Evening star., 1939-07-13
Hear
Water Gate
Concert
President, Requesting
Music Of Wagner,
Listens From Auto

Some 25,0OO music lovers here
abouts, including President Roose-
welt, joined a national radio audi
ence of several million last night
in listening to the National SYM
phony Orchestra's opening concert
of the third Sunset Symphony sea-
son at the Potomac Water Gate.
Only members of the record
breaking crowd at the Water Gate,
however, were afforded the full
flavor of Director Hans Kindler's
offerings under a moonless, re-
freshingly-c canopy of midsum-
mer evening.
Park Police officials, experienced
estimators of human masses at
Washingtons favorite outdoor mu-
sic hall near the Lincoln Memorial,
said the gathering might well total
10000 persons. Never before. they
pointed out, had the grass plots
for hundred of yards around been
so completely covered. Never be-
fore had the railing on the river
front and on Memorial bridge been
so lined with untiring standees. And
available chairs and stone steps,
officially counted at upward Of 5000,
were full to overflowing.
Orchestra authorities on matters
of attendance were somewhat at a
loss in calculating the number of
listeners in the background, but
without hesitation figured a mini
mum of 25,000-exceeding by more
than 5000 the previous all-time
sunset symphony audience Of TO-
900 present at the concluding con-
cert last summer.
Amplifiers Spread Harmony.
The scene afforded striking con-
trast in black and white, since only
artificial lights-on the barge oc-
cupied by the orchestra, on boats
lowering nearby and on bridges and
highways in the distance-pierced
the mantel of darkness protected
by overhanging clouds. The mu-
sicians, white-shirted and coatless
save for Director Kinder, held all
eyes with their every move. Modern
amplyfying apparatus carried their
varied program to distant spots
without the harshness that often
accompanies such transmission. Most
listeners were not aware of the loud
speakers, in fact. until DR.. Kinder
announced a special number for q
distinguished guest" who had ex-
pressed fondness for Wagner.
Just prior to this announcement,
the conductor had made a hurried
intermission climb to the top Of
the steps. where President Roose-
velt sat in his car on his arrival
shortly after the program began.
So there was little speculation as
to who the distinguished visitor
might be. The dedicatory number
was the prelude to the third act Of
"Lohengrin
DR.. Kinder attested the black
ness of the night in preliminary
remarks to an encore, Claire de
Lune," which he said was designed
to provide a bit of synthetic MOON
light in lieu of the real thing.
In the evenings finale, he boasted
of the absence of mosquitoes, too,
and proclaimed the concluding piece,
therefore, as "The Flight of the
Bumblebee.
Audience Settles Down Slowly.
Primarily because of the unac-
customed numbers to be handled,
the audience was a bit slow in
getting settled. BY the time the
President arriysd-in the middle of
the Brahms symphony No. /" that
preceded intermission-an appre-
ciative hush had spread over the
crowd and there was little distrac-
ton thereafter.
Almost the entire last half Of
the program, including the special
ly inserted Wagner, was broadcast
over WMAL and the National
Broadcasting Co. Red network.
The scheduled program consisted
of "Toccata," by Frescobaldi; Sym
phony No. l in G Minor" by
Brahms; Largo" by Handel; BAL
let Music" by Schubert; per-
petuum Mobile" by Schoenherr;
"Valse Triste," by Sibelius, and
polka and fugue, from "Schwanda,
by Weinberger.
The sunset symphonies will be
continued on Sundays and Wednes-
days until August %. On Wednes-
day, August 2, several Metropolitan
Opera stars are to be heard in a
special performance of Madame
Butterfly" with Alexander Smallens
as guest conductor.
DR.. Kinder is to conduct next
Sundays concert and the soloist
will be Gloria Perkins, violnist.