Not since Serge Koussevitzky introduced Negro Soprano Dorothy Maynor in 1939 had there been such a buzz of anticipation in the Berkshires. Six thousand musical pilgrims, who had bought their tickets weeks in advance, sat shivering in Tanglewood's Music Shed. Outside, in the chilly evening, another 2,000 huddled in the dew-covered grass. They were gathered to hear the U.S. premiere of Dmitri Shostakovich's new Ninth Symphony.
Russia's 39-year-old Composer Shostakovich himself had disarmingly described it as "a merry little piece. Musicians will love to play it and critics will delight in blasting it."
Dr. Koussevitzky, who is always enthusiastic about new things...
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