Varied Concert Programme

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31057, 12 May 1966, Page 15

Varied Concert Programme

The pensive faces framed by expressive hands in the photographs right and below belong to two world-famous musicians who will appear before Christchurch concert audiences within the next two weeks. The first concert, next Tuesday, will be by the American pianist Eugene Istomin (below). Istomin, who is 40, has been a concert pianist since 1943, when he won two top prizes—the Philadelphia Orchestra Youth Contest and the Leventritt award —and made double debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic as a result A year later he was reengaged for the Philharmonic and he has played with it many time since. Since 1950 Istomin’s tours have taken him to South America, England, Australia, the Far East South Africa, Iceland and France, where he has performed several times at the Prades Festival. Works by Haydn, Schubert, Beethoven, Stravinsky and Chopin will be on his programme in Christchurch on Tuesday.

GIPSY GUITARIST In contrast the flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya (top right) will list no composers in his programme on Monday, May 23. Nor will he play any written music. But his music will not lack strength and discipline. Within the flamenco tradition of which Montoya is a leading exponent there is a variety of modulations, scales and rhythmic patterns which in their various combinations form the regional styles and Montoya’s improvisations will be based on these. The programme will include bulerias from Jerez, in the south of Spain, alegrias from Cadiz, the zambra, the most

Moorish of the flamenco rhythms, and the famous saetas, the songs of Holy Week in Madrid. STRING QUARTET Two days before Montoya’s concerts, Christchurch audiences will hear music for strings that is as formal as Montoya’s is individual. This will be by the Kyndel Quartet, the second group on the Chamber Music Society’s schedule this year. The Kyndel Quartet Is from Sweden; it dates from 1941 and its present members have been playing together since 1957

The quartet has given concerts in most European countries, and been well received; and it has been engaged by several Swedish composers, including Hilding Rosenburg, Ingvar Lidholm and Dag Wiren, for the first performance of many of their compositions.

Music by Swedish composers will be heard alongside well-known pieces from the concert repertoire at the quartet’s recital in Christchurch.

MADRIGALS, MOTETS A fortnight later audiences will be offered a concert attraction with a different flavour. The Auckland Dorian singers, a choir which specialises in a capella music of all periods, will present concerts in the Civic Theatre on June 4 and in the Christchurch Cathedral on Sunday, June 5. In the Civic Theatre the choir will sing several madrigals and songs by Vaughan Williams, Bartok and Benjamin Britten, then will be joined by the John Ritchie String Orchestra for “Dixit Dominus,” a work by Handel. In the Cathedral the choir will present a selection of motets, a Bach sonata and other works by Bach, Harris, Palestrina and Penderecki.