THE MICHIGAN DAILY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1952
VD REGULAR SERIES:
Charles Munch, Boston
Symphony Scheduled
The Boston Symphony Orches-
tra, renowned for 71 years on this
continent, last spring established
a noteworthy worldwide reputa-
tion with a tour across the Atlan-
tic.
The famed orchestra had never
before toured in Europe and was1
known in that continent only by1
its extensive recordings.
ANTICIPATED yearly by Anni
Arbor audiences, the Boston Sym-
phony will again appear in Hill
Auditorium May 19 in a post-May
Festival Choral Union concert.
Known throughout the coun-
try for its diversified programs
and precision playing, the Bos-
ton Symphony was chosen as the
principal musical feature for the
Paris May Festival of the Twen-
tieth Century Arts, presented
under the auspices of the Con-
gress for Cultural Freedom.
Significantly, t h e orchestra
made its° European debut in
France, a country with which its
71 year history is closely associ-
ated.
Under the baton of the energetic
Frenchman Pierre Monteux -dur-
ing the 1920's, the orchestra con-
sistently recognized the artists of
France. Following Monteux' lea-
dership, Serge Koussevitzky left
his position as conductor of the
Paris Opera to take over the cele-
brated orchestra and introduced
numerous French works to Boston.
PRESENT conductor Charles
Munch is a product of the dual
culture of France and Germany,
having been bred in borderland
Alsace.
Munch reflects his Gallic
strain in his devotion to the mu-
sic of Berlioz, Debussy, and Hon-
egger; but his interpretations
of the two German giants Bach
and Beethoven are equally well
thought of.
Munch's conducting personality,
however, reflects more than na-!
tionalistic traits. Though his or-
* * *
Noted Tower
Honors'U'
President
Burton Memorial Tower, one of
the most prominent landmarks of
the University is named for Mar-
ion LeRoy Burton, president of
the University from 1921-1925.
Under his dynamic leadership,
a great building program was
launched and funds appropriated
for many new buildings. One of
the things Burton had always
hoped for was a carillon tower and
when he died in 1925, the idea
for a memorial tower was started.
* * *
COMMITTEES were organized
to plan for the tower and it func-
tioned with only meager success
until 1932 when Charles Baird, an
alumnus from Kansas City donat-
ed the $75,000 needed to buy the
bells.
With this beginning, a cam-
paign was begun to raise money
for construction of a tower to
house the bells.f
The Carillon itself was made in
England by the Taylor Company.
The largest bell in the set weighs
about two tons and the smallest
about .two pounds.
Since the tower was complet-
ed, it has become famous locally
both for its imposing structure
and its campus-wide carillon
concerts.
Present University carilloneur
Percival Price has actively at-
tempted to make his bell-ringing
hobby both a science and an art,
and the campus frequently hears
the results of his work.
Prof. Price is already the author
of about 50 compositions for the
carillon and he often uses his 500
to 1000 arrangements in his local
concerts. Latest innovation of the
carillon-crusader was a perform-
ance last spring of Moussorgsky's
"The Great Gltes of Kiev" com-
bining the carillon with the Uni-
versity band.
Menuhin-. . .
Although many stellar attrac-
tions will be presented on the Hill
Auditorium stage this fall, few
will shine brighter than noted vi-
olinist Yehudi Menuhin.
Appearing here October 22,
l
r
Menuhin is universally acclaimi
by the critics as one of the greate
violinists of the age. The virtuoso
life story is one of triumph, fro
his debut at the age of nine9
New York, a city already surfeit
with prodigies, to his world-wit
concert tours which have includ
every country but China and Jf
pan.
S* s
ed
st
:'s
m
11
ed
de
,ed
'a-
when his parents presented him
with the original editions of
the complete works of Bach.
His musical career started at
the age of five when he began his
violin studies under Sigmund An-
ker and later under Louis Persin-
ger. When he was 8 years old he
went abroad to study with George
Enesco and Adolph Buscla.
Although the artist has not ap-
peared recently in Ann Arbor, he'
is a frequent visitor at college
campuses across the country. His
view of life is a collegiate one;
Menuhin thinks of life as a "Uni-
versity" and every new experience
as a part of his "post graduate"
course.
He has an inquisitive mind and
tries to find out wherever he goes
what forces or things make the
* * *
WORLD FAMOUS VIOLINISTS:
Menuhin, Heifetz To Perform in Recitals Here-
Heifetz...
During a wartime tour' of army
camps, a musician walked nerv-
ously out on the platform at Camp
Roberts, California and said: "I
don't know whether you'll like it
or not, but you're going to get
some Bach just the same," and,
with that the amiable Jascha Hei-
fetz began his volunteer concert.
Heifetz, who appears here in
concert on Tuesday, February 17.
at Hill Auditorium, was born in
Vilna, Russia on February 2, 1901.
He first came in contact with
the musical world at the age of
three when his father gave him a
quarter-size fiddle and began
teaching him to play.
AT SEVEN, Heifetz made his
first public appearance in Kovno,
* -* *
CHARLES MUNCHE
chestra is at best precision perfect,
Munch does not approach a musi-
cal work by way of elaborate pol-
ishing of detail. He conducts a
symphony broadly, with a sense of
outline and climax preeminent in
his mind. Attention to detail comes
last.
The-result is the spontaneous
performances for which the Bos-
ton Symphony has been renowned
since 1949 when Munch came to
the podium.
THE FIRST of Menuhin's en-
compassing tours was made in 19-
35 and brought European audi-
ences'under the magic spell which
had already enchanted Americans.
He made an entirely different
type of tour during the war.
At this time, he flew in bombers
across the Atlantic, Pacific and
Arctic Oceans, appearing in
more war areas than any other
living concert artist.
In recent years, Menuhin has
turned to a new phase in the ev-
er-expanding realm of music. He
has devoted part of his time to
studying and making music films
in Europe and America.
His first adventure down this
avenue was during the war when
he donated his services in "Stage
Door Canteen." Later, he made the
English film "Magic Bow" on the
life of Paganini, playing the en-
tire score.
The violinist's other musical
"hobby" is an unceasing search
for first editions of musical
masterpieces. This interest was
aroused on his eighth birthday
I
I
Russia playing the Mendelssohn
Concerto.
When he was nine Heifetz was
acepted as a pupil by Leopold
Auer at the Imperial Conserva-
tory in St. Petersburg. At the
Conservatory Heifetz also learn-
ed to play the piano, harp, viola,
and several other instruments of
the orchestra.
At twelve, Heifetz made his ap-
pearance with the Berlin Phil-
harmonic. When World War I
broke out he was touring the Scan-
dinavian countries.
On June 27, 1917, in the midst
of the Czarist Revolution, the Hei-
fetz family left Russia for the New
World. When Heifetz returned to
Russia for a visit in 1934 he gave
thirteen concerts in seventeen days
and people traveled, from every
corner of the U.S.S.R., to hear him.
ON OCTOBER 27, 1917 Heifetz
a blond youth of sixteen, made his
historic American debut in Car-
negie Hall. As the concert proceed-
ed it was evident to all that they
were witnessing, and hearing,
what critic Pitts Sanborn next day
hailed as "a modern miracle."
The story goes that during
Heifetz's debut at Carnegie Hall
the noted violinist Mischa El-
man, mopping his brow, turned
to the well-known pianist and
wit, Leopold Godowsky and
whispered, "It's hot in here,
isn't it?. Not for pianists," ans-
wered Kodowsky.
John Briggs the well known cri-
tic of the New York Post called
Heifetz's 'magic' the 'artist secret;'
to be gifted by nature and to prac-
tice for long, long years.
Heifetz who has been hailed by
critics the world over believes there
is no formula for success, but
there are at least two indispens-
able elements-luck and constant
vigilance. Heifetz is a perfection-
ist and never leaves anything to
chance.
His consistancy in turning out,
fine pieces of ork, his persistence
in striving to "perfect and inter-
pret the best in music, and his
dogmatic philosophy, "never let
down until the last note of the last
encore has been played," is the
reason why Heifetz is held so
highly and fondly by all who have
either heard him on his many
recordings, or seen him in person.
Erik Tuxen
To Conduct
Europeans
The Danish National Symphony
Orchestra, under the baton of
Erik Tuxen, will make its first
Ann Arbor appearance November
13.
Maestro Tuxen is already well
known in this country, having con-
ducted both the Philadelphia and
Boston Symphonies on visits here.
However, the orchestra is making
its initial American tour this fall.
The American tour marks the
third time that the symphony,
which is conducted under the
royal patronage of King Freder-
ick of Denmark, has left home.
During the past two summers,
the orchestra visited the Festi-
val of Britain and the Edin-
burgh Music Festival.
Although the orchestra's pro-
gram will be selected from the
standard repertory of all sym-
phonies, it will also include works
by Denmark's noted composer,
Carl Nielson. Nielson ranks with
Jan Sibelius as the outstanding
Scandinavian composer of the
twentieth century.
The orchestra will appear also
at Michigan State College this fall.
KING FREDERIK IX of Den-
mark, a gifted musician himself,
has extended his personal interest
and high enthusiasm to this first
American tour of the Danish Or-
chestra.
Already noted in history as
the "Musician Monarch," King
Frederik has often conducted
performances of the orchestra
and has even made recordings
for the benefit of Danish chari-
ties.
The members of the orchestra
agree that the king, by his inten-
sive study of orchestration and
repertoire, has gained a secure
and steadfast orchestral command
technique. Although he favors the
traditional classics in program-
making, he has patronized the
works of many young modern Da-
nish. composers.
Danish societies throughout the
United States are eagerly await-
ing the arrival of the orchestra
from Copenhagen and will stage a
series of official welcomes for the
musicians throughout the country.
YEHUDI MENUHIN
JASCHA HEIFETZ
I
Mi-~~
i
SIXTIETH ANNUAL
III
place significant. He believes that
"music is so close to humanity
that one must go to humanity to
develop oneself as a musician."
* * *
WHEN HE LEARNED, quite ear-
ly, that since every part of his
year would be consumed by con-
certs or special private study with
tutors, he decided that he might
just as well arrange his concerts
in a country or city that he would
like to visit.
Cities that present Yehudi Men-
uhin in concert can be sure of ei-
ther one of two things: that he
wanted to visit the city or if he
visited the city before, he liked it.
Single Tickets
NOW On Sale
Single tickets for the Choral
Union Concert season which opens
this year with the Richard Tucker
concert on Oct. 8 are now on sale
in the offices of the University
Musical Society in Burton Tower.
Extra series tickets, including
five concerts, are also available
there.
A limited number of season
tickets can still be had.
MAY
FESTIVAL
SIX CONCERTS - APRIL 30, MAY 1, 2, 3, 1953
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
EUGENE ORMANDY, Conductor
ALEXANDER HILSBERG, Guest Conductor
UNIVERSITY CHORAL UNION
THOR JOHNSON, Guest Conductor
LESTER McCOY, Associate Conductor
FESTIVAL YOUTH CHORUS
MARGUERITE HOOD, Conductor
Soloists to be announced
r'
SEASON TICKETS: Block B-$9.00, Block C-$8.00. Unclaimed Tickets in Block A-$11.00
I'LI
w - -.
inudapest string quartet
in the twelfth annual
chamber music festival,
The Budapest String Quartet will give three concerts f
for the Twelfth Annual Chamber Music Festival ..
Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon,
a
MESSIAN CONCERT
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6... 8:30 P.M.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7 .... 2:30 P.M.
SOLOISTS
NANCY CARRY Soprano
EUNICE ALBERTS, Contralto
DAVID LLOYD, Tenor
JAMES PEASE, Bass
UNIVERSITY
CHORAL UNION
SPECIAL ORCHESTRA
MARY McCALL STUBBINS Y
Organist
LESTER McCOY, Conductor
t
,. .
x
NANCY CARR
DAVID LLOYD
I-)
TICKETS
Either Concert
70c or 50c
On Sale October 15
Feb. 20, 21, and 22.
The three programs will
include major quartets and other ensemble numbers.
JOSEF ROISMAN, Violin
JAC GORODETSKY, Violin
BORIS KROYT, Viola
MISCHA SCHNEIDER, Violoncello
ALL THREE CONCERTS IN RACKHAM AUDITORIUM
Friday, 8:30 P.M.,., Saturday, 8:30 P.M. .. Sunday, 2:30 P.M.
-4
0
JAMES PEASE
LESTER McCOY
TICKETS: Three concerts $3.50 and $2.50
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