to ^ M,. $ BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FOUNDED IN 1881 BY HENRY LEE HIGGINSON fe A 5 illlllfli H ,f SEVENTY-SIXTH SEASON i95 6 " l 957 Tuesday Evening Series BAYARD TUCKERMAN, JR. ARTHUR J. ANDERSON ROBERT T. FORREST JULIUS F. HALLER ARTHUR J. ANDERSON, JR. HERBERT S. TUCKERMAN J. DEANE SOMERVILLE It takes only seconds for accidents to occur that damage or destroy property. It takes only a few minutes to develop a complete insurance program that will give you proper coverages in adequate amounts. It might be well for you to spend a little time with us helping to see that in the event of a loss you will find yourself protected with insurance. WHAT TIME to ask for help? Any time! Now! CHARLES H. WATKEVS & CO. CHARLES H. WATKINS RICHARD P. NYQUIST in association with OBRION, RUSSELL & CO. Insurance of Every Description 108 Water Street Boston 6, Mass. LAfayette 3-5700 SYMPHONY HALL, BOSTON Telephone, Commonwealth 6-1492 SEVENTY-SIXTH SEASON, 1956-1957 CONCERT BULLETIN of the Boston Symphony Orchestra CHARLES MUNCH, Music Director Richard Burgin, Associate Conductor with historical and descriptive notes by John N. Burk The TRUSTEES of the BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Inc. Henry B. Cabot President Vice-President Jacob J. Kaplan Richard C. Paine Treasurer KelleHer Talcott M. Banks, Jr. Michael T. Theodore P. Ferris Palfrey Perkins Alvan T. Fuller Charles H. Stockton Francis W. Hatch Edward A. Taft Harold D. Hodgkinson Raymond S. Wilkins C. D. Jackson Oliver Wolcott TRUSTEES EMERITUS Philip R. Allen M. A. DeWolfe Howe N. Penrose Hallowell Lewis Perry Thomas D. Perry, Jr., Manager Brosnahan, Assistant Treasurer G. W. Rector Assistant J. J. Rosario Mazzeo, Personnel Manager N. S. Shirk Managers [»] THE LIVING TRUST How It Benefits You, Your Family, Your Estate Unsettled conditions . new inventions . political changes . „ interest rates and taxes, today make the complicated field of in- vestments more and more a province for specialists. Because of this, more and more men and women, with capital to invest and estates to manage, are turning to the Living Trust. WHAT IT IS The Living Trust is a Trust which you establish to go into effect during your lifetime, as part of your overall estate plan, and for the purpose of receiving professional management for a specified portion of your property. It can be arranged for the benefit of yourself, members of your family, or other individuals or charities —and can be large or small. We will be glad to meet with you and your attorney, in strict con= fidence, to discuss a Living Trust as it fits in with your situation. For an appointment, at your convenience, please write or call the Personal Trust Department of the National Shawmut Bank, Boston, Massachusetts. No obligation, of course. Send for the Shawmut Bank's informative new booklet, "The Living Trust". It tells the whole story. Yours without charge* The National Shawmut Bank of Boston Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation [*1 SYMPHONIANA EXHIBITION Shown in the Gallery this week are a selection of paintings by artists of New THE TROUSSEAU HOUSE OF BOSTON England, loaned by the North Shore Arts Association, "a non-profit organization, founded in 1922 to advance American art by education." Other works by these artists are currently on view at the gallery of the Association, 17 Kingston Street, Boston. • • AN OPINION FROM MOSCOW The Boston Symphony Orchestra s concerts in Moscow brought a detailed review by Dmitri Kabalevsky, the com- poser whose music has been performed several times at these concerts. The re- view appeared in "Pravda" September 14, 1956: One of the most interesting events in our recent years of concert life, and no doubt the most outstanding, is the visit of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, one of the foremost of symphony organiza- tions, now having its 75th anniversary. Many exceptional conductors have worked with this orchestra and are the reason for its excellence. Among them should be mentioned Arthur Nikisch, Karl Muck, and Serge Koussevitzky who was the head of the orchestra for twenty- five years, Pierre Monteux, and finally Charles Munch, the present conductor. The Boston Symphony Orchestra con- sists of first-class musicians, artists and virtuosi in the full meaning of the word. The various sections, the strings, wood- winds, percussion and brass, combine in- the purest of classics, a to an unusually excellent ensemble. The tone quality of the whole orchestra is as teagown that combines splendid as that of the individual solo- perfect line and breathless ists. The ensemble has reached such a degree of mastery that technical prob- color ... in washable wool lems no longer exist for them and the with self-tone velveteen entire attention is focused on the prob- lems of musical interpretation, Their collar and cuffs. French sonority is as excellent in powerful pas- blue or cyclamen red. Sizes sages as in tender ones where the sound is a whisper; the bowing is like that of 10 to 20. chamber music: completely in unison. Is it necessary to say what a tremendous 45.00 part of this polished unanimity is due to the conductor? Charles Munch is a great artist whose mastery is as evident in old as in contemporary music. If I should try to define the mastery of Charles 416 Boylston St., Boston Munch I would say that it lies in his interpretative power, combining breadth 54 Central St., Wellesley of conception with delicacy of detail. More important than his technical mas- [3] — tery is Charles Munch's human, sincere, and deeply felt musical insight. He pos- sesses the strong intellect of a wise man and the fresh approach of a young soul. We remember Pierre Monteux and his last concert in Moscow in the middle twenties. He is one of the outstanding French conductors who has worked for years with the Boston Symphony Or- chestra in the past and at present is always the partner in the orchestra's activities on tour. Like Munch he com- bines deep understanding of music with a lively interest in contemporary musi- cians and their music. Charles Munch led the Orchestra in the first and third concerts in Moscow, and Pierre Monteux the second. Well known works such as Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony have been performed so many times by so many different conductors that they have lost their freshness and forcefulness of interpretation. It requires a really out- standing talent to bring out the original beauty. Charles Munch accomplishes this ab- solutely. We heard the real Beethoven —the great leader of humanistic ideas of beauty and freedom who leads us through difficult paths towards his ideals. The two Symphonies by Haydn (Mon- teux led the "Surprise"; Munch, No. 102) showed a proper sense of simplic- ity and optimism, with rather heavy folk humor. Monteux did a splendid job with Schubert's Seventh. Now for the con- temporary music—Ravel's "Daphnis and Chloe," Strauss's "Don Juan" and Dukas' "L'Apprenti Sorcier." All of these were conducted by Munch and here his talent was shown at its greatest height. His conducting of Ravel showed how small- minded are the artificial critics who see with infinite skill Adele Ravel only as a composer of orchestral color. No doubt Ravel's music is even Simpson sculptures a more of a living force. This composer beaten gold gros de has won us over and conquered us not only because of his technical mastery londre into this and sheer beauty of musical form but memorably im- also because he reaches every one of us personally. The music of "Daphnis and portant cocktail Chloe," like his other works, resembles dress for our rays of the sun which blind us and which at the same time give us life energy. collection These qualities in Ravel's music were of holiday disclosed to us. The most difficult or- chestral selection—Strauss's "Don Juan" treasures. —was played with great fire. And finally, Dukas' "L'Apprenti Sorcier" was like brilliant fireworks. We also remember the fire and virtuosity in the encore of Pierre Monteux—the excerpts from "Der Rosenkavalier." (Continued on page 35) [4] I In 1912, a fair lady's "cloak" was distinguished by gen- tility, grace, elegance . and so, too, in our time of fair ladies this winter. In Filene's French Shops, you*ll find a brilliant collection of new-looking coats from Americans greatest designers, illustrated here in Ben Zuckerman*s prophetic cape- let coat. The French Shops' coat col- lection, from $110. 51 Mr. Steppington Does It Himself No one appreciates the joys for the free booklet, "The Liv- of individual accomplishment ing Trust." better than Mr. Steppington. But there are times when even he prefers to leave it to some- one else. WORTHY OF YOUR TRUST Some time ago, for instance, he discovered the advantages of leaving the supervision of Old Colony his investments to Old Colony Trust Company Trust Company. By establish- ONE FEDERAL STREET, BOSTON ing a revocable Living Trust he was relieved of the burden- T. Jefferson Coolidge some details of security care Chairman, Trust Committee . and gained the benefits of Robert Cutler organized research; constant, Chairman, Board of Directors thorough study; and the ex- perience of New England's Augustin H. Parker, Jr. President largest trust institution. If you would like to know Arthur L. Coburn, Jr. TrustInvestmentCommittee more about this service, write Chairman y Allied withTHE First National Bank of Boston [6] SEVENTY-SIXTH SEASON • NINETEEN HUNDRED FIFTY-SIX AND FIFTY-SEVEN Fourth Concert TUESDAY EVENING, November 27, at 8:30 o'clock VLADIMIR GOLSCHMANN, Conductor Kabalevsky Overture to "Colas Breugnon" Tansman Concerto for Orchestra Lento; Allegro molto agitato; Lento; Presto; Lento; Vivo — lento Debussy "La Mer," Three Orchestral Sketches I.