Evening star., 1943-06-13
Music
Concert Season
Opens at Water
Gate Tonight

cIlCcIllS lIS seventh season Oh
Sunset Symphonies" at the Po-
tomac Water Gate, the National
Symphony Orchestra, conducted by
DR.. Hans Kinder, will hold its
opening concert tonight at $50
o'clock. Oscar Shumsky, brilliant
American violinist, now serving in
the Navy, will be the Soloist. The
series of summer concerts will con-
tinue on Wednesday evening when
Alexander Smallens takes over the
baton and soloists will be the duo
pianists, Braggiotti and Shaw.
The third annual all Gershwin pro-
gram will be presented Friday under
the direction Of Mr.. Smallens. Jesus
Maria Sanroma will be piano soloist,
Kenneth Spencer, bass, and Muriel
Rain, soprano, will sing excerpts
from "Porgy and Bess." Mr.. Shum-
sky, who is playing Mendelssohn'
Concerto in E Minor" tonight,
although only 26 years of age, has
appeared with most of the leading
symphony orchestras in this coun-
try, has toured Europe and South
Africa.
The second half of the concert
tonight will be all-Tschaikovskv:
Romeo and Juliet" symphonic
poem; waltz from Eugene
Onegin, ""Chant Triste" and March
Slav.' To open Dr. Kinder has
programmed Saint-Saens' algerian
March and the "Adagio" from
Bach's "Toccata in C Major"
On Wednesday evening Mario
Braggiotti long favorite here
through recitals and radio appear
ances, will be heard for the first
time in Washington with his new
teammate, Walter Shaw. When
Jacques Fray, Braggiotti's former
partner, entered the Army about
year ago Braggiotti found himself
a one-man duo-piano team. But
he shortly found a young virtuoso
named Shaw and packed ShaW's
brief case with bulging collection
OF two-piano arrangements. In less
than 25 days Shaw had learned,
memorized and mastered his half of
the repertoire. and in July, 1912. in
Cleveland, the new team of Brag-
glotti and Shaw earned a tremen-
dous ovation on their first Joint
appearance. At the Water Gate
the duo-pianists will be heard with
the orchestra. under Mr.. Smallens'
direction, in the Grieg Piano Con-
certo in A Minor" and in Braggiotti's
spanish Rhapsody" They will also
play several novelties arranged for
two pianos by Mr.. Braggiotti. The
balance of the orchestral program
consists of the Franck "Symphonv
in D Minor the overture to
Smetanas "Bartered Bride" and
LISTS Les Preludes.".
GershWiniana to be heard on Fri
days tribute to the outstanding
American composer includes Cuban
Overture strike Up the Band" Or
chestral arrangements of three piano
preludes, AN American in Paris"
Rhapsody in Blue" the Piano Con-
certo in F." and five "Porgy and
Bess' songs" Summertime, Il Got
Plenty OF Nuttin',' My Mans Gone
Now" ut Amt Necessarily So" and
Love Duet" Mr. Sanroma. piano
soloist in the rhapsody and concerto.
made his orchestral debut with Serge
Koussevitsky and the Boston Sym
phony Orchestra in 1926 and has
been intimately connected with that
organization throughout the years
since. An ardent champion of the
r1oderns, he has been heard at the
first Pan-American Chamber Music
Festival in Mexico City. and the
Library of Congress. Pittstleld.
Worcester and Berkshire festivals.
Both vocal soloists. Mr.. Spencer and
Miss Rain, are equally adept at
singing and acting.
incidentally, Mr.. Smallens, con-
ductor OF both Wednesdays and Fri
days concerts, will follow his Water
Gate engagements with % appear
ances at Lewisohn Stadium, New
York. and 4 at the Hollywood Bowl,
which must be something like