The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 48, No. 10, Ed. 1 Friday, November 11, 1960 Page: 4 of 10
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Four
THE THRESHER
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1960
Stern, Stokowski Combination
Dramatic in Rewarding Concert
By HERBERT GARON
An audience keyed to a high
pitch of expectancy regarding the
subject of Isaac Stern, succumbed
in no time to the ravishing
mastery of the violinist's playing
at the end of his performance of
the Beethoven Violin Concerto
with the Houston Symphony last
night.
THIS PERFORMANCE was
first-class in every respect; it
was a poised, mature reading
impeccably played by the soloist
and backed by firm, sympathetic
support from an inspired con-
ductor and orchestra. Stern's ai't
has mellowed and deepened since
his appearance with the sym-
phony two years ago; there is
now a serenity and assurance in
his playing which make him one
of the most satisfying violinists
now before the public.
It was evident from the start,
right after the opening orches-
tra] tutci, that Stern was com-
pletely the lord of every phrase
yours:
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To qualify for Navigator train-
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MAIL THIS COUPON TODAY i
AVIATION CAOET INFORMATION *
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I' I am between 19 and 26Vi, a citizen J
of the U.S. and a high school graduate |
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NAME.
STREET.
CITY
COUNTY.
-STATE-
of violin playing, that his larder
of musical resources was brim-
ming, and that here was an
artist who was giving of the
pure mettle of his art without
the dross of exploitation.
HE ASSIDUOUSLY avoided
any manifestations of bravura
playing to perfect a performance
of peerless intelligence and taste.
Some of the most gorgeous
tonal fabric, ever evoked from
the combination of catgut and
singing wood frame poured from
his Stradivarius instrument, a
fiddle from the master's "gold-
en" period. Its sumptuous sound
was all the more remarkable for
being unforced.
The Stern tone is free from
roughness of any sort. Whether
his concern is with cantilena or
with rapid passage work, his
tonal dynamics are gems of con-
spicuous purity and beauty.
There were brilliant runs and
singing double-stops; and he
treated the audience to a stun-
ning low vibrato.
HIS VIRTUOSO gifts, how-
ever, transcend the high em-
otional fixation of his playing
and encompass a well-governed
technical expertness. A bow arm
of admirable elasticity and free-
dom permits a massive full
movement of the bow, and the
perfection of his finger technique
keeps pace with the inherent
skill of his right arm. The
mechanistics of his performance
are those of a finely wrought
precision instrument whose clock-
like detail is in cohesion with the
'whole.
In the communication of noble
grandeur and glorious themes,
Stokowski proved to be the ideal
collaborator with the spellbind-
ing solo work. The performance
of the orchestra framed the
wizardry of the master violinist
and gave him full reign to fol-
low the inclination of his heart.
He surmounted the technical dif-
ficulties with amazing ease and
throughout, incidentally, he uses
Fritz Kreisler's cadenzas.
THE ENRAPTURED audience
which had remained completely
silent suddenly rose to its feet
at the exultant end to express its
appreciation for Stem's dedicated
and matchless performance of
this mighty concerto.
The Bach "Toccata and Fugue
in D minor" opened the program.
There was plenty of vitality and
brio in the playing of this
adaptation of the mighty double-
score for organ in which the
organ "registers" are distributed
in intensified vividness through-
out the various instrumental sec-
tions of the orchestra; but it was
not an especially smooth per-
formance. Roughness of tone was
not uncommon and oftentimes the
playing seemed ragged.
COUPLING imagination and
restraint, Stokowski led the or-
chestra through a brilliant and
eloquent reading of Shostako-
vich's Fifth Symphony. The first
movement was notable for free-
dom from over-sentimentality;
movement was magnificently con-
trolled, avoiding the pitfall of
cloying sweetness; and in the
finale, Stokowski took a furious
pace which delighted us.
After the concert a part of the
crowd rushed to the dressing
room to gingerly touch a fiddle
whose label: "Antonius Stradi-
varius Cremonensis Anno Domini
1716 Faciebat" for once does not
lie.
Honor Council Test
Repeat Set Tuesday
For those freshmen and
transfer students who have
not yet passed the Honor
System test, another test will
be given Tuesday, November.
15, at 7:30 p.m. in 108 An-
derson Hall. The test is com-
pulsory and will last approx-
imately 30 minutes.
Anyone who has questions
or will be unable to attend
should contact a member of
the Honor Council. _
-&
Russian Film Gives
Poignant Portrayal
The Contemporary Arts Mu-
seum began its 1960-61 Fine Arts
Films Series last Friday night
with "The Cranes Are Flying,"
a Russian film which won the
Grand Prix at the 11th Annual
Cannes Film Festival in 1959.
This filnaj> the first in a series
of U.S. Soviet exchange films,
is designed to present a picture
of typically Russian people.
BASICALLY, the plot is con-
cerned with a girl, Veronica,
whose sweetheart, Boris, volun-
teers when Russia enters World
War II. When he is reported
mi.^mg, she goes to live with
his family. His cousin, Mark,
obviously the worthless kopeck
in tl.e lot, professes his love for
"\ronica.
She remains faithful, however,
until one night during a rather
over-done bombing scene, she
yields under stress. She and Mark
then marry, and the remaining
portion of the film is concerned
with her remorse and its final
resolving.
THE ACTRESS who plays
Veronica is the best part of the
film; a beautiful girl with an
expressive Hepburnesque (Aud-
rey that is) face. Her name is
Tatyana Samoilove (which does
not encourage many marque
arrangers), and her every action
carries a sincerity seldom seen
in American stars.
Some mention should also be
made of the director, one M.
Kalatozov, who captures Miss
Samoilova's mood so well. Un-
fortunately he seems unsatisfied
AL MARKS
his piano & orchestra
"The Thinking
Man's Orchestra"
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with his material and tries to
enhance it by his own technical
prowess.
WHILE SEVERAL scenes are
effectively done, the overall
effect is amateurish, a sort of
pseudo-Bergman technique. He
obviously tries to provide an
abstract background for his
characters with various angle
shots, but the results are often
more grotesque than aesthetic.
The film succeeds in proving
its point; i.e., that Russians are
"just plain folks," at the price
of a little sentimentalism which
is not undesirable. Its intent
brings this question to mind:
What U.S. films were sent to
Russia to portray the typical
American? "Psycho" or perhaps
"Suddenly, Last Summer?"
o
MacColl Seger
Sing Ancient,
Modern Ballads
The Houston Folklore Group
performed another in a growing
series of public services with the
presentation of Ewan MacColl
and Peggy Seger this week.
The program at the Theater,
Inc., an evening of ancient and
recent Scottish, English, and
American folksongs and ballads,
was a demonstration of fine
voices and instrumentation, both
beautifully mixed with an obvious
love for this ageless musical
form. «
MR. MACCOLL, once described
by George Bernard Shaw as the
only genius aside from himself
working in the English theater,
possesses a lusty tembre that
carries the legends of Scotland
and England with remarkable
fidelity.
Miss Seger, a member "of a
family famed for its American
musicology, handles both voice
and instrumentation with similar
skill. One is particularly im-
pressed by her tonal range and
variety.
The program offered itis Hous-
ton audience an opportunity to
experience the most vital of musi-
cal heritages. Mixing the pro-
gram with guitar, banjo, and au-
toharp, the performers progresses
from ancient Scotland to present-
day England and America.
THE PACE OF that progres-
sion semed, however, the only
flaw of the evening. The song
material tended to assume a
haunting, lilting atmosphere
which was in a number of cases
emphasized by the unfamiliar
tones of the Gaelic. But the forces
of the individual songs were of-
ten counteracted by the destruc-
tive juxtaposition of the mater-
ial.
Still, the evening's highlights
offered the recompense of the all-
too-few duets sung by these two
impressive talents, especially the
songs of the contemporary period.
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The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 48, No. 10, Ed. 1 Friday, November 11, 1960, newspaper, November 11, 1960; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth231162/m1/4/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.