Benjamin Britten anniversary

Press, 4 December 1981, Page 11

Benjamin Britten anniversary

Listening

Early evening radio concert this Friday at 5.06 is devoted to music by Benjamin Britten to mark the fifth anniversary of the English composer's’ death. Britten’s Soirees Musicales, which he based on Rossini, opens the tribute programme. The Vienna State Opera Orchestra is conducted by Robert Zeller. Harpist Ossian Ellis then plays the Suite for Harp. Op 83. and the Wilbye Consort follows with Peter Pears conducting "Sweet was the Song." “The Sycamore Tree" and "A Shepherd's Carol." Finally the Four Sea Interludes from “Peter Grimes’.’ come from the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein. ‘Mastersingers’ r Wagner wrote his own libretto to his comic opera “The Mastersingers <f Nuremberg” which was first produced in Munich in 1868. Wagner managed to use the story about one of the German medieval guilds of musicians as a platform for some of his own views on art. The performance of “The Mastersingers of Nuremberg” on the Friday Concert programme begins at 6 p.m. because of the length of the three-act Wagner opera. The recording from the 1981 Bayreuth Festival has Mark Elder conducting soloists with the Bayreuth Festival Chorus and ’ orchestra and comes courtesy of Bavarian Radio. ‘Scrapbook’ Philip Liner’s old-time dance programme, “Those Were the Days.” celebrates its six hundredth broadcast, tomorrow night on National at 8 o’clock in “Saturday Scrapbook." In 1970 Philip Liner looked at available

material and thought there was probably enough for a series of about 10 old-time dance programmes. But as he says, the music was popular and “here we are, the six hundredth broadcast and not out." At 9 o'clock “Saturday Scrapbook” flashes back to the Bickersons. starring Don Ameche and Frances Langford as John and Blanche Bickerson celebrating their wedding anniversary. Entertainers When Peter Harcourt compiled and presented his first series of “Out on Their Own" about a year ago he little expected ' the enormous amount of listener interest. The series was his own per-

sonal choice of 13 entertainers he thought were outstanding in their particular fields, and his own selection seemed to be very much in lune with that of many people who heard the programmes. As a result, a second series seemed imperative and it will begin this week on National. Sunday at 9.33 a.m. First up is Maurice Chevalier, whose appearance in the film "Gigi ” coincided with a most important period in Peter Harcourt's life, and whose songs always bring back treasured memories as a result.