Australian conductor back

Press, 2 October 1979, Page 12

Australian conductor back

The New Zealand Sym- ' phony Orchestra will have an Australian 'conductor ■ for its three concerts in j the South " Island this I month. He is Leonard Dommett, i who will lead tlie orchesi tra in the final concert of : its Christchurch subscription series in the Tov.n I Hail on Saturday. Some 1 New Zealand audiences ! are already familiar with j this style: be was a guest : conductor during the orI chestra’s “Cushion ConI certs”'series last year. I The programme features ; Haydn's Svmphony No. 84. ; Dvorak’s Svmphony No. 9 j (“New World”), and a per- ' formance of Shostakovj ich’s Cello Concerto with I Wilfred Simenauer as I soloist. This concerto. I composed in 1959 and i dedicated to the great 1 Russian cellist. RostropovI ich, is a very complex i work, and Simenauer. who i-5 ro-nrinclnnl of

the N.Z.S.O. and has made a number of solo performances, has required two years to prepare for the performance'. "It is ° more difficult technically than all of the concertos 1 have played put together." he sa vs.

, Leonard Dommett is one of Australia's busiest musicians. Tfe has been concertmaster of the Melbourne Symphony,. Orchestra since 1965 and was appointed its assistant conductor in 1971. He has frequently’ appeared as soloist with the Melbourne orchestra and other Australian orchestras, and is also well known for appearnces with chamber music groups, including the Melbourne String Quartet. He has played in all the major London orchestras, and toured Europe and America as a member of the London Symphony’ Orchestra.

His conducting career

began in 1950, when he toured Germany as a conductor for the Ballet Ram-

He conducted the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in two concerts during its United States tour in 1970.

Tn 1973 he was engaged as guest violinist with' the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra to play the Violin Concerto by the Melbourne composer. Felix Werder, and at its conclusion received a standing ovation. He made a short visit to London in 1974 to conduct the London Philharmonic Orchestra for a recording of Malcolm Williamson’s 3rd Piano Concerto, with the composer as soloist.

In 1977 he was awarded the 0.8. E. for services to the performing arts.

Wilfred Simenauer, born in Dunedin, began cello studies at the age of six. He left Ne'” Zeeland in

1947 to study at the Royal College of Music in London, and on completion of bis studies he worked as sub-principal cellist with the London Philharmonic and became a founder member of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. From 1955 to 1960 he was a cellist with the Royal Philharmonic, and for the next four years he was this orchestra’s principal cellist. He returned to New Zealand in 1965 to become co-principal cellist with the N.Z.5.0.. and except for a year as principal cellist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1970 he has been with the New Zealand orchestra since then.

He has been a soloist on a number of occasions, once, in 1976, playing all eight cello parts in Villa Lobos’ “Bachianas Brasileiras.” He was a soloist on the orchestra’s Austratour in