CONCERT IMPRESARIO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27039, 25 March 1949, Page 6

CONCERT IMPRESARIO

HINTS OF THINGS TO COME MR LEVITOFF PASSES BY “ These planes—they are so small. I am not used to such small machines.” This comment referred to the Dominie aircraft on the run to Invercargill, and was made with evident surprise by Mr Alexander Levitoff, a wellknown Australian concert artist impresario, to the Daily Times yesterday afternoon. Mr Levitoff had been travelling south with the concert pianist, Isador Goodman, but he had found it necessary to break the journey in Dunedin and continue to Invercargill with some of their luggage by rail. Mr Goodman flew directly to Invercargill. “Always I have a lot of luggage,” said Mr Levitoff, who speaks with typically Continental accent and phraseolop’-. “I am coming here on a Constellation or something, and here I find this tiny plane—so small! ” It is some years since Mr Levitoff last visited Dunedin, although many concert artists have been here on tours under contract to the impresario. His major triumphs were perhaps the tours of Pavlova and of the Don Cossack Choir. Mr Levitoff was not certain who his next artists might be, but he mentioned a Russian singer who might come to New Zealand for a very brief tour later in the year. “You will not know her—here name is not known,” he said. “But she is in world class —you will see.” His air of mystery deepened, and he dropped a somewhat tantalising hint of a still greater attraction which he would probably be bringing to New Zealand about the end of the year. “ Something which has never before been here,” said Mr Levitoff. What was it? Mr Levitoff would say no more than a cryptic yet meaningful “Ah! ” What it may be remains to be seen. In the meantime Mr Levitoff had more pressing business. “ I must go,” he raid. “The taxi is waiting below, the train at the station, and Mr Goodman in Invercargill.” And so Dunedin concertgoers were left with an entrepreneural mystery.