Evening star., 1948-04-19
By Alice Eversmon

In the National Gallery of Art,
where each spring a month is de-
voted to the hearing of works by
American composers, concert was
given last night in commemoration
of the 25th anniversary of The Lea
que of Composers. While not de-
voted to the American composer
alone, the league has presented
many works by native talent in its
long existence. The program last
night consisted of compositions by
its members played by the National
Gallery Orchestra, Richard Bales,
conductor.
The concert was moved from the
West Garden Court, where the Sun
day programs have been held during
the exhibition of the German paint
ings, to the lecture hall on the first
floor. This charming auditorium
was not large enough to hold the
crowd that came, but from an acous-
tical standpoint it proved most sat-
isfactory. Featured on this program
was Irene jacob, pianist, as soloist
in the "Concertino for piano and
strings" by her husband, Frederick
jacob, and Paul Chandler Hume
who was the narrator of Virgil
Thomson's suite from the Govern
ment film, "The Plow that Broke
the Plains"
Mr.. Jacobs "Concertino" was
given first Washington hearing
and proved to be the outstanding
number of the program. Brilliantly
played by Mrs. jacob, whose style
has a special lit and fire, it is
work Of Imagination with a distinc-
tive character. Less bound to
form than many creations of the
composers confreres, it has a gen.
uiness of expression that springs
from something more than skilled
craftsmanship. Utilizing simple
themes, and bringing them into the
present day musical picture by his
treatment of them, there stands out,
prominently, however, an indiWd-
uality of deeper penetration. The
final Tarantella provides dashipg
passages for the pianist of more
pronounced rhythmic brilliancy
than the spirited Allegro of the be-
ginning, the two movements divided
by the simple, warm mood of the
Andante in which the strings form
a descriptive background. Both the
soloist and the composer were called
out several times to acknowledge the
long applause.
Another local premiere was that
of Bernard Wagenaar's "Concer-
tino," a work given to two violins,
two violas, woodwinds and cellos.
In the manner in which the COM
poser has combined the instruments,
some striking color effects are
achieved and in it's compact form,
his special idiom has an impress
sionistic and atmospheric beauty
BY the side of these two numbers,
Thompson's music for The Plow
that Broke the Plains" is often
banal although in the last section,
he has the opportunity to expand
in more authentic and personal
way. Mr.. Hume read the text with
dramatic flavor preparing the set
ting for each section the orchestra
played by his well-built-up delivery.
The remainder OF the program
consisted of numbers heard at the
Gallery concerts before. These in
cluded Burril Phillips delightful
Dance Overture" Douglas Moore's
clever Village Music" Dai-keong
Lees colorful Festival Ode" and
William Bergsma's Paul Bunyan
Suite" The diversity of the pro-
gram called for expert playing by
the orchestra and Mr.. Bales fine
understanding of the different styles
was evident in his directing.
Johannesen at Phillips.
In the afternoon, Grant Johanne-
sen was heard in a piano recital in