6, ENTERTAINMENT, THE HERALD, Wed. Ava. 1, 1976 SOUNDS Boris Brott likes being in charge. He thinks big. His ‘ideas are flamboyant but make a lot of sense. He can be ‘maddening and brash and get stick-in-the-muds’- blood pressure shouting from the top of the scale, but . he’s never arrogant. And no matter how far out his. suggestions are, they usually work. He moves and thinks with moon-shot speed, and you have to race to keep up with him. Not surprisingly he had an ulcer at 21. For years he’s been one of the busiest, most: in- novyative, energetic and youngest conductors in Canada. Over a year ago at 31 he became conductor of the CBC Winnipeg Orchestra, the CBC’s major house or- . chestra, and for the last seven. years he’s been musical director..of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. He has a third ‘job, as conductor of the BBC ‘Welsh Orchestra. He and the . STEAM carpet cleaner EX + e _ Steamink solivang catty this seal \ ao © 1976S Flog Systems. Inc STEAMEN's a Registered Serce A Trade Matk STEAMEX utdues the Hai Water Exvactan Process rincipal . LIKELY ; | by JUNE GRAHAM: musical groups he’s taken over have cut through tradition and stuffiness with gleeful abandon, but without ever talking down to their audiences. They’ve done it because of Brott's zestful, intense personality, his extraordinary ability to cope and coax, his justified musical assurance, his remarkable business’ sense and publicity panache, his kookie advertising ideas, and - the self-respect he’s given his orchestra. He drives a motorcycle and fast, slinky cars, cooks to perfection, is an excellent . photographer, dresses in up- tempo style, and gets along well with people of all ages ‘ and backgrounds. He turns’ them on, makes them feel they were something until] he hove in sight. He’s been one of Canada’s most eligible bachelors. But that will change in Montreal on August. 27 when he and his cello-playing brother, Does your carpet { ? look like Santa’s reindeer stayed the night? — ' Clean it faster and beHer for duly.. a Peavey company ( "> USE OUR HANDY DRIVE THROUGH WINDOW. — ONE HOUR : (CLEMUTIZUING THE UTMOST IN DRY CLEANING _/? — RICHARD CLEANERS ; SHIRTS IN BY 12, OUT BY 4.:. \. OPEN S:30 TOG pm. - _ 635-5 11 9 pposite Pon Othe an ® Do it yourself and save! ® Jet action (penetrates ta toosen graund-in dirt and ald shampoo-@) then sucks it out @ ta beautify carpet! @ Dries quickly, = - ® For rental location near you, A od missing . girls in a double ceremony: _ Musical fame runs in the Brott family. Boris and Denis are sons. of distinguished Montrealers: composer-conductor Alexander Brott, founder and director of the McGill Chamber Orchestra, and Lotte Brott, a cellist with the Montreal Symphony. When I heard about the double weddidng, I phoned Alexander Brott for details. He said he and Mrs. Brott were “‘very happy about the engagements. They are both lovely girls. Boris is marrying Ardyth Webster, and Denis is marrying Julie Fraser, After the wedding Lotte and I are giving a luncheon for them. Then the following day in Hanfilton the four parents of the brides’ are giving a recep- tion and dinner.” I first met Boris Brott six years ago, when I was on a freelance assignment for a magazine that wanted a long cover story about him. We arranged to meet for dinner in Hamilton. But as usual Boris had to be in several places. at once, and . rang back to say he’d forgotten an important hospital board meeting he had to attend, so we decided _to. meet in the hospital lounge: at 7. That evening was like one of those old Keystone Cops movies. ‘| waited three quarters of an hour and was fuming when he ran up breathlessly, his -mop of wiry electrified hair looking as if it was tuning in to igseveral space capsules while he directed the latest stellar probe. His charming smile wiped away my an- noyance. I wrote fast as his quick, . assured voice brought me up to date on his* . childhood. Then ‘he said: “T’'ll be back,” and made a swift dive in the direction of the meeting. A quarter of an -hour later he dashed back, beginning exactly .where he’d left off in mid-sentence, CIRCUS-CIRCUS «CASINO Us vecss = et ad -chestra, | conduct ‘and starting to talk almost before "he was in hearing distance. I wrote furiously. Again he hurried back to the meeting, and so it went all evening, with this skinny, intense young man with the bright eyes and quick smile erupting from the boar- droom; talking a mile a minute, and racing back in every quarter hour or so. Others in the lounge began to eye us curiously, ex- changing smirks and raised eyebrows. The next time Boris burst out of the meeting he remembered I hadn’t eaten and insisted on buying me a meal in the cafeteria. He didn’t bother with anything for his ulcer, but kept up a fascinating conversation enroute and through the meal. -I desperately tried to take full notes wesped downstairs and I gobbled my food. At the end of the evening Boris’ suggestions had made the board meeting a great ‘success, I had 65 pages of notes for a dandy story, a sore right hand, indigestion, and memories of one of the craziest and most delightful interviews I ever conducted. You'll have a chance to hear both Boris Brott’s Canadian orchestras several times this month. On CBC Concert Hall, Friday, August 13th on AM at 2:30 (3 Nfld.) he’ll direct the CBC Winnipeg Or- with cellist Leonard Rose as soloist. They”ll play From a Dif- “ferent Country for ‘brass quintet and orchestra by Rober Turner; and Cello Concerto in B monor by Dvorak. (Hear on FM Tuesday, August 17, 10 p.m., 10:30 Nfld.) In the Regional Orchestras series on Friday, August 13 on FM at 1:03 p.m. (1:33 Nfld), he'll the Hamilton Philharmonic Virtuosi in a performance of Symphony No. 2 by Beethoven. (on AM Saturday, August 14, at 9:30 p.m., 10 Nfld.) He'll ‘be ‘1 BIRECT FROM Gage ’ BiG TOP * A GLITTERING, GLAMOROUS ARRAY OF SPANGLELAND’S GREATEST TALENT “SHOW TIMES OLD GATHOLIC CHURCH GROUNDS Saturday Aug. 14-2p.m. &7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15 -.2 p.m, 5-7526 ADMISSION _ Children ; Advance - $t.25 Gate - $1.50 Adults . Advance - $2.5) | Gate - $2.75 “Sponsored by Terrace Elks “9° heard in the same series again on his. wedding day,- August 27° (FM) in a. program recorded. earlier -with the Virtuosi, and the _ Canadian Brass as soloists. (On AM- August 28). Boris Brott is used to pleasing big audiences. As a five-year-old violin prodigy - he made his debut with the Montreal Symphony. But-at- 12 he was giving up music to become an architect. After a while that idea paled, too. When Boris was 14, a con- - ductor dining with the Brotts suggested be become a conductor. The elder Brotts laughed. Boris said: “Good idea,’ and never looked back. He studied on scholarship with Igor Markevitch in Mexico City, won the Pan American Conductors’ competition, founded the Philarmonic Youth Orchestra in Mon- treal, and at 16 was un- derstudying Pierre Monteus at the famous conductor’s invitation, At 19 he was assistant conductor of the Toronto Symphony. He hasn't paused for. breath since. . For four years he con- ducted the Northern Symphonia in Newcastle, England. Whenhetook over, ithad an audience of 600 and a deficit of $100,000. He left in debt-free, with. 2,300 subscribers, and an in- ternational reputation. And he had combined that giant undertaking with being assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic and later conductor of the Thunder Bay Symphony, music director of the Royal Ballet in London, and guest conducting all over. the world! Dashing about bringing new excitement to music, musicians and music-lovers is the stuff. of life to him. Wherever this extraordinary young man goes, he makes headlines . and happy smiles at the box _ office. (@, Grand Hotel H Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Bros. willjoin § forces to bring to the screen a star-studded and com-- pletely new contemporary s version of ‘‘'Grand Hotel,’’ it - | fwas announced ‘jointly recently by Daniel Melnick, — ae Senior Vice President and~ s Worldwide Production for MGM and: - - Head of Guy McElwaine, Warner s Bros. Senior Vice President sin charge of Worldwide. j Production. “Grand Hotel’ will be. released as an’ MGM: Artists in the United States Zand Canada. In all other. i territories _ it- areleased by. Warner Bros.. will be: as a Warner Bros’ per- . sentation. sO ee Martin Elfand will. produce and Sydney Pollack :. @ will direct the multi-million- dollar motion picture ‘ spectacle which will be. filmed mainly in and around - the world’s largest resort © hotel, the MGM Grand . Hotel, in Las Vegas. Elfand'- field,’’ also starring Al. Pacino, _ coh presentation by United — most recently co-produced - °— 7 ‘Dog Day = Afternoon’’: . - - starring Al Pacino. Pollack . - is currently producing and. _-Bdirecting “Bobby Deer-.