Music: Bolshoi at the Met

With the possible exception of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Russia's Bolshoi Ballet is the most extravagantly praised and least frequently viewed wonder of the world. The company's triumphant London visit three years ago (TIME, Oct. 15, 1956) marked its first appearance on a Western stage. Last week, amid box office uproar (see SHOW BUSINESS), Impresario Sol Hurok finally welcomed the Bolshoi to Manhattan for the start of a nine-week cross-continent tour. The long-awaited look was not a disappointment. But, as with many such wonders, the anticipation was somewhat more exciting than the actuality. In the initial performances at least, the visitors...