MINOR MYSTERY SOLVED

Evening Star, Issue 25886, 2 September 1946, Page 5

MINOR MYSTERY SOLVED

SOLOMON HAS ANOTHER NAME FAMOUS PIANIST IN DUNEDIN Friendliness extreme modesty about his achievements, and his undoubted eminence in the world oif music, and seriousness in his approach to the art are the characteristics of Solomon, the famous British pianist, that impress themselves on an interviewer. Very soon after bis arrival in the city he was prepared to meet a newspaper representative, and the conversation soon centred round so many aspects of music that it was more in the nature of a,friendly discussion than a formal meeting between strangers. Of medium height and dark, Solomon is more mature in appearance than the photographs circulated for his tour suggest. ; That is not unusual in the case of a musical visitor, but in the case of Solomon there is an important difference. At the age of-43, Solomon is at the height of his powers, and there is no need for him to simulate more youthfulness than he actually possesses, such has has been necessary for many of the famous musicians who have toured New Zealand in their elderly years, striving to appear to be in a prime that has long since faded , Solomon shows no obvious evidence of, having been a boy prodigy. The adulation, offered him by crowds, in his youth has left no mark. It might easily have an arrogance and a sense of superiority, but those things are not to be detected. He is friendly and keenly interested in the people he meets and. the places he visits. CONTRARY TO PRACTICE. It is certainly contrary to newspaper practice, and it might give an air of undue familiarity to continue referring to the pianist by a single name without a prefix, but that is the result of a slight mystery about his full name which Solomon has allowed to' develop His explanation of it is quite simple He says that when : he first performed in public at the age of

eight it was appropriate for him- to be called “ Solomon, the boy pianist.” As he has remained in the public eye for. more than 30 yearn, .except for a few .years when lie wisely retired from the concert platform, it is natural that lie should continue to be known by his given name . Solomon. Hence .it is. not correct to refer'to him as Mr Solomon. Call, me Solomon,” is the open invitation-he gives to people he meets. . It has .been left to the Americans, with their passion for that sort oif thing, to reveal more of the Solomon nomenclature. English reference books, with more respect for an artist’s wishes list him with the one name alone, and it is astonishing to find that ‘ Who’s Who ’ and ‘ Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians ’ make no furthei revelations. That, however, is not good enough across the Atlantic, and with some, enterprise they have discovered his surname, although in at least one instance it has been listed as a given name. In the circumstances, there is an almost irresistible temptation to reveal that the nianist might be more accurately referred to as Mr Solomon Cutner. STRENUOUS LIFE.

Touring long distances and giving up to three concerts a week is a strenuous life, according to Solomon, but he has found in New Zealand that it has its compensations in the extreme cordiality of the audiences. After three concerts in Christchurch last week he was most enthusiastic about .the keen appreciation of the audiences and their interest in great music His New Zealand tour comes after a busy period in Australia, during which he gave solo recitals in all the principal centres and performed seven different concertos with Australian orchestras. When regret was expressed by the interviewer that facilities did hot exist for Solomon to play concertos in the south, the conversation inevitably turned on the prospects for the National Orchestra which is at present being formed. Solomon believes that such an orchestra will play an important part in the development of music in New Zealand, but he considers that the orchestra cannot be expected to reach its desired capacity until a conservatorium is established in the Dominion to train the players who will ultimately join its ranks. Somewhere on the present tour Solomon was credited with having said that Brahms was his* favourite composer Questioned on this point, he said the remark was too sweeping. He had many favourite composers, and almost inevitably the one whose music he was studying most closely at the moment loomed largest in his view. For instance, . he could have felt quite as emphatically that Cesar. Franck was the prime favourite after working in Christchurch on the great Prelude, Aria, and Finale, but Brahms might supersede him when he was presenting the Variations and Fugue on a theme of Handel in Dunedin. Other composers also had their turn, and they all ranked high on the list. FACTOR FOR PEACE. Solomon feels strongly about the importance of music, and although he confesses that his ideas might seem extravagant he belieyes that a greater appreciation of music could be an important factor in preserving; peace between the nations. He said that with a greater knowledge of the artistic achievements of other countries, people would develop a greater respect, for the people of those nations, and would surely try to understand their national aspirations. It was impossible to start too soon with' children to try to develop an appreciation of music, Solomon said. Remarkable things were being done in English schools to teach the children to ‘understand and appreciate music. Class instruction gave opportunities for them to learn to play instruments and join in school orchestras, but it was realised that all the children could not became performers. Those who had special aptitudes would find their opportunities through class instruction,

and would . certainly be able to get _ better teaching if they were particularly brilliant. It was really important however, that all should have opportunities for a genuine appreciation of the art, which he believed was within the capacity of virtually every child. Solomon expressed keen interest in a project to present children’s concerts in Dunedin, and spoke of the great success of such concerts in London. He said he greatly enjoyed playing and talking to children, and when circumstances permitted he endeavoured to arrange special recitals for young people. Solomon has not attained his eminence without much hard work. He confesses to spending up to five hours at the piano on most \days, and perhaps eight hours on the day of a concert. This gives point to an anecdote published in an English gramophone magazine recently. A person listening to a Solomon record said: “ If I could play like Solomon I would never leave the piano.” The reply was: “ Solomon plays like that because he hardly ever leaves the piano.”