PIANIST RETURNS

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20721, 3 February 1939, Page 5

PIANIST RETURNS

EIGHT YEARB ABROAD “ITALIANS LOVE THE ENGLISH” “I’ve led at least six different kinds of lives; which one would you like to hear about?” said Miss Dorothy Davies In a recent Interview. Miss Davies, who is staying at the Hotel St. George, Wellington, returned to New Zealand by the Awatea last Monday after spending eight years abroad. She is an accomplished musician, and has been studying the piano and giving recitals both in England and Italy. During the last two years, she has spent most of her time in Italy at Tremezzo, Lake • Como, where she attended Herr Dr. Artur Schnabel's masters’ classes, and played the accompaniments for his wife, Therese Behr, a famous German lieder singer. “Artur Schnabel is the world s greatest pianist, and, during his masters’ class course in the summer, to his lovely old Italian villa high up in the mountains came crowds of internationally famous musicians, whilst many famous singers came to have lessons from his wife,” said Miss Davies. In Italy Miss Davies also gave concerts with the singer Morano, and together they had broadcast from Milan and Lugano, in Switzerland. In Italy During Crisis Miss Davies was in Tremezzo at the time of the crisis last year. “I saw nothing—absolutely nothing,” stie affirmed in reply to a question regarding her experience. “Although on the border of Switzerland and Italy I was conscious of no ill feeling at all, and so far as I could see, there were no preparations made for war.” “Italy, you know,” continued Miss Davies/ “is full of English colonies; people who go to Italy regularly for the winter. These colonies have their own churches, their own ministers from England—even their own cemeteries. The English people living in Italy love the Italians, and the Italians simply love the English.” All the foreigners left Tremezzo during the crisis, said Miss Davies, not because they were frightened, but because to return to their own countries was only the fair thing to do. She herself had been the only English person left at Tremezzo. She had intended to return to England, but had left it too late. The frontiers had closed and she had no option but to stay. Pianist for Ballet Club Miss Davies had an interesting time in England, where she was for a, time pianist for the Ballet Club, which, she said, was really the cradle of the ballet in England, and was run in conjunction with the Vic Wells Theatre. This club was under the leadership of Marie Lambert, who had worked with Diaghilev and danced with Nijinsky. Sir Archibald and Lady Flower, patrons of Stratford-on-Avon Theatre, were great friends of Miss Davies. They had a lovely home near by, and had been very kind to her. The performances at. Stratford-on-Avon were tremendously popular, she said, and it was always difficult to obtain seats. Charles Flower had built the first theatre in 1860, and the new theatre had been contributed by Sir Archibald and Lady Flower, the public, and Americans. Miss Davies’ plans are indefinite, but she stated that she hoped while in New Zealand to be able to use her wide musical experience by coaching singers in lieder in German and Italian.