The living arts

Press, 7 September 1976, Page 18

The living arts

Violent sounds Violence will be the theme when lunch-time theatre resumes at the Court Theatre next Monday. In a short production called “The Sound of Violence,” the Court’s company of actors will demonstrate a protest against violence in all its forms, from war to brainwashing. The examples will come from songs, poems, and plays dating from Greek times to the present, and some original work will be included. The director of the production, Yvette Bromley, says the Court will neither preach nor

pontificate. “But violence and the dislike of it are as universal as the problems of race and politics, though these can undoubtedly produce violence of the worst kind.” The cast will include Peter Tulloch, Elizabeth Moody, Philip Holder, Prue Langbein, Robert Shannon, and Ragini Werner, and Mrs Bromley has been assisted in devising and directing the production by Bryan Aitken. The play will close on September 17. Lunch music Lunch-time recitals at the School of Music, a feature of the musical life

of the University of Canterbury, will resume today after the term holiday Paulene Smith (violin) and John Luxton (piano) will play music by Beethoven and Bloch today, at 1.10 p.m., and on Thursday performance students will present music by Vivaldi, Grieg, and Schumann. Out of toun The Canterbury Orchestra is trying to live up to its name by presenting “out of town” performances when it can. Earlier this year it went to Ashburton with the programme for its first sub-

scription concert; and on Thursday it will go to Lincoln for a preview there of the programme to be presented in its. second subscription concert in the Christchurch Town Hall on Saturday night. Hoppy prophet The prophets of doom for grand opera would be proved wrong, the Auckland entrepreneur, Frank Poore, told an audience in Auckland last week after an opening performance of his production of “Madam Butterfly” for the SVorthern Opera. Mr Poore, acknowledged applause at curtain fall by saying that there was no justification for recent comments that New Zealand-produced opera must fail. “What you have just seen and heard should be the answer,” he said. The opera had no Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council grant, and it did not want a grant other than that given by the public, through their attendance.The Northern Opera was founded by Mr Poore in May, with the purpose of reinstating .a permanent opera company in Auckland. Piano prize A Christchurch' pianist, Michael Lawrence, won the $4OO second prize in the “Auckland Star" piano concerto contest last week. Mr Lawrence, a pupil of lola Shelley, holds both the L.R.S.M.and F.T.C.L. diplomas, and is studying for a B. Mus. degree in musical education at the University of Canterbury. He was

soloist with the Christchurch Orchestral Society recently’ in a performance

of Haydn's Concerto in D. The first prize in the Auckland competition, worth $l5OO, went to Patrick O’Byrne, of Auckland. The set work was Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3. Eni ergency Emergency action to restore major New Zealand paintings has been announced by the Minister for the Arts (Mr Highet). The Minister said he would make up to $50,000 available from lottery profits to a special committee, to enable restoration as soon as possible.The committee will comprise the chairman and one other member of the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council, two representatives of the Art Galleries and Museums Association, and one member from the Department of Internal Af-

fans. "The situation t truly urgent. At the Aucki land City Art Ga; ciy alone it is estimated that two-thirds of the collection is not m a suitab.e condition for exhibition n the public. 1 am sure this is not unique to Amk. land," Mr Higher said. Ihe proposed immediate av.h-n was only a temporary solution to a crisis. The r-ei-manent solution must come from the establishment of a facility such as the conservation lab uatory proposed by a working party of the arts council. Mr Highet said. —Derrick Ronner