N.Z. Quartet To Begin 1961 Chamber Music Season

Press, Volume C, Issue 29468, 21 March 1961, Page 13

N.Z. Quartet To Begin 1961 Chamber Music Season

The Christchurch Chamber Music Society which has grown so strongly in recent years that its membership is now clearly equal to the seating capacity of the Civic Theatre —there were only 84 vacancies at the beginning of the season—this year will sponsor eight concerts. There will

be the usual six subscription concerts, open to members only, and two non-subscrip-tion concerts.

Once again the society, in association with the New Zealand Federation of Chamber Music Societies, will present an outstanding series of artists. The first concert, on March 27, will be by the New Zealand Quartet, the members of which are well known to concert and radio audiences. The members of the quartet—Alex Lindsay <violin). Ritchie Hanna (violin), Glynne Adams (viola) and Farquhar Wilkinson (cello)—have been associated for many years. All are former students of the Royal College of Music and all studied chamber music with Isolde Menges and Ivor James. Messrs Lindsay. Hanna and Adams all studied the violin under Albert Sammons.

Alex Lindsay went from Invercargill to England after winning a scholarship. He was awarded the violin prize at the Royal College and after graduation he played in the London Philharmonic and other orchestras, before the war interrupted his career. After the war he returned to New Zealand to become one of the foundation members of the National Orchestra and to form his own string orchestra. Ritchie Hanna and Glynne Adams both studied in Dunedin before winning scholarships to the Royal College. Mr Hanna joined the Bournemouth and Scottish Orchestras before returning to New Zealand, where he is a member of the National Orchestra. and has for some years led the Alex Lindsay String Orchestra. Mr Adams played in the London Symphony and Boyd Neel Orchestras before returning to New Zealand in 1950. He was for some time leader of the Alex Lindsav Orchestra and is now deputy principal violist in the National Orchestra.

Mr Wilkinson, principal eellist in the National Orchestra, also went from Dimedin to the Royal College. After winning the cello prize there he played with the Sadler’s Wells Orchestra for some time before returning to New Zealand. Together with Ritchie Hanna and Glynne Adams, he was a member of the Malcolm Latchem Quartet. which toured New Zealand after

winning the Judith Bagnall Prize in 1958. The New Zealand Quartet will play works bv Haydn, Prokofiev, and Debussy.

The next concert, on May 15. will be bv the Allegri Quartet, an English group which takes its name from Gregorio Allegri, the first comnoser ever to write for a ouartet of strings. It will olay works bv Mozart. Britten. and Beethoven. On June 29. members will hear Julian Olevskv. a Ger-man-American violinist of high reputation, who will have as his piano partner. Wolfgang Rose, a nephew of th» composer. Gustav Mahler.

One of Europe’s finest '■hamber mu'ic groups, the Quartetto di Roma, will give concerts in the city on July 3 and 27. The members of this group have brilliant reputations, both individually and in various chamber music partnerships. Ornella Pan’oliquido (piano), Arrigo Pellicia (violin) and Massimo Amfitheatreoff (cello) constitute the famous Santoliouido Trio. The trio is joined by the violist. Dino Ascidia, to form the ouartet. The pianist and cellist have also toured extensively as the Duo Roma.

The final subscription concert will be given on September 20 by the Fine Arts Quartet, one of the leading American string quartets.

The, two non-subscription concerts will be given on August 22 and 29 by the Berlin Chamber Orchestra under Hans von Benda, who founded it more than 30 years ago.