THE WORLD OF MUSIC.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 102, 2 May 1931, Page 8 (Supplement)

THE WORLD OF MUSIC.

GOSSIP OF THE STUDIOS. FROM FAB AND NEAR. (By ORPHEUS.) COMING CONCERTS. May 11.—Auckland Chamber Music Society. May 14.—Bohemian Orchestra. May 21.—Aeolian Orchestra. Mischa Levitzki, the world-famed Russian pianist, who had such a successful tour of Australia and New Zealand 10 years ago, will commence his New Zealand tour in Auckland on Tuesday, June 2, next. His Wellington season will commence on Tueeday, June 16, with concerts in Christchurch and Dunedin to follow. The IYA broadcasting choir will present Mendelssohn's beautiful symphonic cantata, the "Hymn of Praise," or "Lobegesang," with orchestral accompaniment, towards the end of June. Mr. Len Barnes and his choristers are to be commended for their enterprise in tackling this very fine, but fairly difficult, work. There are only two solo voices in this, soprano and tenor, and both should be good. A dramatic soprano is needed and Miss Kate Campion is about the only soprano in Auckland really suitable for this role. The declamatory tenor solos, " Sing ye Prasie" and "Tho Sorrows of Death," require a tenor such as Mr. Hubert Carter to do tliein full justice. In the famous duet, "I waited for the Lord," a very delightful effect may be obtained by getting a boy treble to take the first soprano.

Seeing that the Bohemian Orchestra is to give us Cherubini's delightful "Anacreon" overture at its first concert on May 16, something about the composer may prove of interest. Luigi Cherubim, or to give him his full string of names, Maria Luigi Carlo Zenobia Salvatore Cherubini, was born on September 14, 1760, in the city of Florence. He began, to use his own words, "to learn music at six and composition at nine," and by the time he was 16 he had composed three masses, several cantatas, and a lot of other church music. He continued a more or less successful career in his native land until 1784, when he came to London. From London he went to Paris in 1786, and finally made his home in that city in 1788. On the establishment of the Paris Conservatoire in 1795, he was given a minor post and eventually, in 1822, he became the director, which appointment he retained until his death in 1842. Haydn described Cherubini as "the greatest of all living composers." Beethoven called, him, "The crreatest dramatic composer of his time," and Brahms expressed the opinion that his "Medea" is ,( the opera which we musicians between ourselves regard as the highest point in dramatic music."

The concert to be given by the Music Teachers' Association "for the puipose of allowing talented, but little-knovn, performers an opportunity of appearing before a critical audience," has been postponed to May 12. Those of my readers who tune into 2YA to-night (Saturday, May 2) should hear a very fine concert. The Wellington Symphony Orchestra is giving its first performance of the season, and will play, amongst other good things, Brahms' popular No. 3 Symphony, in F. Writing under the date of February 21, our London correspondent says: — Miss Esther Fisher, the brilliant young New Zealand pianist, gave a fine recital at the Wigmore Hall last evening. Miss Fisher plays as one who interprets the full significance of her music. She has equal aptitude for- tho modern descriptive music of Pavel, the gaiety and charm of Debussy, the poetic beauty of Chopin, whose Sonata in B minor she played with a wealth of expression, or the deep grandeur of Bach. Her BachBusoni was magnificent. She elicited an inconceivable richness of tone from her instrument, in the deep bass chords, revealing a fine technique and style. A contrast was created by Cyril .Scott's "Variations for Two Pianofortes," in which she was assisted by tho composer himself. It is a work which affords ample opportunity for skilful execution, to which Miss Fisher did full justice,. The complete programme was Sonatas in D major and C major by Scarlatti, "Chaconno" (Bach - Busoiii), • "Online" (Ravel), "Au jardin du vieux Serail Adrinople" (Emile Blanchet), "Bruyeres" and "Mouvcinent" (Debussy), "Variations for two Pianofortes," with the composer (Cyril Scott), Sonata in B minor, Op. 58 Chopin).-

Auckland is fortunate in having social clubs such as the "Savages" and the "Orphans," in that these two organisations make a practice of fostering orchestral music at their fortnightly functions. These orchestras help to keep alive the community spirit amongst instrumentalists and thereby do quite a lot of good for music generally. The Orphans' Orchestra has already been commented upon in these columns, and now I would like to mention that the "Savages'" Orchestra, under Mr. Archie Don, is making very satisfactory progress. Mr. Don has the advantage of being a composer as well as a conductor; his opera, "Marania," has been given throughout the Dominion with great success. Owing to the size of the stage there is not room' for a very large orchestra, consequently the membership is, perforce, limited to between 25 and 30. This means that there is always a waitm<y list of applicants seeking the honour of membership. Mr. Don tells me that there is a fine feeling of esprit de corps, and the members show their keeness by regular attendance at rehearsals, which is very gratifying to the conductor. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. GOLFER. —The expression "adagio ma non troppo ma Divoto" means "in a devotional manner but not too slow" and not "slow back and replace all divots" as you quite erroneously surmise. '