Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-09-10
Six Pianists
On Programs
OF Symphony
ROsenthal Heads
List, With Miss
Hess Prominent


as soloists with the National SYM
phony Orchestra during its ninth
season of winter concerts, which
begin on October 20, have one
characteristic in common, according
to C. c, Capped, manager of the
National Symphony Orchestra. Each,
Mr.. Capped says. is what is known
in musical circles as "a musicians
musician"
The roster of pianiSts will COM
prise: Moriz Rosenthal, who will
be heard on Sunday, october %;
the duo-pianists Pierre Luboshutz
and Genia Nemenoff, soloists on
Wednesday, November 8; Marcel
Mas, engaged for the Sunday con-
cert of January 7; Myra Hess, who
will appear on Sunday. January II,
and Percy Granger, soloist on Sun
day, March 81.
Heading the list is, of course
Moriz Rosenthal, the little giant
of the Keyboard" who appeared
with the National Symphony Or
cheStra last season on the tour
celebrating the 50th anniversary of
his American debut. Pupil Of the
great Franz List, Rosenthal's name
is linked with that small company
of the greatest planiStS the world
has knoWn-MoZart, List, PadereW-
ski and Anton Rubenstein. Brahms.
Busoni Paderewski and Johann
Strauss are among the many whose
tributes to the 77-year- planists
art have established him as "a mu-
siclans musician
Myra Hess, who-like RoSenthal-
is a great favorite with Washington
audiences, is another artist Of the
keyboard who is called frequently
the musicians pianist When Miss
Hess gave her first public recital in
London critics agreed that not since
the days of Sophie Menter and
Teresa Carreno had such a spon-
taneous and superlative art been
demonstrated on the concert plat
form by woman. For many years
it has been conceded that Miss Hess
is outstanding among the woman
pianists of our time, but now. at
the beginning of her 18th concert
season, it is generally believed that
it would be more appropriate to
designate her as one of the limited
circle of first-rank artists of what
ever sex.
Marcel Mas, the distinguished
Belgian pianist, who was heard in
Washington on previous occasions,
may be grouped with Miss Hess be-
cause. like her. he is an outstanding
interpreter of Johann Sebastian
Bach. While Miss Hess was making
Bach popular with American con-
cert audiences, Mas was doing
much the same thing in Europe. He
has been heard as soloist with the
leading European orchestras and has
appeared in concert in England,
Holland, France, Germany, Austria.
Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece
Since 1887 he has been augmenting
his European reputation with
series of American appearances.
One of the most recent of two
piano teams is that of Pierre Lubo-
shutz and Geria Nemenoff. In
private life Mr.. and Mrs Luboshutz,
the duo pianists romance began on
strictly artistic footing. based on a
mutual respect for the others
pianiStic ability. LubOShutz made his
first public appearance when, at the
age Of IA and a student at the Mos
COW Conservatory, Fritz Kreisler ar
rived in Moscow for a concert, but
without an accompanies. Lubo-
shutZ was chosen to meet the need.
His solo debut was made in 1912 in
Moscow with the Koussevitzky Or
chestra, with Koussevltzky himself
conducting. Several years later, 10
years ago to be exact. Luboshutz
was conducting a master class in
Paris, and Miss Nemenoff-who had
some time before made her debut in
Joint recital with the cellist Pablo
Casals, and had subsequently made
a distinguished name for herself
through European concert appear
O1lCu 40 liAo PNPAA' DotAA
American citizens now, Luboshutz
and Nemenoff have scored in the
three years since their New York
debut in the duo-pianism field.
Percy Granger, pianist composer
conductor. has appeared many times
in Washington. Both as a pianist
and as a composer. Granger is re-
spected by his fellow musicians.
Few contemporary works have had
the success of his Country Gar
dens" and his other arrangements
of folk-song themes. AS pianist,
he, too-like Hess and Maas-spe-
cializes in Bach. Unlike them, how
ever, he has been a consistent
champion of the moderns and has
made the works of the Norwegian
composer Grieg peculiarly his own.