Askov American., 1942-01-29
Symphony, Pianist
In Concerto Classic
(By Bert Merling)


Between acts of a Metropolitan
Saturday afternoon opera broadcast
several weeks ago, Mr.. Marquis paid
special acknowledgement to the
city of Minneapolis as one of the ma
tons music centers.
Its symphony orchestra, he re-
ported, is easily an outstanding gift
to the nation at large, and the north
vests supreme cultural asset.
AS one milled around in the crow
ded currents of humanity emptying
into the portals of Northrup audi
torium at the University last Friday
evening, one couldn't help but re-
joice that we were citizens of a state
wherein great music has already be-
come demanded and vital part of
our everyday lives. And that tonight
we were to hear our beloved SYM
phony and the genius of one of the
worlds first-ranking pianists, Artur
Rubenstein.
The unusual outpouring of youth
evidenced the fact that Tschaikow-
sky's Piano Concerto was of real in
terest to them. Your impressionistic
reviewer was elated. Now the young
sters were to hear the real Tschai-
kowsky; not the Introductory move
ment alone,-but the whole of the
magnificent concerto. They might be
disappointed in not hearing that
movement repeated again through
out the compositions complete entire
ty, but they would hear the pristine
beauty of the original, and not the
syrup and tawdriness of the currently
popular arrangement.
Artur Rubenstein was electric in
the sweeping majesty of the Con-
certo's introduction. This observer
has time upon time noted that the
truly talented artist is possessed of
indefinable wealths of feeling, pas
sion and soul which humanizes and
fires his performances as no command
of technique alone can ever achieve.
True, one without the other is an
impossibility, but Standardization
without soul is machine-like, and
that kills the artist.
The audience shattered concert eti-
quette by thunderous salvo of ap-
plause at the conclusion of the first
movement. Every color and tonal
richness; every nuance, shadow and
mass, every sense stirring glory IN
the Russian masters original was
woven, painted and sculptured with
the rare genius that is Artur Ruben
stein. The auditors would not let
him go at the conclusion of his tour
de-force. He played a number of
encores, among them nocturnes from
Debussy and Chopin.
Dimitri Mitroupolis read Tschai-
kowsky with his usual super sensi-
tized understanding which recreated
the orchestral collaboration as the
composer wrote it. The cooperation
with the soloist of the evening was
superb, painting in the majestic
moods; the dynamic fortissimos and
zepher soft whispers with warmth and
fine solidness.
A word, in conclusion, further re-
garding the Tschaikowsky Piano Con-
certo in B Flat Minor. Here was a
perfect example of the true worth
in genius orchestra, conductor and
soloist. Here" as Sigismond Stoj-
owski once wrote on another sub
ject,-"was neither the vanity to
shine and dazzle nor the pride to
rule and over-rule the composer. To
the composer, the artist owes a 10y
atty, to the listener clarity and con-
viction. Between the three there
exists what some new Rousseau might
call social contract in which no
party can be passivly indolent nor
recklessly domineering."
1t was our privilege to hear a per-
feet concert.
Can any price be too great for a
release from care and tiredness as
great as that?