Evening star., 1948-11-07
Fresh Talents
To Enrich D. G.,
Music Season
By Alice Eversmon

Sometimes, when scanning the list
of artists engaged for a coming sea-
son, a certain amount Of discourage
ment Is felt at reading the same
names that have been posted year
after year. These are artists of the
highest rank and the discourage
ment Is felt only because so few new
ones are of a caliber worthy to join
the ranks OF the old.
While it is recognized that the
public is never tired of hearing its
favorites, to one who has heard
them for many season, there will be
little of novelty either in their per-
formance or in their program. The
program Is likely to conform to the
taste of the audience, and the per-
formance to be on the same keel
of excellence recurrently demon
strated.
AS some one once pleaded with
Jascha Heifetz to please play one
wrong note, so constant concert
goer may wish for little less per-
lection or that miracle might
bring more than perfection.
New Talent This Season.
At least this concert season will be
enlivened with some fresh talent.
One that should prove particularly
exciting is Ginette Neveu, whom
Dorothy Hodgkin Dorsey will pre-
sent in recital on November IA. The
French violinist's introduction to
Washington was in 1887, at Mrs.
Lawrence Townsend's morning mu-
sicales. She shared the program
with Rudolf Serkin, who also made
his first solo appearance here at
that time. The impression she
made then has been more than con-
firmed in the tremendous enthusi-
asm she evoked last Fall as soloist
with the Boston SYMPHONY and the
New York Philharmonic.
Miss Neveu is one of those fortu-
nate artists to come from musical
family. Her great uncle was Charles
Widor and her mother was a pro-
fessional violinist until an accident
terminated her career. Her father
was one of her mothers pupils. Her
brother Ii pianist and will be her
accompanist on the November IA
program. She was born in Paris
and, after study with her mother,
entered the Paris Conservatoire
She carried away with her first
prize when she left. When she
played the Mendelssohn concerto
with the Concerts Colonne and at Is
won the Wieniawski Grand Prix in
the International Competition, held
in Warsaw, over IS other contest
ants. After her conservatory work
she became the pupil of Carl Flesch.
Her concert tours have taken her all
over the world.
Composer-Pianist Signed.
Time and again effort has been
made to bring Cuba's renowned
composer Ernesto Lecuona,
for a concert, and it remained for
Patrick Hayes to accomplish this
feat. Lecuona will appear in Con-
stitution Hall on November "a,
bringing with him Rosita Segovia,
Spanish dancer and cousin of the
great guitarist, Andres Segovia;
America Crespo, coloratura soprano;
Martha Perez, o-soprano; Rene
CASTELAR,, baritone, and Carta and
Cabiati, a piano team. It will be a
Latin American program featuring
compositions of Lecuona and his
sister Ernestina, but also his ar
rangements of other music.
Something of the same kind of a
program was given few years ago
by the Cuban composer in the Pan
American Union, but he has never
appeared in Constitution Hall. His
compositions, however, are known
far and wide, played by renowned
artists and prominently noted on
the list Of recordings. His artistic
prowess was revealed at the age of
S, fostered first by his sister Ern-
estina, who bemoans the fact that
from that day to this he has never
practiced. This must be a sisterly
criticism, for at II, after being a
prize pupil of Joaquin Min and
Maurice Ravel, he played with great
success in New York. He had his
own orchestra at one time called
"Lecuona's Cuban Boys" but now
all his time is devoted to composing.
French Orchestra Booked.
Another concert of outstanding
Importance to be presented under
the Hayes banner is that of the Or
chestre National of France, with
Charles Muench directing. The
group, now making a tour of this
country. is the first major European
orchestra to visit these shores since
Toscanini brought the orchestra Of
La Scala in Milan here in 1920.
The French orchestra is about 15I
years old and consists of 96 players.
The war interrupted their profess
sional life, and scattered the musi-
clans throughout France, until, in
194l, they could be reassembled in
the free zone of Marseille. Their
permanent home in Paris is the
Theatre des Champs E1ysees, when
not giving concerts in other coun-
tries.
The Washington program will be
given in Constitution Hall on Dec
ember