Chicago Symphony Performs at the Unveiling and Dedication of the Picasso Sculpture in Chicago’s Daley Center Plaza
by Barbara Brabec
It was August 15, 1967. Harry Brabec was Assistant Stage Librarian for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at this time, and on this particular day he was celebrating his 40th birthday and performing in the percussion section along with Sam Denov and Jim Gordon, who sent me this special remembrance of the day after reading my memoir about Harry. (That’s Harry in the picture, getting things set up before the rehearsal.)
“I JUST FINISHED READING your moving tribute to Harry here in Amsterdam. There were moments that seemed like I never left Chicago, and a lot of people you mentioned brought back many warm memories. There was one story you mentioned that really jogged my memory and reminded me of an experience that had long been forgotten.
“I was also playing with the CSO when the Picasso sculpture was unveiled in the 1960s. I can’t remember the entire program, but the last work was Gershwin’s American in Paris, and I was playing the xylophone and glockenspiel and remember being right next to Harry and Sam Denov. We had a two-hour rehearsal before the concert, and I had never played the Gershwin before. Even though we all had music clips on the stands in case of unexpected gusts of wind, my music blew off the stand at a critical moment, and in my frantic effort to put my part securely back where it belonged, I completely lost my concentration and had no idea where we were and knew I had an important entrance.
“Out of the blue, a soft bass drum part suddenly became mezzo forte, and I heard Harry say “3 bars before letter C,” which allowed me to quickly get my bearings and play the entrance perfectly. Harry had seen my dilemma from the beginning while playing his own part, but was able to help me in a moment when I really needed it.”
PRIOR TO THE DEDICATION, the Symphony played some Beethoven conducted by Seiji Ozawa, and then two speakers dedicated the sculpture. One of them was William E. Hartmann, the Chicago architect who helped persuade Picasso to supply the design for the monument. He began his comments by saying, “It may prove to be a singular event in the cultural history of the world.”
When Mayor Daley tugged a white ribbon that loosened the blue percale wrap, the crowd cheered, and a newspaper reporter later noted that “faces in the crowd registered everything from enraptured awe to yawning boredom.”
SOME TIME LATER, when the Cubs were on their way to the World Series, Mayor Daley decided to show support for the team with a big Cubs cap atop the sculpture. This photo by Barry Jarvinen appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times with a caption that read:
City workers and Fire Department personnel adjust the Daley Center Picasso’s new Cubs cap. The famous statue donned the cap to help Chicago root for its winning team on the Way to the world Series.
A very good overview shot of the crowd attending the dedication of Picasso’s Sculpture in Chicago will be found HERE.
About Jim Gordon: Jim was a student of Gordon Peters who played extra with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for many years before moving to Dublin, Ireland, where he was principal percussionist for the Irish Radio Orchestra (RTE). After that, he moved to Amsterdam, where he has just retired after a 38-year performing and teaching career in Europe.
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Adapted from the book, The Drummer Drives! Everybody Else Rides, by Barbara Brabec.
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Tags: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Gordon Peters, Jim Gordon, Sam Denov
