MUSIC

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22835, 20 March 1936, Page 2

MUSIC

By Allegro.

NOTES AND RECORDS

It was mentioned last week that the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, under Stokowski, had recorded parts of “The Valkyries.” This famous orchestra, known' well to us through gramophone recordings, is now conducted hy Eugene Onnandy. An American paper states: —When Eugene Onnandy, appointed conductor of the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, to succeed Leopold Stokowski, arrived in the United States he had burned all his bridges behind him —in the way of musical appointments in Budapest—and he had money enough in his pocket to keep him for three days. Ho thought he had something else which would make up for the discarded posts in Budapest, and the little money. He thought he had an ironclad agreement about profitable work in the United States —where he had always wanted to coine —but he found out to his horror on coming ashore that the gentleman who had given him such a lavish contract was just disappearing under the waves of bankruptcy.

In the circumstances above-mentioned, Ormandy had to find some work, as he wished to keep himself longer than three days. He scurried round New York and got a chair among the very least of the fiddlers at the Capitol Theatre. _ He must have done fairly 'well in his, to say the least, highly inconspicuous position; for in a week he was concert master of the organisation, and a very short time later, to the considerable amazement of himself, he was conductor of the orchestra. Ormandy was an Infant prodigy of the violin in his native Budapest. His father had sought out Jeno Hubay, and got him to undertake the boy’s instruction, and his talent and progress were so phenomenal that by the time he was 17 years old Count Albert Apponyi bad made an unheard of ruling—that he could be a full professor of music; and at 20 he was the head of the violin department of the university in the place formerly occupied by his own teacher. He has an enthusiasm for conducting, and for good music for the masses. He thinks broadcasting music is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for musicians, because radio has made Americans want and -want and want music and that has put musicians on their mettle to play better and better music. He is a conductor far out of the ordinary. In the first place he is naturally endowed with a photographic memory and he has absolute pitch. Ormandy hears even the longest works as pieces of music which he then is able to conduct without score.

Mr Ormandy formerly conducted the Minneapolis Symphony. He was one of the first artists to play the violin over the radio in the United States, and he made his American debut in symphonic music when he conducted the Philharmonic Orchestra of New York for Anna Duncan at the Stadium concerts. From Vienna comes news that a draft Bill designed to modernise Austrian copyright, fixing the terms at 50 years for literary, musical and artistic productions and at 30 years for film works, and imposing 5000-dollar fines or six months’ imprisonment on infringements, has been passed by the Federal Economic Council. Regarding the arrangements of concerts, radio programmes and other performances, special societies invested with monopoly charters and controlled by a state commissary are to be established for the purpose of protecting the authors’ rights. The enactment of this Bill, bringing Austrian legislation in line with that of many other States, is regarded as a preparatory measure for • Austria’s participation in the international conference for the revision of the Copyright Agreement of Berne, scheduled for this year.

A light Symphony Orchestra has recorded “ Mannin Veen,” by Hadyn Wood, a pleasant work of popular type. Strauss waltzes brought to the gramophone by the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra are “ The Blue Danube ” and “ Tales from the Vienna Woods.” This orchestra is well known for its disc of Paganini’s “ Moto Perpetuo ” and “ Funeral March of a Marionette.” Heifetz recordings brilliantly played are Mozart’s “ A major Concerto ” and “ D minor Concerto,” by Vienxtemps. The orchestra is the London Philharmonic, under the baton of John Barbieralli.

For light music the London Palladium has recorded a medley of waltzes ending with “The Blue Danube” and “Tales from the Vienna Woods,” and a bright selection of popular marches.