Evening star., 1955-02-13
News of Music
News of Music
Sargent Pleased by U. S,
Praise Of British Works
By Doy Thorpe

when I am asked how the
Philadelphia Orchestra COM
pares with our BIC Orches-
tra," said Sir Malcolm Sargent
when he was in town Tuesday
to appear as guest conductor
of the former organization, "it
really is a difficult question to
answer. Which Philadelphia
Orchestra? There is not just
one, there are several. On our
program is q Haydn symphony.
one by our contemporary Wal
ton, and an overture by Ber-
lioz, and to my ear the or
chestra sounds like an entirely
distinct group in each Of the
three"
Sir Malcolm, who had not
conducted in the United States
since he led the NBC SYM
phony eight years ago, is
pleased with the reception
works Of English composers
had during his recent series
with the Philadelphia. De-
lius' 'Brigg Fair" has never
before been played by the Or
chestra, and the Walton SYM
phony not for 20 years. The
popular English conductor
has a peculiar affinity to the
music of Walton, having pre-
sented the premier of Bells
hazzar's Feast, and only this
season "Troilus and Cressida,"
Walton's new opera.
Proise for Orchestra
His approval of the National
symphony was clearly more
than a courteous remark to
the reporters at his news con-
ference in the Press Club last
week. "I had not heard the
National Symphony spoken OF
for a number of years. and.
when I was taken to Dame
Myra's concert last week I
was impressed by how ex-
tarordinarily good the orches-
ira was. AS for Constitution
Hall, it was not as frightful as
I had been led to believe-at
least from the box in which
/ sat-"
One indisputable difference
between the BIC and any
American orchestra was dis
covered when Sir Malcolm re-
marked that his orchestra had
given 40 full-length concerts
last season on which no one
work was played twice. So
large a one-seaSon repertoire
has probably not been equaled
in America since the days OF
Theodore Thomas.
Another responsibility of Sir
Malcolm at home is several
choruses. 1t was surprising to
learn that he uses a large
chorus of 800 voices not only
for THE Messiah" but also
for cantatas of Bach and for
Walton's "Belshazzar's Feast"
New ZeoIond Anecdote
The 60-year-old musician
who started his artistic life as
an organist and composer, and
then turned to conducting as
the musical experience most
satisfying to him, told with
relish a story of the tribula-
tions of q conductor in New
Zealand.
II was in the north Of New
Zealand some years ago when
they asked me to conduct a
benefit performance with the
New Zealand Symphony. I no.
ticed that in the overture to
die Meistersinger" the per-
cussion man was executing the
magnificent cymbal crash at
the end with a drumstick on a
single cymbal. I told him that .
we should have a full crash
with both cymbals, and then
called for the last eight bars
again. Once more. just a timid
tinkle with a drumstick.
Look, man. I said, this is
the big moment in the life of
any cymbal player. Let it ring
out! Hit it with both Gym
bals!' To my amazement, the
third time was still another tap
with the stick.
II saw that there was some
confusion among the percus-
sion, and that the word was
slowly being passed up to me
through the ranks. The con-
certmaster manfully made an
explanation.
Sir. he said, the old pair
Of cymbals we had got cracked.
and we discarded them. There
wasn't another pair in all New
Zealand. so we sent back to
England, and after a time