Christchurch in need of full-time orchestra

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33065, 4 November 1972, Page 9

Christchurch in need of full-time orchestra

MORAG MACLENNAN-JONES)

(By

A new era has dawned in the life of the Christchurch Civic Orchestra, heralded by the appointment of a talented young full-time conductor, and by the availability of a superlative new hall in which to stage its concerts.

But an orchestra which is restricted in its activities and expansion by fluctuating Government and local grants can make little progress, and, in the case of the Civic Orchestra, can do little towards meeting the increasing demands which will be placed upon it in the future.

A need for the orchestra to change its role in the community has been apparent for some time and the opening of the Town Hall increases this need. Not only will the Town Hall be an immense attraction to overseas and local musicians, it will attract its own audiences and demand a higher standard of musical activity. Unfortunately, there is a limit to what a part-time group of players (most of whom have full-time jobs as well), can do. And there is a limit to the standard of musicianship which they can achieve. Members of the Civic Orchestra Foundation are now more aware of the need for a full-time professional orchestra, but until the pressures on the members of the orchestra become too great, or until the public becomes more sensitive to the situation, the change cannot occur.

It has indeed always been the aim of the foundation to have a fully professional orchestra and it. is to this end that many Christchurch musicians are devoted. They do not appear to have been daunted by the set-back received in 1967, when they were launched upon the first stage of the regional orchestra scheme, a three-year plan towards having 26 full-time players, starting with a nucleus of eight.

1965 scheme The scheme came into effect in 1965, when the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council and the N.Z.B.C. committed themselves to the plan for development of orchestras in Christchurch and Auckland. Its success depended on the certainty of an increase in grant to coincide with the progressive engagement of full-time players, but the development was halted in 1967 when the Government grant to the Arts Council was reduced consid? erably. Some of the people concerned now realise that this piecemeal way of establishing an orchestra is both unsatisfactory and impractical. A small group of players can achieve little independently and it was found that the inconvenience and expense of hiring part-time players was not reduced. When, in 1968, the foundation made submissions to the Christchurch City Council for increased financial support for the orchestra, it outlined a plan to achieve a fulltime orchestra of 45 players, beginning with a nucleus of 26 and increasing yearly. It believed that any fewer than this would not constitute an orchestra and the group would be a liability since it could not be used as an entity. However, Mr Louis Yffer, the leader of the orchestra, believes that even 26 is a useless number, and that there is only one way to make the transition—completely. Because the orchestra employs 50-60 players for most symphony concerts, this is the size of orchestra it is necessary to work with, he says. Mr Yffer has been in the frustrating position of being the only full-time professional in the orchestra for some years, and, as he says, “I can do nothing alone.” He believes that the cost of establishing a fully professional orchestra would be $250,000, and says this must come from the Government. He thinks it would be unrea-

sonable to expect this sum to be found locally, but, more important, the grant would have to be a permanent, guaranteed one, and the Government alone is in a position to ensure this. •Mr Yffer feels very strongly that the Government is shirking its responsibility in this matter, “hiding behind a cloak of innocence” and pretending that it cannot do anything without pressure from the public. Mr Yffer further criticises the Government for the fact that there is no inducement to give private grants. He believes that local industry might well manifest its support for the orchestra were there tax incentives as in Britain. Mr Athol Mann, the secretary of the orchestra, be* lieves that it would still be possible to finance the orchestra locally, although the $lOO,OOO sought in 1968 would need to be almost doubled now. He, like Mr Yffer, is adamant that an assured pay-roll for professional musicians is essential if any progress is to be made. Professor John Ritchie, who is president of the Civic Orchestra Foundation, is also in favour of establishing a full-time orchestra in Christchurch. He believes it must come, but that there will be gradual development to it. “The nature of things in New Zealand determines that it will be a gradual growth,” he says. He is concerned that the venture should be a guaranteed success. “I’d like to be certain nothing could go wrong,” he says, recalling the Government let-down in 1967. Professor Ritchie believes the method of transition will depend on the Arts Council, the Government, and the orchestra. He says that New Zealand is a late developer in the field of professional arts. Like Mr Yffer and Mr Mann, he thinks that a regular income and normal working hours would bring improvement in the over-all performing standard of the orchestra.

Many advantages The advantages of a fully professional orchestra in Christchurch are manifold. Quite apart from its function in leading musical activity in the city, the orchestra would have time to devote to bringing music to many people both in Christchurch and beyond, who are normally denied the experience of orchestral concerts. Industrial concerts have proved a great success in the past, and these, as well as lunch-time concerts for workers and educational programmes for schools, could be organised on a regular basis. A full-time orchestra would be able to encourage the activities of soloists, to give experience to young musicians, and to help provide a muchneeded training ground for young conductors. (It is unfortunate that the London Symphony Orchestra scholarship for a young conductor, although offered to New Zealanders, virtually excludes them by its prerequisite of conducting experience preferably with a professional orchestra.) A full-time orchestra could also prove a vital stimulus to composition, and help to foster the work of New Zealand composers —in time even commissioning its own works. Not only would such an orchestra provide incentive for composers, conductors and performers, it would serve to stimulate other musical organisations in the city, and thus provide an over-all example and incentive. Twice the seats In the Civic Theatre only extremely popular concerts attracted capacity audiences. Thus, the fact that there are

more than twice the number of seats in the Town Hall, is both a challenge and a problem. According to Mr Mann, there is a vicious circle at work, which prohibits increased profit making, and disallows the progress which could in turn attract more people. He says that if all the seats in the Town Hall were filled, the deficit on each concert would be considerably reduced. If, however, the audience was the same as that in the Civic, the deficit on each concert would be increased because of the higher cost of hiring the Town Hall. The orchestra is at present engaged in a subscription drive, in the hope that it may substantially increase the number of its subscribers. This is one of the few methods available to the orchestra for maintaining financial support from the public, and it is vitally important to its existence. New director One further prospectties in the appointment, announced last week, of a full-time musical director. Mr Juan Matteucci will be the final guest conductor for a concert in November, and Mr Vanco Cavdarski, who has accepted a two-year contract with the orchestra, will then take over the position which has been vacant since Mr Dobbs Franks left the orchestra in 1968. It is clear that much of the future of the orchestra depends on the person appointed to this position, and Mr Cavdarski has already made it clear that he believes Christchurch will have a fully professional orchestra by the end of 1974. “The city of Christchurch deserves and must have a full-time orchestra,” he said. “It must have a professional attitude and professional organisation.” He believes it is not a question of when or how, but a matter of necessity in a city which has two widely known choirs.

Mr Cavdarski has already managed to expose hidden potential in the orchestra, and if the concert last Saturday evening is an indication of which is ahead, then both the orchestra and the public have much to look forward to.