WEEK OF MUSIC

Evening Star, Issue 23449, 14 December 1939, Page 6

WEEK OF MUSIC

PART OF CENTENNIAL FESTIVAL SOME VISITING SOLOISTS DUNEDIN CHOIRS AMALGAMATE Some. details of the musical festival to be. provided! during the Centennial Week of Music were given to a meeting of members of Dunedin choirs last evening in.; the View Street Hall, the committee responsible for the organisation outlining how it was proposed to unify the choirs in an effort, that would be a distinctive Centennial celebration and outstanding in the musical ■history of the country. Mr N. R. M'lsaac, chairma of the Dunedin Sub-committee of the National Centeninal Music Committee (Wellington), presided! over the meeting, and ho explained that English artists, vocal and instrumental,, were being brought to New Zealand by the Government, and would be available to the other cities after they had given their services at the Exhibition. In order to avoid confusion, the National Committee has allotted! to Dunedin the week from Saturday, June S, to Saturday, _ June 15. as the time in which the visitors will be available, and it has given its approval to a most impressive and attractive programme. , ' The'visiting artists include'Mr Anderson Tyrer, conductor of the Centennial ‘ choir, and a_ musician and pianist whose quality is not unappreciated! in Dunedin; Isobel Baillie, soprano;* Gladys Ripley, contralto; Heddle Nash, tenor; Oscar Natschke, the New Zealand bass who has done so well' in England; Raymond • Beattie, also a bass; and several instrumentalists , All will he available for Dunedin's' week, Mr M'lsaac said l , and Dunedin choristers and instrumentalists were to bo specially coached to assist them. A FULL PROGRAMME. The programme which has been adopted is as follows—; Saturday, June B.—A presentation of Mendelssohn’s 1 Elijah.’ Sunday, June 9.—An interdenominational church service' in the Town Hall. Monday, June 10,' and; Wednesday. June 12.—A - stage production of 1 Faust.’ Tuesday, June 11.—A festival arranged by the British Drama League. Thursday, June 13.—A celebrity concert in which all of the visiting artists will take part. Friday, June 14.—A programme provided by school choirs. Saturday. June 15.—A festival concert for which the programme has been drafted as follows:—‘Let IJs Now Praise Famous Men,’ Professor Galway ; 1 Blest Pair of Sirens ’ (Parry); a group of songs by Heddle Nash; ‘ Alto Rhapsody ’ (Brahms), in which Gladys Ripley will be the soloist; a piano concerto, Mr Anderson Tyrer; ‘ News from Whydah ’ (Balfour Gardiner) ; and, for the second half, Vaughan Williams’s ‘ Benedict! ’ and the same composer’s ‘ Sea Symphony.’ The music required for choir and orchestra is being obtained, and it is .expected that practices-will begin early Tn the New Year. Mr Alfred Walmeley has hpen appointed choirmaster for the training of the festival choir and producer of ‘Faust,’- and Mr. John T. Leech chorus njaiter for ’ ‘ Faust.’ In ‘ Elijah ’ and the festival, concert, the visiting soloist tvill be assisted by combined choirs chosen from the St. Clair Choir, the lloya I-Dun ed i n Male- Choir, the Returned Soldiers’ Choir, the Lyric Choir, and the Dunedin Choral Society, and instrumental assistance will be given* by the Dunedin Orchestral Society. It is not expected that all members of all choirs will be used in ‘ Faust,’ but probably they will provide a chorus of about 80 voices. All of the, solo work will he done by the visiting artists.