MUSIC FESTIVAL

Evening Star, Issue 23564, 1 May 1940, Page 2

MUSIC FESTIVAL

A CENTENNIAL FEATURE VISITING ARTISTS TO APPEAR A musical festival! worthy of the good name of the city is to be staged shortly in connection with the national Centennial celebrations in Dunedin. All the leading local musical organisations are co-operating enthusiastically with a view to making the occasion a memorable one. and a thoroughly representative committee has been appointed to co-ordinate these efforts and to complete the arrangements for the presentation of a series of programmes covering the period between May 11 and May 20. As proof of the whole-hearted support which the project is receiving, it may be mentioned that the musical societies have foregone the usual preparations for the first half of the current season in order to devote themselves to the big Centennial event. Indeed, they have for months past combined harmoniously to this_ end. The principal feature of the music week will be the presentation of Gounod’s ‘Faust’ on three nights. This will be fully staged, with visiting artists_ and local chorus. The other nights will be devoted to the presentation of the oratorio ‘ Elijah,’ a symphony concert, a recital of chamber music, an orchestral concert, and a recital of modern choral works. The programme is as follows; — Saturday, May 11. —‘ Elijah,’ by the Centennial Choir, in the Town Hall. Sunday May. 12. —After-church service, Town'Hall, with Centennial Choir. Monday, Wednesday, and Monday, May 13, 15, and 20.—‘Faust.’ in .His Majesty’s Theatre. Tuesday, May 14.—Symphony Concert by the National Centennial Symphony Orchestra, in the Town Hall. ' Thursday May 16.—Orchestral concert,' in the Town Hall. Friday, Slay 17. —Chamber music recital, in the "Concert Chamber. Town Hall. Saturday, May 18.—Modern choral Works, by the Centennial Choir, in the Town Hall. The appearance of jseveral talented artists who have been brought to New Zealand by the Government to assist in the musical presentations in the main centres will create great interest among the Dunedin musicians. All the visitors are highly acclaimed by the best critics at Home and abroad. Probably the best known is Mr Andersen Tyrer, a brilliant pianist, composer, and conductor, who will conduct the orchestra, and also some of the choral works. Miss Isobel Baillie, is a soprano who has made successful appearances in England and America. Her singing at the Hollywood Bowl aroused the Los Angeles critics to great heights of enthusiasm. One of the outstanding contraltos in oratorio in England, Miss Gladys Ripley, at the age of 17 sang the second contralto part in ‘ Elijah ’ at the Albert Hall. One of her major successes was in a dramatised version of the same oratorio, also at the Albert Hall. Mr Heddle Nash’s record includes many appearances at Covent_ Garden as a tenor, and Mr Oscar Natzke, the Auckland hass, is only 26 years of ago, but he has already been highly praised hy Sir Granville Bantock, leading music authority in London. Mr Raymond Beatty, Australian baritone, has toured successfully in England, and has been under contract to the Australian Broadcasting Commission. Mr Frank Bermingham is another Australian, a bass-baritone, who has appeared in grand onera and in the musical comedies ‘Balalaika,’ ‘ Desert Song,’ and ‘ Lilac Time.’

The programmes to be presented are full 'of interest. The central work of the symphony concert will _be Tschaikovsky’s 1 Symphony in E Minor.’ Vocal groups will be presented by Mr Nash and Mr Natzke. At the orchestral concert, Miss Ethel Wallace wjll take the solo part in Mozart’s ‘ Violin Concerto in A Major.’ Other works will include ' Fantasia and Fugue,’ by Bach, arranged by Tyrer; Tschaikovsky’s ‘ Casse Noisette’ suite; Edward German’s ‘ Welsh Rhapsodv ’; and solos will be given bv Miss Ripley and Mr Natzke.' The feature of .the chamber music programme will be the presentation of Vaughan Williams’s ‘ Wenlock Edge,’ for tenor, string quartet, and piano. Mr Nash will take the vocal part, and the pianist will be Mr Noel Newson. Included in the programme of modern choral works will be ‘ Let Us Now Praise Famous Men’ (Galway), ‘Festival Te Deum ’ (Sullivan), ‘Blest Pair of Sirens ’ ( Parry), ‘ Se‘a Symphony (Williams ; for choir and orchestra), and ‘ Songs of the Fleet ’ (Stanford; for male chorus). Mr Raymond Beattv will take the solos in ‘ Songs of the Fleet. The Sullivan ‘ Te Deum’ will be. presented locally for the first time, so far os can he ascertained, and Vaughan Williams’s ‘ Sea Symphony ’ is already known to Dunedin audiences. . The committee, which has been doing wood work for months past, consists of Messrs N. R. MTsaac (chairman), Dr V E. Galwav, Dr T. V. Griffiths. Mrs H C. Campbell, Miss Meda Paine, Messrs C. F. Watson, A. WMmsley, A. Fleming, P. Anderson. L. B. Borrow, j T Leech. G. W. Johnstone. E. Kerr, and G. E. Wilkinson (secretary).