Thoughts About Music

Evening Star, Issue 26091, 3 May 1947, Page 10

Thoughts About Music

(By L.D.A.) During the past week Dunedin musiclovers have satisfied themselves that New Zealand’s National Orchestra is all, aiid even'more than, it was reported to be. 1 myself , feel particularly gratified by the number of messages received, assuring hie that my championship of the orchestra and its brilliant conductor has been fully vindicated. To many who thus heard a real, live orchestra for the first time, perhaps, in their fives, the vast difference between a flesh and blood performance and recorded . (flaying, must' have come, as an electrifying revela-: tion. F should like to quote a few! lines from a Dunedin friend’s letter: “ On Thursday night I experienced my. greatest musical thrill, for years—not since I was in London years ago.have, 1 heard anything approaching it. 1. could have wept for sheer joy when .the real orchestral: tone reached my ears after having' been starved .of 'it for So long-. It is positively amazing what Andersen Tyrer has accomplished, and lie has definitely proved the' correctness of; your previous eulogies .'of his work and of the, plenitude of New Zealand*orchestral talent.”: . ’

“' Wagner’s ‘ Prelude ai. Liebestod ’ from ‘Tristan and Isolde’ was sublimely played—it sent shivers down my back and Amoved me so deeply that I had difficulty in Restraining my tears. Not for many years has any music so affected me, and 1 thitik • this :is the best tribute, that -any body of •players could receive.; The ‘.Ride of the Valkyries ’ .was simply -terrific — what a marvellous composition and how tremendous its , performance! Everything else in the programme was splendidly rendered, but those two items were outstanding..' I should have liked the concert to have ended there —-the succeeding numbers were, to my mind, in the nature of anti-climax, though the audience seemed insatiable and. everybody was.highly, delighted.”.

1 am inclined to agree with my cor-respondent-that" the ‘ Ride of the Valkyries ’, should have .been the final number 011 the programme, as it represents music at the,peak of virtuosity and imaginative conception. Richard Wagner, in this, gigantic piece of scoring and in the music of ‘ Tristan and Isolde,’ revealed himself as an unapproachable colossus in the creative field—the only composer who has so far completely succeeded : iu ■ transmuting physical emotion into sound. His, nearest rival, in this respect—in fact, his only' rival—was Tschaikowsky,. the final movement of whose ‘ Symphony Pathetique ’ lays bare the'very nerve-centre of - devastating, sorrow and tragedy. After hearing such'supreme-music, one jvants to retire into solitude find meditation; the. sensitive listener;,has had enough, and for .that reason'giieat care is necessary in compiling concert; programmes. A re-arrangement , of items piay. sometimes increase the effectiveness a hundred-fold. "" '' . » * * » From, all accounts ;it . would appear that the Dunedin Town Hall has given the National. Orchestra its most satisfactory, acoustic results as far as the tour has gone—certainly the broadcasts of the concerts, here have confirmed these reports. As every architect arid builder well knows, there is a'lot of luck in the construction of concert halls, although scientific, progress is gradually tending to minimize the hazard—particularly in America, where it is claimed that nowadays perfect auditoriums can almost be guaranteed: A ‘ Musical Courier ’ writer recently hiade some pertinent suggestions in this connection, which are of sufficient interest to quote. After stating his opinion—with which I heartily agree—that no fitter war riiemorial could be planned than an up-to-date concert- nail, he says: 1 ’ , ..... : “These modern tonal temples must embody the latest ideas in regard to

location, seating capacity, lighting, heating, ventilation, beauty of design, acoustics, and every other practical consideration.” • • » • “In the first ..place,' location—the question of accessibility must be paramount. . People won’t come unless they can arrive and depart without fuss ana bother. Then the -matter of size—this can;- be worked opt in .‘proportion to population thus: Cities of 50,006 inhabitants need seating capacity for 1,000 to 1,500 persoris ; 100,000 ditto for 1,750 to 2,000 ; 500,0()0 for 2,000 to 3,000,”.. . ■: (Let me remark, parenthetically, that, the above calculations, do not flatter the incidence of .musical appreciation in America,, where, according to figures I quoted (last week, concert attendances indicate a. ratio of roughly 15 per cent, of the total population. Among British. peoples' the . proportion of good, music-lovers is around'about 2 per cent). * * # * -The writer continues: “ Coming to* interiors, architects, and planning committees are requested to remember'that the building is . for human beings, whose comfort Should be earnestly studied, both in respect of audiences and , performers. . Modern audiences require roomy ■ foyers—no bottleneck entrances- or exits; the box office well out-of the way of. the arriving crowd; plenty of apace for 'promenade arid smoking during intermissions. Seating : Comfortable, but not so cushioned as to need a derrick., to hoist out a stout occupant. Sufficient space between rows' to obviate corn-treading and sotto-voce invective. Floor to be raked 'at'an . angle giving every tier of seats a; full view of the stage. Only one balcony.” , F.or the performers :Do .not forget well-appointed and comfortable dressing rooms, wit* l hot and; cold .water, and every modern convenience. Some of the ivprld’s ; finest concert halls and theatres are deficient'in this important resipect. Indirect lighting is also inipera- . tiyfe—nothing exasperates audiences so much as glaring lights .in the wrong . places, 1 Still more urgent;is the matter of heating and ventilation. What is wanted Is;a comfortable, even tempera'triref -throughout the-building—in fact, comfort should be the key-note. Beauty of . design is desirable, but of less importance than, comfort.” '““ >.'••'* ■ » ■ < There are wise observations and some ; excellent suggestions in the foregoing, and' one naturally, i asks—how . many N*ew Zealand auditoriums embody the specifications mentioned? I should like to , see war memorials, of this nature in every centre-of the Country with a population of 10,000 or over. Dunedin ip apparently in'the fortunate position of possessing inodel concert halls, but there be other .cities T : wot of whose ideas of “ tonal temples ” are primitive, to say the least, Wellington’s Topui Hall being one of the worst, while Christchurch has not a single hall worthy of the name. . The. subject of war memorials is in the air, ,'a ! nd no* is the time.-to, give these suggestions'serious thought. Another American writer, referring • to the crowded concert season in New York and the consequent difficulty experienced by performers in securing suitable dates for their appearances, remarks; “ Many of the concerts we hear should never happen—by which we mean that'a majority of performers are not up to the standard of public perforriiance. Therefore the .cure for overcrowded conditions lies in the hands of concert promoters. Platform appearances for any but first-rate artists should be discouraged. One, good way of determining the matter fs for new. aspirants to make recordings tof their, efforts before giving a concert, arid then to compare sueli recordings’ with “'those made of the same works by some established artists. Let him or her then reflect that a platform performance will evoke. exactly the same comparison, and it is probable that such reflection may prevent, ninen subsequent heartbreak.” Very true and sensible,, and an idea’ worthy of acceptance by our broadcasting authorities.