F—3

This tour was followed in August and September by the visit of Solomon, a British pianist who ranks among the finest performers of the present day. In the course of a four-weeks' tour Solomon gave eleven public recitals, and one concerto performance with an orchestra assembled for the occasion by the Service, which performed under the direction of Dr. Edgar Bainton, of Sydney. The whole tour was a noteworthy success. Solomon himself remarked that no other country in the world of comparable size to New Zealand could show so progressive a policy in bringingmusic of the highest standard within reach of the whole population. The final tour of the 1946 season introduced Joan Hammond, a leading British soprano, to New Zealand audiences. Her tour, somewhat curtailed on account of illness, allowed of five public appearances, distributed among the four main centres. Her assisting artist was Raymond Lambert, a pianist from Australia. Their recitals were well received by both concert audiences and radio listeners. The 1947 . concert season opened with the appearance in Dunedin on sth March of Lili Kraus, commencing a second concert tour of the main centres, presenting nine solo recitals and one appearance with the National Orchestra. Prices of admission to these celebrity concerts have been retained at the minimum consistent with the obligation of the Broadcasting Service to the artists and the need for avoiding an uneconomic standard of price which might be construed as unfair competition with private managements, thus eventually depriving concert audiences of the opportunity of hearing artists which such managements might otherwise have brought to New Zealand. Nevertheless, generous price concessions have been-granted to music students and secondary-school pupils, and appreciation has been freely expressed by music-teachers and educational authorities. It is regarded as a matter of first importance that younger musical enthusiasts should be given every encouragement to hear the masterpieces of music performed by the world's great artists. It is satisfactory to report that the public response to the visits of celebrity artists has been favourable throughout. Attendances have been good, and the costs of artists' fees and management expenses of the concerts have been covered. Apart from the opportunity given by the visits of these artists to many thousands of music lovers to hear the performances in concert halls, the actual broadcasts from concerts during the twelve months under review amounted to approximately fifty-one hours of the highest-quality music. These broadcasts could not have been provided without the inducement of public concert work to bring the artists to this country. The cost of such broadcasts would be prohibitive unless available broadcasting revenue were to be supplemented by revenue from public concerts. OVERSEAS ARTISTS In addition to the overseas artists mentioned previously in this report in the section dealing with public concerts as having been brought to New Zealand by the Service, tours of the National studios were arranged for a number of other overseas artists. In addition to artists brought to New Zealand by the Service every opportunity was taken to broadcast other overseas artists visiting the country under their own auspices or under private management. A number of overseas artists on concert tours of New Zealand were not available for broadcasting, but whenever arrangements can be made on reasonable terms overseas artists visiting New Zealand privately or under private management are engaged to broadcast. Among such artists engaged were Peggy Knibb and Dorothy Helmrich, Australian sopranos ; Alan Eddy, Australian baritone ; and Senia Chostiakoff, Russian tenor ; Angela Parselles, Australian soprano ; Jan Rubini, American violinist; Peter Dawson, Australian bass-baritone ; Georges Thill, French tenor ; and Jenny Howard, English comedienne. The British actor, Richard Parry, presented a special Welsh programme to commemorate St. David's

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