Evening star., 1954-02-14
News of Music

"The Most Talked-About
Composer of the Age" is the
headline of last weeks adver-
tisement of the National SYM
phony Orchestra. So succinct
a description Of LIE Roy Ander-
son. who conducted the SYM
phony last night, may arouse
curiosity about this composer,
but it certainly sets in motion
a chain of thought about the
orchestra and its biggest con-
Germ at the present time Of
year. That concern is, of
course, money-a quarter of a
million dollars of it.
Money is a delight and a
necessity to every musical Or
ganization in Washington, but
no group needs to cultivate it's
garden of greenbackS so as
siduously as the National SYM
phony. A choral society or
even an impreSario can pre-
pare the menu according to
the forecast of the gardener,
but for the orchestra this is
impossible, at least insofar as
personnel is concerned. Men
have to be given chairs in the
orchestra for a Season-the
verb is naturally a figure of
Speech-SoloistS have to be en-
gagged far in advance, and Con-
Stitution Hall must be made
available not only for concerts
but for rehearSals.
Every year an orchestra
which, like the National Sym
phony. has no endowment must
see to it that a large kitty
materializes. This kitty is
money not primarily from
those who will hear the orches-
ira next season. The audience
will buy series tickets or pay
at the door. but it will have
opportunity to do neither if
the deficit is not previously
underwritten.
Money or Art
A solo artist, whether he can
achieve his goal or not. can
at least select it. He can try
for the multitudes and money,
or for Art and whatever goes
with it. An orchestra must
try for both. for even more.
Everybody in town is sure of
himself on two matters-he
knows not only how to run a
weekly newspaper, he knows
how to run an orchestra. The
orchestra must stimulate work.
ers in its fund campaign who
are motivated by civic pride,
or a belief in child culture, or
a gregarious urge, or even a
desire to be a consumer of the
eventual product-music.
And of this last group how
many varieties! Or. Mitchell
knows very we'll that the or
cheStra is to high brow, to
low-brow. that there are too
many and too few soloists, too
much and too little modern
music and a dozen other con-
tradictions. An orchestra with
a funded backlog might be in
a position to experiment with
these contradictions, perhaps
guess wrong. but at least know
the answer. The National
Symphony cannot afford an
unpopular decision. .
Some Resent SoIoists
There is the ingrained con-
cert-goer who likes a varied
repertoire. He knows that
what the orchestra plays is
only a fraction of the music of
the same quality that is avail
able. He resents the high
priced soloist that over the
past Is years has found
place on almost every SYM
phony program, because he
knows that the high fee indi-
Gates a large public and that
all too often laziness or astute-
ness will dictate a well-worn
concerto at the expense of
something less known. An
evening of good music to him
does not need a guest star to
hold his attention. Unfortu-
nately, however, he has no sure
answer to the statement that
the public insists on the same
basic fare year after year, and
that the high-priced artist is
the one who is sure to pay off
at the box Office. And even
though the orchestra is sub
sidized, it's the paying Gus
toner who makes the business
break even.
Then there is the man who
says the orchestra should be
more popular, more truly
democratic. If everybody is
induced to come to the Sym
phony" everybody will get into
the habit. The novice will be
weaned away from his present
low tastes, and come to enjoy
the great three BIS of music
Berg, Bartok and Schoenberg.
Also, this policy will fill a lot
of empty seats. He. too, finds it
difficult to answer the re-
joinder that the orchestra must
maintain certain standards to
keep its identity. You can be
the New Yorker or the Amer
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