Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-02-03
BY DAY THORPE

1.-THE President Of France
and the President Of the
United States went out to a
concert last night, and both
got a big hand from the crowd.
But is was a blond who really
stole the show. Her name is
Nicole Henriot, and she played
a piano concerto so we'll that
she not only won the plaudits
of President Truman and
President Auriel. but was
forced to repeat the last part.
That hasn't happened in a
concert here in years."
The quotation is from The
Star in the spring of 1851.
Nicole Henriot has had a sue
cessful career since then. both
on records and in concert. She
returns to Washington Thurs
day with the Boston SYM
phony. This time it is the
Prokofieff concerto in G
minor; in 1851. if I remember
correctly. it was the Ravel
concerto.
The Capitol Woodwind
Quintet, in its concert today
at the Meserole Studios, will
play the Beethoven variations
on the Giovanni-Zerlina duet
from you can guess what
opera. 1t is one Of the most
charming works of early
Beethoven. but because of its
unusual ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
oboes and cor anglaiS-one
seldom finds it on recital pro-
grams. -.
The Patrick Hayes decennial
concert is today in Constitu-
ton Hall. With the National
Gallery Orchestra under the
direction of Richard Bales,
Mrs. Hayes Evelyn Swarth-
out) will be heard in the B
fiat Beethoven concerto. Then
Margaret TOls0n and Emer-
son Meyers team up for the
E fiat double concerto Of Mo-
Fart. Finally. all three pi-
anists join in the c major
Bach triple concerto. The
concert will also include the
Haydn symphony No. 88. the
slow movement Of which is
perhaps my favorite of all
symphonic pieces.
I have a bulletin from the
B&O Railroad about the pack
age deal trip to New York
February %. For SIS. $26.75,
or $28.25. you can be taken
to New York. to The Metro
politan Opera and then back
home. Lunch and dinner are
included. but the B&O makes
no mention of what opera you
viii see and hear. 80.
The Don COssacks will be
with us again Saturday. Think
ing of these Russian baSSos
makes me wonder what is the
lowest note in print for a
mans voice. The F below
the staff is usually consid-
cred the safe limit. Mozart
writes a low D. and Mailer a
low B fiat in the Resurrection
Symphony. I have heard that
TchaikovSky demands con-
tra-F in some of his religious
music. Can any reader beat
it. or how low can a man get?
OPERA IN RETROSPECT
I spent four days last week
helping a corps of music
lovers prepare the first pro-
duction of Washington's new
opera company. BY now you
will have seen The Abduction
from the Seraglio." heard
about it, or READ about it.
Comment on that show in The
Star was not by me but by
my associate. Irving Lowens.
The following notes record
some of the things about the
launching Of an opera COM
pany which have been Of in
terest TO me.
When the Opera Society Of
Washington was formed early
last summer. it. as a new en-
tity. was in the delightful po-
sition of having no moral re.
sponsibilities. no commitments.
and only one purpose--to
bring to life the best operas
in the best performances the
company was capable Of. The
object was not to see II the
Society could put on opera that
people would come to, but to
see If people would come to the
kind of opera the Society
wanted to produce. The
Society had no permanent or
chestra the players Of which
it felt responsibility for. nor
a troupe of singers whose
livelihood depended on the