Philharmonic Line-Up

When Arturo Toscanini announced that this season would be his last with the Philharmonic-Symphony, every music-loving New Yorker realized that the proud Manhattan orchestra was face-to-face with a perilous crisis. Toscanini was regarded as a musical god, incomparable and unapproachable. No ordinary successor could begin to fill his boots. The Philharmonic directors sat through many a worried session, finally offered the post to Germany's Wilhelm Furtwangler who relinquished it when he heard of the stormy protests against his Nazi connections. The hunt went on until last week when five conductors were announced for a season cut down from 30 to 24 weeks. One was a Briton, one a Russian, one a Rumanian, one a Mexican, one a Pole.

The surprise appointment was that of Britain's John Barbirolli, 36, an unknown so far as most Philharmonic subscribers were concerned. Conductor Barbirolli was born of a French mother and an Italian father who played the violin under Toscanini at La Scala. Except for his music the young conductor seems typically British. He was born in Bloomsbury, loves Bloomsbury, lives in Bloomsbury in a four-room flat. He relishes Yorkshire ham and cricket matches. But, like the Barbirollis before him, he took naturally to a musical career. At 11 he made a concert debut as a cellist. Later he toured through Europe with a string quartet. He started conducting in 1925, served for a time with the London Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic, the Covent Garden Opera. As regular conductor of the Leeds Symphony and the Scottish Orchestra of Glasgow, he has had such success that both organizations have increased their audiences measurably, extended their seasons. The Philharmonic announced these facts proudly last week. Still many were surprised that Barbirolli's engagement was for a ten-week period, wondered why he was not given a chance first to prove himself on a shorter visit.

The Russian, the Rumanian and the Mexican will come for two weeks each. Igor Stravinsky will undoubtedly concentrate on his own music which others can make sound better than he does. Georges Enesco, mentor of Yehudi Menuhin, is also best known as a composer. Mexico's Carlos

Chavez conducted in Philadelphia three weeks ago, in Boston last week. In both cities he played his own Symphony of Antigone, a dissonant piece which made the proud Sophocles heroine sound like a dull young woman who made too much noise.

Most is expected of Polish Artur Rodzinski who will have command of the season's last eight weeks. Conductor Rodzinski has made rare progress since he arrived in the U. S. eleven years ago to serve an apprenticeship as assistant to Philadelphia's Leopold Stokowski. From Philadelphia Rodzinski went to Los Angeles, created new interest in the orchestra there. For the past three years he has been in Cleveland where he has become increasingly dynamic. Besides building up the audiences for the regular symphony series he has made opera, a part of his schedule. For Cleveland's Parsifal last week visitors came from 40 cities.

To stimulate further interest the Philharmonic directors announced a prize contest last week for works to be submitted by native composers. For the best piece that requires less than 20 minutes to play the reward will be $500 and a performance under John Barbirolli. For a longer work the prize will be $1,000, a hearing under Rodzinski. To attract audiences there will be a proud list of soloists besides the five new conductors. Well do the directors realize that the public will be hypercritical at first, remembering the little white-haired Maestro who has made every performance seem like perfection.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.