Evening star., 1946-04-08
By Alice Eversmon

| Never before in its history has
the National Symphony Orchestra
| terminated its season with such a
/ terday's concert. The performance
of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
was not only the climax of the
years programming, but also COM
plete and convincing demonstration
of the calibre of the orchestra and
what DR.. Hans Kinder can do with
lit. 'BravoS'' rang through the hall
as the conductor, exhausted by the
minute care with which he had
directed the long work to its superb
finish. leaned against the railing of
the podium. While SoloistS, chorus
and orchestra members all came in
| for their share of the acclaim, it
was DR.. Kinder whom the audience
cheered to the rafters.
President Truman, Mrs Truman
and Miss Margaret Truman oc-
cupied the presidential box and ad-
ditional inspiration was given to
the performance when IL was dis
covered that the President had
brought the score of the symphony
with him. During the playing of
the long and exacting work, he
carefully followed every phrase, ap-
plauding as enthusiastically at the
end as did the rest of the audience.
| The symphony, so appropriate to
the time with its All mankind shall
! be as brothers theme of the choral
finale, was built up with clarity and
| profound feeling, so that movement
! followed movement with increasing
excitement. It's tremendous surge,
its majesty and its poetry held a
gripping power in DR.. Kindlers s
delineation, rising to the heights
in the choral section where all
| human means at expressing music
Joined together The 300 singers
from the Washington and the Alex
andria Choral Society gave a splen-
did illustration of fine ensemble
singing in the difficult measures
Beethoven wrote for Schiller'S lode
to joy
The intonation was faultless, the
accents and rhythm clean and con-
else. and the voices maintained
their freshness and power in the
long sustained and uncomfortably
placed high notes. The solo parts
were taken by Juanita Carter,
soprano: Jean Handzlik, contralto;
Harold Haugh, tenor, and Glenn
Darwin, baritone; the distinctive
character of their voices, rich in
tone and of ample volume, adding
a special quality to the performance
which surpassed previous presenta-
tions of the same work by the Ma
tlonal Symphony.
I Introduction was made to the ma
jor opus of the program with Bach's
''Sinfonia" to "Cantata No. 90" ano
Mozart's Fine Kleine Nachtmusik. ,
AS an interpreter of Bach and Mo.
zart the Symphony has gained 9
name for itself and the style of the
two composers was preserved with
sincerity in the reading.
+ Announcement was made of the
winners of the S25 prizes Offered
by friends of the orchestra through
the Womens Committee, for the
boys and girls writing the best pa
per on what they had gained from
attending the Student Concerts
First prize for boy under u was
awarded to Maurice Murphy of the
Lucy D. SloWe School, with honor
able mention to John G. Bilby, jr.
of the Patterson School. For cir.
under II, the prize went to Anita
/ Tobar Levin of Congress Heights
School, and there were three hon.
orable mentions Ellen Dimes OF
James Monroe School. Betty Acton
and Gertrude Barbarash, both OF
Beers School.
First prize to a boy over u years
of age was presented to Robert V
Head of Eastern High School. with
honorable mention to George Lyerly
and Sheroo L. Earle, Sd, both OF
Langley Junior High School. The