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THE MICHIGAN DAILY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26,1954
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All Russians
In Hungarian
String Group
The Budapest String Quartet will
perform in the 15th annual Cham-
ber Music Festival on Feb. 18,19
and 20.
Most people take it for granted
that the Quartet consists of Hun-
garian musicians. None of them
comes from Budapest, for they are
all Russians by birth and now all
are American citizens.
Joseph Roisman, the first violin-
ist, comes from Odessa, as does
Boris Kroyt, the viola player and
Jac Grodetzky, the second violin-
ist. Mischa Schneider, the violin-
cellist, comes from Vilna.
Quartet Origin
The name of the quartet was
fully justified, for not only was the
"patron-saint" of chamber music,
Prince Esterhazy, a Hungarian
nobleman, but the quartet origin-
ally started out with a full-fledged
Hungarian membership.
It was this organization which
toured the United States and Eu-
rope in the 1920's. Then times
changed. By 1927 the second fid-
dler left and was replaced by a
Russian. By 1936, there was not a
Hungarian left.
Theyamade their United States'
debut in 1930 at Cornell University
and have toured the United States
annually ever since. In the fall of
1950, they toured Europe for the
first time since 1939, and visited
South America in 1951.
Extensive Schedule
Their concert engagements have
grown into a strenuous annual
schedule of over a hundred con-
certs-24 of whichaare in the Li-
brary of Congress, ten for the New
York Y.M.H.A., 15 at a summer en-
gagement in California at Mills
College and the rest touring the
United States from coast-to-coast.
They practice three hours a day
with religious regularity"and all
disputes about interpretation are
put to a majority vote. But it is
during their stay at Mills College
that the Budapesters finally have
a real opportunity to relax.
Relaxation and Diversion
As part of their annual duties the
Budapest artists join the faculty
of the college and there is ample
free time to indulge in their favor-
ite sport-tennis. Swimming is an-
other welcome exercise, while
chess, bridge and gin-rummy pro-
vide mental diversion. They are
also ardent readers, devouring the
classics and absorbing American
history.
Inaddition to the classics which
everywhere are taken for granted,
contemporary American chamber
music is generally included in their
offerings. Each program regular-
ly includes a modern work, for the
group unanimously believes that
the newer music must be played,
not once but often.
The Quartet has become famous
for its recordings of quartets by
Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and
other masters. The record review-
er of the New York Times de-
scribed some of the Beethoven re-
cordings as the "outstanding of all
records this season."
!,
-Photo by Teela
NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC CONDUCTOR
DIMITRI MITROPOULOS
Mitropoulos, Philharmonic
To Appear in Last Concert
f'
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THE
ROBERT
SHf4W
CHORALE
ROBERT SHAW, Conductor
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Under the direction of Dimitri.
Mitropotilos, the Philharmonic-
Symphony Orchestra of New York
will bring the Choral Union Se-
ries to a close with a concert on
May 22.
The Orchestra, America's old-
est, started at a time when Tchai-
kovsky was only two, Brahms nine,
Wagner 29 and Mendelssohn 33.
It has performed uninterrupted
ever since that first concert on
Dec. 7, 1842.
T o d a y 's Philharmonic repre-
sents a merger in 1928 of the New
York Philharmonic and the 50-
year-old New York Symphony Or-
chestra which was then conduct-
ed by Walter Damrosch. An ear-
lier merger in 1921 with the Na-
tional Symphony also expanded
the Philharmonic's number.
Rapid Expansion
There were 63 members in the
organization when it was found-
ed. Today, there are over 100 reg-
ular playing memners. In its first
season, the Philharmonic gave
three concerts and at the pres-
ent time, well over 100 concerts
are played by the orchestra. This
includes its winter season at Car-
negie Hall and the Young Peo-
ple's Concerts, in addition to its
concerts on tour.
Guest conductors were rare in
the early days of the Orchestra,
but at the beginning of the 20th
century many world famous con-
ductors made their appearance
with the Philharmonic. Among
them were: Wilhelm Furtwangler,
Richard Strauss, Victor Herbert,
Felix Weingartner, Serge Kous-
sevitzky, Leopold Stokowski, How-
ard Barlow, Fritz Reiner, Dimitri
Mitropoulos, C h a r 1 e s Munch,
George Szell and in 1925, Arturo
Toscanini.
In 1920, the orchestra, under
Walter Damrosch went abroad,
the first American orchestra to
make a foreign tour. Under Tos-
canini's direction, the orchestra
returned to Europe in 1930 and
played 23 concerts to sold-out
houses sin 15 cities.
Toscanini's Farewell
The next five years found Tos-
canini returning regularly as con-
ductor. Other prominent conduc-
tors officiated during this period,
including Otto Klemperer and Sir
Thomas Beecham. When Tosca-
nini gave his "farewell concert" on
April 29, 1936, the orchestra was
then entrusted to John Barbirolli,
since knighted and now head of
the Halle Orchestra of Manches-
ter, England.
Bruno Walter was appointed Di-
rector in 1947 and remained un-
til 1949 when Mitropoulos and
Stokowski were appointed regular
conductors with Leonard Bern-
stein and Bruno Walter among the
guest conductors for the season.
Mitropolous was appointed con-
ductor in 1950 and the next year
he became the Philharmonic's Mu-
sical Director, a post which he still
holds.
Greek by birth and American by
adoption, Mitropoulos is an in-
ternationally noted figure. A bril-
liant European reputation preced-
ed his Boston Symphony debut in
1936.
European Training
Mitropoulos studied at the Con-
servatory of his native Athens and
with Ferruccio Busoni in Berlin.
For a number of years he was the
permanent conductor of the Ath-
ens Symphony.
From the time of his Boston de-
but until the spring of 1949, his
activities were centered in the
Midwest where he was Musical Di-
rector of the Minneapolis Sym-
phony. He first appeared as guest
conductor with the New York
Philharmonic-Symphony Orches-
tra in the 1940-41 season.
Appearing
MONDAY, DECEMBER
6
8.30 P.M.
{
(Extra Concert
e ries)
Robert Shaw
_______________________ __- - ---- ------- ------------ - - - - - - ---- iL--- --
Warren Wins Radio Audition
Which Leads to Met Contract
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, at 8:30; and SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5, at 2:30
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Leonard Warren, baritone of thev
Metropolitan Opera Association,
will appear in the sixth concert
of the Choral Union Series on
Nov. 21.
Warren was chosen to inaug-
urate the current Metropolitan
season, and will sing the role of
Tonio in "Pagliacci" on opening
night. This month he will appear
with the San Francisco Opera
Company, singing "La Forza del
Destino" and "Rigoletto," prob-
ably his most famous role.
It was as Rigoletto that he made
his debut at Milan's La Scala last
season, the first non-Italian to
undertake the role there. After
singing Rigoletto, Warren appear-
ed as Iago in Verdi's "Otello," be-
fore leaving La Scala and return-
ing to the United States in mid-
January of this year.
Born in New York City, War-
ren's first singing part was in the
Radio City Music Hall Glee Club.
In 1938, he auditioned on the Met-
ropolitan Auditions of the Air and
won a coveted contract.
He sailed for Italy, to begin the
hard work of learning in six
months all the seven roles assign-
ed to him for the next season. He
made his Met debut on Jan. 13,
1939 as Paola Albiana in "Simon
Boccanegra."
Gradually, he assumed the ma-
jor roles in the baritone reper-
toire and he now appears in 22
roles such as "Il Trovatore," "Fal-
staff," "La Gioconda" and "Aida."
During the present season at the
Met, he will add a new role, that
of Gerald in "Andrea Chenier."
Foreign Recitals
In 1942, Warren sang In the
Teatro Municipal in Rio de Ja-
niero and then appeared in Sao
Paulo in 1945. The Department of
Culture in Sao Paulo has cited
Warren for his operatic perform-
ances with a plaque granted to
only one other foreign artist.
Appearances in Mexico City fol-
lowed in 1948 and 1949, and War-
ren has appeared on both radio
and television programs. In the
past few seasons, he has sung with
the Chicago Opera, the Cincin-
nati Summer Opera and returns
to San Francisco this fail to sing
in the opera company there.
Last August, Warren sang the
world-premiere of a ne v work by
a contemporary composer-Nor-
man Dello Joio's "The Lamenta-
tion of Saul." The 15 minute com-
position, the setting of a text by
D. H. Lawrence, is scored for
flute, oboe, clarinet, viola, cello
and piano.
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DONALD GRAMM
LUCINE AMARA
LESTER McCOY
LILLIAN CHOOKASIAN
CHARLES CURTIS
Performers
THE UNIVERSITY CHORAL UNION
Soprano DONALD GRAMM, Bass
ASIAN, Contralto MUSICAL SOCIETY ORCHESTRA
TICKETS ON SALE AT
BURTON TOWER NOW!
CHORAL UNION SERIES-Season Tickets:
$17.00-Block A. Remaining UNCLAIMED seats in the three
central sections on both Main Floor and in First Balcony,
front to rear.
$14.00-Block B. Two side sections on both Main Floor and in
First Balcony, front to rear,
$12.00-Block C. Top Balcony, first 18 rows.
$10.00--Block D. Top Balcony, rear 13 rows.
EXTRA CON CERT SERI ES-Season Tickets:
$ 8.50-Block A. Three central sections on both Main Floor
nnd in First Balcony, front to rear
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LUCINE AMARA,
LILLIAN- CHOOKA
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