SUCCESS OF N.Z. VIOLINIST

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25090, 23 January 1947, Page 3

SUCCESS OF N.Z. VIOLINIST

CONCERT IN ALBERT HALL FOUR RECALLS BY AUDIENCE (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, January 9. New Zealanders who several years ago had faith in a shy lad from Palmerston North and assisted him to go to London to pursue his musical studies would have felt proud last night if they could have seen him hold an audience of 8000 spellbound in the giant Royal Albert Hall with a performance of the Mendelssohn violin concerto. It was Alan Loveday’s first appearance at the new winter series of promenade concerts, with the 8.8. C. Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Basil Cameron. Since he left New Zealand, Loveday’s technique has ; naturally, improved immensely, and he obviously owes much to his teacher, the great Albert Sammons. His playing of the Mendelssohn concerto was impeccable. He emphasised the work’s very strong lyric qualities without ever descending into mere sentimentality, and the audience was enraptured with his treatment of the cadenza in the first movement. Loveday is, however, lacking t in platform 1 presence. Last night *he ambled on to the platform, trailing his violin in one hand and the bow in the other, and stood awkwardly, with his feet apart, looking rather like a footballer waiting for the ball to be passed to him. He took his bows, too, in ungainly fashion, his arms flopping loosely in front .of him. He appeared more at ease when he shook hands, at the end of the work, with the conductor and with Paul Beard, the leader of the orchestra.

It is understandable that he should feel nervous, for he is only 18 years old, and it must be rather a terrifying experience to face the Albert Hall arena, with its hundreds of promenading music-lovers, its vast horseshoe balcony, three tiers of boxes, its spacious upper circle, and lofty promenade galleries. Albert Sammons is a fine teacher for the young New Zealander, but he never achieved the concert hall success he deserved, because he lacked a definite platform manner and was too self-effacing. It would be a good thing for Loveday if someone with a knowledge of audience psychology took him in hand for six months, drilled him in deportment, and taught him to develop his own personality. Audiences do not expect every virtuoso soloist to be a temperamental individual indulging in flamboyant displays of exhibitionism. But a measure of self-assurance and a confident platform manner go a long way in building a musical career. Last night’s promenade audience, however, made allowance for Loveday’s youthfulness and awkwardness, and gave him more applause than was earned by any other work _in the evening’s programme. Four times he was recalled, and, at the end, they broke into cheering. The last artist to evoke vocal approval in the Albert Hall was Sir Thomas Beecham, at a Delius festival concert just before Christmas.