Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22
News of Music
LENoX. Mass.

LENOX, Mass.
The Berkshire Music Festi-
val is still thriving.
Twenty years ago some am
bilious citizens decided man
made music would be an at
tractive addition to that al
ready provided by nature in
these green Berkshire Hills.
Three outdoor concerts were
presented in nearby Stock
bridge by a symphony orches-
ira Of IS. to a total audience
Of about 5000:
The next summer q second
festival was held, this time in
q tent.
In 1886 the Boston SYM
phony Orchestra became the
performing focus, and in 1887
q beautiful Lenox estate called
Tanglewood (made nous
originally by Nathaniel Haw-
thorne) was given to the Or
chestra. The following sum-
mer, orchestra and hearers
moved from tent into a great,
sideless, permanent and quite
distinctive shed. And the Tan
glewood tale since then has
become a famed one of con-
tinuous and much enjoyed sue
cess.
Tanglewood this summer has
had one Of its most interest
ing and fruitful seasons. It
I also has been one Of the most
successful for attendance.
While individual concerts
did not set attendance records
(the all-time mark was 1890
one day in 1850. the grand
total this year topped the 1853
record of 117,000 by an i'm
posing margin. reaching 1885,
IT'S.
The chief artistic focus this
summer, for the public at least,
has been Hector Berlioz. Ber-
lioz, known to most American
concert-goers for only a small
portion of his creative output.
was natural choice for atten-
ton. For one thing, the music
world this year has been OBJ
serving the 150th anniversary
of his birth. For another, he is
a particular favorite of Bes-
tons conductor, Frenchman
Charles Munich.
Lots of BerIioz
Berlioz pieces occupied a
prominent place on each of this
summers six festival week
ends, with some concerts de-
voted to them entirely. Con-
cert throngs have been learn
ing that there is much to the
great French composer besides
the bombast for which he is
often. and carelessly, cited.
Besides the well known
Fantastic" symphony and
Harold in Italy" and the also
fairly familiar Royal Hunt
and Storm from 1.-THE
Trojans. Mr.. Munich con-.
Quoted the complete Dam
nation of Faust" Romeo
and Juliet" with which
he also favored Washing
ton hearers last season; and
the "Te Deum," a choral
work less gigantic only than
the Requiem" which closed
the season last Sunday. Also
heard were Nuts d'Ete" or
Summer Nights" a cycle of
six songs for soprano and Or
chestra, and the overture to
Beatrice and Benedick," a
comic opera and Berlioz's last
work.
The "Te Deum" and "Nuits
d'Ete" are good examples of
the two extremes in Berlioz'
nature. In the former Mr..
Munich employed an aug
m en- ted chorus, including
young boys and girls recruited
from nearby summer camps,
and an oversize orchestra
(Mr. Munich did not use by
any means all the specified
instruments, probably partly
because space was already at
a premium), and the length
and loudness of the piece left
some hearers lukewarm. al
though the music has points
of some eloquence.
Sensuous Songs
In "Nuits d'Ete," on the
other hand, Berlioz refined
himself in. The six songs,
concerned with love. death and
similar poetic matters, are
consciousness itself, with or
chestrations beautifully tai
lored to the solo voice. Flea
nor Steber, the soloist, per-
formed them for the most part
impressively, giving the most
convincing demonstration of
maturing artistry to come
from her yet.
The "Damnation." which I
did not hear. by all accounts
was splendidly done. It is
already on sale here in a new