Word: stokowskis
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...Shadow. Such a compliment is treasured in Houston as a propaganda victory in its cold war with Dallas. In the old days Dallas had all the sophistication, and Houston was a "whisky and trombone town"; the orchestra played Old Black Joe for encores. Leopold Stokowski was hired in the cultural offensive of 1955, and though he greatly improved the orchestra during his 51-year tenure, he also proved himself hopelessly alien to the strange culture of the far west. He called Houston "Hooston," and his chauffeur, in poetic inability to say "Maestro," called the boss "Moscow." When Sir John arrived...
...John thrives on Texas. He and Lady Barbirolli make do in a Texas-rococo garden apartment and his favorite photo shows him wearing a little Western tie with "GO TEXAN" written on it. The ladies all declare themselves bewitched by him ("He's so wonderful, especially after Stokowski") and turn up in high fashion for his concerts. On anniversary night last week, all were in their places to hear Sir John conduct a sparkling Cockaigne Overture, a disappointing Death and Transfiguration, a warm and distinguished Beethoven Seventh. Sir John's greying mane shook in a fury of excitement...
...play for the stereo age. They are hi-fi's first completely successful encounter with a golden age of the piano, and they come with towering endorsements from the old masters (praising the piano rolls) and from such acute modern listeners as Glenn Gould, George Szell and Leopold Stokowski (praising the records...
...Busoni?), for the sweep of genius from those halcyon days is very nearly complete. The old pianists seem far more individual and whimsical than today's players. Saint-Saens had a touch like Sonny Liston; Olga Samaroff, born Lucie Hicken-looper in Texas and once married to Stokowski, had all the percussive power of a butterfly...
...with the instrumentation of the masters to achieve the sound he wants. "You must realize," he says, "that Beethoven and Brahms did not understand instruments. Composers like Ravel, Debussy and Mozart did." Nor can he see why the high professional gloss of his new orchestra should cause surprise. Says Stokowski: "It's a misunderstanding that an orchestra must be together for a long time; some orchestras have been together for a century and still cannot play well...