MR HUGO LARSEN

Evening Star, Issue 21216, 24 September 1932, Page 23

MR HUGO LARSEN

A CONNOISSEUR IN STARS An impressario does not learn his job from text books or a correspondence course. Mr Hugo Larsen, the tallyoung Danish-Australian, who is managing the world tour of Josef Szigeti, the Kreisler-like Hungarian violinist, has been drawn to the work as if it bad magnetised him. Born at Copenhagen, he began life as an engineer with the Groat Northern Cable Company, but when it would have transferred him to its works in Siberia for ten years be left the old world for the now. Ju South Australia ho worked on a sheep station and then in an Adelaide factory. Devoted to music, though only a listener, he attended every worthy musical performance. But something was wrong, ho thought. The. stars of the old world, in their prime, did not come to Australia to shine, or, if they did, they gave scanty programmes. If only he could alter alt that! A chance came, and ho went to America in 1920 as manager for Margarcte Matzcuauer. the famous contralto of the Metropolitan, New York. To-day he is in the first flight of entrepreneurs. Promise Fulfilled. Last year, when ho brought out Peter Dawson and Mark Hambourg together,

he promised that he would come again with a bright particular star. Szigeti is the fulfilment of that vow. And there will be many others.