By David Amos
SAN DIEGO — In my last column, I made reference to the passing of Peter Eros, the conductor of the San Diego Symphony during the 1970’s and first part of the 80’s. I attended the memorial service which was held in his home town of Seattle, and promised to let you know of a similar program to be held in San Diego. Here it is:
The celebration of life for Peter Eros will be held on Sunday, October 12, 2:00 p.m., at the Chapel at California Cremation and Burial, located at 5880 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, 92115. (619) 234 3272. This is very close to SDSU, about three blocks west of College Avenue.
Following the service, there will be a reception at another location. You can receive directions after the memorial. If you were touched by Peter Eros, either as an audience member or more directly as a musician during his time in our city, the family would appreciate your presence and good wishes.
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You probably already saw it. But if you have not, call the San Diego Repertory Theatre and get your tickets to see The Pianist of Willesden Lane. (619) 544 1000. The show may be in its last week. This is a one woman theatre piece, where the actor not only acts, but is a very accomplished concert pianist and plays many classical excerpts which you will recognize and enjoy.
It is the story of a young woman, Lisa Jura, age 15, who was whisked out of Vienna to Britain with the encouragement of her parents in 1938 through the Kindertransport, the project called The Movement for the Care of Children in Germany , which saw 10,000 children saved from the Holocaust. Lisa, a young, promising pianist received one instruction from her parents, who she would never see again: “Hold on to your Music!”. The scenes move from Vienna to London, to the English countryside, where Lisa through her music, overcame many obstacles and triumphed against many odds.
The actor playing Lisa Jura, is none other than Lisa’s own real-life daughter, Mona Golabeck. As I mentioned, her dramatic acting, impersonating other voices, and her virtuosic but sensitive playing made for one magnificent performance. This play was directed and adapted by Hershey Felder; we know of his memorable theatre portrayals of famous composers. His stamp was all over this work, and that was a strong positive.
My only twinge of unhappiness was not from the stage, but from the audience. Yes, most seats were filled, the theatre goers were silent and respectful, and enthusiastically applauded at the right times. What was wrong? The audience was comprised of mostly older people who obviously sympathized with the subject, as thorny as it was, and loved the beautiful music. It became a ‘comfort piece”. This is pretty much like “preaching to the choir”. I wish that this play would have been promoted more to a larger segment of the public, where it could have become more of a learning experience about the Holocaust and an introduction to great music and its value to modern societies.
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A couple of weeks ago I saw in the ARTS Cable Channel a short video of the late pianist Van Cliburn performing to a loving audience at the Great Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. I did a recording there, conducting an orchestra in 1994, and this video brought warm memories to me, and a few puzzling questions.
Here we have Van Cliburn, who conquered the musical world in 1958 by winning the First Prize at the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in this same hallowed hall. He went on to have a very successful career doing recordings, recitals and concerts with orchestras for decades. He played for every U.S. president, from Truman to Obama, and has a continuing piano competition named after him. After the triumphant 1958 Competition, he was given a ticker tape parade in New York, and he still stands as the only classical musician to receive such an honor. I was surprised that he died in 2013, and even more surprised that he was 78 years old! Where does the time go?
He was truly a magnificent pianist. But can we mention his name among the greatest pianists who ever lived? Probably not. And why is that? Maybe, as good as he was, he did not bring true and lasting innovations to the interpretations of the great masterpieces. He did not promote newer music, and rode of the popularity bandwagon, playing extraordinarily well but that was it. We can include on this list the names that immediately come to mind, Rubinstein, Horowitz, Richter, and others; but these greats gave fresh insights into their playing which distinguished them from so many others.
I had one ridiculous almost-encounter with Cliburn. He was performing with the San Diego Symphony in the 1970’s, I believe under the baton, incidentally, of Peter Eros. My father (z’l) myself, and another gentleman had a short, late business dinner at the downstairs coffee room of the Westgate Hotel. We arrived at the restaurant, and behind the reception desk was a man at the telephone wearing a tuxedo. When the call was completed, my father approached him and asked for a table for three. The man responded politely that another person there would seat us. When we sat down, I told my father “Congratulations. You just asked for a table from Van Cliburn!”.
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Amos is conductor of the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra and has guest conducted professional orchestras around the world. He may be contacted via david.amos@sdjewishworld.com