Evening star., 1937-12-05

NX IL > IL / ~ /
Symphony
Noted Soloists Are
Chosen for Series
OF Concerts.
WITH the National Symphony
w Orchestra this week finishing its
first major tour of the 1878 sea-
son. plans for the group of three
Beethoven Festival concerts to be
played in the week following the Or
chestra's return to Washington next
Friday are virtually completed. The
works to be presented have been
chosen by DR.. Hans Kinder, con-
ductor, to stress the less-frequently
played compositions of Beethoven.
The concerts will be given on Sum-
day afternoon. December IL; Wednes-
day evening, December Is. and Sum
day afternoon, December 19, in Con-
stitution Hall At the December IL
concert Ruggiero Ricci. phenomenal
17-year-old San Francisco violinist,
will be the soloist, and Antal Dorati,
brilliant Hungarian conductor, who
has appeared with the National SYM
phony as director for performances of
the Ballet Russo de Monte Carlo. will
be guest conductor. Ricci will play the
violin concerto and Dorati will conduct
the Sixth" (PastoraD and Eighth"
symphonies
For the last two concerts DR.. Kinder
will return to the podium On Decem-
Der Is Josef Hofmann, world-famous
pianist, who last Sunday was cheered
by packed house at the Metropolitan
Opera in New York. when he cele-
brated the 50th anniversary of his
first American concert will be solo,
ist in the Fourth Concerto in G Ma
jor" for piano and orchestra. Dr.
Kinder will conduct the Seventh
Symphony" and the "Prometheus'
overture.
The climax of this group of concerts
will come on December 10 with a per-
| formance of the titanic Ninth Sym
phony." with its choral finale based
on Schiller's Ode to JOY" and re-
quiring the assistance of a quartet of
singers and large chorus to project
its difficult music.
| Soloists for the Ninth Symphony"
will be Albert Clifford. tenor: Alice
George, soprano; Lucille Browning,
contralto, of the Metropolitan Opera,
and William Fletcher Smith, baritone,
| Washington singer and organist. A
chorus of 800. one of the largest ever
heard in a Washington concert, has
been formed especially for this per-
formance. The large choir consists of
| the combined Glee Clubs of George
Washington University, DR.. Robert
Harmon. director, which last year sang
with the National Symphony in
Beethoven's Choral Fantasia, and the
Washington Choral Society, Louis Pot
ter. director, which recently gave a
distinguished performance of Brahms
Requiem" in the National Cathedral.
Clifford has previously appeared with
the National Symphony as soloist in
the performance of LISTS Faust
symphony. given two years ago. and in
Haydn's The Creation" which the
orchestra gave last year at the Colum-
bia IS. c. Choral Festival He also
sang in a performance of "LIsola
Disabitata," by Haydn, under DR..
Kinder at the Library of Congress.
He has appeared at the famous Wor-
| cester (Mass,) festival, and in church
and oratorio work in New York City
Miss George. who has also appeared
at the Worcester festival and in the
Library performance OF the Haydn
work, was chosen by Albert Stoessel,
noted composer conductor, to create
the role of Julia in his opera. David
Garrick," which was given in Wor-
| cester last fall She will sing the
leading role in Beryl Rubinsteins S
opera, THE Sleeping Beauty" to be
given its premiere in New York in
January.
Miss Browning is one of the most
popular of the younger singers at the
Metropolitan. where she is engaged
for her third season, and has sung
numerous concert and radio engage
ments.
A native of Washington, Smith sang
as a boy in the choir of the Church
Of the Ascension and the Washington
Cathedral. He studied organ and
piano, and later became assistant Of
the late Edgar Priest. In 1888 he was
appointed organist Of the National
City Christian Church; in 1884, or
ganist and choir master Of st. Johns
Church, Georgetown. A student Of
singing with Gretchen Hood, he was
awarded voice fellowship at Juilliard
Graduate School of Music in 1885.
Other works to be given on the De-
cember 10 concert include choral
rendition Of "The Heavens Resound"
and the presentation by the orchestra
of the immortal "Leonore" overture
No. 3.
Engagements to be played by the
National Symphony out Of town this
week are a. follows: Sunday (today),
Springfield. Mass; Monday, Wellesley
College. Wellesley, Mass: Tuesday,
Dartmouth College, Hanover, N. H.;
Wednesday, Hartford. Conn.,, where
two concerts will be played; Thursday,
New Bedford, Mass.
Sara Flakshaar has opened her
studio at 1897 Connecticut avenue
NV. Her pupil, Sanford Donaldson,
baritone, sang for Reinald Warren
rath last summer.