MUSIC REVIEWS : GRADUATES RETURN TO DEBUT ORCHESTRA

The Young Musicians Foundation observed its 30th anniversary in behalf of musical youth with a concert by the Debut Orchestra in Royce Hall on Saturday night.

To celebrate the occasion, the first young conductor to hold the post of conductor of the Debut Orchestra was invited to return to the podium, with the first recipient of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Award as piano soloist.

The conductor was Henry Lewis, the pianist was Edward Auer, and each amply justified his original selection for honors. There are few more impressive examples of youthful American talent achieving mature professionalism.

The playing had what one optimistically expects from a young group--alertness, abundance of enthusiasm and vitality, a laudable degree of accuracy and incisiveness. At times there was even an excess of these virtues; the brass players consistently tended toward over-zealousness, and the woodwinds too often followed their example. The strings mainly were under better control.

Lewis extracted good music as well as good playing from his charges. Schubert’s modest Symphony No. 3 was now and then blown up to oversized proportions, but a Viennese spirit was always in evidence.

Debussy’s “La Mer” placed a heavier burden on the orchestra. Lewis had all the right ideas but did not always succeed in making his players execute them with a maximum of finesse. Again the lusty brass players broke ranks with too little restraint. Or could that be attributed to the acoustics of remodeled Royce Hall?

One seldom encounters a more complete grasp of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 than that of Auer. His technique serves him almost unerringly; the staggering hazards were taken in the easiest of strides. His feeling for Brahms was warm, deep, lyrical and imposing, all in the proper sequence.

Further, Auer has a gift of audience communication that is distinctly personal without violation of either the letter or the spirit. The audience cheered an engrossing performance, and the orchestra under Lewis provided an accommodating accompaniment.