Music: The Eye Does It

The pews had been pushed aside to make room for the 90 or so chairs and music stands. Microphones arched overhead on long, angled booms. It was not the usual look of the West Ham Central Mission, a turn-of-the-century Methodist church in London's East End, but it has excellent acoustics and is sometimes used for recording sessions. Concertmaster Sidney Sax gave the signal for the orchestra to tune up. Then, from a double door, the frail, stooped figure began a slow walk to the podium, his right hand gripping a sturdy cane, his left...

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