Unfamiliar music in concerto final

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33451, 5 February 1974, Page 5

Unfamiliar music in concerto final

The four finalists in the Christchurch Civic .Music Council’s national concerto contest will gather in Christchurch next week for the final concert on February 16. This year the contest is for instruments other than piano.' and all finalists are wind players. Although the 35 original contestants were from all over New Zealand, all four! finalists are local players, a fact which, the music council says, emphasises the value of, I the Christchurch School of Instrumental Music. Peter Laurence, a recent, iarrival from England, is the 'only finalist who has not had 'training from the C.S.I.M. Keith Spragg. Vere Smith, and Peter. Laurence are all members of the Christchurch Civic Orchestra, while Mark Walton is now principal clarinettist with a newly-formed professional orchestra in Tauranga. For the first lime since the' competition began in 1967,' the music council is bringing: a judge from overseas especi-i lally for the event. Overseas judges in the past! .have been already in New ■Zealand at the time of the 'final concert, usually touring. !for the N.Z.B.C. These have

| included such famous musicians as Arthur Fiedler. Dr Clyde Roller, and Alfredo ■Campoli. This year’s judge is' ■Mr Rex Hobcroft, the director of the New South Wales, Conservatorium of Music in' Sydney. The prizes for this year's' 'competition have all been increased. The first, of $5OO, j has been given by Mrs M. E. James. The second prize,! given by Mr and Mrs A. W. •; Robinson, is $2OO, and the .‘third prize is $lOO, the gift of . an anonymous donor. There' '(Will also be a fourth prize of ' $5O given bv Mrs Helga Newson. widow of Mr Keith J Newson, who was chairman 1 of the music council. Mrs! I Newson’s gesture will mean, that none of the four finalists, will go unrewarded financially. Two of the works to be played in the final have not been performed in New Zea land, and a third is rarely performed. This is a result of the music council’s new pol'icy of allowing the entrants Ito choose works which are I not obtainable in New Zealland provided that the play-1 |ers can guarantee that the orchestral parrs and score ‘are available on hire from overseas. The Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council has made a special grant: to cover royal-i

I ties and hiring charges in such cases. The concert will open with: Peter Laurence playing the; popular Horn Concerto No. 2l by Mozart, and continue with the Hindemith Clarinet Concerto. which is not known to have been performed in this! country for eight, or 10 years.' Mark Walton will open the, second half of the concert with the first performance in New Zealand of Glazounov’s Saxophone Concerto, and the final work will be the Trumpet Concerto, by the Armenian composer. Arutunian.j played by Vere Smith. This! is also a first performance in; New Zealand, the music hav--ing been obtained from! Moscow. The Christchurch Civic Orchestra will accompany the soloists, and the concert will be conducted by Vanco Cavdarski,