Word: swoboda
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Miss Lily Dumont's performance of Beethoven's fourth piano concerto last Friday demonstrated nicely how amatcurish professionals can be. With the collusion of Henry Swoboda's ill-prepared orchestra, she made the Beethoven as uninteresting as Czerny--and sloppily played Czerny at that. From the first, she failed to make notes sound clearly. Sensing that she ought to change the pedal after once plumping it down, Miss Dumont tried to compensate for the lack of footwork by wildly revolving her shoulders. Eventually, when she did clear the pedal, she revealed her right and left hands engaged...
...Swoboda's treatment of Brahms' Symphony No. 2, in D major, was far happier. The symphony, pastoral in mood, abounds in lyrical songs and placid melodies. Brahms provokes these tunes to passion or to jubilation, depending on their humor...
...Swoboda had obviously been careful to make his players alert to the shadings of the music. But one wonders why all the effort went into this particular piece, and in particular how well advised the decision was to take it to Carnegie Hall. On the basis of the HRO's previous concert, Swoboda and his musicians deserve the trip, but what they played Friday and Saturday nights does...
...concerts are previews of the American premiere of the piece, which Swoboda and the Harvard-Radcliffe musicians will present at Carnegie Hall...
...Swoboda, who will conduct both the Carnegie Hall and the Sanders performances, joined the Harvard faculty this fall as Lecturer on Music. He is well known for his recordings with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the orchestra of the Vienna Stadtoper. He has toured widely as a guest conductor, directing performances in many of the capitals of Europe and South America...