A MUSIC ENTHUSIAST

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1551, 21 September 1912, Page 14

A MUSIC ENTHUSIAST

SUNDAY CONCERT. ""■ MR. CHARLES SCHILSKY INTERVIEWED. " Mr. Charles Schilsky, examiner for tho Trinity College of London, and himself a musician favourably known in England and on the Continent, is, npart from the important work he is engaged in, a musical enthusiast, and his opinions on anything concerning music must perforce carry a good deul of weight. Yesterday afternoon a Dominion representative explained to the visitor the position of the Wellington Professional Orchestra in. respect to the treatment it was receiving at the hands of the City Council. He was informed that tho concerts were given free ■on Sunday evenings, a voluntary collection only being taken at the doors, and that the Orchestra's Committee (who paid rent for the hall) wished to reserve a small block of seats for those people who had put their hands into their pockets to help support the organisation, but were debarred from so doing by the council. Mr. Schilsky was frankly amazed to learn that this was the case. "I do not understand," he said, "that theso men in their enthusiasm should rehearse good music, ami then want to play for nothing, and that obstacles are placed in their way. I should emphatically suggest to the council that e-verv facility pojf-ible should bo afforded to the orchestra, lor good orchestral music is tho finest musical education, a community could have. It is a surprise to me to hear that the Wellington authorities are so backward in their appreciation of what is good for the artistic education of the people as to place barriers in the way of so laudable an enterprise." ' "It was stated that no seats were reserved at Sunday concerts in London, , ' said the reporter. "Oh, that is not eoj" said Mr. Schilsky, "they reserve seats everywhere—at the Queen's Hall; Albert Hall, Alhambra, London Opera House, everywhere, and only keep a few free seats away at the back of the hall ijo comply with the law. Seven-eighths of the seats are paid foi, and you can reserve seats in any of the halls, or theatres.- Seals may Ixs reserved at any of tho Sunday League's concerts, and even at the Peoples' Sunday concerts, given in the suburbs for the poorer classes a charge of 3d. is made. Now, you say thesu concerts are given free here,'except for a collection, and yet they are not allowed to reserve a few seats for subscribers? That is not right, surely. If these.concerts!are given practically free of .charge, in the peoples' ball, they should not, 1 think, bo asked for rent, surely. You would not get London professional musicians to do what they are doing, I can tell you."

Mr. Schilsky is'at present making his third trip round the world within two and a half years on behalf of the Trinity College His itinersvy lakes him from London to Newfoundland, then across the whole of Canada to Vancouver, and from Vancouver he comes on to Auckland, does the \vhole of New Zealand and Tasmania, and then returns to England, via the Suez Canal. Hβ slates that it was most pleasurable to find a great love for good music in Neiv Zealand, which lie attributes largely to tho excellent standard of teaching;'throughout the Dominion. If the teachers did not strive to inculcate a love for what is best in music, that would not be apparent iii the students who came under his notice in the course of his duties as practical examiner. For a youth till country like Kew Zealand tho musical taste was distinctly good.. ~-.•.• "My lather was a Pole, my mother a Frenchwoman, and.l was born, in London —what am I'f A music enthusiast. I play tho violin—play it every day of my life for the love of it. My masters? Emilfl Sauret in Berlin, Holl&nder in London, and I have hod lessons in Paris and elsewhere) I have played on tho Continent and in England with success, and for the last five years I have been connected with the Trinity. College of Music, London." Mr. Schilsky is to play the famous Max Bruch Concerto' iyith- OR", chestra to-morrow evening. Ho played To last week with tho Wangnnni Orchestral Society, which, he says, is a very good amateur orchestra, pn Monday evening he is to play at an invitation recital in Begg's Music Chamber tho great "Kreutsar Sonata" of Beethoven, and Mendelssohn's Concorto. The Sonata has not, it is understood, boon played in Wellington since Wilhelmj visited tho country. Miss Ina Gow will play tho, pianoforte part, and Mr. C. H. Stephens is to sing a number of German and French songs;