N.S.W. STATE ORCHESTRA

Waikato Times, Volume 92, Issue 14254, 3 January 1920, Page 4

N.S.W. STATE ORCHESTRA

The final arrangements for the visit to New Zealand of the New South Wals State Orchestra are now coincompleted. The orchestra left Sydney by the Maheno on December 31. .The first concert will be given at Hamilton on January 8, and the orchestra will be-in Auckland from January 9 to 13, then leaving for the South, via Taranaki. The tour will conclude with ! a concert at Dunedin on February 11, 1 and. the orchestra will leave Wellington ■ for Sydney on February 12. | In an interview at Wellington, Mr ! H. Gladstone Hill, manager of the orchestra, stated that it was incorrect to say that the orchestra was-playing music “over the heads of the average audience.” The idea of Mr Verbrugghen, its conductor, was to educate the public, and while it was true several works of the great masters would be given, many popular and well-known ! works would also be included in the repertoire. Besides this the programme would be a varied one, inasmuch as there would be vocal solos by Madam Goossens-Viceroy and Mons. Albert Gossens. The violin concertos would be in the hands of Miss Jenny Cullen, and Mr W. G. Goad, the repertoire being varied and attractive in each case. Mr Frank Hutchens and Mr Henry Penn were the artists accompanying the orchestra to play pianoforte concertos. Among many miscellaneous items appear the works of the New Zealand composer Alfred Hill, besides Percy Grainger, Boccherini, Balfour, Gardiner, E. Guiraud, Lacombe, and Hamish MaeCunn, the writer of that beautiful tone poem, “The Land of the Mountain and the Flood.” There are quite a number of Mendelssohn’s works, together with those of Ravel, Saint-Saens, and Wagner. This makes a complete repertoire of 68 items, from which will be selected the programmes to be played throughout New Zealand.