People, Feb. 18, 1957

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Polish-born pianist Artur Rubinstein, 68, down south in Birmingham for a concert, looked back on decades of U.S. tours, hailed the cultural progress of the nation's hinterland, parts of which were once dismissed by H. L. Mencken as "the Sahara of the bozarts." Rubinstein sees the U.S. as a sprawling oasis: "In the past 25 years this country has made more advances than some places in Europe have made in 250 years. Small towns throughout America are more receptive to fine music than old cities in France like Lyon, Marseille and Bordeaux."

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