Boston Symphony Orchestra Concert Programs, Season 71, 1951
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<t\ <mrn- 'V (f^" \) J "^ BOSTON SYMPHONY V ORCHESTRA FOUNDED IN I88I BY HENRY LEE HIGGINSON \^ Ji y/ii:\ ''~%j x^/^/^ \j/^ 4 H SEVENTY -FIRST SEASON 1951- 1952 Gymnasium, Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey, Ne^v Brunswick, N. J. Under the Auspices of the Department of Music, Rutgers University H. D. McKinney, Director Boston Symphony Orchestra (Seventy-first Season, 1951-1952) CHARLES MUNCH, Music Director RTCHARD BURGIN, Associale Condurlor i* I. R S O N N E L \'lOLINS Violas Bassoons Richard Burgin, Joseph de Pasquale Raymond A Hard Concert-master Jean Cauhape Ernst J*anenka Alfred Krips Georges Fourel Theodoie Brewster Gaston Elcus Ell gen Lehner Rolland Tapley Albert Bernard Contra-Bassoon George Humphrey N'orbert Laiiga Boaz ]»iller George Zazoisky Jerome Lipson Paul Cherkassky Louis Articles IIorns Harry Diibbs Robert Karol James Stagliano Vladimir Resnikoff Reuben Green Harry Shapiro Joseph Leibovici Bernard KadinoflE Harold Meek Vincent Mauricci Einar Hansen Paul Keaney Harry Dickson ViOlONCELLOS Walter Nfacdonald Emil Kornsand Osbourne McConathy Carlos Pinfield Samuel Mayes Alfred Zighera Paid Fedorovsky Minot Beale Jacobus Langendoen Trumpets Herman Silberman Af ischa Nieland Roger Voisiii Roger Schermanski Hippolyte Droeghmans Marcel La fosse Armando Ghitalla Stanley Benson Karl Zeise Gottfried Wilfinger Josef Zimbler Bernard Parronchi Trombones Clarence Knudson Enrico Fabrizio Jacob Raich man Pierre Mayer Leon Marjollet Lucien Hansotte John Coffey Manuel Zung Fluti;s Josef Orosz Samuel Diamond Georges Laurent Victor Man use\ itch James Pappoutsakis James Nagy Tuba IMiillip Kaplan Leon Gorodetzky Vinal Smith Raphael Del Sordo Piccolo Melvin Bryant George Madsen Harps Lloyd Stonestreet Bernard Zighera Saverio Messina Oboes Olivia Luetcke Sheldon Rotenberg Ralph Gomberg Leo Panasevich Jean Devergie William VVat^rhousc John Holmes Timpani Roman Szulc English Horn Charles Smith Basses Louis Speyer Georges Moleux Percussion Willis Page Clarinets Max Polster Ludwig Juht Gino Cioffi Simon Sternburg Irving Frankel Manuel Valerio Harold Farberman Henry Greenberg Pasquale Cardillo Henry Portnoi £b Clarinet Henry Freeman Librarians Henri Girard Bass Clarinet Leslie Rogers John Barwicki Rosario Mazzeo Leonard Burkat Gymnasium, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J. SEVENTY-FIRST SEASON, 1951-1952 Boston Symphony Orchestra CHARLES MUNCH, Music Director Richard Burgin, Associate Conductor Concert Bulletin TUESDAY EVENING, February 12 with historical and descriptive notes by John N. Burk The TRUSTEES of the BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Inc. Henry B. Cabot . President Jacob J. Kaplan . Vice-President Richard C. Paine . Treasurer Philip R. Allen M. A. De Wolfe Howe John Nicholas Brown Charles D. Jackson Theodore P. Ferris Lewis Perry Alvan T. Fuller Edward A. Taft N. Penrose Hallowell Raymond S. Wilkins Francis W. Hatch Oliver Wolcott George E. Judd, Manager T. D. Perry, Jr. N. S. Shirk, Assistant Managers t>] Tanglewood, 1952 THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CHARLES MUNCH, Music Director THE BERKSHIRE FESTIVAL Fifteenth Season JULY 5 — AUGUST 10 Tenth Anniversary Season THE BERKSHIRE MUSIC CENTER Charles Munch, Director JUNE 30 — AUGUST 10 To receive later announcements, address subscription office, Symphony Hall, Boston, Mass. l«] Gymnasium, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J. Boston Symphony Orchestra CHARLES MUNCH, Music Director TUESDAY EVENING, February 12, a^ 8:30 o'clock Program ERNEST ANSERMET Conducting Mendelssohn Symphony in A major. No. 4, "Italian," Op. 90 I. Allegro vivace II. Andante con moto III. Con moto moderate IV. Saltarello: Presto HoNEGGER Monopartita INTERMISSION Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto in D minor. No. 3 I. Allegro ma non tanto II. Intermezzo: Adagio III. Finale Ravel "La Valse," Choreographic Poem SOLOIST MONIQUE DE LA BRUCHOLLERIE Mme. de la Bruchollerie uses the Steinway Piano (Courtesy of the Griffith Piano Company, Newark, N.J.) BALDWIN PIANO RCA VICTOR RECORDS [3] ERNEST ANSERMET ERNEST Ansermet, bom in Vevey, Switzerland, November ii, 1883, began his career as a professor of mathematics at the University of Lausanne, and at the Sorbonne, but studied music with Den^r^az in Lausanne, Gedalge in Paris, and Otto Barblan and Ernest Bloch in Geneva. He became conductor of the Kursaal concerts in Montreux in 1912, and succeeded Stavenhagen as director of the Geneva Sub- scription Concerts in 1914. In 1915 he toured Europe and both Americas as conductor of Diaghileff's Ballet Russe. In 1918 he founded the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. He conducted the symphony orchestra at Buenos Aires in the seasons 1924-27, and in 1936-37 re- turned to conduct in South America and several cities of the United States. Having conducted concerts over Radio Suisse during the war, he resumed his activities as guest conductor in Europe in 1946, and returned to this country in the season 1947-1948 for guest appearances. On January 25, 28-29, 1949, he appeared as guest conductor of this Orchestra, and has visited this country each season since then. SYMPHONY IN A MAJOR, NO. 4, "ITALIAN," Op. 90 By Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Born at Hamburg, February 3, 1809; died at Leipzig, November 4, 1847 Completed in 1833, Mendelssohn's Fourth Symphony was first performed by the Philharmonic Society in London on May 13, 1833. The composer made a revision which was completed in 1837, but not performed on the European Continent until two years after his death — November 1, 1849 — when Julius Rietz conducted it at the Gewandhaus concerts in Leipzig. The orchestration calls for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings. IT would be hard to come across the opinion that the "Italian" Symphony is in any way a national document, or a piece of descrip- tive music. There are those who have discerned Naples in the slow movement, and others who, not unreasonably, have looked in vain to justify such' a reading. Those who are bound to find a true reflec- tion of Italy in the Symphony can at least point to the Saltarello finale. If a saltarello rhythm can make an Italian symphony, they are right. It is true that this rhythm impressed itself on Mendelssohn at glamorous moments. On a certain occasion in the midst of his winter at Rome (1830-1831), Louisa Vernet, daughter of his host, Horace Vernet, delighted him by doing the saltarello steps with her father, and by acquitting herself more than creditably upon the tambourine. [4] THE FIRST EUROPEAN TOUR BY THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Charles Munch, will make its European debut at the Paris Opera House on May 6. The orchestra will play for the month-long Exposition of the Arts sponsored by The Congress For Cultural Freedom (Nicholas Nabokov, General Secre- tary) , whose theme is the vitality of intellectual and artistic achievements by free men in the past fifty years in the fields of music, ballet, painting and other art forms. The Exposition Committee of the Congress's American affiliate, headed by Julius Fleischmann of Cincinnati, is providing funds from private philanthropy to send the 104-member musical aggregation abroad. Other American participants in the Paris Exposition will be the New York City Ballet Company and conductors Igor Stravinsky and Bruno Walter. While final details of the Boston Symphony Orchestra's tour await clarifica- tion from abroad, visits are planned to thirteen cities in six countries. Charles Munch, the Musical Director, now recovering from a long illness, is expected back with his orchestra in March, and will share the conducting assignments with his friend and colleague, Pierre Monteux, conductor of this orchestra in the seasons 1919-1924. The Orchestra will complete its Boston season on Saturday evening, April 26, and sail on the He de France on April 28. Mr. Munch, Alsatian-born conductor who became director of The Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1949, will lead the symphony in its initial concert abroad on May 6 at the Paris Opera House. This event will be honored by the presence of President Vincent Auriol, state, diplomatic, civic and social leaders, with the National Guard of Honor of the Republic of France in attendance. This and a second Exposition concert which Mr. Monteux will conduct at Paris' Theatre des Champs-Elysees on May 8 will he devoted to Twentieth Century European apd American music. Mr. Monteux's program will witness an historical re-creation: a performance of Igor Stravinsky's "Sacre du Printemps" (Rite of Spring) almost 39 years after he introduced this epoch-making work in the same theatre. The next day the Orchestra entrains for The Hague, Holland, where Mr. Munch will conduct on May 10. On May 11, under Mr. Monteux, who often has led the celebrated Amsterdam Concertgebouw, it will perform in Amsterdam. On May 17, the Boston Symphony will visit Strasbourg, Mr. Munch 's birth- place. There the conductor served as violinist in the Strasbourg Orchestra, and taught at the Strasbourg Conservatory. The concert in that city will be at the Free Europe University In Exile, and will be broadcast by arrange- ment with Radio Free Europe, and through Voice of American facilities to Russia and its satellite countries. Several performances are planned in Germany, for German civilians and U. S. troops stationed abroad. Brussels, Belgium; Turin, Italy; and Lille, France are also included. The tour will conclude with the Orchestra's first appearance in London, at the Festival Hall on May 26, following which the Orchestra will sail for New York from Southampton aboard the He de France on May 27. The Boston Symphony, which from its broadcasts and recordings holds a European reputation second to none, will join in Paris such other of the free world's celebrated musical organizations as the Halle Orchestra from England, Sir John Barbirolli, conductor; the Orchestra and Chorus dell'Accademia della Santa Cecilia, Rome; the R.I.A.S. (Radio) Orchestra, Berlin, Ferenc Fricsay conductor; I'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Geneva, Ernest Anser- met conducting; the Paris Conservatory and the French National Radio Orchestras.