The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-14

a blatant egotism. It is the self con- fidence and pride of a man who has demonstrated his abilities and who is enthusiastic over the place of music in the general scheme of things.
 Music is the most important thing in the world to him. Therefore it must count for great deal with so- ciety at large.
 As a small boy, he says, the orches tras he heard in Tver, the north Rus sian community where he was born, exerted an impelling fascination over him. His family were mercantile, mid dle class folk, who were fond of mu- sic. It was early the center of his ex- istence, and though he experimented with various instruments when boy he always intended to direct an orches- tra as his life work.
 When he was 14, he entered the con- servatories of the Moscow Philharmonic society as a student of composition and orchestral conducting. In order to qualify for a scholarship he studied the double bass and became such a master of that resounding instrument that upon the termination of his study he obtained the post of double bass sol0ist at the Moscow Imperial opera. For several years thereafter he appeared in the principal cities as a double bass virtuoso.
 Established Own Orchestra
 He never lost sight of his real aim, to conduct great orchestra. In 1909, after an intesive study of the interpre- tation of classic and moderns in an orchestra formed by him in Berlin from students of the Berlin High School of Music, he returned to Russia and es- tablished his own symphony orchestra in Moscow. This body of musicians quickly became famous all over Russia so that it's appearance in PetrOgrad was always one of the great events of the court season. It was with this group of players with which Kossevitzky toured the Volga.
 Then came the war. The first revolu- tion, that of 1917, did not disturb him. He was appointed general conductor of the Russian State orchestra by the provisional government established by Kerensky. This orchestra formerly was the court orchestra.
 Then came the Bolshevik uprising.
 'I am not a politician" says the composer and conductor, speaking of it. ''I am not an economist"
 Then he pauses. He does not launch into the diatribes against the new regime which explode from most of the Russian colony in Paris. He sits and broods.
 Life in Russia is impossible" he concludes There is no chance for artistic endeavor. I tried. I gave con certs in rooms that were freezing. The bl ss players wore mittens. You can't do it. It's impossible. Everything has gone to pieces"
 There was a story floating about Paris that Koussevitsky and his com patriot, the basso, Chaliapin, had quarreled over Bolshevisn. Chaliapin managed to get along we'll with the Soviet chiefs. Koussevitsky left the country rather than try to carry on artistic endeavor under what he felt were impossible conditions. Koussevit- sky denies the quarrel.
 "Chnliapin is a great artist and a great Russian" he says. When he and the basso met upon the Place de POpera. just in front of the Cafe de h Paix, for the first time since 1920, the two. literally fell upon each others necks. Shortly thereafter Koussevitsky led the orchestra in the opera when Chaliapin appeared, and led it in each of the basso's appearances thereafter.
 The union of the two popular favor ties in one performance almost caused a riot. The prices were quadrupled,