Birthday Party
ROSSINI once complained that Beethoven was too inclined to give the listener a mighty thump in the ribs. There are many who would agree, many who find that the big orchestral works—the concertos and the symphonies, bar the 'Eroica'—pall after a time. But there can be very few who would not admit that the Missa Solennis is a towering masterpiece that one could not tire of; partly because it yields its secrets so much more slowly.
Our native conductors and choral societies have a periodic bash [sic] at the Mass, but a performance by a conductor of eminence is rare, so that it was a good choice for the Third Programme's Tenth Birthday Concert on September 29 at the Royal Festival Hall, especially so because Klemperer was per- suaded to conduct. The hall was sold out long in advance because Klemperer, at long last, has established himself with the greater musical public in London. And about time! (Even then, it has to be admitted that it is partly because, Furtwangler dead, Walter in America, the Teutonic and Jewish community has no other musical father figure.)
The successful conductor of the Mass has to be a mixture of God, Beethoven and a wizard of a bandmaster. The performance on September 30 was a success (the Saturday night public concert was repeated on Sunday afternoon in the BBC's Maida Vale studio). Saturday's performance was pretty good but the soloists were not happy and the dear old Festival Hall is terribly unhelpful to a big choral work. The acoustics flatter not, add nothing in the way of atmosphere and do not allow sounds to blend properly. Sunday's per- formance was infinitely better and all the artists seemed happier, with the possible exception of Paul Beard.
But the BBC choristers were superb on both days, sustaining the rigours, the low-lying stretches which are as tiring as the high ones in Beethoven's optimistic vocal writing, and emerging unscathed. The Corporation's orchestra played with a will but no great distinction. The soloists—Anny Schlemm, Grace Hoffman, Anton Dermota and Josef Greindl—did not do too badly, indeed, Dermota sang very well on the Sunday, but did not balance as a quartet. It was said that one of the singers arrived in this country all prepared to sing the Ninth Symphony and not the Mass. ('Are they not the same work?') All in all, though, it was thrilling and up- lifting to hear this great work directed by this great conductor. I gather that the BBC has been at him for years to do it. Why on earth does not Mr. Walter Legge organise another performance with his Philharmonia Orchestra, the same choir and a better quartet of soloists? And I honestly believe that this particular work would come off better in the Royal
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