Reformátusok Lapja, 1971 (71. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1971-02-01 / 2. szám
12 REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA STEPHEN KECSKEMETHY ON THE CONCERT STAGE Standing Ovation for a Young Hungarian-American Violinist Stephen Kecskemethy, resident concertmaster of the Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra, younger son of the Reverend and Mrs. Joseph Kecskemethy, gave a brilliant rendition of Bruch’s “Scottish Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra” at the Decemebr 8 gala concert of the Symphony. The notices were lavish in praising the talented soloist. The Maine Sunday Telegram wrote: “Stephen Kecskemethy, the POS’s permanent and resident [praise be for both!] concertmaster . . . did magnificent justice to the material. His bow fetched forth some of the loveliest sounds of the evening. He brought a lovely limpid tone to the adagio cantabile opening movement, a rollicking spirit to the allegro second, where the Scottish stuff really starts, and great luster to the andante sostenuto third with its lovely counterpoint on the simple old airs. In the allegro guerriero finale he had some splendid pianissimo work before finishing things off with a wild coda. The Bruch work is an odd mixture of the spirits of Caledonia and Mitteleuropa, an almost ingenuously weird mixture. But in the hands of Kecskemethy it came off grandly.” The Portland Gazette reported: “The decision to present Kecskemethy as a soloist was a happy one for he is obviously capable, he makes a striking figure and he hugely enjoys the role of soloist ... he did so well that at the end he obtained a standing ovation.” The young artist’s great performance might have been a pleasant surprise to the reviewers, but for us who knew Pityu from childhood, it was no surprise, this is exactly what we expected of him. The inspiration of a family hopelessly in love with music (father: cimbalom, mother: piano, brother: violin) sowed the seeds in the soul of a boy of 8, which sprang into such beautiful harvest in the mature art of the man of 26. But talent and inspiration are only half of a real artist’s secret, the other half is determination and near ascetic discipline: hard work, in other words. This determination appeared unmistakably in the young boy and enabled him to persevere till his CALVIN SYNOD COUNCIL MEETING NEW YORK, N. Y. FEBRUARY 22-23 isi ■ CALVIN SYNOD MEETING BUFFALO, N. Y. APRIL 26-28 Stephen Kecskemethy (second from left) at the reception following the Concert. dream came true. Winning the Washington regional audition of the American String Congress at 15, invitation to the International String Symposium at 16, years of study, practice and finally graduation cum laude from one of the top music schools of the land, the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, solo appearances with the Rochester Philharmonic and various civic and college orchestras were all stepping stones toward the fulfillment of a career so rich with further promises. Last year he helped organize the Portland Symphony String Quartet which is touring the country and will undoubtedly appear in cities with a concentration of Hungarian-Americans. We should not miss the occasion. Pityu! we are proud of you and — Godspeed! Andrew Hamza Peter Biro & Sons, Inc. INSURANCE—REAL ESTATE AIRLINE & STEAMSHIP RESERVATIONS 109 FRENCH ST. NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. 846-1000
