Evening star., 1950-05-26
By Alice Eversmon

Another wildly enthusiastic re-
ception was added to the record
of Arturo Toscanini and the NBC
Symphony Orchestra's tour when
the group and its famed conductor
appeared last night in Constitu-
ton Hall. The distinguished audi
ence was headed by President and
Mrs. Truman, whose welcome by
the standing audience was fol-
lowed by the prolonged one given
the maestro on his entrance. And
at the close of each number, scat
tered groups throughout the hall
were constantly springing to their
feet to give the final expression to
their unbounded admiration.
There were cheers and shouts of
"bravo" all evening. together with
applause that rivalled the fortis-
simos Toscanini drew from his
orchestra. Absorbed and ecstatic
expressions were on many faces
and the exalted look of one at
tending q rite on others. The
Washington public did not accept
this concert as routine affair. It
was an occasion.
New Contract RumOred.
None of this acclaim seemed to
disturb the 83-year old conductor
who, rumor has it, has signed
another 10-year contract with the
orchestra management Smiles
wreathed his face, however, and
his step grew more sprightly and
his gestures more animated as the
program progressed. His right
hand wieldS the baton imperiously
while his cellist left hand-with
widespread thumb and little fin
ger-indicates the effects he de-
sires, the index finger being
rather terrifying with its inexor-
able demands.
The manner in which his de-
mands are answered by the mu-
sicians was one of the revelations
of the concert. They are a mag
niflcently disciplined group. They
are alert every minute and play
as the individual virtuoSi they are.
At the same time, they submit
completely to the welding into a
whole that Toscanini requires. He
has sought, evidently, for musi-
clans who can produce a large
resonant tone on the instruments,
particularly the violins, and thus
can attain the tremendous cli-
makes that enthralled the public
last night.
The program was made up of
familiar works lacking, unfortu-
nately, anything that had to do
with this country. Not even "The
Star Spangled Banner" was
played or Sousa's THE Stars and
Stripes Forever" given in other
cities as encore. There was an
encore, at the close of the pro-
gram, but it turned out to be the
Overture to Kabalevsky's FColas
Breugnon." 1t would have been a
gracious gesture, in Washington's
Sesquicentennial year and before
an audience in which the Govern
ment was represented by its Chief
Executive and other officials, if
Toscanini had played one work
by an American composer. AS it
was, German composers predomi-
mated on the program with one
place each assigned to France and
Czechoslovakia.
Spaced Time Well.
With Beethoven's Overture to
"Egmont," Toscanini demon
strated the fine effects that can
be achieved with proper time
spacing. The measured perform
ance, with plenty of breathing in
tervals, was nevertheless full Of
vitality and power. Brahms
Symphony No. 4" was played
with mastery exactness. Within
that rigid form, however, there
was a constant ebb and flow of
color and dynam:cs, executed as
one man by the musicians.
The reading was so exception
ally clear that it was as if a strong
spotlight sought out every note.
The clarity of the musicians de-
livery again showed the masters