PAUL KLENOVSKY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22392, 13 October 1934, Page 12

PAUL KLENOVSKY

"A POOR YOUNG GENIUS" WAS "DEAD"—NOW LIVES . SIR H. WOOD'S CONFESSION. (From Oca Ow;< Correspondent.) LONDON, September 5. For five years Sir Henry Wodd, the world-famous conductor, has been a dual personality and has been perpetrating a hoax on the musical world, simply because composers and musicians with British names never arouse the same appreciative interest as those .whose names have an " owski" or " ovsky " termination. In this final syllable there seems to be magic. " Paul Klenovsky has become so well known to the audiences at the Queen's Hall promenade concerts by his brilliant orchestral of Bach's organ Toccata and Fugue in *D minor. , Who was he? The books of reference tell of a Nicholas, but never mention Paul. Hitherto all that has been known is contained in the programme note, which has appeared on the numerous occasions in the last five years when the transcription of the Toccata has been, played. It reads:

" The transcription of. this great organ piece for orchestra ; was made by Paul Klenovsky, a pupil of Glazounov's, whose early death' fobbed Russian music of a really brilliant' i-ecruit. This piece alone makes it clear how fully he was roaster of the art of orchestration." The work was first performed at a Queen's Hall promenade concert in 1929, and has been • given there regularly every year since. , The score, which has hitherto existed in MS. only, and is dated "Moscow," 1923,'' is ; to be published by the Oxford University Press in October. '■. Hitherto, when.asked for'more information about the gifted but mysterious Paul, Sir Henry has c - itentcd himself with saying: "Poor fellow! Such jj_ pity he died so young! He was a master of his craft." In view of the coming publication. Sir Henry now tells the world that Paul Klenovsky was never any other than Henry J. Wood. , Sir Henry went on to explain his reasons for the perpetration of his little mystery; "I have always had my own views on the adaptation of early eighteenth century music for the conditions of the modern concert room. Bach and Handel had no conception of a modern concert. Their instrumental writing was what we call chamber music, and it, is not fidelity, in a hall holding 2000 or more persons, to present their, works just as they were once upon a time given to an'audience of no more than 200. "But my views on adaptation met with a certain amount of criticism; in fact, to the point that I grew a little tired of it. I wanted some additions to the repertory of big, virtuoso pieces for orchestra. One cannot go on playing Liszt's Rhapsodies for ever. Bach's great organ works invite transcription. There is so much more in the music'' than the organ can bring out—and I speak as an organist. ''l was bent on scoring the D niiinr Toccata and Fugue—and on bringing (he whole force and colour of the modern orchestra to bear on it. On thc.oth.jr hand, it was becoming a little monotonous to be told I could not score. Therefore, the talented, but unfortuuafe, ■ Klenovsky was brought into being. "The success achieved by that young master was immediate and very gratifying. In fact, so much so that whenever Henry J. Wood in future feels inclined to turn his hand to the transcription of the classics the result will always be signed ' Paul Kltuovsky.' Some of the compliments paid to the Baeh-Klenovsky piece have been touch; ing in the extreme. Connoisseurs have said I ' Only the Slavonic sefisibility ba.s such a flair for timbres and sonorities.' " Those who have been taken iu must for;ive me my little joke. It has boon my only one in the course of 40 years of Queen's Hall concerts, so perhaps 'ii is excusable! I have had a great many compliments over the transcription. 0n..orchestra leader said: ' Do. for heaven's sake, do it again! ' " Being an organist for many years and a great,lovef of Bach, I have always had the idea that oven the modern conceit organ cannot convey such marvelous imaginative thoughts as Bach had. If he had lived to-day he was such an experimenter and such an inventor rliat there is no knowing what he would Uavj done. Therefore, why T have arranged certain works—and particularly this :>!)■! —was that I wanted to get a real orchestral transcription exactly the «uree as Liszt did with those fantasies on the piano. When he brought .them out they were, a perfect revelation. No one ever thought the piano could convey-those wonderful colours. It was like an orchestra on the piano—not like a pivio playing at all! So I have tried to do the same with, this piece. " For the future, all my scoring will be announced as by Paul Klenovsky. although such a person never existed. Mr Hubert J. Foss, musical editor <-f the Oxford and University Press, Lady Wood and Marcel Dupre, the organist of Notre Dame, were the only people let icto the secret," Sir Henry chuckled.