Evening star., 1945-06-03
ISOlOists Choose
Popular Works
For Water Gate

An unusual discrimination in the
selection of solos to be performed
with the National Symphony this
season at the Water Gate has been
shown by the artists engaged to ap-
pear with the orchestra. With the
taste of a summer audience in mind
popular appeal has been taken into
consideration and determined the
choice. The season will be inaugu-
rated Sunday evening, June II. un-
der the direction of DR.. Hans
Kinder.
With the very first soloist, Percy
Granger. who will be heard on the
seasons second Water Gate concert
on Wednesday, June 20, the trend in
concerti for the summer is set. Mr.
Granger has chosen that most popu-
lar of all piano concertos, the Tschai-
koWsky Concerto No. in B Flat
Minor" the opening theme of which
is known under variety of titles
to every addict of the juke box, radio
or concert hall. There will be an
all-Tschaikowsky night later in the
season, but the B fiat minor piano
concerto will be heard on the June
20 concert.
Close behind the Tschaikowsky
work in the popularity sweepstakes
is the Rachmaninoff Piano Con-
certo No. D. and Balbina Brainina
RusSian-born pianist, will be heard
in that number in her Water Gate
debut on July 8. The two Gershwin
works for piano and orchestra. the
Rhapsody in Blue" and the Piano
Concerto in F." will be played en-
the all-Gershwin program of July
Is. when the soloist will be Earl
Wild, brilliant young native pianist.
Only Eugene Istomin, soloist on July
6. alone of the pianists, is uncertain
what to give the Water Gate audi
ence. The 19-year-old piano sensa-
ton is torn between the Schumann,
either one of Beethoven's or one of
Chopin's concerti.
The violinists are no less aware
Of the public's preferences. Conse-
quently, Mischa Elman will be heard
on July 18 in the Bruch Concerto
in G Minor; Jan Tomasow, con-
cert master of the National SYM
phony, has chosen to play the
Paginini on July % and Pfc. Erne
Valasek, U. S. A. A. F., will be heard
on July 13 in another favorite display
piece, the Wieniawski Concerto
No. g."
The various vocalists who will
make guest appearances at the
Water Gate this Gladys
Swarthout, Dorothy Maynor, Donald
Dickson, Astrid Varnay, Mona
Paulee, Sergt. Glenn Darwin, U. S. A.
A. F., and the Gen. Platoff Don Co.'S
sacks-will in most cases follow a
pattern of singing one group of
operate arias and a second group
OF light and popular song classics.
AS an indication of the latter, Miss
Swarthout's second group will be
a medley from two of the great re-
cent successes in the musical COM
edy field, Oklahoma" and Ca
rousel," music and lyrics for both
of which are by Richard Rodgers
and Oscar Hammerstein II. The
Don Cossacks July u will, natural
ly, be heard in the Russian songs
and dances for which they are
famous, and Miss Varnay, soloist
on the all-Wagner program of June
%, will sing the soprano arias of
the various Wagnerian heroines.
The sole cellist on the soloist
roster-and new addition to the
list-Howard Mitchell, first cellist of
the National Symphony, has chosen
for his appearance the st. Saens
Concerto in A Minor
In addition to DR.. Kinder. who
will direct the first three concerts
of the ninth Water Gate concert
season, the conducting assignments
for the summer series will be di-
vided between Alexander Smallens,
Saul CASTOR, Richard Bales and
James Christian Pfohl. Series and
strip tickets for the Water Gate con-
certS are now on sale at the National
Symphony box Office in Kits, 1880
G. street NV.