Maestro of Philadelphia

New Zealand Listener, Volume 34, Issue 873, 27 April 1956, Page 30

Maestro of Philadelphia

-_UGENE ORMANDY, maestro of the -. famed. Philadelphia Orchestra, once told an interviewer he "was born in New York City ‘at the age of 22." By this‘he did not mean to deny his youthful career in Europe, but rather to dramatise in a phrase his affection for his adopted country, Actually Ormandy, who has _ conducted America’s most travelled orchestra for nearly 20 years, was born 57 years ago in Budapest, Hungary, His music-loving father named him Jeno (Hungarian for Eugene), in honour of the famous Hungarian violinist Jend {Hubay. A diminutive one-eighth size

violin was tucked under his chin when he was little more than a baby. At five he was entered in the Royal Academy of Music in Budapest. A pupil of Hubay by the time he was nine, he leartied with such rapidity that he soon was Teady to make a_ successful concert debut. At 15 he received his State diploma as a violinist, and his professional diploma three years later, From then on he varied teaching at the State Conservatory with concert tours as a virtuoso violinist until, at the age of 22, he was encouraged by the promises of an enthusiastic but impractical Hungarian. manager professing to know

American taste to undertake a tour in the United States, This was the answer to a long-held dream, and Ormandy acted on the suggestion as soon as he could. He spent most of his savings on his passage, and arrived in the United States full of hope and enthusiasm, eager to make the dream a reality. In the meantime, the "manager," dismayed perhaps by his own rashness, had vanished. Ormandy was in a strange country, without funds and without friends. Jobs were scarce and concert tours, for unknown violinists, non-existent. After a few weeks he accepted the only available offer-a job in the violin section of a motion picture theatre orchestra, For a less gifted musician and a less resolute personality, this could have meant artistic suicide; but Ormandy was able to meet this challenge as he has met others subsequently. On the credit side of this first engagement was the fact that it was with the Capitol Theatre, then the leading moving-picture house in New York, and one that was famous for its zood music, : | Ormandy spent eight years with this orchestra, all but one of them in the capacity of conductor. By giving some 28 performances a week, with a weekly change of score, he built up a prodigious repertoire, and acquired performance training similar to that which an actor gains in a stock company, In his limited leisure time he studied unceasingly. Among other things, he was able to gain admittance to rehearsals of the New York Philharmonic, During .the great years when that orchestras was under the baton of Toscanini, young (continued on next page)

Ormandy, score in hand, sat far back in the darkened auditorium listening and absorbing, All the while Ormandy’s abilities were maturing and were receiving both public and critical recognition. He became one of radio’s first important conductors; he was recording for leading phonograph companies; and he was frequently invited as guest conductor for Summer concerts at the Lewisohn Stadium in New York City and Robin Hood Dell in Philadelphia. The great opportunity which took him out of the popular entertainment field and gave him his true place as an outstanding musician and conductor came in 1931. Toscanini, scheduled for a series of guest performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, was taken ill. Various conductors were sought as a substitute, but one after another declined, fearing that unfavourable comparison with Toscanini might damage their reputations. The offer was made to Ormandy and even his manager advised refusal. Ormandy agreed there was no substitute for the great maestro, but he also believed in his own powers, and again, it was not in him to refuse a challenge. The response of the Philadelphia audiences’ was unexpectedly favourable. Perhaps they did not have the Toscanini they had paid to hear, but they had Ormandy at his best, and that was sufficient reward. ‘Ormandy’s success in Philadelphia brought him an immediate offer to conduct the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. He remained with this orchestra for five years, during which time he established himself as a conductor of the first rank, In 1936 Leopold Stokowski decided to limit his conducting activities with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Ormandy was asked to come to Philadelphia as co-director. Two years later, when Stokowski resigned, there was much Speculation as to the choice of the next conductor. Several world-famous _ conductors, William Furtwangler among them, sought the Dost, which was a coveted one, both from the standpoint of prestige and remuneration. But Philadelphia audiences knew what they wanted. They were not seeking a "name" conductor; they preferred the energetic young Eugene Ormandy, whose musicianship and great gifts had already been amply demonstrated.

To realise the importance of this appointment one must know that the Philadelphia Orchestra is among the first three orchestral groups in the United States. Musical excellence alone is responsible for its great prestige, but other factors have assisted in extending its fame. To begin with, it is America’s most travelled orchestra, having travelled more than 1,200,000 miles since it was organised in 1900, and has played more concerts in more different citivs and countries than any other symphony orchestra in the world. Additional renown has come through phonograph recordings. It was the first orchestra to make phonograph recordings (1917) under its own name and conductor. Since that time more than 46,000,000 records bearing the Philadelphia label have been sold in the United States alone. It was also the first established orchestra to have sponsored broadcasts over a nationwide network. In 1948 it was the first orchestra to be televised, This distinction was obtained only by

-_ ‘ the barest of margins since Arturo Toscanini and his NBC Orchestra appeared before the television camera one hour and a half later the same evening. The people of Philadelphia take great price in their orchestra and its director Eugene Ormandy. And the affection and respect he feels for the orchestra have been demonstrated frequently by the answer he gives to other organisations who have sought his services. He simpl says: "But who would want to leave the Philadelphia Orchestra?"