MUSIC

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22717, 1 November 1935, Page 2

MUSIC

NOTES AND RECORDS

By Allegro.

I have had no particulars concerning the tour of the pianist mentioned by a correspondent who has communicated with me. It would be very interesting to hear him play. Ido not think he will pass New Zealand by. News from the other side of the world tells that the American jazz composer George Gershwin has recently written an opera, " Porgy," for negro singers. Mr Gershwin says: "It is an opera of set numbers like, let us say, ' Carmen,' with solos, duets and choruses, but.it is a symphonic opera as well as a singing opera. I believe I have achieved an American flavour in the melodies and I have tried to preserve the inflections of negro speech in the sections corresponding to recitative. There is no borrowed negro folk material, but I have composed a number of original ' Sirituak.'" The Permanent Council for the International Co-operation of Composers will meet next year at Stockholm in February. An outstanding performance at the Vichy meeting recently was Eugene Goossens's Sinfonietta, conducted by Emil Cooper. Tne Waiata Maori Choir has for months past been drawing large audiences in the eastern States of Australia. The attendances at its concerts have been particularly large in Queensland. In fact, so great has been the demand for its music that the organiser, the Rev. A. J. Seamer, has done something which amounts to letting the choir be heard in two places at once, for he has split the group in twain and each half visits a different series of towns. At weekends the full choir comes together for a day, and the stone-age pageant is presented out of doors at some agricultural showground. Audiences of 3000 are the rule at these performances—a remarkable roll up in communities which number about 30,000 in all. Mr Lucas Staehlin, whose commercial interests have brought him to settle in Sydney, is (the Morning Herald says) on friendly terms with many leaders of contemporary music in Europe. Arthur Honegger and Conrad Beck were frequent visitors at his Swiss home. Mr Staehlin sang in opera in Basle for some time under Weingartner, and was active with Conrad Beck in founding a Schola Cantorum in that city. He is particularly interested in the " record flute," an instrument used by Swiss shepherds from time immemorial. Mr Staehlin opposes the idea that scientific outlook and true musical creativeness cannot exist together. "During the fifth century of Greek culture," he says, " during the Italian Renaissance and the French awakening—three Highest points of technical invention and mathematical science —great artistic achievement was accomplished. That the mathematicians of Greece interested themselves in musical' problems, that'the Prussian soldier-king, Frederick, devoted time to his flute, that Albert Einstein is so sincerely inclined to music, are clear indications of the wonderful combination of the worlds of culture and art, technic and music." The announcement for the concert season which is now in full swing in London covers a truly formidable array of artists and fixtures. The number of front-rank artists round about the world is no doubt much greater than could be aceommo dated in any one city's musical season. and it is true to say (the correspondent of the Melbourne Age writes) that now aftd then we hear of, and sometime? actually hear across the air, singers for instance, who have never yet beer in London, but whose powers are un deniably of the highest standard. Tin array, nevertheless, of those singers am instrumentalists announced to fill tin London season is impressive enough. Tin Sunday afternoon Albert Hall concert:' were to open with Tauber, and the earh attractions to follow him there are Mem: hin, Kreisler, M'Cormack and the Berlii Philharmonic Orchestra, with Furtwangler conducting. Furthermore, tin recent sensational successes of Grace Moore on the screen and on the Covenf Garden stage is to bring her, also, t& the Albert Hall on a Sunday afternoon no doubt with the result of a stamped* by film fans and others for sight anc' hearing of her. The season's programme for tin Queen's Hall, London, includes the Lon r don Philharmonic Society, with Sii Thomas Beecham conducting, on 12 Sunday afternoons, and week-night concerts will bring there the gifts of Horowitz. Frida Hempel (a great singer of days gone by, now to emerge from long retirement), Heifetz, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Huberman and Toti dal Monte, among others, while at other London concert halls the Lener Quartet, Piatigorsky—the cellist who so impressed the music-loving public last season—Ria Ginster, liedersinger, and many others are listed for appearances. And these are the announcements of one concert agency only. When the others put forward their complete lists of proposed attractions it will be seen that the musical season is being crammed full of allurements. Already, too, there is knowledge of the 12 Cortauld-Sargent concerts that they offer the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the. Czech conductor Szell, the Russian conductor Stiedry, of Leningrad, and Sargent himself, in programmes which will include things of such interest as Sir Douald Tovey's new cello concerto, with Casals as soloist, Rachmaninoff in his new pianoforte concerto, Berlioz's Enfance- de Christ, and a new symphony by Hindemith; and the London Symphony Orchestra has announced eight concerts under various conductors. Alfred Einstein describes Johann Christian Bach as one of those harmonious natures like Mozart, whom as a child-prodigy it was his pleasure to indulge and extol, and to whom he gave that key with which Mozart was to discover his own inner self. Without Jchann Christian, Mozart would never have become him we know and love. But Johann Christian has his own personality, independent of Mozart. He stands to Mozart rather as Perugino to Raphael, or Buxtehude to Bach. Mozart loved him in life and mourned his death. It is Johann Christian's fairest praise that Mozart —who had a sharp tongue and was ever sparing of compliments—wrote of him: "He is an honest man and does people justice. I love him with all my heart and have reverence for him."