Berkeley's Firsts

Music lovers who live about San Francisco Bay flocked, one chilly night last week, to the University of California's Berkeley campus to hear the first symphony concert presented in the Greek Theatre--the gift of Publisher William Randolph Hearst--in seven years. Snug in overcoats, the audience found the renditions of Weber, Rimsky-Korsakov and Wagner workmanlike but uninspired, applauded the occasion rather than the music. For it was a night of records. The conductor was black-haired, bright-eyed Antonia Brico, first woman ever to conduct Berlin's philharmonic orchestra, first woman to conduct San Francisco's symphony orchestra, first California graduate to conduct that organization at Berkeley.

Previously, Berkeleyans have preferred to hold their concerts in Harmon Gymnasium, in spite of its poor acoustics. But last week's turnout (capacity; 7,500 seats filled), although hampered by inclement weather, encouraged symphony officials to plan future concerts for the Greek Theatre.

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