Tale of tragic love

Press, 4 June 1982, Page 11

Tale of tragic love

lESilijEil

The Austrian-born composer, Erich Korngold. a child prodigy, had written cantatas and pantomimes in his early teens and at the age of 19 had a double bill of two of his one-act operas performed in Munich with Bruno Walter conducting. The year was 1916 and one of those operas was “Violanta."

Set in fifteenth-century Venice at carnival time. "Violafita" is a tale of tragic, flawed love. The heroine. Violanta. is the beautiful wife of the Venetian military commander, sworn to avenge the suicide of her sister, who has been seduced by Alfonso, the Prince of Naples. In disguise in the carnival streets, she lures Alfonso to an • assignation which is to bring about his death. Then she realises with shame that she is in love with her sister’s seducer. When her husband enters he finds Violanta and Alfonso in one another’s arms and the tragic, outcome becomes inevitable.

On the Concert programme at 8.20 tonight, . William Southgate introduces 1 Komgold's "Violanta” for

Radio New Zealand and the recording is of soloists with the Bavarian Radio Chorus and Munich Radio Orchestra, conducted by Marek lanowski. Musical trip “Time for Music" (National programme. 7.30 tonight) travels the world, opening in Egypt with Verdi’s Grand March from “Aida" and after a tour sampling music through Europe concluding on more familiar ground with a traditional Pacific Folk Song Suite. Amongst the composers contributing are Gounod, Ibert. Ravel. Poulenc and'Milhaud. Cycling “Travelling Hopefully” (National programme, 9.15 a.m. tomorrow) deals with journeys of all kinds, and this week celebrates the bicycle. The humble bicycle, after losing ground to the motor car, is now making a comeback in these days of rocketing fuel prices’. The programme looks back on the heyday of cycling in the closing decades of the 19th

century, through the eyes of Jerome K. Jerome, Arthur Conan Doyle and E. W. Hornung; the’songwriters of the period. and, of course, the cycling enthusiasts themselves. Jon Trimmer One of New Zealand’s bestknown ballet dancers will talk about his life and select favourite music, on the National programme, at 9.33 a.m. on Sunday. Jon Trimmer was born in Petone and first learned dancing from his teaching sister. He joined the New Zealand Ballet during the 1950 s when it was under the direction of its founder, Paul Gnatt. In 1959, Trimmer travelled overseas and was with the Sadler Wells Ballet for about three years. In the early 1960 s he returned to New Zealand and since then has divided his time between the Australian and New Zealand ballet companies.