The first Soviet artist of stature to perform in the U.S. since Composer-Pianist Sergei Prokofiev's visit 34 years ago is Emil Gilels, who comes as Soviet Russia's "foremost pianist." Following the "spirit of Geneva," he was admitted to the U.S. as an "official" so that he would not have to be fingerprinted under the McCarran Immigration Act. But his fingers are making an unforgettable impression on U.S. audiences.
When Conductor Eugene Ormandy asked Gilels (pronounced Gill-ells) what he wanted to play at his opening concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Philadelphia and New York, Gilels suggested: Beethoven's Third, Prokofiev's Third, the Tchaikovsky...
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