MUSIC LOVERS’ DIARY

Evening Star, Issue 25927, 19 October 1946, Page 11

MUSIC LOVERS’ DIARY

THIN TIME CHUNG SPATE OF POLITICS ON RADIO “This is the time, every three years when I thank God I liave a gramophone and a collection of records,” said a local music enthusiast the other day. His comment can be appreciated, and he can be envied by those less fortunate. . Until after November 27 there will be little room on tlie air except for politics and the programmes which do not appeal to the music lover. For some extraordinary reason, the New Zealand Broadcasting Service usually sacrifices a cultural programme if a raucous-voiced politician desires to go on the air. The assumption that only the mentally intelligent are likely to be interested in the outpourings of an office-seeker is naive, and, of course, quite wrong. When the leaders of the parties conclude the arrangements for broadcasting their election speeches, they are apparently concerned only with getting the maximum ..coverage, and the ;convenience of listeners can go hang. The result during the next few weeks will probably be that 3YA, 4YA, and 4YZ will be frequently engaged on election addresses, and that 4YO and 4ZB will be broadcasting programmes of little interest to the music lover. In this way the scheduled programmes become a mockery. The music lovers might “gang-up,” calculate which, party has disrupted more of the desired programmes, and plump for the other side as a protest. GRANVILLE BANTOCK. Granville Bantock, whose death occurred this week, was a colourful figure in English music,. but he is comparatively little known in New Zealand because very few of his compositions were recorded. A number of his songs, however, are familiar as a result of being performed by local singers. Bantock was strongly attracted by the music of the East, and he wrote many songs from the Chinese and Indian poets, utilising the Oriental idiom to an extent that would now be considered excessive. He gave his fancy full rein in his picturesque and elaborate setting for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra of Fitzgerald’s ‘ Omar . Khayyam,’ which was a great success in the early part of the century. His music was principally rich and colourful, but it also had something of that curious English atmospheric characteristic developed with more restraint by a later generation of composers. He was overshadowed during his lifetime by Elgar and Delius, who were a few years older, and lie was never sufficiently assertive to prevent his juniors, Vaughan Williams and Arnold Bax, from surpassing him in popularity. -For all that, he made valuable contributions to English music, and had more influence than his present obscurity would suggest. Enthusiasts have frequenty urged that various works by Bantock should be recorded, but their requests have borne little fruit. RICHARD STRAUSS.

Richard' Strauss, now 82, and one of the greatest figures among the oldest living composers, is to receive some attention from the broadcasting authorities during the coming week, if the programmes scheduled are proceeded ■with. Next Thursday 4YA is to give an hour and a-half of his music, including the magnificent ‘ Ein Heldenleben ’ (‘ A Hero’s Life ’), and on the following Saturday 2YC is to begin a geries of Strauss programmes with ‘ Don Quixote.’ The record of Strauss is curious in that he did most of his greatest work between the ages of 25 and 40, and except for a handful of works, his subsequent life has been relatively barren. His ‘ Don Juan,’ ‘ Macbeth,’ ‘ Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks,’ ‘ Don Quixote,’ ‘ Also Sprach Zarathustra,’ and ‘ Heldenleben,’ were fine orchestral works that, came out during the extraordinarily fertile periodi. Subsequently he concentrated on opera, of which ‘ Der Rosenkavalier,’ and ‘ Salome,’ have achieved most popularity. He has written more than JOO songs, some of which are the equal of the finest in Schubert, Brahms, and Hugo Wolf. THE WEEK’S MUSIC. The following musical items will, as far as is at present known, be. broadcast during the coming week: — To-night. 4YO, 9.1 music by Chopin; 9.31 music by Schumann, including ‘ Manfred ’ overture, Violin Sonata in A Minor, and Symphony No. 4 in D Minor. To-morrow.—4YA, 2.0 Gil Dech and 4YA String Orchestra, Frank Callaway’s Theme and Variations for String Orchestra (winning composition for Philip Neill Prize for 1946); Concerto for. Oboe and Strings (Jacob); 2.53 Beethoven’s Septet in E Flat Major;

3YA, 3.0 Stravinsky’s ‘ Petrouchka ’ (new recording). 4YA, 8.0 Verdi's ‘ Othello.’ 4YO, 8.30 Brallms , programme. Monday.—4YA, 7.30 Handel Concerto Grosso. Tuesday.—4YO, 8.0 Trinity College Concert; 9.45 Haydn String Quartet; Beethoven’s Eighth Violin Sonata. Wednesday. 4YO, 8.0 Elgar’s Violin Concerto; 9.1 Debussy programme; 9.33 from Wagner’s ‘ Tannhauser;’ 10.0 music by Grieg. 3YA, 9.42 Schumann’s Fourth Symphony. Thursday. 4YA, 7.30 Richard Strauss pi-ogramme; 9.30 Atterburg’s Sixth Symphony. Friday.—4YO, 8.0 Rimsky-Ivorsakov programme; 10.0 music by Grieg.