I was prevented from getting to the first half of this concert, which, with the tough though splendid Prokofiev concerto with Helene Pohl, would obviously have been the highlight. But Borodin is no stroll through the birch forest either. The Prokofiev concerto had an interesting provenance, as the composer later recounted: "The number of places in which I wrote the concerto shows the kind of nomadic concert-tour life I led then. The... read more

The year’s programme which this concert inaugurated, has been most interestingly designed; with aspects that should kindle the interest of newcomers, of which I imagine there were many, as well as those more familiar with the orchestral repertoire. This was achieved by the brilliant device of offering all six concerts for $108, or $18 each, so filling the auditorium.  I’m sure this is an example of the sophisticated economic phenomenon: 'Less... read more