MUSIC FESTIVAL

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25245, 25 July 1947, Page 9

MUSIC FESTIVAL

ORCHESTRAL AND CHORAL CONCERT

This. year may prove to have been the birth year of a national interest in orchestral music. The enthusiastic reception everywhere given to the National Symphony Orchestra and the Boyd Neel String Orchestra shows that New Zealanders have a hunger for music of this kind; but it is the hunger of those who, having failed to till the soil, have now no harvest to reap. Agriculture is of the land Culture must be born and reared close to the land also: in the homes arid in the schools, and systematically. Without a scattering of the seed over the wide and fertile fields of our national life there will be no musical culture worth the having: only a poor thing, grown in the hothouse of some centralised conservatorium and paraded round the country as a mockery to the starving. We have fine schools for brass players in our best brass bands. Were there as many military bands in the country, and of similar standard, there would be schools, too, for the woodwind. If all the post-primary schools followed the lead set by a few, then a great enthusiasm for the string instruments in addition to all the others would be created; and it must be told that those few, those pitifully few, schools which are setting this lead have placed a seemingly indifferent country in a position unique in the English-speak-ing world. Nowhere else, for instance, will one find a single school producing from its present and past pupils a sixpart qhoir of a thousand voices and an orchestra of 400 players. It is necessary for every individual home, school, town, and city to take this matter in hand: to encourage the young and their teachers (in school and private studio): to inspire the best to find a vocation in the teaching profession and to give them a living wage when they adopt it: in short, to prepare the ground thoroughly for the future welcome spring time, when the verdure of orchestral music-making in communities small and large covers the land.

To-day, there is a pathetic inferiority complex which would deny even the possibility that such a thing could happen here. Hence, in part, the smallness of the audience which heard the orchestral and choral concert of the Christchurch Civic Music Council’s 1947 Festival. It was an encouraging performance. The augmented 3YA Orchestra (and even then there were only *29 players), conducted by Mr Will Hutchens, opened the programme with Beethoven’s “Coriolan” Overture—fine, satisfying music. The ravages of the N.B.S. Orchestra were apparent amongst the strings of course; blit those who are left to carry on did very well. There was an occasional lack of unity in the> bowingintonation was not always good, ana not only in the string section;, sometimes a single player anticipated an entry; but the general impression remained that here was a promising beginning. Then eame that delightful Mozart music, the Concerto No. 23 in A major, with an orchestra much improved in the opening tutti and competent to demonstrate the composer's lightness of touch in scoring the accompaniment to the solo part which Althea Harley Slack played delightfully. In the details her work was neatness itself, clear and accurate. She secured a good tone throughout the dynamic range; and her sense of rhythm made the music live.

Mendelssohn was a master of orchestration. The writing ’ for woodwind, for instance, in his A major Symphony, the “Italian,” is excellent. Here the players in, that section did their best work, particularly in the second and third movements. That trio in the third Tnust surely be one of Mendelssohn’s many answers to those who question his original genius in the sphere of orchestral music. After the Benjamin Britten examples played to us by the Eoyd Neel Orchestra, his Soirees' MusiCales, “five movements from Rossini,” heard on this occasion (well played as they were), sound like, and doubtless are, just trifles saying nothing much in a quite They give point to Eric Bioin’s opinion that Britten’s is “a. brilliantly versatile and witty gift that only needs to be deepened by experience to produce incontrovertible evidence of exceptional genius.” We know now, and from other evidence, to what heights Britten has already climbed, even if he can amuse himself with trifles on the way. Mr Hutchens alertly conducted the orchestra throughout. Only another conductor could understand fully the difficulties which;he.surmounted. The work of the orchestra’s timpanist is always worthy of unqualified praise. The Chrisfchurdh Liederkranzchen, presentihg a most pleasing stage appearance, sang particularly well in the Four Trios. Op. 17, by Brahms. These set problems, especially in rhythm and intonation, which- might cause intractible. difficulty, to a less competent choir, The Liederkranzchen sang them admirably, with beautiful and well-balanced tone. There was careful attention to phrasing; good intonation, that factor essential to a satisfactory performance, was constant throughout; and Mrs J. P. Stubberfield’s accompaniments were very well played Geoffrey Shaw’s settings of Three Hymns from “Pan’s Anniversary” (Ben Jonson), attractive as they are, suffered in comparison with the Brahms. They were equally well sung; and one was grateful for the opportunity to hear this music by a British composer whose influence in British schools was far-reaching and beneficial. Mr Alfred Worsley has trained the choir to a high standard in choralism, and he conducted a performance which gave an almost unalloyed pleasure. V.G. This evening’s concert will be the “Six Towns’ Festival.’’ Musical organisations from Ashburton, Temuka. Addington. Ellesmere, Rangiora, and Methven will take part.