Evening star., 1954-12-12
ywen 5 Solos Stature
IS | ribute to Symphony
By Doy Thorpe

playing In residence in colleges
where the members could
teach on the side.
Bodansky convinced the
young Berliner that his best
move would be TO take the
Job 0f assistant concertnnaster
Of the Metropolitan Opera.
Severol New York Positions
Under Bodanzky, and later
Erich Leinsdorf, the young
fiddler was busy and con-
tented Later, when Emil
Cooper came to the Metro
politan, Lywen felt that he
was In so ullcongenial an
artistic climate that he
left to become concert
master Of the New York City
Symphony. He subsequently
held the same post In both the
New York City Center Opera
and the Radio City Orchestra.
The orchestra was his bread
and butter, but Lywen played
occasional concertos and as
much chamber music as he
could find time for. Offers to
60 on the road with various
.0rchestras he declined, because
he knew his fiddle would suffer.
He married q beautiful
young ballet dancer, Jeri Maggie,
who now teaches at the Mar
jorie Webster School and Is
choreographer for Catholic
University stage productions.
Here In Washington she has
Jess opportunity to dance than
she had In New york. cir
cumstance that is the cause
Of her husbands only regret
about his present connection.
Impressed Mitchell
-Four years ago Howard
Mitchell, upon taking COM
mand Of the National Sym
phony, looked around for re-
placements Of several positions
In the orchestra, among others
that Of concertmaster.
A concertmaSter must be
much more than an excellent
violinist. He must be an ex-
tension Of the conductor. It
is usually the concertmaster
that sets the style in phrasing.
bowling and other details that
makes 80 violins a unit which
creates the personality OF the
entire organization.
Mitchell knew at once that
Lywen was his man, and Moth
ing that the conductor has
done since can give him
greater self-satisfaction than
this initial discernment.
The cellist who had given UP
the bow for the baton did not
have the sound Of the Lywen
fiddle in his left ear for many
weeks before he knew that he
would not have to 60 out Of
town for all Of his violin solo,
lists. Lywen'S first appearance
as soloist with the orchestra
in the Mozart D major con-
certo was a great success. In
later seasons he has played
concertos by Britten, Mendeis-
sohn, Beethoven, and Brahms
with the Symphony and the
two great violin solos from the
B minor Mass Of Bach and
the Missa Solemnis of Beetho-
ven with the orchestra at the
Cathedral. There is little doubt
that he is a virtuoso Of the
highest attainments.
Founded Gu String Quortet
The orchestra has not been
Lywen's only province in
Washington. He founded the
Catholic University String
Quartet, made UP of members
Of the Symphony. 1t has ap-
parently disbanded with the
loss Of its violinist, Norman
Lamb. who moved to the West
Coast a few weeks ago. but
during its life it was famous
even in a city so dominated
in the field of the quartet as
this is by the Budapest.
The Sibelius concerto which
Lywen plays this week with
the orchestra he says was al
most the only major work Of
the Finnish composer known
In Berlin during his student
days. It was a great favorite
both with performers and
public. as 1t was then and is
now with the concertmaster Of
the National Symphony Or
chestra.