The living arts

Press, 12 August 1980, Page 20

The living arts

Music feast Several facets of music will be featured when the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra presents its subscription concert in the Town Hall on Saturday. The concert, under the general direction of the renowned British choral conductor Sir David Willcocks, wil feature the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s Schola Musica and its musical director, Ashley Heenan, the choir of the Royal Christchurch Musical Society and its direcor, Robert Field-Dodg-son, and the New Zealand born baritone soioist, Barry Mora. The first part of the concert will include a performance of Vivaldi’s Credo by the Schola Musica and the society’s choir under the baton of Robert Field-Dodgson. Then the Schola Musica, under the baton of Ashley Heenan, will perform “Shadows — seven pieces for string orchestra,” by a Christchurch composer, Chloe Moon. The first half will end with Bach’s Concerto iorThree Violins, with Glenda Craven, Dean Major, and David Pucher as soloists.

In the second part of the concert, Sir David Willcocks will conduct a performance of William Walton’s, “Belshazzar’s Feast.” It will be the orchestra’s ’ fourteenth performance of this work. Sir David has been conductor of the London Bach choir since 1960. For 16 years he was director of music at King’s College, Cambridge. Since 1974 he has been director of the Royal College of Music. He was president of the Royal College of Organists from 1966 to 1968. He has written extensively on organ, choral and church music, and has edited several collections of such music. He was awarded the C.B.E. in 1971. He received honorary doctorates of musio from Exeter University in. 1976 and Leicester University in 1977. He was knighted in the 1977 Silver Jubilee Honours List. •

Sir David first visited New Zealand in 1977. On his visit this year he will conduct the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the National Youth Choir, the Orpheus Choir, the Royal Christchurch . Music Society, the Harmonic Society, the ' Dorian Singers, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, and the- Auckland University Choral Society and Singers.

Anniversaries The Royal Christchurch Musical Society, which was founded on August 20, 1860, will mark its 120th Anniversary when it performs “Belshazzar’s Feast” under Sir David Willcocks.

The society started when nine men met on the site of the old Market Hotel (where the Vacation Hotel now stands) in Victoria Square, to form the Canterbury Vocal Union. The society underwent a number of changes of name. usualb’ after mergers with other societies, until it finally became the Christchurch Musical Society. In celebration of the society’s diamond jubilee in 1920 a Royal charter was confer-

red on the society by King George V. Thus this year the society is celebrating the diamond jubilee of its “Royal” title. The society will mark this “double diamond” jubilee with a number of events in the coming week. Tomorrow night Radio New Zealand’s Concert Programme will broadcast an hour-long documentary on the history of the society.-The programme, written and presented by the society’s chairman, Peter Barton, contains a number of extracts from past performances by the society. These include “St Matthew Passion” (Wellington 1960), “War Requiem” (Wellington 1963), Verdi’s “Requiem” (Sydney 1971) and “Missa Solemnis” (Melbourne 1971). There are also some reminiscences by the conductor, Robert Field-Dodgson. After Saturday night’s performance in the Town Hall there will be a jubilee supper for members of the choir and their friends.

On Sunday morning there will be a thanksgiving service in the

Christchurch Cathedral at 11 a.m., when the sermon will be delivered by Sir David Willcocks.

Prize to Wales

Lyell Cresswell, a Wel--1 i n g t o n-born composer now in Wales, has won the. $lOOO New Zealand composers competition run by the Dunedin Civic Orchestra/ ■ '

The winning work, “The Magical Wooden Head,” will be played by the orchestra in a concert on September 20. Eighteen entries were received in the contest, which was open to New Zealand-born or resident composers aged under 40. Three leading New Zealand composers, David Farquhar (Wellington), John Rimmer (Auckland) and Jack Spiers (Dunedin), were the judges. Cresswell was born in Wellington in 1944 and graduated from Victoria University in 1968 with B. Mus. (Honours.) A Commonwealth Scholarship allowed him to study at Toronto University in 1969-70. In 1974 he

gained his Ph. D. from Aberdeen University, Scotland.

He studied electronic music in Europe in 197475 and taught at Glasgow University from 1976-78. He is now music director of the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff. Change at helm Phillip Craigie will become musical director of the Celebration Singers in January when the present director, Francis Dennis, retires after six years in the position. Craigie is music master at Riccarton High School and conductor of the Skellerup Woolston Auxiliary Band. He has been deputy director of the Celebration Singers for several years.

Cathedral concert The Christchurch Harmonic Society’s subscription concert on Thursday, under the baton of Sir David Willcocks, will- be in the Christchurch Cathedral, not in the Town Hall as reported last week.