WORLD OF MUSIC

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 15 September 1928, Page 8

WORLD OF MUSIC

THE ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY. The taste of the public is generally pretty sound in the matter O'f good music and tlia't this is so is proved by the ichosen numbers for the “ request’ ’ concert to be given next month by the Orchestral .Society. It is interesting to see Gilbert 'and Sullivan and also the 1812 Overture so high up on the list. There will be three popular artists also to assist. MALE CHOIR. 'Two of the best and most popular singers who' have been in Haweria will assist in the next concert of the Male Choir on Tuesday, September '25, in the Opera House. Miss Naomi Whalley, the Palmerston North soprano, has been very highly .spoken of :by critics all • ver the Dominion. 'Se is a fine concert singer and has made a name specially in oratorio. Mr iHarison Cook is well-known to all Hawera music lovers, who will welcome his re-appe'arance. Besides being endowed with a magnificent bass voice, he is a real artist ■with a wonderful personality and has the faculty of cap- ■ turing his audience completely. The programme, with a really good selection of choral numbers, will be in every way notable. SCHOOL ORCHESTRA. It is good to see the zeal and enthusiasm of the youngsters at the High and Main Schools in their Orchestrlal Society. They tare doing good work and their combined concert to be held at an early date is crdating much interest and promises to be a really, go'od performance. MUSIC ABROAD. . IMPRESSIONS OP SYDNEY ARTIST. Pull of enthusiasm for the operas and orchestral works he had heard dur. ing his months in London, and in the various countries of 'Europe, the Director of the ConservatoriUm (Mr !W. Arundel ’Orchard) returned to 'Sydney recently. “One of the most interesting of recent choral works, ’’ he daid to a Sydney pressman, “is Egdon Heath,” by Gustav Holst. This work i s lighter .Than Holst’s .suite, “The Planets,” which the Conscrvatorium Orchestra presented here so successfully; but the English public docs not seem to understand it. It has been presented only 1 twice to my 'knowledge, in England — once in London and once in the Midlands. I spent a long- evening -with. Holst at his home, and he spoke much of ‘ Egdon Heath, ’ expressing his faith that the music would ultimately be appreciated, and wishing me well in my design to present it in Sydney. “I need not dwell on the unsatisfactory state of orchestral music in London. I think others have done that, sufficiently befdre me. The chief trouble, of course, is the Ihigh cost of maintaining an orchestra in these days. Never in any circumstances does a paid orchestra seem to have more than one rehearsal before a public performance. What a wonderful tribute to the music-reading powers of the British musician? 'Considering this fact, and the migration of so many of the best players to the picture show's, I was impressed with the standard that Sir Henry Wood was able to attain at the Queen’s Hall. A young conductor in London, Mr Malcolm Sargeant, struck me as having the makings of a really eminent leader. I heard him conduct the Beethoven Ma-ss in D, and a performance of Colcridge-Taylor’a “Hiawatha’; also one or two nights of the Russian Ballet. -Considering that he had had no previous rehearsal with the dancers, but only with the orchestra aqd the ballet-master, his certainty and vigour were astounding. “The last Covent .Garden opera season was a great success. I whs fbr.tun-' ate enough to hear Chaliapin sidg in 'Boris Godounov. ’ His voice seemed to me to have .sadly declined.in vigour since his Australian tour; though one almost forgot to notice this amid the tremendous fire of his acting. “On the 'Continent, music appeared everywhere to be flourishing; and nowhere else more than in Vienna —poor war-stricken Vienna, which seemed a year or two ago to have sunk under a load of poverty and despair for ever. At the State Opera House I was particularly interested in .Stravinsky’s 'Oedipus Rex.’ I must confess, though, that the staging and acting interested me more than the mUsic. Occasionally ■'Stravinsky seemed to be striving to reproduce the spirit of ancient Greek music with lightly scored passages in which the harp predominated; but for the most part, his score wa's rather incoherent. Tlie more I hear of this very modern music the more tired of it I get. Tt gives me the impression that, I have heard it all somewhere before, even though in actual fact I may bo hearing a piece for the first time. The idiom is'-so restricted jjfca't one cannot escape monotony.” Besides “Egdon Heath” Mr Orchard has brought with him music by Elgar ('the “Fralssart” overture, “iPolonia ’ ’ and two interludes from “Falstaff ”); Wagner’s overture to “Die Feen ” and “Liebesverbotthe Prelude to Act < HI. of “Parsifal;” several of the ear- y lier symphonies" of Schubert; and a J number by Glazounov and .Mozart; and j a number of ’concertos for violin and ] piano. j

RECORDED MUSIC. “ANNIE LAURIE.” O') “The Little Irish Girl’ ; (S') “Nancy Lee.” Columbia 01057. (I) “Annie Laurie” ; (2) Lassie O’ Mine,” Columbia 01056. Sung by Fraser Gange, Baritone. Fraser Gauge’s recent- tour throughout the Dominion established without any shadow of doubt- this splendid baritone’s enthusiastic popularity. As will be remembered, his rendering of popular ballads was one of the most- -successfully received portions of Ills repertoire. The two discs under review are splendid re-recordings of these four everpopuiar airs, and it is difficult' to pick between them. PATTMAN ON THE ORGAN. (1) “Le Cygne” (Saint-Saens); (2) “Smut d’Amour (Elgar). Organ Solos by G. T. Pittman. Columbia. 02512. Puttman can always be relied upon to provide good fare, and this month liis offering is'rio exception to the rule. The melodious “Saiut d’ Amour” sounds truly what it 'is—one of Elgar’s gems—instead of a hackneyed tune. Tlie tone is rich and sonorous and Pattma n \s registernt-ion exceptionally clear. NEW ZEALAND SONGS. (1) “Ka Mate”; (2) “Hine E Iline.” Columbia 01067. (1) “Whalen- x\riki” (Hill); (2) E Pari Ra. Columbia 01058. (1) “He Waiata A;roha” (Hill); (2) “Titi Torea” (Hill). Columbia- 01050.

Sung in English and Maori by Ernes® McKinley, Tenor. In spite of the excellent work produced hv the recording companies—it .has never been better—the sensation of the musical month for New Zealanders should be the magnificent Columbia series of New Zealand record. Ernest McKinley, who sings them, is well-known in this country, of which he is a; native. At present he is* principal tenor to the Westminister Glee Singers, now touring Canada-. He hits a warm and colourful voice, and a- fine sense of the dramatic. Some of his recordings are almost electric, particularly the great “Ka Mate” with its rousing haka. Just as stirring is “Wbalda Ariki.” from Alfred Hill’s well-known Maori opera “Ta-pu.” RUSSIAN PART SINGING. (1) “Serenade —-Nocturne” (Abt); (2) “Contredance —Russian Songs.” Sung by the Kedroff Male Quartette. The magnificent matching of timbre in each of these vocalists’ voices is equalled only by their magnificent balance of tone. The most delightful ease is observable in both of these numbers, and one can almost, feel (be enthusiasm they each seem t-o feel for the -splendid harmonies they produce. Those who possess Don Cossack records arc sure to revel in these two items.