Evening star., 1956-03-25
BY DAY THORPE

service to the music lovers Of
Washington" said Carson
Frailey. president Of the Ma
tional Symphony In announc-
ing last week the Symphony's
plans for the coming season.
1--WE feel that q challenge is
offered to increase further the
high artistic standards which
have been reached thus far.
We feel that we are ready to
5meet that challenge. In
keeping with our responsibility
we plan to make this second
quarter-century a period Of
growth and fruitiori as the first
IS years was a time Of birth
and achievement"
Exactly what Mr.. Frailey
means is not entirely clear.
but If we look over the pros
pectus of next years series
for which his statement was
q preamble, we seem to find
that the challenge to the or
chestra has been met. inso-
far as music is concerned, by
q complete reliance on routine.
The novelty of the National
Symphony next year will be
its reduction Of its concerts
from 20 on the subscription to
IS pairs of identical concerts.
including the local appear
ances of the Philadelphia and
Boston orchestras. As far as
the concerts themselves are
concerned. there seems to be
nothing of unusual interest
and little Of much imagina-
tion.
Beethoven Festival Planned
The backbone of the series
Is to be q Beethoven festival"
in which the nine symphonies
and several concerti" will be
played.
This is hardly a festival
Beethoven symphonies and
concertos are played here by
the National Symphony and
other orchestras season after
season. They are a staple.
There is no mention Of even
a single one Of the greater
works Of Beethoven that is
less familiar-"Fidelio," or the
incidental music to "Egmont"
for example.
The nine symphonies and
several concerti" are certainly
a package of very good music,
but they are hardly a "fes-
tival" in which a first-rate
major symphony orchestra can
feel proud.
Nor are the soloists, taken
as a group, anything to
quicken the pulse Of the Wash
ington music lover, although
each individually is not with
out some happy qualifications.
What an aggregation of shop
worn talent! Rubinstein and
Hess are good pianists who
have been repeating Beethoven
in these parts for decades;
1turbi is no longer even a
good pianist. With the choice
Of Istomin there can be no
quarrel.
The National Symphony
cannot entirely disregard the
nostalgia of old home week,
but 1t should present the new.
provocative. and controversial
artists such as Istomin and
Leonard Rose not as occa-
sional exceptions but as a gen.
eral rule in keeping with its
position as the leading musical
organization of Washington.
Stern to Play for Hayes
Violinists signed up for next
year are FranceScatti and
Menuhin. The latter played
with the orchestra last month,
clearly not the brilliant and
stimulating fiddler of his
early years. I do not suggest
that the National Symphony
turn its back on Menuhin, but
twice in two seasons is too
much. AS for Francescatti, he
Is an artist heard here fire.
quently and one with a linn
tied message. 1t is doubtful
that he is the ideal teammate
for the National Symphony in
its endeavor to increase the
high artistic standards which
have been reached thus far"
The irony of the Symphony's
choice of f1ddlers for next
year Is that Isaac Stern, a SUI
perlative artist whose Wash
ington public was created for
him largely by Howard
Mitchell, will be in town
playing for Patrick Hayes.
The Symphony has done
very well in getting Piati-
gorsky and Rose ON its list,
for they are both fine artists
and cello soloists are still
somewhat of rarity not only
with the National Symphony
but with all American orches-
tras, But where are next
years choruses and where is
the opera that has been sc
popular for the last two sea-
sons? The Howard Univer.
sity Choir is announced for 9
single piece, the Beethoven
Ninth Symphony-about /.
minutes of singing. Is thu
Symphony management 81
little impressed with the re-
ception this organization ha'
had here in past years tina
1t is going to forget it en-
tirely after the gala Carnegi,
Hall concert next month?
Maria Callas, Gilels. ant