The Montreal Star from Montreal, Quebec, Canada • 22

HWVil 4mw 'V it Jf'i vj4 2rr THE MONTREAL STAR FRIDAY NOVEMBER 15 Music French Theatre Rideaii Vert Pianist Composer In Local Recitals Presents 1 The author ha fashioned a first art rich in implication and dramatic possibilities Edwige is a crippled girl of 23 who has lived in a convent for fifteen years Now tha Mother Superior feels that it ia time for her to put her imagination and business ability to the test of tha outside world Edwige is given a job in a large concern falls In love with the ion becomes a partner in the firm through skill and drive and finds years later that her lover ia more emotionally crippled than he ia physically This theme while far from novel could be nude interesting especially since the play purpose and expression to the tala of the cripple In society This failure to motivate 'the characters result in' that absence of elan without which one cannot distinguish between live theatre and television and the clash of ideals and passions in "Edwige" sound hollow end contrived The women have the best parte and they make the most of them Yvette Brind'Amour eonveyi with every gesture the suffering end the bitterness of Edwige the girl become for a while tho women who know love end then is willing to give it up Denise St Pierre is vivacious end adorable as sister Angelica She also steals every acene in which she appears Tania Fedor as tha Mother Superior Paul Gury as tha kindly businessman and Gerard Poirier is tha romantic suitor are the other mein characters but the author hae not brought them-to life There are constant hints of sophistication which remain hints and lack subtlety wright Mags in aub-plote about the cun rent the war and the problems 'of displaced children 1 1 Unfortunately the second end third acts do not fulfill the promise of tho beginning and the denouement never swerves from tho inevitable tragedy implied in the opening scenes The capable and firm direction by- Guy fieaulne and Yvette cannot disguise the thinness of the material The attractive decor by Jean only serves to accentuate the glossy exteriors of the characters Maurice Gagnon has good ear for dialogue and definite flair for the conversational byplay between people The craftsmanship the first act is fully professional In its movement and the portrayal! of Edwige and the young slater Angelica is warm and understanding However the other members of the story lack the rounded delineation that would give RDWIGR A rnait a In dint uta on four now bp Mauftao Ombob Pitaontod at tbo Own bp tin KUwi Von TboBlro Olrocod bp Gup BmuIIm on Tvoito Erlnd-Aaiour IX cor bp Zona COnsp And with fo-Jowtnf cbm: Motbtr auBtrior Hitt Pador lour AmtaUra Doo lx at Ptorro Jboquoo Konaud Pool uurp Edwiao Dupro Yvacto Brlnd-Amour Jobb-LooIo RcBiud Gerard Polrior JUdwr Rena Ouollot fMorsoo Buttoa Jou-Luuii Perm Monioua Ln tour Ionia Amlyarana Itoao Luo Ulo Dooproo By LAWRENCE SABBATH IST night the Rideau Vert Theatre presented at the Gesu "Edwige" the first in its aeries of original playi by French Canadian playwrights This three-act dramatic comedy by Maurice Gagnon hae its momenta of emotional power and pleaeant humor pieces for a variety of instruments and songs Last night in Redpath Hall Mr Ryterband invited by the Montreal Jewish Musie Council to present a cross- ection of hia musie to the public in tha first their the Composer" series Ryterband is a prolific composer and it seems to me that none of the large number of pieces listed above was played tha earlier recital If there a duplication I was unable to detect it While he appears to have acquired considerable facility number of styles and idioms a seem to he drawn particularly towards the Belgian (Cesar Franck and Joseph Jengen) French schools In spite of the preponderance of melancholy or nostalgic titles in his output Ryterband never allows the musie acquire any discernible weight and the language in which his message is delivered never impresses itself on the of the listener as harsh or unpleasant in fact it sometimes errs in the other direction Although I was unable to stay for the whole performance the eight items in the first half of the concert combined with the earlier experi- Canadian Actor in New Film Martha Hyer and Donald Iiarron in a scene from Rest of which opens at today Mr Harron a former Canadian Stratford Shakespearean was last seen locally on the stage at Her Majesty's in Back in Anger" ence seemed sufficient to give a well-defined gifts It would be difficult to give credit to each of tha musicians OANTEL AMtAMS INIV fti raetid lor too LtiM1 Morning Jluax! tho RiU fintaa Hull minor rnaH Hi mala opua Jin 1 Raadiawa Van now RarwuiM apin' MarlEanhB -Hr "caflia" TUnn By ERIC Mr LEAN' YOUNG American pianist of more than usual talent made hit tint Montreal appear-nee at the Ladiea Horning Musical Club yesterday afternoon Daniel Abrama not only baa speed and accuracy but he has the musical Intelligence which gives the first two at tainments meaning Hia choice of music for this recital refleets an enquiring mind and an unwillingness to follow conventional patterns The Purcell Suite may have been played in Montreal before but it was either long ago or the performance was so unimpressive that memory refused to record It In the hands of Daniel Abrams however the work was dearly outlined and the composers arguments strongly presented so that recollection should be an easy matter The slower movements were perhaps a little too heavily ornamented for the piano (this sort of thing would be appropriate in the 'harpsichord original) but the lines were kept dean and the quicker movements were given an admirable drive The youthful Beethoven sonata (opus 2 No 3 in C) was -a welcome change from the usual round of the last half -dozen late works The piece -tails for technical brilliance -aiid a sense of dramatic con- -trast both of which it received i Tin full measure from the soloist In the slow movement 'however there was a certain dryness in the sound and an angularity in the phraaing which struck me as inappropriate This after all was one of the first truly romantic adagios Beethoven wrote From the choice of tempo in Variations ficrieuses I would Judge that -Abrama has either listened deal to the Horowitz re-n'-cording or else this is an instance of the meeting of minds Certainly nothing in the text Suggests that if should be played at such break-neck speed nor that the dynamic should he made to -dramatic It can be done this of course and I remember how breathtaking it was in the Horowitz version but to come oA it must be letter perfect which it was not in yes-! performance In Turina'a villa" Abrams fluent feettiique and finely j4h balanced rhythmical sense was 'given fullest play and the suite provided dazzling finale for this impressive debut As encores Abrams offered 's' fleet performance' of Mendelssohn's minor Scherzo anci fingercracking Toccata of his cwn composition Program Presents Ryterband Works HZZI1 TH COMPOSER tM tint of 1 projacUd actloo at frofram dorotot to tbo of a (Insto oonpoMr ind Pomona hy tin Xontnal Jrwfrti Mimic Council and tho Cuadlaa Jowiah Cob- erotic tn RrdpcUt Ucn TSc program woo devoted to tfet worke at Knew RjrtorVand and Owe Uktns part tn tin norfotmasat war Cntotto Baler end Bolra UMwSurr topranoo: Koaor Tioucet toiHir: Allan Pino ban: Ibwene Kaoh vlnUnltt: Andre Micnanh 'wlllrt Zoaao Pllon borpmt: Cbarte Rxnar Eamat and tho mmyoaor Ronaa rurband plontot Trlptyeur Contenpaealn 'cello and plana Dens Lladrr: "Brin do was of in was in and to ear 1 1 i I I Old "Jt EUlO Hid EC BBTSh" oosbabb Sonata Ms I In minor BUM Two Ntfio MrNualo: Sor- VETt" EBtl SO BUI EO tBOB Vhrw Hal-ww Sonic: VmrW Tanr Softly pm" A Bnoo tor tao-Hala" and "Coono uuuly with DtKzht" Ad at OMob Thaot" and "At SIMM ftmaatti tho Falmo klry Boor an tho BuUarfly" O-Vt "Moonlit NWht" taaor "IMn -mo S'Awiour'" ooftans Itmnwr" "Tho Joyful MaMrr" an violin Bad am i FEW years ago I was invited fo a private recital by a Polish-bora composer who had recently arrived in Canada by way of Switzerland Hia name was Roman Ryterband and the program covered a wide range of Ms compositions including chamber work aoln HOPE IM-STEPHEN BOYD -SUZY PARKER (E BAKER BRIAN AHE MARTHA HYER MARIO LANZA i -JOHANNA von KCK1ZIAN hurt kasznar kahs sohnker cZSA ZSA GABOR: mmm Now Showing ran Hi -w u1- Vh.