THOUGHTS ABOUT MUSIC

Evening Star, Issue 24409, 22 January 1943, Page 5

THOUGHTS ABOUT MUSIC

f [By L.D.A.]

One of the questions which, is occupying the minus of musicians in England prelates' to the form that concert giving arid music general]}' Will take iWhen peace returns... Even as-long ago as 1935, the 'matter was receiving attention, as may be gathered from an article written by .Richard Holt in the London ' Musical Courier,' a paper which, unfortunately,' has now'V disappeared. -Mr Holt did l not know, of course at that time, that the war was 'impending',' but he ' felt, nevertheless, that the time had arrived for a complete change ill the musical outlook. It will be noticed from what I intend to quote that in,,Mr Holt's opinion Queen's Hall was already out of date in 1935. If he could have foreseen that six' years later a German bomb.was to render this famous 'auditorium a thing of the past, no doubt he would have givfen his views even greater point.. His article runs as follows:—•

" I suppose all schemes and projects for the public presentation of music rotate round the "question: Are' the English; musical? Unfortunately, when this conundrum is propounded not attempt is made to define the word ''■musical.'- Ido not propose to, try to answer the question here, but merely to express the opinion that, as there is a great deal of "musical' activity in England, quite apart from whether the English are musical or not, it .is about time some attempt was made to riioderniso the concert world. Orchestral perforriiances in London are . monopolised by one building, the Queen's Hall, and T maintain that not only is this revered edifice obsolete for .the purpose, but also the' methods of presenting the orchestra] concert are equally out of date.

" The most successful entertainment of to-day is the cihenia, and it is not a mere coincidence , that , that art is housed in palatial buildings of sybaritic showmanship. The; hoary pedants of music will, of course,, recoil in, horror at the ' suggestion that showmanship should be brought into it,' but, however much the individual of refined tasto may revolt against modern vulgarity, the fact remains that any form of entertainment dependent on the public niust cater.'for and attract the public. ". Orchestral concerts to-day are attended by more or less the --ame »mall section of the public, and it-'is time efforts were made to reach a wider circle. At a Queen's Hall orchestral concert to-day not the slightest gesture is made towards the public; the psychological note is one of'patronage and condescension, as though it were an honour to attend. People who cannot afford 5s 9d are compelled to queue up, and, after paying 3s and 2s for the roof and basement respectively, are asked to disburse a further Is or 6d for the programme, often written in icad'3'uic abracadabra. It is this more or less segregated section of untouchables which contains the largest potential support for music."

" This same Queen's Hall, which is clothed in an ultra-bilious green calculated to cast even a Mark Tapley into a slough of depression, is architecturally and spiritually in accord with the august days of good Queen Victoria and the venerable Elijah of oratorio fame. There is no stage, and no stage contrivances ; the orchestral players amble aimlessly in by twos and threes, and, moreover, are clad in attire which, though it may cause pleasurable expectation in the heart of the gourmets or undertakers present, is entirely out of place in an entertainment which should be a spectacle for the eye and the sense of drama.as well as for the ear.

I have no space to enumerate the many other anachronistic features of a Queen's Hall symphony concert, so I will utilise what I have left by offering a few suggestions which T think would bring new interest and prosperity to the concert world.

" First, an up-to-date concert hall holding 4,000 people or more; that is, 40 rows, each with 50 seats either side of the central gangway, and rising gradually from the first row, so that all could see. Cheap seats would be plentiful. Next, a modern, fullyequipped stage suitable for orchestral or operatic performances. As in the theatre, the curtain would go up at the advertised time, revealing the conductor and orchestra standing with brilliant spotlights focused on them, and as they would be dressed in handsome civic" uniforms, the effect would be a thrilling one. The audience would be in darkness Before each item a few words would be thrown on the cinema screen giving the salient points of work and composer. (Incidentally, free programmes for the next concert, with full notes, would be given to the audience as they left the hall.)

* • • • "Works such as >the 'Flying Dutchman ' Overture could be accompanied by a film of the sea. Operatic arias would be given in costume, and with action, against a special curtain 1 . Outside the hall would be spaces for pictures of the composers and artists of the next concert, with notes of interest, and the actual concert would be broadcast to the street. _ And so one could go on. What is needed is imagination, enterprise, new ideas, and music would become immensely more popular, securing an ever-increas-ing audience. Naturally I shall be asked: But what about the moneyP There are many answers to that! one, for instance, is to run a restaurant and cinema in association with the concert hall. But the possibilities are infinite, and men of vision and action would malke short work of the task." • s « • Well, now that Queen's Hall is gone there will be plenty of scope for its rebuilding something on the lines sug-

gested by Mr Holt. In any case, the centre of musical London will naturally gravitate towards the spot hallowed by musical memory; the site, which is now, and for some time to come probably, will be only a gaping chasm in the neighbourhood of Oxford Circus.

Music lovers in New Zealand have, during the past week, sustained a grievous shock by the news received from South Africa of the death of George Ellwood, who, by all competent to judge, was regarded as the finest 'cellist heard in New Zealand for a generation. Ellwood, although not actually born in New Zealand, lived in this country from childhood, and may therefore be considered as a native product. He was a musician of whom wo all h~.l every reason to be proud. I myself feel his loss as a personal blow. I saw a good deal of him and his charming wife (incidentally herself a very fine 'cellist) whilst I was in London eight years ago. Ellwood was at that time full of the project of bringing out to Australia and New Zealand Sir Henry Wood and his Queen's Hall Orchestra—a suggestion which originated with me, but, as I previously described, had to be abandoned througn circumstances over which no one had

any control. George Ellwood was for many years a. member of that splendid chamber music combination known as the Symons-Ellwobd-Short Trio, the members of which, needless to say, in addition to Ellwood, were the late Miss Ava Symons, the violinist, who died some, two years ago, and Gordon Short, the well-known pianist, who happily is still with us. It is not too much to say that no such combination of performers, whether native or visiting artists, has ever been heard in this country, nor are their achievements likely to be surpassed. In the early days of broadcasting this trio was the highlight of musical New Zealand, and the pleasure and intellectual enjoyment it gave to all lovers of high-class music will never be forgotten. General sympathy will, 1 am sure, go out to ?Irs Ellwood in her sad bereavement; but the loss to music of this vibrant personality is, I fear, irreparable. # • » # Ignaz Friedman recently astonished even his warmest admirers by his performance of Chopin's Piano Concerto in E Minor. It took place in Wellington and was broadcast by station 2YC, but how far it was audible through New Zealand I have no means of ingWhat I do know, however, is that Friedman's'playing was simply magnificent, and showed that, when in the mood, ho is equal to the world's greatest pianists. The accompanying 2YA Orchestra, under Andersen Tyrer's masterly control, also covered itself with glory. • Altogether a memorable event