Week Of Music In Festival Form

Chronicle (Levin), 4 August 1949, Page 10

Week Of Music In Festival Form

AUCKLAND, August 2. One of the most heartening steps taken by eultural organisations in the city during recent months has been tlie establishment of the Auckland Music Council — a central body formed of representatives from all local music groups to co-ordinate aetivties and present the best in music to the public on a scale commensurate with the size of the city. The eft'orts of the organis ers are now about to be " rewarded, for in' a fortnight, Auckland 's first real xausic festival will be launched. The festival is a civic display of *» txpe so far unknown in New Zealand, but it is a prominent feature of cultura. hctivities in Britain and 'on the Con tinent. The Edinbnrgh festival, fo; instance, although it was first presented only three yars ago, is already internatioiiallv fa-mous, and peopbj flock to it from all over the world Much smaller' cities, such as Bath — whieh is about the size of Hamilton— and Cheltenham, whieh could reason bly be compared with Auckland — have t-ieir owu festivais also, whieh are occa ■ions for the display of considerabic civic pride. In those overseas centres, for a week or fortnight, a feast of music is pre■eEted, with coneerts every night, and on several afternoons. The city i» ■sually decorated for the occasion, with all the main stores and shops carrying special window displays. The Auckland Music Council is making a modest beginning, realismg that the concept of a festival is some thing as yet strange to local Hhinking. But its cominittee hopes that one.Aucklanders have, seen what can be done this year-, more offers> of assist ance will be forthcoming in future yeara.