Ravinia's Fifth Week

Chicago Daily Herald
July 21, 1968

The Ravinia Festival continues to present a wide spectrum of the performing arts during its fifth week, July 22 through 28.

Micheál Mac Liammhóir, considered among the greatest of Irish actors, will impersonate Oscar Wilde in a second fascinating performance of "The Importance of Being Oscar" at Murray Theatre tomorrow (Monday) evening.

Distinguished American composer-conductor Aaron Copland will conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Tuesday evening, in a festive program of American Music. His soloists will be bass- baritone William Warfield, singing Copland's "Old American Songs" and Donald Peck, flutist, performing Griffes' "Poem for Flute and Orchestra."

Internationally-renowned folk singer Theodore Bikel and young Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell will share the concert Wednesday evening, July 24.

Guest conductor Alfred Wallenstein will be on the podium for the Thursday evening symphony program when pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy makes his solo debut at Ravinia. Ashkenazy was the joint first prize winner in the Second Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1972 and has received enormous praise on his concert tours of North America, Europe, and Israel. He will perform Beethoven's Concerto for Piano No. 4, G Major.

The 1968 "Mod Night" attractions next Friday, July 26, will be Harpers Bizarre and The Lemon Pipers, two of the current top groups in the popular field. Harpers Bizarre, who achieved fame with their first national hit record "59th Street Bridge Song", were the first group to make "soft, warmly groovy" music the "in" sound.

The Lemon Pipers, whose big hit was "Green Tambourine", perform folk ballads, "soul", psychedelic, blues, country and western, and write much of their own material.

On Saturday night, Antal Dorati will conduct the Chicago Symphony in a program featuring French pianist Nicole Henriot-Schweitzer. Mme. Schweitzer will play Saint-Saëns' Concerto No. 3 in its first performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

The World Youth Symphony Orchestra from National Music Camp at Interlochen, Mich., will present a contemporary music program at the Sunday afternoon, July 28, "Four O'Clocks" concert conducted by George C. Wilson. The World Youth Symphony also will perform for the Saturday morning, July 27, Young People's Program.

Next Sunday evening, July 28, at 7:30, Ravinia will present Orson Welles' spectacular production of "Falstaff" ("Chimes at Midnight"), with a distinguished international cast, ineluding Jeanne Moreau, Margaret Rutherford, John Gielgud, Marina Vlady, and Keith Baxter.