Evening star., 1952-10-26
News of Music:

The two symphonic programs
this week in Constitution Hall
are anniversary celebrations.
The Philadelphia Orchestra,
which plays Tuesday night, will
mark the 50th year since its
first visit to Washington on De-
cember 2, 1902. The following
night, the program given by
the National Symphony is de-
dicated to the late DR.. Hans
Kinder and the founders of the
orchestra, which gave its initial
program % years ago on No
vember 2. Both dates are s1gnifi-
cant for they are milestones in
the musical history of the city.
The Philadelphia Orchestra
was two years old at that time.
1t developed from single con-
certs given previously under the
direction of Fritz Sheel. Vladi-
mir de Pachmann and Edouard
de Reszke were SoloiStS on the
two winter programs, and for
the Washington concert, in CO.
lumbia Theater, Mr.. Sheel
brought the pianist, Mark Ham
bourg. The group did not re-
turn until 1905 when it began a
series that. with the exception
of the period from 1910 to 1912,
has been part of the local music
scene each winter.
Only three conductors besides
Mr.. Sheel have been at its helm,
the longest tenure being that of
Leopold StokoWSki. Karl Pohlig
took the baton upon the death
of Mr.. Sheel. He came from
the position of first court con-
ductor at Stuttgart and was
given permission by the King of
Wurtemburg to accept the
Philadelphia offer. Innova-
tions started with the appoint
ment of Stokowski to the post
five years later. One of his
first efforts was to give Mahler's
Eighth Symphony" with 1000
orchestral and choral perform
ers. His daring, and his de-
termination to acquaint the
public with all manner of music
new and old, whether they liked
It or not, was characteristic of
his musical interest. We re-
member we'll program of ultra
modern works featuring the
Berg violin concerto. played in
Constitution Hall. One of the
prominent local supporters of
the orchestra stomped out of
his box and sent word to re-
move his name from the sponsor
list, If that was the kind of
music he would have to listen
to.
Ormondy Wos Obscure
During the Stokowski regime,
Arturo Toscanini was scheduled
for a guest appearance in Phila-
delphia. Taken i'll at the last
moment, a quick substitute was
found in a rather obscure young
man who had already conducted
the Robin Hood Dell concerts.
He was Eugene Ormandy. In
1886 Ormandy was chosen as
co-conductor with StokowSki
after several seasons as leader
of the Minneapolis Symphony.
Two years later he was given
complete charge of the famed
Philadelphians.
The program played on De-
cember 2. 1902, consisted of
Goldmark's In Springtime, "
Brahms Symphony No. l." the
Tschaikowsky piano Concerto
No. / in B fiat Minor" Tschai-
kowsky'S Suite No. l in D Ma
jor," and Liszt'S Hungarian
Rhapsody No. O." A review of
the concert said: "The program
rendered yesterday was elabo-
rate, if anything. too heavy, but
the execution of the numbers
was beyond criticism. WASH
ington audiences are rather dis
posed to enjoy a wider range
OF subjects but it can be said
that the excellence of the work
of the orchestra more than
compensated for the sameness
and length of the program"
In the next column of that
faded edition of The Evening
Star was the announcement:
Next Tuesday afternoon at the
National Theater will be given
the first concert of the De-
Koven Symphony Orchestra.
This is the successor of the
Washington Symphony which
gave such an excellent program
last spring and its conductor,
Reginald de Koven, believes
that his present band will make
fully as good a showing as his