European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 11, 1947, Darmstadt, Hesse Orso by Michael Valenti Eugene who played for the big is Back in Europe with his violinist Carroll and they Are anxious to help Cement International relations former go Eugene list is a Little tired of being called Truman Potsdam pianist not that he didst get a whale of a kick out of playing command performances for the Stalin and but he finds the inference that he was an unknown prior to the occasion a trifle he also has a fixed idea that Quality of an artists performance has Little to do with the Fame of his his attractive violinist Carroll with whom he is currently making a european concert backs him up that the Way it goes with the modest Eugene and attractive is har on and off the concert they have Art a of jointly and it concerns a sort of musical one whole idea of playing in Europe is close to their miss who frequently does the talking for the puts it this Way Gene and i believe quite strongly in the Mutual understanding that International cultural relations can that Why were so Happy about playing Over there was a state department Man in Denmark who asked to please try and play it would do the a lot of we sincerely believe that american artists can do Good by playing anywhere in the neatly tailored Young artist from South who does Justice to the 200yearold Guarneri us violin she America could expedite such a but at Home they seem to be one appropriation after a school of Young artists has sprung up in the last decade in the polished and refined to a High brilliance by Competition with the scores of europeans who were washed up on the Shore of now that the can boast this bumper crop of Superior craftsmen it is miss Glenn that this Side of America be shown to the plumping hard for the musical one she Points out that that at Potsdam the big three had been entertained by Mickey Bob and a jazz the Best understood she is was a piece by and that opinion has nothing to she with the fact that her husband had a two evoking the lists Blue eyes Light up and he grins boys Fly at the mention of whatever that meeting May mean to millions of human it will always mean very special things to Eugene list the Young pianist was a staff sergeant attached to special services in he insists he had Only a vague inkling of what he was going to do when his commanding officer him he was going to Potsdam with violinist Stuart it list and who had teamed up at practically a moments notice some months earlier to substitute for Jascha went Over the scores of what they were going to play As a Piper cub sped them from Paris Tor the Rheims opera after they were paired in Many we were in Potsdam three Days before they told us we were going to play for the president and the list As soon As i heard that i was keyed Pun excited for the rest of the time i was As the big three ate and drank in the Little White around them wove melodies and phrases shaped by lists Gene was sitting at a piano on the feeling like an old time troubadour at a feast of the great president Truman pos Sibly sensed this rather Cavalier use of a concert for he dispatched a secret service Man to Tell list that he was enjoying his Gene lost any vestige of feeling that he was being neglected after finishing off a Section of the Tschaikowsky concerto in b Flat up sprang Premier a Glass of Vodka in his i would like to propose a Toast to the the russian War Leader Gene says he was flabbergasted when he was handed a Beaker of Vodka and Stalin advanced with outstretched hand to Clink glasses with we met smack in the Middle of the harking Back a Little Dazely to one of the High moments of his we drank and Stalin tossed his off at one of course i had to do then they talked Stocky War chief to the youth who might have been one of his fighters had not Louis genes emigrated from Russia to los Angeles Long Stalin told Gene his favorite composer was Gene in formed Stalin that he had been the first to perform Shostakovich piano concerto in the Stalin smiled benignly at after the conversation with Gene was introduced to president Truman and the chief executive produced a Surprise by discussing Mozart sonatas with of list knew the president played the but he had no idea that Truman was such an informed the president actually tagged the compositions by their opus something i still he praised my playing of the Chopin fantasy Impromptu and said it was his favorite piano he said i used to play it Truman also thanked list for his rendition of the Missouri which had been requested by Churchill in a Nice gesture of but the gesture almost didst come i went Back a Little on my heels when Churchill made the Gene continued on Page 22 Eugene the sergeant who played piano for the big three Carroll Glenn and her husband want a musical one world
