HIGHER THAN LONDON,

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 13 August 1923, Page 4

HIGHER THAN LONDON,

« AUSTRALIA'S MUSICAL STANDARD EDWARD GOLL'S OPINION. " Edward Goll, of Melbourne University, vrha is touring Europe, has madesome interesting musical" discoveries. He told, a Sydney Sun representative that the standard of music in Australia, is higher than that in London. Australia, he declared, is musically unknown in the great Continental centresof art, and witn the exception of Melba our country gets no advertisement of' our musical taste and ability. Mr. Goll astounded the Viennese whexuhe* informed them that some masterpieceswhich are now being °produced therehad been rendered in, Australia. He^ paid 2,000,000 kronen to hear Jeritza,. by whose performance he was overcome. Mr. Goll was interested to hear theRoyal College o£ Music concerts, arranged to assist young British composers to secure the performance of tneir own compositions" These were* the greatest surprise of all, showing the wonderful development of 'the great:. orchestral creations. Sir Thomas Beecham's reappearance^ at the Albert Hall was accompanied by a magnificent performance by the London Symphony Orchestra, one of the? best in the world. Mr. Goll heard the orchestra.of the> Reiohwein with its great conductor,. Max Reger. He attended the Max, Reger Festival at Vienna, and found?. tremendous enthusiasm for Reger'emusic. . . ..■•■.•-.-. "The conductor," he declares/ "was. astonished when I told him that Roger'sgreatest works for the piano had been* played in Melbourne. Except for Melba, ~ Australians residing in England: an<K. America have failed to advertise Australian music. I myself was able to> give Vienna people quite a different, picture of Australia's musical, standard."But Australia is practically un— known to the Continental world, and! these people marvelled" to hear. that. Reger's and others' masterpieces had?, already been performed in Melbourne^ when Europeans were only beginning to* appreciate them. "I heard wonderful performances in^ the Vienna Opera House, including: 'Korngold Die Todbe Stadt,' which is a very cleverly-oonoeived' work, and also* that of the* Richard Strauss legend, 'Joseph,' which is magnificent from* every standpoint. "The scenery is the grandest I have^ ever seen on the onera stage, and the,production cost was 2,000,000,000^ kronen. The Austrian currency is so-*----depressed that rates for the kronen^, have not been quoted on the London exchange for months; this figure, therefore, might mean anything. "Considering the country's financial plight, this expenditure snows the great _in--"nHence of Strauss' name in" convincing ~ the Government that it was necessary. "On this occasion the orchestra consisted of 150 males, .and the. impression - on my mind both of tfie nrusic arid*! the scenery was too grandf for words. It was absolute ecstasy. "The performance of Puccini's *Lav Tns^a' at Vienna also, with Jeritza as«Tosca, will live for ever in my memory. I paid 2.000,000 kioiien for a seat to— hear Jeritza —on^ of the greatest singers in the world since Destihn. "Never have I heard such a magni— fi>ent voice, which is combined with the> greatest artistry in acting. Through avfriend I met Puccini, wEo-looked wonderfully well. He was overcome witlir emotion by the •nerfbrmance and the*public ovation. He en id' tKat through*.. Melba he knows all about Australian .. opera." - Mr. Goll willpive a series of concerts in England diiririg September and* October, after which Ec gives recitals-; iri France. A v stria, and Czecho-— , Slovakia, where he hopes to perform- | some of the. modern piano concertos.