life
history of Bidu Sayao, America's mu-
sical ambassador from Brazil in the
Metropolitan d
Becomes Interested at 14
Born of a socially prominent fam-
ily in Rio de Janeiro, Miss Sayao
discovered her interest in vocal music
at the age of fourteen. In spite of
the conventions which forbade pro-
fessional work to young women of
good breeding, she went in secret
to Mme. Theodorini, a noted voice
teacher who realized at once her
unmistakable talent. From Rio she
went to Paris and studied for several
years under Jean de Reszke.
Following a triumphantly received
debut at the great Teatro Municipal
in Rio, Miss Sayao toured the great
musical centers of Europe. Rome,
Milan, Turin, Lisbon, Bucharest, and
Paris hailed her as a great artist.
Makes Debut with Toscanini
Miss Sayao's North American debut
came in 1936 under the baton of
Arturo Toscanini with the New York
Philharmonic - Symphony Orchestra.
After meeting Toscanini at a party
here, she was abruptly asked by the
conductor if she knew Debussey's
"Blessed Damozel". Receiving a neg-
ative answer, he told her to go home
and learn it because they would start
rehearsing with the Philharmonic
the following week.
The part led swiftly to a contract
with the Metropolitan where she has
since been one of the outstanding
sopranos. Her debut there was in
the part of "Manon" in 1937. Other
roles which have gained her world-
wide applause are Violetta in "La
Traviata, Zerlina in "Don Giovanni",
Mimi in "La Boheme", Susanna in
"The Marriage of Figaro" and Mel-
isande in "Pelleas and Melisande".
Returned from Camp Tour
Only South American star in the
Met, the soprano has recently return-
ed from a tour of Army camps in the
Southwest. A wave of requests taught
her not to underestimate the soldier's
musical tastes. Consequently she pre-
dicts a vast new audience for serious
music as a result of the war.
The Saturday evening program will
be Miss Sayao's second May Festival
appearance. The first was in 1944.
Although scheduled to appear last
year, she was forced to caficel her
concert at the last minute because
of illness.

McGEOGH SAYS:
Limited Knowledge of
Prokofieff 'Unfortunate'

WILLIAM MAIN, tenor; RUTH DIEHL, soprano; JEAN WATSON, contral to; NICOLA MOSCONA, bass - To be featured soloists in Friday's concert.
MOZART'S REQUIEM MASS:
Oratorio Performance TIo Feature Four Soloists

"It is unfortunate that we are ac-
quainted with Prokofleif only through
his frivolous 'Classical Smyphony
and 'Peter and the Wolf,' Prof.
Glenn D. McGeoch of the School of
Music said in speaking of the atti-
tude of the American people toward
this Soviet composer.
New Aspect Introduced
Prof. McGeoch pointed out that
the playing this year of Prokofieff's
"Alexander Nevsky," a cantata for
orchestra, chorus and contralto, will
introduce another aspect of the com-
poser's work, the daring, colorful and
emotion-stirring.
This composition has its basis in
the movie "Alexander Nevsky" pro-
duced in Russia in 1938 by Sergei
Eisenstein, well-known Soviet Film
producer.Prokofieff was called upon
to write the incidental music for the
film, which met with great success in
the USSR and which was shown here
subsequently in the Lydia Mendels-
sohn Theater.
Film Was laistorical Epic
The film was an epic picture relat-
ing the historical events of the com-
ing from Germany of the Knights of
the Teutonic Orders. The knights,

originally crusaders, turned mili-
taristic and overran the countries
which they entered.
On April 15, 1242, a group of war-
riors under the leadership of Prince
Alexander Nevsky met the Germans
on Lake Shud, pushed them back to
Pskov and defeated them. Because of
this Nevsky has become the ready
symbol of resistance for the Russian
people.
Music Is Reorganized Form
The music as it stands today is in
reorganized form. Prokofieff, with
the assistance of Lugovskoi, re-
vamped the text and on Feb. 7, 1939
published the cantata as it is played
today. The composition is divided
into seven sections, each of which
relates one episode in the struggle
against the Teutons.
The revised cantata was first heard
in Moscow on May 17, 1940. Its first
performance in this country, March
7, 1943 was over the radio with the
NBC Symphony, under Leopold Sto-
kowski, Jennie Tourel, contralto
and the Westminster Choir.
The cantata was first played in
concert by the Philadelphia Orches-
tra, under Eugene Ormandy March
23, 1945.

The equiem Mass by Mozart to
be presented in the May Festival Fri-
day, May 3 wil feature as soloists
four vocalists who are noted for their
oratorio and concert performances.
The soloists are Nicola Moscona,
bass; Jean Watson, contralto; Wil-
liam Hain, tenor; and Ruth Diehl,
soprano. They will appear with the
Choral Union under the direction of
Hardin Van Deursen, conductor.
Moscona, who comes to the Ann
Arbor May Festival for the second
time, hs also appeared in music
festivals in London, Lucerne and
Florence. Born in Athens, Greece,
be made his operatic debut there
after studying at the National Con-
servatory of Athens, in January,
1931, in the role of Don Basilio in
"The Barber of Seville." After tour-
ing in Egypt and Greece, he contin-
ued his studies in Italy, following
which he was engaged for the Me-
tropolitan Opera in New York in
1937, his first performance there
being the part of Ramf is in "Aida".
Arturo Toscanni chose Moscona
as soloist on three different occasions,
when he took part in the perform-
ances of the Verdi Requiem and in
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. He al-
so sang under the baton of Bruno
Walter with the Philharmonic Sym-
phony 'Society. Besides his many
opera and symphony appearances,
Nicola Moscona has given concerts
in the principal cities of the United
States, singing in five different lan-
guages: English, French, Italian,
German and his native Greek.
The Canadian singer, Jean Wat-
son, attended the Toronto Conser-
vatory of Music after winning the
Gold Medal for Contraltos at the
Canadian National Exhibition. She
was introduced to the United States
at the Bethlehem Bach Festival.
Since then she has made numerous
appearances with leading organiza-
tions all over the country, includ-

ing the New York Philharmonic
Symphony Orchestra, the New
York Oratorio Society. the Boston
Symphony Orchestra and the Phil-
adelphia Bach Society.
The lyric tenor, William Hain,
has made his mark in every field of
musical performance: grand opera
and light opera, concert and radio,
oratorio and orchestra works. He has
travelled on tour extensively through
Europe and the United States, but he
still makes his home in the quiet
neighborhood in Brooklyn where he
was born.
Hain was first professionally en-
gaged by the New York Opera Co-
mique singing light opera master-
pieces, after which he studied and

toured in Paris. Returning to
America he turned his attention to
more serious music, and was soon
in demand for concert, grand opera
and oratorio. He appeared as a so-
loist with the New York Philhar-
moiic Symphony for eight seasons,
and ais also appeared several times
with the orchestras of Boston, De-
troit. Cleveland, Indianapolis and
Montreal. His radio performances
include participation in such pro-
grams as "Great Moments in Mu-
sic" and the Bell Telephone Hour.
Ruth Diehl, an oratorio and con-
cert soprano, is a member of a Penn-
sylvania Dutch family and was edu-
cated in Philadelphia and New York.
She was the winner of the National

Music League Award in 1939, in a
field of more tIhan a hundred young
contestants. Recent appearances have
included engagements as soloist in
the New Friends of Music presenta-
tion of Handel's "Israel in Egypt"
and in the Bach B-Minor Mass, both'
in Carnegie Hall, New York: at the
Bethlehem Bach Festival, Bethle-
hem, Pennsylvania; and in perform-
ances of the "Messiah" and Brahms'
"Requiem" in Boston.



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Orchestra's , Instruments Are
Valued at $250,O000 M~inim
Instruments owned by members of Alfred Lorenz, Jasha Simkin, Arthur

SIiit

the Philadelphia Orchestra are val-
ued at a minimum of $250,000, and
on the shoulders of one Marshal Betz#
falls the responsibility of guarding'
them.
Betz has a heavy job on his hands.
He carefully must watch for any
curious stranger who wants a peek
at Henry Schmidt's Stradivarius,
Samuel Lifschey's viola, or Alexan-J
der Hilsberg's Guarnerius violin, val-
ued at $35,000.
Guards Famous Violin
Among the other rare instruments
which Betz must guard is a violin
made by Godfredo Cappa, in 1691
which Yasha Kayaloff, a member of
the first strings, plays. This violinI
is ranked with violins made origin-
ally by Stradivarius. Other members
of the orchestra who also own fa-1
mous violins are Alexander Zenker,

Lipkin, and Dayton Henry.
The finest double basses in the
Philadelphia Orchestra are owned by
Anton Torello and his tow sons, Wil-
liam and Carl, who play at opposite
ends of the back line. Anton plays a
Guiseppe Dell'Aglio instrument made
in Mantau in 1775. Carl uses a Mat-
teo Gaffriller made in Venice.
Kencaid Collects Instruments
William Kincaid, the first flutist of
the Orchestra, is also a collector of
rare, fine instruments. He possesses
instruments made in China, Hawaii,
and various parts of Europe. Kincaid
also owns a flute presented to hium
by Leopold Stokowski.
Betz is noted for his sense of re-
sponsibility. Not only has he been a,
scrupulous protector of the valuable
instruments, but he is always on hand
hours betore tne concerts and is us-
ualy the last to leave the hall.

BIDU SiYRO
LEADING SOPRANO OF THE
METROPOLITAN OPERA IN A PROGRAM
OF BELLINI, BONIZETTI, AND MOZART

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BIDU SAYAO, Soprano
who will be the soloist in the Saturday
evening concert of the May Festival
which will be held May 2, 3, 4, .nd 5
in 1Hlii1 Auditorium.


*

SALVATORE BACCALOnf,
Basso Buffo
who will be one of the soloists on the
Sunday cvening concert of the May Festi-
.. ..val which will be held May 2, 3, 4, and 5
in Hil Audituriumi.

1' 1l

JUSSI BJOERLING, Tenor

1
NICOLA MOSCONA, Boss
vho wiI ke one of the soloists in the
Fi ed v Ing ('' k ( -c I ( of the MhI y c .

NVIh0 xviIl Ixe the sooist ill the Illut'sld
eCN'ilH t(:~r ol I Iw l l\ al

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