Conversations with Menuhin

Celebrated violinist and teacher Yehudi Menuhin has long been famous for more than his music: philosopher, social critic, he has been the essence of the engaged artist. Here, in a series of conversations with Dubal, an author and teacher at Juilliard who has been for many years an intimate, he demonstrates the range of his concerns and his sympathies. Menuhin's views are invariably humane and thoughtful, covering a multitude of problems from the various forms of environmental, noise and food pollution to homelessness, racial disharmony, nationalism and terrorism. He also talks of music, of favorite composers and of star performers and conductors he has known, though there are few surprises here, and most of the comments are such as any educated music lover could make. Part of the drawback may lie in Dubal as an interviewer; though he has certainly woven together fairly seamlessly what must have been many conversations spread over a period of years, his own comments, designed to stimulate Menuhin's responses, are often banal, conventional, even fogeyish, of the ``I don't know what the world is coming to!'' type. Still, Menuhin's good sense, warmth and thoughtfulness consistently shine through. (Mar.)