Composer to Watch

Old Vienna never cares much for premieres of new music. The new composition on the Vienna Symphony concert program one night last week was included not as a premiere, but as a novelty. It was Piano Concerto No. 1 by Los Angeles' young (32) Benjamin Lees, neatly played by Alexander Jenner and the Konzerthaus audience liked it better than anything else on the program. It sounded well-padded and fluent, comfortably conservative in its rhythmic patterns. It was often reminiscent of Prokofiev, had a satisfying amount of orchestral razzle-dazzle and was, all in all, a pretty piece. The audience indicated that it would not mind hearing more of Benjamin Lees.

A round-faced young man with a crew cut and a muscular build, Lees was born (1924) of Russian parents in Harbin, China. The family moved to San Francisco the next year, bought the boy a piano when he was seven. Lees studied music for two years at U.S.C., then discovered Composer George Antheil, who led him toward advanced composition along a path strewn with pungent maxims. (Sample: "Do you know the sound of the flute? It's not the silvery thing people talk about. Just remember this: a flute is a virgin.")

Ben Lees finished his studies two years ago, by now is far better established than most colleagues of his age. His works have been performed in six countries; his String Quartet No. 1 has been played by several ensembles, including the Budapest Quartet; his Profile for Orchestra has been broadcast by the NBC Symphony. Perhaps the best indicator of success: Lees is published by England's influential Boosey and Hawkes (publisher of Richard Strauss, Bartok, Stravinsky, Copland). The publishers chose him while scouting around for a young man who could deliver successful works as consistently as has the star discovery of their stable, Benjamin Britten. It may well be that Lees is their man.

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