Evening star., 1952-10-26
2 Symphonic Programs
Mark Anniversaries
Philadelphia Orchestros First Appearance
And Kinder's Debut to Be Noted
By Alice Eversmon

former force. The soloiSt will
be Ovid Musin, violinist."
This gives fair idea Of the
state of musical affairs prior to
November. 1881, when the first
concert of the National Sym
phony, conducted by DR.. Kin
dler, took place. It followed
several unsuccessful attempts by
De Koven and others to have
a local orchestra. Edward de
s. Melcher, former drama and
music critic Of The Star, who
died in North Africa while serv-
ing in the armed forces, wrote
the review. excerpts from which
are quoted.
The Rev. David B. Banks said
in requesting the injunction a
group of dissidents imposed the
membership fee.
Proise for Kinder
"At 10 minutes of 5 yester-
day afternoon in Constitution
Hall, all fears that Washing
ton would never have the pride
of symphonic ownership were
forever silenced. At that mo-
ment, Mr.. Kinder, beaming
with what must have been a
premonition of success, assembled
nimbly to the small acre which
is his platform and bowed a
dozen times or more.-The
First Lady of the Land, Mrs.
Herbert Hoover. occupied the
presidential box
Never was mute expectancy
more tensely drawn than on the
face of the audience. 1t was the
moment before what it knew
would be either long life or
death to the most pretentious
musical scheme ever drawn up
for the Nations Capital
There is little question that
Kindler's idealistic scheme for
bringing musical solace to this
city has been rewarded. In that
initial selection Overture to
Weber'S Der FreischuetzD he
proved to doubters that what
has seemed like an impossi-
bility has been achieved.
For Kinder has been hec-
kled to the skies. He has been
forced not to ask for help but
to plead for it.-He has been
told one thing and then an
other and his soul, which should
have been his own, has many
times had to buckle under its
pride and haul out a small and
unwilling flag of truce. The fact
that he was able to assemble
such large orchestra and knit
it into such splendid form in
such a short time is nothing
short of marvellous. Those who
remember him a month past
trudging the pavements diScon-
solately at the latest news that
seven possible members of his
organization had been taken
from him, or even a shorter
time ago with his men merely
signed on the dotted line with
out so much as having been
shaped into a first rehearsal.
will realize the great feat he
has accomplished"
Repeot Proerom Number
1t is to be realized all the
more today when the National
Symphony has come of age and
ranks with the major orchestras
of the Nation. 1t is we'll to re-
member the trials, the courage
and the faith of it's founders
in face of a record of failure
following every previous effort to
form an orchestra that would
last. Howard Mitchell is holding
the torch high. Wednesday
14SAAt 1lC Aldo PlOS1 dA1uICO oCC"
thoven's Symphony No. S"
played by the young orchestra
at it's debut.
The latter half of the evening
will be given over to Brahms
Requiem" to be sung by the
Washington and Cathedral
Choral Societies of which Paul
Galloway is director, with Phyl-
lis Curtin, soprano, and James
Pease, baritone, as soloists.
Thursday afternoon, the orches-
ira will give a Young Peoples
concert at Roosevelt High School
sponsored by the Junior League.
Ormandy will give a first
local hearing to Jean RIVERS
symphony No. 81 which was
commissioned by the French
government. 1t was premiered,
however, in Hartford, Conn, in
1889. Also heard for the first
time here will be Virgil Thom-
sons Five Songs from William
Blake" sung by Mack Harrell,
baritone.