Ray Charles serenaded to "sto lat" as he celebrates his 70th birthday in Warsaw

Warsaw Saturday's special concert of legendary American soul pianist and singer Ray Charles at the National Theater was crowned by "sto lat" sung by the standing audience to celebrate his 70th birthday. He was accompanied by the Lodz Symphony Orchestra. Alluding to the bad mixing exposing the orchestra too much Charles said, "Music does not have to be played loud it should be good." Inviting musical celebrities to perform at closed concerts is widely practiced abroad. In Poland a recent concert of this type featured famous British violinist Nigel Kennedy. (Rzeczpospolita, page A11)