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SEMENT
SUPPLEMENT
[T ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1957
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TRA SERIES:
ra To Give 'Figaro'
IN ENGLISH... The NBC Opera Company wlI present
's "The Matriage of Figaro" before Ann Arbor atidiences
first of the 1957-58 Extra Concert Series. Peter Herman
ill conduct.
Symphonies
G ive C oncerts
The NBC Opera Company has
brought opera and the American
people closer together than any
other musical group.
The reason? All of the com-
pany's presentations are entirely
In English.
In the eight years of its exis-
tence, the company has been seen
by more people than any other
opera company in history. Its
television broadcasts have brought
fine music within reach of the
public, also for the first time in
history.
And for those people who wish
to see the performances in person,
the company will begin its second
annual tour in October, bringing
Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro"' to
Ann Arbor Oct. 6.
NBC debuted this ambitious
program on Jan. 14, 1950, when
they presented a 30-minute tele-
cast of Kurt Weill's "Down ii the
Valley." Its success was such that
three more operas were given that
season: "Madame Butterfly," "Die
Fledermaus" and "Tales of Hoff-
Present "Capen"
That 'was the beginning. The
following seasoi "Carmen," "Han-
sel and Gretel" and "Gianni
Schicchi" were presented and in
its third year, the company's rep-
ertoire swelled to eight operas.
Included among these eight pre-
sentations in 1953 was the world
premiere of Gian-Carlo Menotti's
"Amahl and the Night Visitors,"
especially commissioned for them
by NBC. The company has since
made a practice of presenting this,
opera each Christmas.
Another innovation made news
during the 1953-54 season. In that
year, the first operatic telecasts
in compatible color were pre-
sented.'
Mozart Sees TV
One of the most ambitious of
the company's telecasts to date
has been a three-hour, two-part
presentation of Mozart's'' "The
Marriage of Figaro," the work
that is to be presented here.
This was at least equaled in
1955 when a production of Puc-
cini's "Madame Butterfly" ran a
continuous two and one-quarter
hours.
In the sane year, Mozart's
"Magic Flute" was presented in
honor of the composer's bicenten-
nial. The season's finale in Ap-
ril was the world premiere of "The
Trial at Rouen,' by American
composer Norman Dello Joio.
Start First Tour
But it remained for little St.
Mary's College, in South Bend,I
Ind., to be the scene of the NBC
company's, first stage effort. ThisI
was the opening performance ofI
a grand tour that took In 47 cities,
and a total of 54 performances of
"The Marriage of Figaro" and
"Madame, Butterfly."' "La Tra-
viata" was added to the repertoire
in last .season's expanded tour.
M antovan
To Appear
In March
Hill Auditorium will host Man-
tovani and his 49 piece orchestra
for the windup of the Extra Con-
cert Series in March.
Scheduled to appear Tues.,
March 11, the creator of the "New
Music" will make Ann Arbor part
of his first coast to coast tour.
It will include Canada as well
as many principal United States
cities.
The Viennese-born creator of
the singing strings has long es-
tablished "his music as a house-
hold work in- England, where he
has lived since early youth. But it
took British high fidelity record-
ings to spread his fame to Ameri-
ca.
Charnmaine First
His first top 1it Parade song,
"Charmaine," was heard here in
1951. He has had more hit record-
ings since..
His father, a talented and suc-
cessful musician in his own right,
advised .,the young Mantovani to
take up engineering instead of a
musical. career. But the young
man, who was an accomplished
pianist at fourteen and who mas-
tered the violin in two years, could
not forsake a musical career.
By the time he was 18 years old
he had his own orchestra and
three years later was performing
in one of London's most fashion-
able hotels.
Became Musical Director
He then turned to the theater,
becoming Noel Coward's musical
The Board.of Directors of the University Musical Society
announces, for its seventy-ninth annual series of concerts,
twenty-six professional attractions spread over well-nigh the
entire field of musical performance.
Major orchestras, choruses, other ensembles and solo ar-
tists will be heard. They represent the finest talent in America
and abroad.
These are divided into five groups or series: the Choral
Union Series of ten concerts; the Extra Concert Series of five;
two programs of Handel's "Messiah"; the Chamber Music Fes-
tival of three concerts and the annual May Festival of six per-
formances. Patrons may subscribe for any or all of these series
or for individual attractions. The Board trusts that profession-
al musicians, music-lovers in general, students, and laymen, may
all find much of interest and value in these programs.
The Board also announces the addition to its staff of Mr.
Gail W. Rector, as Executive Director, who is taking over the,
administrative responsibilities of the Society. The Board has
full confidence that the fine ideals of the Society will not only
be maintained, but that in keeping with the times, progress may
be made on all musical fronts.R
Appreciation is extended to all who, through the years, have'
supported the endeavors of the Society by their continued at-
tendance at its concerts.
CHARLES A. SINt, President
BOSTON SYMPHONY:
Chora- Union Concert
Opening With Mozart
P
Charles Munch will conduct the Boston Symphony Orchestra in
the second scheduled concert of the Choral Union Series October 17.
The program to be presented in Hill Auditorium will include Mo-
zart's "Symphony in G minor" and Stravinsky's "Jeu de Cartes," Bal-
let. The Symphony will conclude its concert with Brahms' "Symphony
No. 4."
Perhaps the most unique facet of the symphony's activities are
the Tanglewood concerts. In July and early August, the Boston Sym-
phony Orchestra gives the annuals
Berkshire Festival at Tanglewood,s
the 209-acre estate at Lenox, Mass. N ot
The orchestra has been giving ed Pian st
these festivals since 1936.
Concurrently with the festival, To
the Boston Symphony holds the A ppear
annual season of the Berkshire'
Music Center, the school which T
was instituted in 1940 under the The world reknown pianist, Ru-
direction of Serge Koussevitzky. dol} Serkin who, in the words of
There, 400 young musicians have Life magazine, "1001" e a schol-
the experience of performing in ar and plays like an angel," will.
direct association with the orches- appear in Ann Arbor on Fri., Nov.,
tra members.
GREETINGS
Concert..Season
Sponsors Stars
Choral Union, Extra Concert Seri(
'To Feature Lily Pons, NBC Oper
Lily Pons, foremost prima donna of the Metropolitan qp
Company, will inaugurate the 79th annual Choral Union Series
Thursday, Oct. 3 in Hill Auditorium.
Other world renowned performers appeai'ing this season un
the sponsorship of the University Musical Society will be the Bos
Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Munch, violinist Yeb
Menuhin, the Cleveland Orchestra and baritone William Warfield.
Paul Paray will conduct the Detroit Symphony during its Feb
ary appearance, followed by the Oberkirchen Children's Choir. A
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, pianist. Myra Hess will appear
March. Vienna on Parade, conducted by Capt. Julius Herrmann,
conclude the 1956-57 season.
Returns to Ann Arbor
The Boston Symphony will appear in Ann Arbor on Oct 17. 'I
orchestra has appeared here anually since 1930 and on previ
occasions since 1890.
Yehudi Menuhin will perform in
the third concert of the ChoralStar Viohlils
has returned to Ann Arbor many
times since his first rectial here in
Returning after a tour through
Europe, the- Cleveland Orchestra, A t
George Szel conducting, will ap- At Univefsit
pear on Feb. 17. William Warfield,Ir
baritone, will perform on Nov. 26,
folldwed by the Detroit Symphony The foremost American-b
Orchestra under the baton of Paul violin virtuoso, Yehudi Menul
Paray on Feb. 17. will appear before Ann Arbor a
Introduced to Ann Arbor two ences in the Oct. 29 Choral t.n
years ago, the Obernkirchen Child- Series Concert in Hill Auditori
ren's Choir will return Feb. 25 Menuhin is returning from
with a program of popular folk 18-month tour of Europe, Air
songs in German and English. and Asia to a sellout 1957-58 t
Reiner Directs of the United States. For his vi
One of the highest ranked orch-
estras of America, The Chicago
Symphony under the direction of
Fritz Reiner will perform on March
2. The March 8th concert will fea-
ture the renowned pianist Myra
Hess.
Closing the Choral Union season
on a light note, "Vienna on Par-
ade" will feature a variety of
music in songs, ,strings and the
"Deutschtneister" Band. Singing
boys and girls in national cos-
tumeS, an operetta from old Aus- f
ja, Ball scene anda potpourri "
of 'popular' vien'nese waltzes,
marches and overtures will com-
pose the program.
The 12th annual Extra Concert
Series will open Oct. 6 with the
NBC Opera Company's production
of Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro."
Tours Country
The Florence Festival Orchestra
will appear Oct. 24 during its first
tour in this country. The pianist, / YEHUDI MENUHIN
Rudolf Serkin, will be heard in his .. . violin virtudso
seventh Ann Arbor concert on behind the "Iron Curtain"
Nov. 15.PolandHun -.and Czechos
In an afternoon concert on Jan. vakia, he was lauded by the
12, the Vienna Choir. Boys will partment of State as a good-
appear in Ann Arbor during the ambassadorf
500th, anniversary of the founding Unlike mad "naturally
of, their world-famous organiza- artists who have been'named ck
tion. prodigies, Menuhin's name a
Mantovani and his New Music calls up the acclaim and apprai
returns to Hill Auditorium for the that he first won in knee pants
final concert of the season on violin soloist with the San Fra
March 11. , ,n-
one of theI
1%11-. ,& Y.. i
is news spelled with a
when two of the mid-
musical aggregations
appearance here in the
rt series.
i, is News: the Detroit
Orchestra, under the
'f the 'noted French
'aul Paray, will appear
ditorium on Monday,
d the Cleveland Orch-
ppear on Sunday, Nov.
ie baton of the distin-
estro, George Szell.
hese performances are
ion with the 79th sea-
e University's Choral
ert Series.
io has been with the
iphony since 1951, is
nsible for the orches-
as an important musi-
The Cleveland Orchestra, on the
other hand:, has found it smooth
going throughout its 49-year his-
tory. It had its beginnings under
the tutelage of Russian conductor
Nikolai Sokoloff in 1918, playing
in the modest quarters, of Gray's
Armory. It took up its present
residence in Severance Hall in
1931, a hall built especially for it,
with acoustics perfectly adapted
to a symphony orchestra.
6ne of the Cleveland's most
notable accomplishments is its
series of children's concerts.
Thirty-five concerts are given in
the the course of a season, each
one a graded educational concert
for which study material, and
phonograph records are provided.
These concerts are given for
over 80,000 Cleveland children
yearly.
Conductor George Szell has been
responsible for the expansion of
the Cleveland Orcherstra since his
appointment in 1946. Besides an
increase in personnel,\ Szell has
also added to the number of per-
formances which the group gives.
Born in Czechoslovakia, Szell
studied in Vienna under the im-
mortal Richard Strauss and made
his debut there as a child prodigy
of 11.
i 1949 the orchestra had col-
sd because of staggering finan-
difficulties. This is not unusual
n era in which few can afford'
luxury of directly supporting
orchestra.
he rebirth of the orchestra two
rs later based on Detroit's plan
vide-spread community support
the first in a nationwide
id.
nder the Detroit plan 34 large
anizations, including the city
ernment, joined with hundreds
maller organizations and indi-
aals to make three-year pledges
sufficient size to build a fine
iestra. Their efforts were emi-
ttly successful.
he orchestra made its re-en-
ice into the music world in
1. In the hands of Paray it has
ome one of the world's fore-
t musical groups.
MANTOVANI
... "New Music"
director, followed by doing musi-
cal background for films.
But it was his records that in-
troduced him to the world. His
first album, "Waltzing with Man-
tovani" swept across the ocean
and caught the fancy of America..
Although self-admittedly a
middlebrow musician, Mantovani
is well Versed i music theory,
counterpoint and harmony. With
a few exceptions, however, Man-
tovani has stuck to composing
popular songs.
Such recordings as the 300 year
old "Green Sleeves" or his own
creation "Cara Mia" have in-
creased his popularity to box of-
fice bursting proportions. His so-
called "New Music" came into be-
ing when a London recording com-,
pany asked Mantovani to attempt
a popular treatment with an ex-
cerpt from "Pagliacci."
He came up with the idea of
New Music, scored to sustain the
melody with reiterated waves of*
sound.
Opens Rehearsals
Another, unique aspect of the
Boston Symphony is the public re-
hearsals. In 1881 the orchestra's
founder, Henry L. Higginson, made
its music available to students and
people who could not afford regu-
lar-priced" tickets by opening the.
final rehearsal each week. to all
comers by the payment of a coin
at the door.
The "rehearsals" have long since
become concerts, with only the
"rush" seats in the second balcony
as the surviving relic of their ori-
gin:
In recent years, however, certain
rehearsals were again opened, the
proceeds going to the Orchestra's
Pension Fund.
Studies Violin
Munch studied violin under Lu-
cien Capet and became concert-
master of the Strasbourg Orches-
tra after serving in the first world
war. From Strasbourg, he joined
the Kewandhaus Orchestra in
Leipzig.
Munch's first appearance in this
country was as guest conductor of
the Boston Symphony Orchestra
in 1946. In 1949, he succeeded
Koussevitzky as regular conductor
and took the group on its first
European tour in 1952.
5, as part of the N xtra Concerit
Series.
A rtuly international figure, the
pianist was born in Czechoslovakia
of Russian parentage. He studied
in Vienna: and-after the advent
of Hitler-moved to Switzerland.
After coming to this country,
Serkfn's public debut as a pianist
took place in 1936 when Tosca-
nini invited him to be .his soloist=
with the New York Philharmonic-
Symphony Orchestra. The pro-
found impression he made on that
occasion was the beginning of an
American career which has estab-
lished him as an unique figure in'
the concert world.
In June, 1950, Serkin played'
at the Bach anniversary festival
under the direction of Pablo Ca-
sals,.
Time magazine reported: "With
perfectionist Casals sitting before
him in the audience, Rudolf Ser-
kin played through Bach's 'Gold-
berg Variations' with a power and
precision that transfigured Ca-
sals' round face."
A major part of the pianist's,
busy summer life is the Marlboro
Chamber Music School. Located
fourteen miles from the Serkin,
farn, the school's students and
faculty members spend a six-week
session playing chamber music.
,rnki rehen
Ou gsters
o Sing Here
he Obernkirchen Children's
ir will stop at Ann Arbor on
ruary 25 in the course of their
'd American tour, their "Happy
nderer" fame undiminished.
he song, an instantaneous fav-
e in English pubs and Amer-
soda-f ountains, was intro-
ed by the thirty-odd boys and
of the choir in an English
'ing competition, subsequently
rAdA b them a n-ava'n.va
Florence Festival Orchestr
To Open American Tor
During 'its three-month American tour, the Symphony Orchestra
of the Florence Festival will visit Ann Arbor on Oct. 24.
The famous ensemble, although established on a year-round basis,,
receives its present name from its connection with the May Festival
in Florence, Italy, the famous "Maggio" for which that city is known.
Its origin goes back a scant 25 years; in 1931 the city of Florence
comanissioned conductor Vittorio Gui to come to Florence and establish
an orchestra. The orchestra is the<>
first that Florence has ever had BEGINS AMERICA
on a permanent basis. It was, in B G N M R C
f act, originally called the "Sta-
bile Orchestrale F i o r e n t i n a."
Acuires TitleLilyPon
Two years later the "Maggio
was born and it, was decided that
the new orchestra should be in-
corporated into it. It has since
come the possessor of its presentG
imposing title.
While the orchestra concen-
trates on the old and contempor-
ary Italian masters, it also in,.
cludes in its repertoire many ofa
the symphonic pieces of such
composers as Bach, Beethoven
1N TOUR:
Is To Open Concert Series
World-Famed
Opera Star
To Perform
Baritone William Warfield, who
portrayed Joe in Metro-Goldwyn
Mayer's production of 'Showboat,'
will appear on Nov.26 at Hill Aud-
itorium.:
Warfield has established him-
self on the concert stage with over
300 recitals in the last five years
and in other fields of entertain-
ment.
Warfield has sung on Broadway
in the musical shows, "Call Me'
Mister," "Porgy and Bess," "Re-
gina" and "Set My People Free."
He has also appeared on numer-
ous television shows.
Warfield began his career when
a senior in a Rochester, N.Y., high
school. After entering and win-
ning the National Music Educa-
tom, League scholarship, Warfield
was able to attend the Eastman
Cisco Symphony Orchestra play
one of Beethoven's most diffi
concertos for violin and orche.
-a feat which many mature'
linists achieve only with diffict
The voice of his Stradivarius
been heard in concert halls
world over - in Europe, In,
Japan, Africa, Israel and beh
the Iron Curtain in Poland
Hungary.
In Johannesburg, the dem
for seats to his concerts was
great that people stood in line
long as 11 hours.
During the day the proceedi
became so riotous that several i
sons were injured and had to
rescued by police. The follow
day the manager announced t1
an extra concert had been
ranged for the weekend.
Menuhin has delighted audier
with his interpretations of vi
compositions by composers ra
ing from the classic masters s
as Beethoven and Bach to mi
contemporary figures such as B
tok and Walton.
Series T ikets
Lily Pons, one of the most fa-
mous singers of all time, will open
both her tour and the 79th Choral
Union ConcertS eries Thursday,
Oct. 3 in Hill Auditorium.
With her beautiful voice and
slim figure, Miss Pons started a
new musical era, by marking the
beginning of the end,for well-up-
holstered opera divas.
the Vmited curriculum there. She Hollywood career; her pictures in-
auditioned before Alberti di Goro- elude Jerome Kern's "I Dream
sitiaga at the Gaitie Lyrique in Too Much," and "The Girl from
Paris and immediately became one But it was during World War
of his pupils. II that Miss Pons gained her most!
Comes To America ,. fervent fans.
By 1930 experts were convinced Sings For GI's
that she was ready for America, From one end of the vast war
.. .. « . theatre to another. Miss Pons