MUSIC.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19498, 5 June 1925, Page 3

MUSIC.

NOTES AND RECORDS An all-England scrips of commemorations has been arranged for the tercentenary of Orlando Gibbons on June o. There will be municipal performances of his own and similar works at Cambridge {where he was born), Canterbury (where he died), and London (where he lived most of his davs), at St. Paul’s, and the Chapel Royal, St. James’s. Also at Oxford, York, Hereford, Bristol. Newcastle and possibly Exeter, where his brother Edward was organist, and Winchester, where his son Christopher was organist. Mrs F. H. Hawkins, who has just entered her 50th year as organist at Car'diff Roman Catholic Cathedral, has certainly a remarkable record to her credit, but the organ loft seems conducive to longevity. The late Sir Frederick Bridge was organist of Westminster Abbey for 44 years, and his predecessor, James Turle, held the post 56 years, the two having a combined length of service of exactly a century. Mr George Bird, father of Henry Bird, the famous accompanist, presided at the organ of Walthamstow Parish Church for 55 years; Mr H. Bateman was organist at St. Andrew’s, Hertford, for 50 years; Thomas Attwood 42 years at St. Paul's Cathedral, while at another Hertford church, All Saints, Mr Charles Bridgeman held the post for 81 years, an absolute record. The summer “grand” season of opera at Covent Garden, which commenced on May 18. has promised an interesting eight weeks of operatic fare, principally because of a remarkably fine list of singers, many of them new to London. This season is undertaken by a new company, the Loudon Opera Syndicate, Limited, whose managing director is Lieutenant-Colonel Eustace Blois. The repertoire is entirely devoted to German and Italian opera, comprising nine works in the former category and 11 in the latter. None of them is a new production, but there are some interesting re vivals of Strauss’s “Elektra,” Wagners “The 1 lying Dutchman,” Giordano’s “Andrea Chenier,” and “Fedora,” and Ponchielli’s “Gioconda.” The remaining works to be produced during the season are: —“Rosenkavalier,” “Tristan,” “Lohengrin.” “Walkure,” “Gotterdammerung,’’ “Meistersinger,” “Tannhauser,” “Aida,” “Barbiere di Siviglia,” “Boheme,” “Butterfly,” “Lucia di j-ani-mermoor,” “Rijoletto,” “Tosca,” and “Traviata.” No fewer than 47 singers and four conductors are under engagement for the Covent Garden grand opera season. tn terest has attached to the first appearances of Jeritza, the famous Viennese prima donna, who has been the idol of New York audiences for two seasons; of Toti dal Monte, a young Italian soprano, who made a great sensation in Australia in Melba’s operatic tour; of Francis Russell, a young Welsh tenor, 28 years of age, making his debut in grand opera this season, and who as a. lad worked in a colliery, being afterwards assisted to a musical education in .uilan; of Jivan Williams, a son of the late famous WelshAmerican tenor of the same name. Miss Margherita Sheridan, the young Irish soprano, who sang at Covent Garden in 1919, makes a reappearance. She is one of 10 native singers who have been engaged, and who include the soprano Katherine Arkandy, the contralto Evelyn Arden, and the bass Murray Davey. The conductors for the season are Bruno Walter, Robert Heger, Antonio Volto and M. Failoni. A new custom this season is the abandonment of any Saturday evening performances. Prices of seats range from 5s 9d for an amphitheatre stall to 25s for an orchestra stall and nine guineas for a grand-tier box. The pedagogic genealogy of Kreisler is more than ordinarily interesting (writes G. De Cairos-Rego in the Sydney Daily Telegraph). It reaches back to the founder of the great school of violinists, Corelli. The' artistic line of descent is through Corelli, Sornis, Paganini, Viotti, Rede, Boehm, and Kreisler’s father to Josef Hellmesbcrger, of Vienna, Kreisler’s principle teacher, and the one to whom he owes the most. Doubtless it is owing to his violinistic ancestry, covering a period of two centuries, that Kreisler Shows a decided partiality for tho old Italian masters. To him their memory owes much, for he has resurrected a quantity of their long-forgotten music, buried in tho dust of old European libraries. It is not likely that any musician to-day has a more thorough acquaintance with these violin classics, and in addition ho has given rebirth to many forgotten compositions for the keyboard and for the singer, arranging them for his own instrument. As a result of his untiring research the literature of tho violin repertory has been notably increased from the point of view of melodic interest, and of sympathy with the especial genius of the violin. Kreislcr’s collection of violins used in his career comprises, we read, a quartersize toy-like violin, another of good tone quality, a half-size Mathias Thier, a threequarter fine-toned genuine Nicholas Amati, a full-size Grand-Bernardel, a Grancino, a Gagliano, a Stradivarius bought by Kreisler, and a Joseph. Guarnerius—the famous del Gesu (1757), formerly used by Wilhelmj, for which Kreisler paid Mr Hart 10,000 dollars. The “Strad,” known as “The Stradivari with the wonderful golden varnish.” was purchased from Hill and Sons, London. This is the instrument that Kreisler is “concertising” with at present. Dora Labbette is rightly considered one of the most artistic sopranos at the moment singing for the gramophone. She has no airs and graces, no vocal tricks with which to dazzle her hearers, but she compels respect and admiration for her wise choice of songs and the excellent taste in which she sings them. Her latest records are of Purcell’s old favourite “1 Attempt From Love’s Sickness to Fly.” There is a delicacy and refinement investing Miss Labbette’s singing that easily accounts for the high esteem in which she is hell by those who choose .their records with care. The companion song is Liza Lehmann’s “Oh Tell Me, Nightingale,” which is wholly to Miss Labbette’s liking. ■ “Lo Carnaval des Animaux” of Sa-int-Sacns, described as “Une Grande Fantaisie Zoologique,” has just been recorded by Mr Hamilton Hartyand the Symphony Orchestra. It is complete in six parts (three records) and is something in the nature of a musical event so far as the gramophone is concerned. It is further testimony to the activity of the demand for records of music other than dances and the lighter kind of compositions. Two beautiful and popular numbers have been recorded by J. H. Squire instrumental trio and instrumental octet. They are Schubert’s “Ave Maria” and Liddle’s setting of the well-known hymn “Abide With Me” respectively. The best known tunc for Abide with Me is that of William Henry .Monk; but the Liddle setting is also much favoured, especially by concert singers. The selections have been wisely chosen, with a view to meeting popular taste for instrumental music, that is likely to be (often. erroneously) spoken of as “too classical.” Schubert’* “Ave Maria” is so well-known as to call for no comment; but reference to this excellent rendering may be permitted. Dino Bargioli, the tenor who made a success with the Grand Opera Company recently in Australia—of which some members came to New Zealand as a concert party—-is making a fine reputation as a singer for the gramophone. He is one more example of a singer equally successful on the stage nnd when recording for the gramophone. This is not invariable. Whatever the cause, some singers who record superbly do not seem to be nearly so successful on the platform ; but Signor Borgioli, heard in “II fior che a-vevi a me tu dato” (the Flower Song) from “Carmen,” and “Die Miei bollcnti Spiriti” from “La Traviata” offers a notable exception. These arc the first records made of Borgioli, a tenor of high standing in Italy, and they display tho rare beauty of his voice and the ease with which lie sings operatic airs tha f provide some of the most exacting test? that any aspirins grand opera tenor -s likely to bo submitted to. To those who are fond of good military band music, brilliautlv played, the Coldstream Guards’ “Marche Militairo” (Gounod), and the favourite “Caliph of Bagdad” overture (Boieldeau), will bo welcome. An excellent bracket this. .