Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-21
NEWS oE MUSIC
BY CONSTANCE MELLEN
sALzBURG.

5ALAbURI.
The 6alzhurg Festival
opened with the best Of all
auguries, aNine afternoon. At
the ceremonies In the Mozart
platz. a4-year-old Austrian
President Koerner. erect and
white-haired. laid q wreath at
Mozart's bronze feet. spoke
briefly and listened with the
other dignitaries to q delicious
connection Of Mozart themes
played by top brass from the
Mozarteurn Orchestra.
In the crowd q pramborne
infant gurgled with pleasure at
the horn music tSalzburgers
begin taking their Mozart
soung!l. q rambling dachshund
yeiped as someone stepped on
1T; the Clockenspief tinkled,
church bells ciiimed four. and
the festival was on.
Flute on the Rocks
The most talked about fea-
ture of this years "zauher-
fiote" production was the new
scenery and costuming by Os-
kar Kokoschka. The rocky
riding school with its beauti-
full tiers Of arches cut into the
cliffs, almost defles further
establishment. "Zauberf1ote"
is a difficult opera to set. and
the artist who sets out to re-
concile one to the other has a
real task.
With no curtain between
them and the stage. early
corners sat In the twilight
puzzling over Kokoschka's Off
set chunky arches and COLI
umns.
Most comprehensive was
the painted curtain in the
central arch. in the artists
best style. (Another, more
beautiful curtain replaced it
for the scene in Pamina's
chamber; clear Mediterranean
colors, very MatiSse.l
Most mysterious were a pair
of chubby sphinxes flanking
the forestage. However. from
the moment Georg Solti led
the Vienna Philharmonic into
the opening bars Of the over
ture everyone was completely
uriented and set for q happy
evening. The orchestra played
like a single celestial instru-
ment. the voices were all
beautiful and presently the
curious set began to glow with
color.
Anton Dermota, the fine
Tamino, the superb three
ladies, and the Queen of the
Night in the person of Erika
Koth, were all noteworthy.
Then a spotlight fell on a side
entrance in the rock. half a
dozen fast pigeons few out
and away, and Papageno
erich Kunz) entered, dressed
In a sort of feathered cut
away. "a SalZburg critic
called it Salon Tirolean" }
Kunz's comedy antics never
obscure the fact that his voice
IS magnificent in fact
IT'S he and Dermota, old team
mates in the service Of Mozart,
who give the opera its main
continuity.
Elizabeth Grimmer, an un-
usually satisfactory Pamina,
was rapturously received. The
duets ''Bei Mannern" and ''Er
list es" were both the kind Of
singing that lifts an audience
from its seats. Gottlob Prick
gave solemn authority to
Sarastro, his deep notes DELHI
crate and stirring. The sing
ing Of the Staatsoper chorus
was faultless.
At the finale, Sarastro's tenn
pie and its people glowed in a
dazzling spectrum Of yellow
and orange for the rest
the animals, as costumed by
Kokoschka, were more en-
chanting than ever and the
musical pace Of the whole
performance brisk and unin-
terrupted. Toward the end,
the riddle Of the sphinxes was
solved, as charming Hannelore
Papagena) Steffek sprang out
from the head of one of them
She was assisted by the three
spirits. in this case three very
gifted but earthly youths from
the Regensburg Domchor, who
had sung throughout with a
casual and perfect efficiency
During the intermiSsion
artist Kokoschka stood BEAM
ing in the middle of a circle
Of friends and well-wishers
and to a pretty young Ameri-
can girl he made an infinites-
NAL curtsey, grinning broad
1y. After the opera was over
the happy audience. or al
least that part Of it who had
reserved tables ahead, crowded
the fashionable Goldene
Hirsch for a laxative latt
supper.
First Orchestral Concert
The high point of the first
concert by the Vienna Phil.
harmonic was Clifford Cur.
CONS fiawless performance Of
the Brahms B fiat Major
piano concerto. The warn
intimacy OF the Festspielhau'