MUSIC RETURNS TO PARIS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 68, Issue 142, 29 March 1948, Page 6

MUSIC RETURNS TO PARIS

WORLD’S YOUNGEST CONDUCTOR PRODIGY AT ELEVEN YEARS OP AGE In spite of all the material and moral difficulties which still confront its artistic activities, Paris has beer, able to regain fairly quickly her previous prestige as judge and umpire in the European competitions which take place on the stage or concert platform, writes Emile Vuillermoz in the “Christian Science Monitor.” Troups and great international virtuosos give exceptional weight to the pleasant sound of Parisian hands clapping. And the most illustrious of spoilt children oi fame still seek this traditional accolade.

The names of Leopold Stolcowsky, Brailowski, Iturbi, Milstpin, Enesco, Yehudi Menuhin, Robert Casadesus, Lily Pons and many other stars can be found on posters. And audiences were asked to applaud the performances oi the world’s youngest conductor, a child of 11, called Pierino Gamba. Hardly had his name been mentioned before a protest Avas sent by an other Italian child who disputed hie title, saying that he did not wait for such an advanced age to juggle with the baton, since his mastery as “kap ellmeister” was evident at set^en!

There is no question of denying the existence of nature’s caprice, which is called “an infant prodigy.” Without going as far back as Mozart, music history is full of those disconcerting cases of precocious talent which put the soul of a composer or player ip the body of an inexperienced child But the cases of baby conductors are rather different.

Pierino Gamba is certainly a gifted child. He is musical, has a good memory, an excellent sense of rhythm a precise and energetic little arm With all these precious gifts, one can well imagine that he can learn the half-dozen well-known scores which make up his repertoire, and carry out the gestures which correspond to the phrases he wishes to bring to life. But all that does not make a “chef d’orchestre.”' The day a child of II can agree to put out an unknoAvn score, to have it rehearsed by music ians who have never heard it, to cor rect their inevitable mistakes, to gi\ r e them his understanding of the Avork, to build its plans, balance its harmony, measure tone and shading, and give this expert Avork of an architect the marks of his feeling and person ality, - on.that day he will be saluted as a miniature Toscanini and not a well-trained little time-beater who i 9 doing a purely spectacular exploit.