N.Z. NATIONAL ORCHESTRA

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27439, 27 August 1954, Page 6

N.Z. NATIONAL ORCHESTRA

“Wonderful Work For Music”

CONCERT MANAGER ON STANDARDS (From the London Correspondent oj "The Press”) LONDON, July 22. After attending concerts by the five main symphony orchestras in London, Mr J. L. Hartstonge, concert manager of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service is “prouder than ever” at the standards reached I by the National Orchestra. Mr Hartstonge is at present in Britain on an Imperial Relations Trust bursary studying British Broadcasting and the British way of life. I am certainly not deprecating the musical standing of the orchestras I have heard—the London Symphony, the 8.8. C. Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic and the Philharmonia—as their playing is superb, he said today. “But hearing these leading orchestras has given me a chance to evaluate the work of our own orchestra. Considering the, conditions under which the National Orchestra operates, it is doing a wonderful job for music in New Zealand.” During his stay in London, Mr Hartstonge has met leading British conductors, including Sir Thomas Beecham, Sir Malcolm Sargent and Sir Adrian Boult, and concert management executives. “All have been most helpful in giving me the benefit of their experience in concert matters,” he laid. “From what they have said it seems that the problems associated with building up programmes to suit particular occasions are the pame throughout the world. Nobody seems to have the answer to laying out a programme which will meet with general approval.” Mr HartMonge said that none of the musical celebrities he had met reported any pronounced change in public favour of either contemporary or classical music. “All the orchestras ere doing very much the same thing as we are aiming at with the National Orchestra,” he said. “They are trying to keep a balance between contemporary music end standard classical works. Their outlook is not very different from ours in New Zealand and although some orchestras play complete concerts of modern works, they usually balance this with more classical works over a series of concerts.” Mr Hartstonge has also been attending a general broadcasting course at the 8.8. C. headquarters. He will be travelling to Edinburgh next month for the Festival season.