DAWSON-HAMBOURG SEASON

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21386, 14 July 1931, Page 4

DAWSON-HAMBOURG SEASON

OPENING CONCERT TO-NIGHT “During my career as a singer,” states Mr Peter Dawson, “I have made more than 3000 different gramophone records, which, I believe, is the greatest number ever sung by one individual. I do not know exactly how many copies of these records have been sold, but the 10,000,000 mark was passed some months ago. Making phonograph records in the early days of the gramophone was strenuous and

tedious work. The art of making many records from a master had not been discovered, and each record had to be made separately. On shelves in the studio were about 15 recording instruments with big horns, and into these I would sing a song as many as 50 times a day. Often I arrived at the studio at 10 o’clock and sang until 5, with an hour’s

break for lunch. Nowadays, innumerable perfect records can be' printed from the original master.” There" is probably no pianist of our day who enjoys a greater and wider reputation than does Mr Mark Hambourg. His fame, in fact, is international, for, although his home is in Loudon, the peoples of almost every country and continent know him. as he travels the world over in fulfilment of his many engagements, Mark Hambourg was born in Southern, Russia. His father, himself a professor of advanced piano playing, took his son’s musical education into his own hands, and brought him out first in Moscow as a juvenile prodigy in 1889, and afterwards as the years went on, introduced him to Vienna, where he played under the conductorship of Dr Richter to a number of other principal cities of Europe and to London. He has toured Australia and New'Zealand four times, America, Canada, South Africa, and Europe 17 times, and he generally manages to play 120 recitals a year in England, the land of his adoption. Though admitting that he has never been able to discover the reason, Mr Peter Dawson, world famous baritone, who will open his Dunedin season with Mr Mark Hambourg at the Town Hall to-night, says that “The Floral Dance” has been the most popular gramophone record he has ever made, Mr Hugo Larsen announces that the Dunedin season will be limited to three concerts, and it will be impossible to extend the season owing to the numerous engagements arranged for the famous artists elsewhere. The box plans are at the Bristol.