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BEACH CITIES
SYMPHONY
ANLI LIN TONG:
LOUIS KABOK LOOKS BACK AT
BUDAPEST
PAT CHAVEZ CARRIES FORWARD
THE LEGACY OF RON & LAURETTE CHASE
2001 CONCERT SCHEDULE
ANLI LIN TONG is our
distinguished soloist on January 19. Born in Taiwan, at age nine
Anli played for and was invited to study with the late Mieczyslaw Munz at New
York's Juilliard School. Under the official sponsorship of the Taiwan Ministry
of Education, she arrived in New York two and a half years later and became the
youngest pupil in a class which included pianist Emmanuel Ax. After graduation
from the Interlochen Arts Academy,
Anli returned to Juilliard and earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees
from that institution.
Anli Tong has appeared as
soloist with the Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra,
the Bratislava Chamber Orchestra, the Suzuki Orchestra of Chicago, and the Los
Angeles Symphonic Camerata, and has collaborated extensively with other, noted
musicians in chamber music recitals. In February of 2000 she performed the West
Coast premiere of the award-winning Concertino for Piano and String Orchestra
by Taiwanese composer Kuo Chih Yuan with the Livic Chamber Orchestra, conducted
by Beach Cities Symphony Music Director Barry Brisk.
In addition to her
performance schedule, Ms. Tong maintains a private studio of select students
who have won numerous prizes in Los Angeles Area competitions, including the
Beach Cities Symphony's annual Artists of the Future concerto competition.
Currently she serves on the Board of Directors of the Music Teachers
Association of California's South Bay branch, and she has recently been awarded
a full scholarship to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts degree with Vitaly
Margulis at UCLA.
Mozart's Piano Concerto in G
Major, K. 453, was composed for his pupil
Barbara Ployer, daughter of
a court diplomat, and was first performed at her father's summer residence
outside Vienna in 1784. According to Anli Tong, who is impressively articulate
about the work she has chosen for this concert, the Concerto in G is
particularly rich in variety of styles and depth of meaning. "The first
movement is very elegant," she explains, "while the second movement
is among the more profound of the Mozart concerti." "It's the central
section of the entire work," she continues. "This movement is in a
major key, but it is very probing, very meditative and reflective. [The composer] is asking and answering
serious questions, and the ending is especially transcendent." In a final
change of mood, the third movement switches to echoes of comic opera, in
particular The Magic Flute, in a constant dialogue between soloist and
orchestra. "I love all the Mozart concerti," Ms. Tong concludes,
"but this one just has everything." And she adds a note of human
interest: "Mozart seemed a very
appropriate choice because this concert is one week before his birthday,
January 27." Be sure to join us on
January 19 to celebrate the birth of Mozart and admire the skillfully nuanced performance
of one of his most admired works.
THE BEACH CITIES SYMPHONY
PRESENTS ANLI LIN TONG
ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2000
CONCERT TIME: 8:15 P.M.
pre-concert lecture: 7:30 P.M.
See section later in this newsletter for program details
The Hungarian Revolution of
1956 was brief--a little less than two weeks beginning on October 23--but its
long-term consequences were devastating for the country. Over 25,000 Hungarians died in Budapest
alone, and another 10,000 freedom fighters were killed in the countryside by
Soviet troops. Most probably 85% of the dead fell within the 16-35 year range.
In the next six months, some 193,000 refugees fled Hungary for Austria and
Yugoslavia, approximately 70% of them below 30 years of age. With the restoration
of Soviet rule less than two weeks after the initial uprising, few refugees
returned. The demographic loss, including deportees to the USSR, was at least
250,000. This decimation to a country of only ten million people had
far-reaching qualitative implications: Hungary had bled out its youth and its
future. Eyewitness to the demonstration which became a revolution was Louis
Kabok, who has played double bass in the Beach Cities Symphony for over 20
years. A native of Budapest, graduate of the Franz Liszt Music Academy and the
Bela Bartok Conservatorium, already a professional musician of 25 with a
promising career in the Budapest Opera orchestra, he was not an active freedom
fighter like his younger brother, Istvan. However, like the overwhelming majority
of his countrymen, Lou resented the Russian occupation and its restrictions.
"We wanted to preserve our nationality, we wanted to preserve being
Hungarian," he explains. As the poems of Sandor Petofi, famed poet of the
1848 revolution against the Hapsburgs, were being publicly declaimed by
students, writers, and their sympathizers the day the protest started, Lou was
part of the crowd. The demonstrators, joined by factory workers at the end of
the day, took over broadcasting headquarters and sent their cry for help to the
free world. For more than a week the people's uprising appeared to triumph. But
on November 4 the Soviets attacked with heavy weaponry, crushing the
revolutionaries and their hopes of success. Fleeing bloodshed and chaos,
Lou escaped to Austria with two friends. They arrived at a refugee camp in
Salzburg where they stayed until January. Then, after
standing in line for a full day in freezing weather, all three filled out
applications to emigrate to the United States. In Budapest Lou had visited the
American Embassy during its weekly open house and had listened to jazz on Voice
of America broadcasts, so he felt drawn to life in the States. The three
friends were among 2,000 Hungarians who landed on New Jersey soil after
surviving a 13-day journey on the winter Atlantic. They were eventually sent to
San Bernardino, the home of their American sponsors. Lou spent his first two years in the U.S. learning English from
the radio and T.V., washing dishes at Bob's Big Boy, and saving enough money to
make a down payment on a bass and join the Musicians Union. His career in this country has been
extensive and eclectic: he has played with Gabor Szabo, Alvino Rey, Jimmy
Dorsey and other jazz musicians, and has made recordings with his own group, Advancement,
and others. He has done studio work, most recently in Fantasia 2000, has played
classical bass in a number of Southern California symphonies and chamber
ensembles, and has taught privately as well as within the L.A. School District.
He met his wife, Laura, at a symphony rehearsal, and they have been happily
married since 1980. Although at first Lou didn't think of his exile from
Hungary as permanent, the years passed and the idea of going back receded. It
was Michael, his son by a previous marriage, who by choosing Vienna for the
site of his wedding provided the impetus for a return to Europe. The ceremony
took place on September 8; four days later, on his birthday, Lou and Laura took
the train from Vienna to Budapest nearly 44 years after his hasty departure.
There he was reunited with Istvan and with his sister, Beatrix, whom he last
saw when she was only two years old. Naturally Lou noticed changes to the city
since 1956. The subway system is greatly expanded, and new buildings, including
the ubiquitous Hilton, have appeared among the old. Supermarkets have come to
Budapest, and the traditional mid-day break is disappearing as workers adopt a
more Americanized schedule. But he was more struck by what had stayed the same:
the public transportation which makes travel so much less stressful there than
here, the layout of the city, the architecture of the older buildings,
including the one in which he grew up where his brother still lives, the
farmers markets bringing in fresh organic produce from the countryside, the
statues and monuments, and of course the language. Lou was mildly shocked to
find out that in addition to having a Hungarian accent a while speaking
English, he now has an American accent while speaking Hungarian. The
disappearance of Communism and the value of the dollar in the Hungarian economy
make the idea of returning to live in Budapest attractive. For example, Lou and
Laura ate dinner nightly for a total of $3 near their apartment in Buda, and
their entire party of ten had a sumptuous restaurant meal outside the city for
$20 during their stay. With their combined social security income, Lou and
Laura would be able to live there comfortably; in fact, for this reason a
number of Hungarians have already returned to their homeland. "If it
weren't for our family members here," Laura says, "they might
consider such a move." For now, however, they are thinking simply of
another visit before too long. And Lou is clear on the priorities that brought
him here 44 years ago. Under Russian Communism, "There were restrictions
on personal freedom, on travel and speech, voicing your views. When you feel it
[censorship] on your own skin it's so devastating, you feel totally stifled. I
would be better off in this country even if I were still washing dishes."
PAT CHAVEZ CARRIES FORWARD THE LEGACY OF RON & LAURETTE CHASE
The Beach Cities Symphony
maintains ties to its past in more than one way. Charter member Bob Peterson
has played in the French horn section for fifty-one years. Principal trumpet
John Cather is the son of founding member George Cather. Pat Chavez, owner of
Manhattan Repro, represents another link to the past through her parents,
Ronald and Laurette Chase (pictured below in 1987, on their 50th wedding
anniversary), who played violin in the Symphony from 1952 to 1984. Pat
remembers attending dress rehearsals and concerts as a child; still a regular
member of our audience, she now prints the newsletter you're reading, the
flyers that announce our upcoming concerts, and the program booklets you take
home from each performance. In fact, Pat is the only member of our Advisory
Board who actually advises. Moreover, she proofreads our copy, helps us defray
printing costs through generous overruns and occasional outright donations, and
accommodates her work schedule to meet our deadlines. Manhattan Repro opened in
Manhattan Beach nineteen years ago at its present location under the
co-ownership of Pat and her father. For years Ron Chase had kept and used a
vintage letter press in his Torrance garage as a hobby. After retiring from
U.S. Steel in the late 70s, Ron suggested opening a printing business with his
daughter as partner and found what he was looking for in 1981. Pat became sole
owner. In 1985, she currently works with one employee, although she has had as
many as four. In the intervening years she has changed all the equipment except
for the paper folder. Manhattan Repro
does offset printing for small and medium-sized businesses in the Beach cities,
El Segundo, and Torrance. Its clients include insurance and loan companies,
lawyers, realtors, restaurants, churches, synagogues--and, of course, musical
groups. Pat likes the creative aspect
of running Manhattan Repro; what she doesn't like are the occasional
"People who want something today and then don't pick it up for two
weeks." Also she has learned to ask the right questions when clients
describe what they want, so that the finished product will match the mental
picture someone had in mind. Clearly she deserves the credit for the success of
her business. Her shop is a busy one, with a steady flow of customers and phone
calls. A past president of the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce, she is
still an active member. Her home life is fulfilling as well; married for
thirty-three years to Al Chavez, a loan broker specializing in construction
financing, she has one daughter, Lorelei, who will soon be graduating from Cal
Poly San Luis Obispo. Ron and Laurette Chase met in Berlin (pronounced Br lin),
New Hampshire, in an appropriately musical setting: both were playing in a
church orchestra shortly after Laurette's high school graduation. Originally
from Vermont, Laurette's family was French Canadian, and Pat recalls speaking
French at home with her mother while growing up in Berlin. The Chases and their
two young daughters moved to Torrance in 1951,
"after my father shoveled snow in late May," according to Pat.
Another motivating fact was that Ron's parents and brothers were already living
here. Through the contacts they made playing in the Beach Cities Symphony, Ron
and Laurette also played in church concerts and other music events within the
South Bay community, including the original Civic Light Opera which performed
at Redondo Union High in the '50s. Pat remembers in particular her father's perfect
pitch, exceptional sense of rhythm, and musical versatility. In addition to
violin, he also played saxophone and piano and had his own dance band back in
New Hampshire. Pat herself played flute in
the North Torrance High School band and has inherited from both parents an
enjoyment of many styles of music, from Bach and Beethoven to light opera and
Big Band-era swing. Pat remembers her parents faithfulness during the years
they played in our orchestra. "They almost never missed a rehearsal or a
concert," she recalls. And as she speculates on the reason the Beach
Cities Symphony is thriving after fifty-one years, she mentions other long-time
participants: "People who care about it and want to keep it together. As for its future, there is a need for
younger people and a way to attract them and interest them, both as musicians
and as audience members. Young people
should be exposed through their families at home and also in schools. They
should be exposed to music as a part of life."
All concerts are on Friday
at 8:15 p.m. in Marsee Auditorium at El Camino College in Torrance, California.
Pre-concert lectures begin
at 7:30 p.m.
January 19
----------
Happy Overture
Milos Raickovich
Piano Concerto No. 17 in G
Major, K. 453
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Anli
Lin Tong, soloist
Symphony No. 2 in D Major,
Op. 73
Johannes Brahms
April 13
--------
Good Friday Spell, from
Parsifal
Richard Wagner
Violin Concerto in A Minor,
Op. 53
Antonin Dvorak
Linda
Wang, soloist
Russian Easter Overture, Op.
36
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
May 25
------
An Outdoor Overture
Aaron Copland
MTAC Artists of the Future
soloists (to be announced)
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
Franz Liszt
------------------------------------------------------------
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Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 248
Redondo Beach CA 90277-0248
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Dame
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Don & Liz Fitzgerald
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