Evening star., 1961-01-29

ter things in life" They are
supposed to be free.
II President Kennedy's
"New Frontier" is going to
mean something important
in art, it must embrace peo-
pie as well as things. For
without people there can be
no culture, and the loveliest
buildings unpeopled resemble
nothing so much as mauso-
leums and shrines to the
dead.
I would suggest, therefore
that those concerned with
the future Of the Cultural
Center concentrate their at
ention first on deciding what
viii 60 on there. even ct the
risk Of delaying construction.
We are not strangling for
lack Of concert halls In
Washington there are few
cultural events taking place
here for which getting tickets
Is at all difficult.
We need q solid plan for Q
National Cultural Center.
and the Carleton Sprague
Smith Report, although far
from perfect, seems to me to
be q giant step in the proper
direction. The next move
would be to implement 1t, and
to 60 more deeply into some
Of the matters Of grave i'm
portance there touched upon
lightly.
The Smith Report is the
most important thing thus
far achieved by the National
Cultural Center, and 1t strikes
me as ironic that its recon-
mendations cannot be fol-
lowed II the architectural
plan already approved begins
to assume reality.
To advocate getting II up"
at all costs Is sheer folly.
II we are to have q Ma
tional Cultural Center wor-
thy Of the name, 1t seems to
me self-evident that the idea
must shape the building and
not vice versa.
The race, q wise man once
said, is not always to the
swift.
COMING UP HERE A
rich and unusual musical
week is on tap. Today: An
extraordinary program Is
offered at Georgetown Pres
byterian Church by organist
william Watkins assisted by
two wind-playing Williamses.
Tomorrow: An equally
extraordinary concert by four
first-rate local artists led by
the ubiquitous George Steiner
takes place at the National
Institutes Of Health, while the
Vocal Arts Ensemble, now
under the joint musical
dictatorship Of Richard Levitt
and Rev. Russell Woollen,
presents a New York Pro
Musica type Of affair at the
Phillips Gallery. -. Tuesday:
An exotic recital Is presented
by the Japan-America Soci-
ETY. Of Washington at the
COrcoran Gallery, where
Kimio Etc, a world-re-
nowned koto-player, will be
heard. The 35-year-old
artist is totally blind. Around
the corner at Constitution
Hall, Henryk Szeryng begins
a heavy schedule, appearing
three times this week with
the National symphony Or
chestra, and also in solo re-
cital Friday at the Pan Amer
lean Union. Friday: The
Vienna Octet visits the Ii
brary Of Congress with some
thing new and something old
AN unknown piece by the
contemporary Dutch Com
poser Marcel Poot and the r
major Schubert Octet. /.
Saturday: The NSO returns
from a one-day trip to
Hagerstown to play an all
Gershwin program in Con-
stitution Hall, with young
Coleman BlumfieId as soloist
in the Rhapsody in Blue and
the Concerto in F. >. Nex.
Sunday: One Of the most
intriguing concerts of the
season is offered IN a double
header at the YWCA by
Margaret TolsOn. Want to
hear what that piece Johnny
is practicing really should
sound like? Miss Tolson will
play nothing but standard
teaching pieces by Bach,
Mozart. Haydn, Beethoven,
Clement, Schumann, De-
busy, Tansman. Bartok and
Kabalevsky. Should be a
wonderful show. And
don't forget February 9, 10,
and IL. when the Opera So
ciety puts on Idomeneo, a
rare treat for the seeker
after the unusual. Mozart
once claimed this to be his
favorite opera-and he was
a pretty good judge Of music.
= 4
BITS AND PIECES . De-
spite the Polish name, Seer
wmR a. q NEawiaava - nlklua~