Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-06-21

AlC oOCo ~ "AANAA AANNNoo0AJ -
and that's 1t. You will not
laugh when Galloway sits
down to the piano. but you
will unquestionably wait an
extremely long time to see
the phenomenon.
As Opera Conductor
Callaway's latest and most
spectacular achievement is Of
course his entry into the field
Of opera, where in just three
years time he has become
one of the most brilliant con-
ductors Of his day. He has
denied emphatically that his
life with church choirs has
had any influence whatever
on his operate conducting. 1t
seems to me probable, how
ever, that his experience with
voices, their capabilities and
limitations, and, more par
ticularly, the habit Of i'm
posing himself domineeringly
on his singers, necessary for
perfection in a church choir.
have shown up clearly in his
handling of the large and I'M
equal forces of opera. I doubt
that early experience with
musical and professional
equals would have made
Galloway so demanding.
He first thought Of con-
Quoting opera in 1913. when
the Cities Service Co. con-
sidered briefly q radio pro-
gram Of opera highlightS.
Galloway was asked to con-
duct, but the project fell
through. His actual debut
in opera came in 1855. For
several years I had tried to
interest Howard Mitchell in
doing concert versions OF
operas with the National
Symphony. Mitchell was not
averse to the idea, but didn't
feel the urge to conduct him
self. When he was invited
to Europe as a guest con-
ductor. he asked Galloway to
put on Cost fan lutte" in his
absence. The show was a
success, and was followed
the next season by Don Clio
vanni."
The next year Thomas
Schippers, who was 10 have
conducted the world premiere
of Menotti's THE Unicorn,
the Gorgon and the Manti-
core" here in Washington.
became Ill the day before the
first performance. Galloway,
who had trained the chorus,
took over at the last minute,
with outstanding success.
Shortly thereafter, the Opera
Society Of Washington was
founded. CallawaK has been
the only conductor Of the 10
productions the organization
has produced so far.
Similarity 10 TOscanini
To compare Galloway to
Toscanini is by no means
idle writing or easy flattery.
The two have much the same
approach to music, and they
achieve like ends by similar
means. The electric. driving,
nervous. exalted Missa So
Tennis Of Beethoven. for ex-
ample, is either Callaway'S
or Toscanini's. The orches-
ira will be clear, clean. and
transparent, the tempt will
be fast, the chorus will be
at least devoted. Callaway'S
soloiSts will In all proba-
bility be better than Tos-
caninis. Each performance
will be exactly as its con-
ductor wants 1t, neither will
ever be a whit better. Both
Galloway and ToScanini are
limited by the extent of their
own capabilities. Each knows
what he can do. each is sure
that he will do exactly that
much. each afraid to try for
more.
Galloway is always at the
complete service Of the COM
poser. He is extremely broad
in his musical tastes, more
electric than almost any mu-
sician I know. Callaway's
music making doesn't sound
like Galloway, but like Bach,
or Beethoven or Sowerby, or
Elgar. In the several hum
dred pieces I have known
him to study and prepare.
only one that I can remember
melted him to improve on
the composer - the a cap
pella movement in Rossini's
Stabat Mater, the ending Of
which / thought funny, Cal
laway, merely vulgar. He
changed 1t.
Perhaps these words are a
bit Of Galloway the musi-
clan. OF Galloway the man,
serious but humorous, scep-
teal but curiously believing,
self-centered but extremely
sensitive to others, impressed
by Office but not awed by
people, admired and loved
by even the worlds severest
critics - children -. this is
the Galloway I would like to
write about, but I haven't
the knack.