Stadium

Sparrows fluttered delightedly around the Lewisohn Stadium in 138th street, Manhattan, last week. It was the ninth generation of sparrows to hear the singing of violins, flutes, horns. The heterogeneous music issuing from the mammoth nest of human beings surprised, amused the sparrows. "Those birds," they chirped, "have big throats." After a while, Conductor van Hoogstraten raised his baton; the tuning ceased and, in perfect unison, the instruments began Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Aghast, the sparrows fled.

Not so the 10,000 men and women who had flocked, in spite of a strike of subway employees, to the giant concrete seat which lounges, fan-shaped, upward and outward from the stage. Critics and connoisseurs strained to catch the notes they knew were their due; to compare orchestral effect under the stars with that previously heard under Carnegie Hall's roof, and to remark how the conductor handled the situation. They concluded that good old Bach and the more modern composers are more elastic, hence more effective, out of doors, than is Beethoven whose masterful vibrations are too perfectly adjusted to the concert hall.

Stadium Donor Adolph Lewisohn, 77, addressed the largest opening night audience in the history of his stadium concerts; ". . . It is a satisfaction to me that such splendid results have so far been achieved. . . . We have the valuable co-operation of the Philharmonic Orchestra, which enjoys the distinction of being one of the best orchestras in the world. This season the stadium concerts will be given every night for eight weeks. Mr. Willem van Hoogstraten will be the conductor for this season and there will be three guest conductors: Mr. Stock of Chicago; Mr. Sokoloff of Cleveland; and Mr. Hadley of New York. . . . I regard it as a great privilege to be able to offer these splendid concerts at a moderate entrance fee to ever-increasing audiences."