Menuhins' concert 'cultural event of decade'
A
By Vl McPherson
To Gather festival chairman Robert Knoll the
Willa Gather centennial birthday concert is "one of
the cultural events of the decade." For the Menuhin
family, the December 7 (x.-rformance in Lincoln will
provide ne opportunity to reunite and honor their
friend Wiiid Cather.
Though Yehudi, Hephzibah arid YalUih Menuhin
all live in England, their individual concert schedules
rarely allow them tu play together. Yehudi's son
Gerald will f I here from Stanford University to be
with his p.irr..i:;. as the demands of Yehudi's
international following per.v.jt only an occasional visit
to the United SMtes.
The concert at Kimball Hall will feature Yaltah
and Hephibah playing the Mcart two-piano
concerto, and Yi hudi will perform a Beethoven violin
concerto. The vloart work seldom is performed
because of its peculiar musical demands. Beethoven's
violin concerto is the piece for which Yehudi is world
famous.
The Menuhins will be accompanied by the
Universi.-y Symphony Orchestra under the direction
of Frmnuel Wishnow. They will begin the evening's
entertainment with Weber's "Overture to Oberon."
The Menuhin family is one of the most famous
musical families of the 20ih century. Yehudi, born in
Ni'w York City in 1916, was raised in San Francisco
with his two younger sisters, Hophiribah and Yaltah,
and it was there that he made his debut as a violinist
at the acja of seven with the San Francisco Orchestra.
After travel and study in Europe, he made his New
York debut in January, 1926. In November of 1927
he made the historic appearance with the New York
Symphony wiiich so daled the critics and audience
that Olin Dowes wrote in the New York Times, "It
seems ridiculous to say that he showed a matur;
conception of Beethoven's concerto, but that is the
tact." Yehudi was eleven years old.
From this point, Yehidi was celebrated as one of
the leading violinists of his time. By 1932 he w?s
recording alburns with his sister Hephzibah. Their
first recording won the national Priz du Disque in
Franca.
Yehudi, Hephibah and Yairah were raised as
piodijies, Htfphziboh and Yaltah on the piano ,md
Yi hudi on the violin. Their early life, they way, was
one of "enclosedness." It was a life characterized by
family solidarity and intellectual discipline.
As children in New York, they became extremely
'Us 'TV v - '
W
eft
Hephzibah, Yehudi and Yaltah Menuhin
friendly with Willa Cather, who adopted them as
"godchildren." They frequently went to her New
York apartment where they rad Shakespeai c. Soon
she had become their literary tutor.
The Menuhins say that Cather opened up a world
of experience which had teen closed to them in their
environment of discipline, music and idealistic
aspiration. She took them to concerts, to the paik
and on day excursions. To them, Cather was "Aunt
Willa," and they were a family to her. In later years,
when they came to New York on the world-wide
tours which began in 1934, they immediately sought
out their friend.
According to her biographer, Edith Lewis, Cather
first "really came to know Yehudi, and he her" in
the spring of 1931 and "there began one of those
rare, devoted, and unclouded friendships. ..that
lighted all the years that followed.. .she found the two
little girls; Yaltah W3S about seven and Hephzibah a
year or two older, endlessly captivating, amusing, a ul
endearing."
Of his "Aunt" Willa, Yehudi later said, "Che was
the most wholesome person I've ever known,
crystal-puie and simple and with a sharp intelligence.
She was honest and straightforward, never shrinking
from saying things even if they hurt, so long as they
were true things and spoken with affection. She had
the strength of the American soil which she loved so
much and understood so well."
During World War II Yehudi gave more than 500
concerts throughout the world. When the war was
over, he was among the first to accept an invitation to
play in Russia, and he arranged M) bring Russian
artists, including violinist David Oistrakh, to the West.
At this time he was called "America's best
ambassador" by high officials tn the State
Department. Through the Cold War in the '60s, the
Memhins actively were engaged in bringing the East
and West into musical contact.
In recent years the Menuhin family has been
active in music education. In 1956 Yehudi began a
small, informal music festival in Gstaad, Switzerland.
As recognition for starting the annual festival which
he still directs, the Swiss government has given him
honorary citizenship.
Yehudi became director of the Bath Festival in
England in 1959. There he conducted a chamber
orchestra which he subsequently took on tour in the
United States ar.d Canada. In 1966 Queen Elizabeth
made him an Honorary Knight Commander of the
British Empire. Three years later he founded a festival
ai Windsor where, in an unprecedented gesture,
Queen Elizabeth allowed two rooms at Windsor
Castle to be used for the concert, to mark Prince
Charles' 21st birthday.
A series of films was made by Yehudi for BBC-TV
which have been on Nebraska ETV. A school which
beai s Yehudi's name was founded by the Menuhins in
Surrey in 1963. The school combines intensive
musical study with the tutoring of academic subjects.
Yehudi conducts the master classes when time
permits.
In 1971 the Menuhins appeared in a New York
Philharmonic Young People's Concert. Yehudi served
as both narrator and conductor for the performance.
The Willa Cather centennial birthday concert was
sold out two houis after tickets went on sale.
Nebraska ETV will broadcast the concert live from
Kimball Hall at 8 p.m. on Friday, December 7.
Univeisity students who do not have tickets may be
able to see the Menuhins live during their Friday
afternoon rehearsal. The Kimball Hall box office;
reports a possibility that the 2:30 practice session
may be open to students. J
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daily nebraskan
thursday, november 29, 1973
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