SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 1955 THE MICHIGAN DAILY PAGE THREE CZECH PIANIST:. Firkusny To Appear In Sunday's Concert Four Soloists To Sing in Bach's B Minor Mass FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Stars Perform on Discs * * * * * * * * . . Rudolph Firkusny, internation- ally-known Czech pianist who will appear in Hill Auditorium'at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 3, comes here from new triumphs in Europe. After appearances in Paris, Lon- don, Stockholm, Florence and Rome, his consolidated successes were such that he was reengaged- for another season. Firkusny is now probably the most widely traveled of all the topflight pian- ists living in America. A NATIVE of Napajedla, Czecho- slovakia, he made his debut with the Prague Philharmonic "at the age of ten and was well-known throughout Europe by the time he was 18. Firkusny's American debut took place in New York City in 1938 when, as Time Magazine wrote, "He was then 25 and 'much too young.'" When he re- turned again in 1941, they con- Orchestra Set To Give 18th tMay Series (Continued from Page 1) concerts, three Pension Founda- tion concerts and four "free" con- certs. The Children's Concerts are giv- en on Saturday mornings exclu- sively for children under thirteen. These programs last an hour and no adults, except in the capacity of chaperones, are admitted. Student concerts, organized in 1933, are a cooperative venture. Ticket sales are handled by stu- dents and prices are kept to a mn- imum. Expenses of maintaining theI Orchestra total well over one mil-' lion dollars and are met by tick- et prices, public contributions, rec- ord royalties and a $50,000 grant from the city of Philadelphia. This grant makes possible the four "free" public concerts. Prior to 1916, costs were met by a small group of wealthy citizens. The Philadelphia Orchestra was the first to record under its own name and own conductor. The Orchestra, ever since its beginning, has been considered an instrument for community serv- ice-not only to its own communi- ty but to the nation. tinued, he played "with the poise and maturity of a master." In the intervening time, the young pianist had much reason and occasion to mature. At the time he was traveling back to his homeland in 1939, Hitler began his invasion of Czechoslovakia. Firkusny was in Prague the day German troops marched into the city. In his flight from Prague with one suitcase, he made his way to Switzerland and then to Paris where he gave the last concert held by the Society for Contem- porary Music before Paris fell to the Germans. HE THEN settled temporarily in Portugal and gave concerts while awaiting transportation to America. It was 1941 before he arrived here. With Sir Thomas Beecham conducting, Firkusny reintro- duced to America, Dvorak's Pi- ano Concerto in G minor." It was the grst time the work had been performed here in 65 years and was the beginning of a bril- liant succession of unfamiliar Czech compositions the pianist introduced to American audien- ces. Others were Smetana, 'Martinu, Janacek, and Vitezslav Novak. Firkusny was greatly surprised to find the music of his native land so little played in the United States. Upon his arrival here, he proceeded to make up the slack by including a number of Czech compositions on each program. "If," he said, "through my pro- grams, I can make this music bet- ter known, it will be not only a labor of love on my part, but a labor of justice in behalf of some great creative geniuses." * * * FOR HIS Ann Arbor appearance Firkusny will play Martinu's "Con- certo No. 2" in the second half of a program including the Uni- versity Choral Union with Thor Johnson as guest conductor. Today Rudolph Firkusny is oneI of the most popular pianists in America. For four straight years, he has been a soloist with the New York Philharmonic Symphony. He devotes six months a year to con- certs here, three months to Eur- ope, two months to South Amer- ica and one month to a holiday. Firkusny became an American citizen this year and makes his home in New York City. . HAROLD HAUGH JANICE MOUDRY ... tenor . .. contralto * 0 * * * DOROTHY WARENSKJOLD KENNETH SMITH . . . soprano ... bass * * * * * * Choral Union To Perform With Singers 4- Four soloists will appear at 8:30 p.m. Friday, May 1 in Bach's "Mass in B Minor" which will be sung with the Choral Union and conducted by Thor Johnson of the Cincinnati Symphony Orches- tra. The four artists, all well known voices, will appear with the 300 voice Choral Union Choir. The chorus is composed of students and townspeople who have per- formed each year in the annual Festival under the direction of Lester McCoy. ** * i II He taught at Oberlin Conserva- tory for seven years, and has been at the University for four years. With performances scheduled in Salt Lake City, Cleveland, Washington, New York and Texas, his wife laughingly com- mented that he's away more than he is home, almost like a traveling salesman. Cited as the country's foremost oratorio singer by the New York Times, Prof. Haugh has been the soloist in Handel's "Messiah," Handel's "Samson" and several others. PROF. HAROLD HAUGH, of the music school is the only local ar- * * * tist featured in the Festival this JANICE MOUDRY, contralto fort year. the Bach concert, presents an He is well known on campus equally interesting musical back- for his recent performance in ground. The delightful singer, Bach's "Passion of Our Lord still in her early twenties, has re- According to St. Matthew," and ceived praise from New York crit- has been heard in past Univer- ics for her 1951 Town Hall recital. sity performances. A teacher of Born in Minnesota, Miss Mow- voice here, Prof. Haugh has a dry attended the University of busy schedule with perform- Los Angeles. She made her de- ances all over the cbuntry. but in Handel's "Messiah" with As example of his busy schedule, the Pasadena Civic Orchestra he has just returned from a Bach under Richard Lert and was concert held in Florida, and dur- then re-engaged for four con- concet hel in lorid,-an secutive seasons. She also ap- ing spring vacation he will beseuvessn.Shas a- peared in Honegger's "Jeanne singing in Texas. D'Arc au Bucher" under Franz Monteux with the San Francisco Symphony. Before the close of the year she had appeared with Char- les Munch and the Boston Sym- phony in Bach's "Christmas Ora- torio. A full-scale tour occupied the contralto in 1951-52, with engage- ments in Worcester, in Cincinnati, in both Minneapolis and St. Paul and in New York. * * * DOROTHY Warenskjold, lyric, soprano who began her singing career in 1945, has been heard in opera, concerts, on radio and tele- vision. Born in Piedmont, Calif., she began her music lessons when she was three years old, but she didn't begin voice lessons until she was in college. Originally, Miss Warenskjold planned to be a lawyer, but she soon learned that she would rather sing than plead a case. The young brunette's first op-I portunities came in radio on the West coast and then in a series of coast to coast broadcasts. She quickly established herself as a, new concert artist, and in 1945t made her first appearance with the San Francisco Symphony un- der Pierre Monteux. * * * SINCE THEN she has sung with such famous conductors as Dimi- tri Mitropoulos, Darius Milhaud, Fabian Sevitzky and Erich Leins- dorf. Recently Miss Warenskjold was soloist in a performance of the Mahler's "Second Symphony" with Bruno Walter conducting. Among the roles which have brought acclaim to the enthusias-, tic singer are those of Agathe in "Die Freischutz," Pamina in "Magic Flutes" and Antonia in "Tales of Hoffman." Besides her opera and concert' commitments, Miss Warenskjold has sung on the "Harvest of Stars," the "Ford Festival," and the "Railroad Hours." * * * KENNETH SMITH, the British- born bass baritone, began to sing only a few years ago. Brought to America when he was fbur years old, he studied at the Manhattan School of Music and New York College before the war. During the war he served four years in the Air Force and was a navigator on a B-24 heavy bomb- er. His service record is attested by the fact that he wears the Dis- tinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal and the Oak Leaf Cluster. * * * AFTER HIS army career, Smith studied with Olga Forrai and soon began to make public appearances. He was engaged five times by the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and was soloist with the New York Little Orchestra. He appeared at the Lewisohn Stadium in New York in a Gilbert and Sullivan production under Conductor Leh- man Engel and sang the role of Daland in two performances of Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman" with the Buffalo Philharmonic. At the same time, Smith, a steady member of the casts of the NBC-TV Opera Theater, has ap- peared in half a dozen roles in the last season. By TOM ARP Zino Francescatti . .. PAGANINI: FIRST VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D, Op. 6 SAINT-SAENS: THIRD VIO- LIN CONCERTO IN B MINOR, Op. 61 This is by far the best per- formance of the flashy Paganini concerto on records. Francescatti gives it all the fire and romantic tenderness it demands, making it, seem a much better work than it actually is. It was written first of all as a show piece by one of the greatest violinists of his era, and remains primarily a vehicle for the best violinists only. It is not presumptuous to say that Zino Francescatti has shown himself the most con- sistently good of any violin vir- tuosi this side of the Iron Cur- tain; he seldom falters,-and his interpretations of the major concerti-- Brahms, Beethoven, et al. -- are continually as near the definitive as is possible in music. This recorded perform- ance bears witness to this as far as the Paganini concerto is con- cerned. Saint - Saens' third concerto, which takes up the second side of this record, is a precise, yet high- ly romantic work. It has not the technical demand of the Paganini composition, but gives Francescat- ti a chance to demonstrate his abilities in a slightly different kind of piece. Performers Play Return Engagements Four conductors, one soloist, two choral groups and one instru- mental group will play return en- gagements for this year's May Festival. Thor Johnson, guest conductor of the Choral Union will direct the Friday evening performance of Bach's "Mass in B minor" with Prof. Harold Haugh of the music school and the Sunday afternoon concert. The Festival Youth Chor- us, conducted by Marguarite Hood, will appear with newcomer to the Festival, Zino Francescatti in the Saturday afternoon performance. Playing in all six programs, the Philadelphia Orchestra will be directed by Eugene Ormandy in three concerts and by Alexander' Hilsberg in one. Zinka il anov VERDI'S IL TROVATORE This is one of the finest operatic recordings of the year, with a magnificent cast and an excellent job of sound reproduction. Mme. Milanov's performance as the luckless heroine Leonora is supurb in every way, and Jussi Bjoerling, who sings the role of the trouba- dour Manrico, is still without a doubt the best tenor of our time. It is unfortunate that all this talent and expert technical skill was used on one of Verdi's less impressive works; although the music is wonderfully melodic, the opera as a whole is simply too melodramatic. Mme. Milanov proves her claim to the title of leading soprano of the, Metropolitan Opera. She sings with all the ease and clarity that could be desired, and in places one might even overlook the fact that this is "Il Trova- tore" and enjoy the recording for the splendor of her voice alone. The other members of the cast -Leonard Warren, Fedora Bar- bieri, and Nicola Moscona-are all outstanding. Eugene Ormandy TCHAIKOVSKY: SYMPHONY NO. 6 IN B MINOR ("PATHE- TIQUE") All the resources of modern re- cording techniques have gone into making this a supreme example of high fidelity recording, and if there is anything wanting it might be traced to this over-emphasis on recording techniques. For his part Eugene Ormandy elicits a stun- ning performance of this old war- horse from the members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. With brilliance and color to spare he gives it all the "schmaltz" it can take, which, I suppose, is really the only way to keep it from being just an- other copy of the standard Pathetique. The most striking part of the present performance is the third movement, the faux finale, which receives its most spirited treatment from Or- mandy; but the real concluding movement is the star of the record. It has rarely, if ever, been bet- ter performed, and the vibrant strings of the Philadelphia Or- chestra prove their reputation is not exaggerated. Not even Sto- kowski could have done better. i PROF. HAUGH started his mu- sic career when he was 18 years old. He studied voice in Cleveland and New York, and graduated from the Union Theological Sem- inary. He is an ordained minis- ter, holding the degree of Doctor of Divinity. His chief interest is sacred music. At present he dir- ects the choir of the Ann Arbor First Congregational Church. Waxman and the Bach Festival at Carmel. The pretty brunette has also sung with the Los Angeles Cham- ber Symphony and at the Bershire Festival in 1949. Back in California, she sang in Mahler's "Resurrection Symphony" under the direction of Alfred Wallenstein and in the Beethoven "Ninth Symphony" under Pierre r FOU GR A Co DUCTORS Conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra At All Six Concerts I THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 8:30 P.M. EUGENE ORMANDY, Conductor SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2:30 P.M. ALEXANDER HILSBERG, Guest Conductor SUNDAY, MAY 3, 2:30 P.M. THE UNIVERSITY CHORAL UNION THOR JOHNSON, Guest Conductor Soloist: FESTIVAL YOUTH CHORUS MARGUERITE HOOD, Conductor Soloist: ZINO FRANCESCATTI, Violinist ALEXANDER BRAILOWSKY, Pianist Soloist: RUDOLF FIRKUSNY, Pianist I EUGENE ORMANDY Musical Director and Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra "Academic Festival" Overture. . . ....,...BRA HMs Concerto No. 1 in E minor. . .......CI IOPIN Concerto for piano and orchestra ALEXANDER BRAILOWSKY Symphony No. 7, Midwest Premiere..............PROKOFIEFF Overture, "Italiana in Algeri"... .... ROSSINI Suite of Songs ............... BE.NJAMIN BRITTEN FESTIVAL YOUT H CHORUS Overture-Fantasia, "Romeo and Juliet" .....................TCHAIKOVKY Concerto in D major, Op. 61, for Violin and Orchestra........ BL.i.:.ETIOVEN ZINO FRANCLSCAT-TI Overture in the Italian Style,.. , . .,....SCHUBER "Prairie"................. NORMAND LoCKWOOD "Triumphlied" ......... . .... BRAHMS UNIVERSITY CHORAL UNION Concerto No. 2......................MARTINU . RUDOLPH FIRKUSNY FRIDAY, MAY 1, 8:30 P.M. UNIVERSITY CHORAL UNION 'THOR JOHNSON, Conducfor SATURDAY, MAY 2, 8:30 P.M. EUGENE ORMANDY, Conductor SUNDAY, MAY 3, 8:30 P.M. EUGENE ORMANDY, Conductor Soloist: ZINKA MILANOV, Soprano Soloist: CESARE SIEPI, Bass Soloists: DOROTHY WARENSKJOLD, Soprano Tone Poem, "Don Juan".............. R. STRAUSS "Mentre ti lascio" (K. 513) ... . ,, . , ... MOZART CESARE SIEPI "Mathis der Maler"..................HINDEMInTI Symphony No. 7 ("Le Midi") . .... . .. .HAYDN "Ah, perfido," Op. 65 ..............BEETHOVEN ZINKA MILANOV JANICE MOUDRY, Contralto I5