The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-12-01
Promising Pictures Feature Programs Of Local 7heates
WORLD
 OF MUSIC

New York, Nov. 30. CUPl-Arnold gchoenberg's "Ode to Napoleon Bonaparte," . setting of Lord ByronS poem of that title. was given its world premiere this week by the New York Philharmonic symphony Orchestra, the third of the three performances broadcast Hast Sunday.
 The work is for recitation, piano and string orchestra. Mack Har- rell, Metropolitan Opera baritone, was narrator at the premiere per- EOrmanceS.
 The poem was written by Byron after Napoleon's abdication, and Echoenberk selected 1t for musi- cal setting because he found the poets excoration of that other "ill- minded man" particularly applicable to Adolf Hitler at this time.
 Another premiere given by Che Philharmnoic-Symphony was the first American performance of Ralph Vaughn Williams Fifth Symphony on an all- British pro- gram. On the same pro- gram was the first performance by the orchestra of William Wal tons "Belshazzar,s Feast" with the assistance of John Brownlee, bari tone, and the Westminster Choir.
 Almost simultaneously with the presentation of Schoenberg'S "Ode to Napoleon" Leopold Stokowski scheduled a performance of an- other new work by the composer, his "Kammersyphonie No. D. com- missioned by the League of Com- posers and played by the New York City Symphony Orchestra under Etokowskil's direction.
 JAN SNGETERLIN, Polish pianist, gave series of three all-chopin Fecitals at Town Hall recently ln New York, including the com- poser'S most important works. Grneterlin says he had no inten- tion of becoming Chopin special 1st when he started his concert career, but found himself drawn into it by audience preferences. The pianist holds to no theory that only an artist who was born or has lived in Poland could do full justice to Chopin's music.
 "Chopin's genius is too universal 10 be limited to national borders" he said.
 Smeterlin has just returned from Q 30,000-mile concert tour of South America, in the course of which he gave B concerts within four months, u4 of them in BuenoS Aires. Smet- erlin comments that the Argentines are discriminating and take their music very seriously. At one of his concerts at the Teatro Colon he played the 'Blue Danube" fro an encore and caused 8 commotion of tiisapproval, the audience evidently Keeling that 1t was beneath the dig mined level of tn reset of the pro- gram. @ tas
 One thing every artist can be sure of, according to Smeterlin, is that he will not be indifferently received by South Americans. They are either ecstatic in their praise CT caristic in their criticism.
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 WHEN Yehud Menuhin gave his only Carnegie Hall recital of Che season on Nov. 26, he intro- duced Bela Bartok's Sonata No. 3 Hn c, for violin alone, which the Hungarian composer wrote last summer in Oshville, N. c. The pro- gram included another Bartok work, his six Hungarian dances. The sonata, which Menuhin regards as one of the great works for violin alone, was written at his suggestion.
 UNFAMILIAR music of five cen turies will be presented in two Sum day afternoon recitals at New York Times Hall on Dec. 3, by Rose Dir man, soprano, and the Russian Dukelsky (Vernon Duke), who will accompany Miss Dirma on the lliano. The two have made exten- give research into private collec- tions of musica manuscripts as well as important libraries here and abroad in search of material. The items include seldom-heard music of the great masters as well as rela- Rively obscure composers and early unfamiliar songs by such contem-