Ten years ago a pale young Hungarian violinist playing in the orchestra at Manhattan's Capitol cinemansion, applied to Conductor Willem Mengelberg for the job of assistant concertmaster with the New York Philharmonic, was refused. The refusal proved fortunate for young Eugene (English for Jeno) Ormandy. Not long afterwards the sudden illness of the Capitol conductor gave Ormandy a chance to show that he could conduct Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony from memory. Eugene Ormandy was leading a radio orchestra when he was called upon last year to pinch-hit for Conductor Arturo Toscanini whose...
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