THE WORLD OF MUSIC.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 263, 5 November 1932, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE WORLD OF MUSIC.

DIAPASONS AND ECHOES.

FROM FAR AND NEAR.

(By ORPHEUS.)

COMING CONCERTS. November 14 —Auckland Chamber Music Society, fourth concert. November 17—Royal Auckland Choir, third concert. November 24—Bohemian Orchestra, fourth concert.

The Municipal Choir's next concert will be given on November 12.

A new stop in the organ of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is to be dedicated to-morrow (Sunday) evening. All old parishioners and choir members as well as the musical fraternity generally are invited to the service. The choir will sing Spolir's "Blest are the Departed" and Haydn's "The Heavens are Telling." The following will be Mr. Trevo. Sparling's organ solos: "Funeral March" and "Hymn of Seraphs" (Guilmant), "Elegie" and "Meditation" (Borowski), "Piece Heroique" (Cesar Eranck)..

Maestro Wando Aldrovandi, of the Grand Opera Company, acts as the correspondent to an Italian musical journal, and is very keen to learn what he can about the state of music in this country. He is anxious to hear what Maori music he can. The maestro is a very quiet but charming musician, and is very popular With the principals and the chorus of the company. When he is not conducting he will be found in the prompt box giving considerable moral support to the singers on the stage, a support which is very often needed, and also much appreciated. When he conducts, Senor Izal acts as prompter.

The writer lias had, in the last week or two, the privilege of coming into touch with several celebrated musicians, amongst these being Mr. and Mrs. Homer Samuels, Mr. Josef Szigeti and his gifted accompanist, Prince Nikita Magaloff. Mr. Samuels says that we will experience a great musical treat when Master Yehudi Menuliin, the famous boy violinist, comes here next year. He says that there is no necessity to make allowance for his youth—he is now 15—he is equal to Szigeti and Kreisler at their best. By the way, it is interesting to note that Mr. Samuels considers the piano he played on in Christchurch to be the best south of the Line.

Senor Franco Izal, the Spanish baritone with the Williamson Imperial Grand Opera Company, can sing over 130 principal roles in grand opera. Those who saw him as Eigoletto in the final matinee given by this company, say it was the finest performance they have seen here. This was Senor Izal's 503 rd appearance in this role. The popular baritone tells a good story against himself about, the first time he took this part, and how he was hissed off the stage. It seems that soon after he started on his operatic career he arrived in a South American town to find, to his great dismay, that he had been advertised to play the part of Bigoletto, a part which was not in his repertoire. He told the management that there had been a mistake. However, it was too late to make a change. The basso of the company told him that he knew the part well, and would sing it for him behind the scenes whilst Izal acted the part on the stage. The audience, however, spotted the trick and soon gave him the "bird."

Miss Jean Allen, who has been prominently before the musical public of this city as the first violinist of the Auckland String Quartet, will be returning to England in a few months. As we are sho'H of first-class violinists in Auckland at the present time, Miss Allen's departure will be severely felt in chamber music circles.

There was broadcast a record from IYA on Sunday afternoon of " Sigrid Onegin, the well-known contralto, singing "The Blind Ploughman." The words and sentiment of this song, coming from a woman's lips, sounded just about n> appropriate as "My Mother Bids Ma Bind My Hair" would when sung by a man; less, as a matter of fact, when one considers the length to which some of our modern youths let their well-oiled locks grow.

One of the leading sopranos in the Grand Opera Company which has just left us sometimes mars an otherwise very fine performance by her faulty intonation. Apropos of this failing, a rather good story is told of von Bulow, who was once directing an orchestra, when the prima donna sang seriously out of tune. In this case it was the delinquent, and not the director, who stopped the orchestra, to the surprise of everyone, and inquired,, with all the effrontery of unconscious incompetence, if the "band was in tune." "J. don't know," quickly replied von Bulow. "Perhaps you had better give us your A." (The pitch of an orchestra is generally taken from the A, sounded by some stable instrument, usually the oboe.)

A special feature of the organ recital to be given by Mr. Arthur E. Wilson, hon. City Organist, next Thursday evening, will be several piaro and organ duos, in which Mr. Wilson will be associated with Miss Theo. Halpin, pianist. These include two Choral Preludes by Bach, "Mortify Us by Thy Grace" and "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"; a Concerto by Handel, for organ and orchestra, in which the orchestral part will be played on the pianoj and Rubenstein's "Reve Angelique," the arrangements for which have been made by the players. The outstanding organ item will be a new "Suite for the Organ." portraying scenes from Shakespeare's "The Tempest" (by H. J. Stewart), and played for the first time in New Zealand. The titles indicate the interesting character of the suite: "The Shipwreck," "The Enchanted Isle," "Ariel," "Wedding Hymn." Other attractive organ items are included in what should be a very popular programme. The vocalist for the evening will be the favourite baritone, Mr. L. C. Barnes. It will be noted that this recital is to be given on a Thursday instead of a-Saturday evening.