Wednesday - November 17 - Meatcutters came back to work. Very quiet.
Thursday, November 18 - Business is picking up again. Bud went to Philharmonic tonight.
The strike is finally over. The meatcutters signed a new contract, and took down the picket lines. Kroger was one of the last to agree to terms, as I remember.
The Kansas City Philharmonic was led by the world-famous Dr. Hans Schweiger. I had been fortunate to be a regular visitor to hear the orchestra through the efforts of the Kansas City Public Schools. From the fifth-grade on, there were regular field trips to the Music Hall in Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City. Sundays in our part of Kansas City were always filled with music. The Italian houses always played Caruso at full volume, and we listened to The Kansas City Hour, a weekly showcase of the Philharmonic under the baton of Dr. Schweiger. Their adopted theme music was Richard Strauss's comic opera, "Der Rosenkavalier." The music still gives me goosebumps.
The auditorium itself was an art deco wonder, and had a 10,000 seat arena, an exhibition hall, a little theatre, and the magnificent Music Hall.
When you walked into the Music Hall you were struck by the sheer size and scope of the place. The walls were scalloped, and covered in red fabric, accented with gold stripes. The proscenium seemed small by comparison, but the feature that always blew me away was the ceiling. It was sculpted in the shape of a lyre, and the hall followed those curves.
I don't remember what that night's program was, but I remember being taken by my trumpet tutor, Mr. Thomas. He was a friend of one of my dad's fishing friends, who was friends with the Philharmonic's concertmaster. Got that?
I also remember that this was the night when the world opened up. I was able to meet Dr. Schweiger backstage after the performance. Mr. Thomas made sure I got to meet the first-chair trumpet and several other musicians. Dr. Schweiger gave me an album of Schubert's Symphony No. 8, the Unfinished Symphony, recorded by the orchestra and signed by him. I knew what i wanted to do with my life. Of course, this would change dramatically in 1969.
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