FROM JAVA

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2857, 23 August 1916, Page 5

FROM JAVA

A NEW IMPRESSARIO. ' M. Emile Bucker, the manager who is bringing Alfred Mirovit-ch (pianist) and Michael Piastro (violinist), the distinguished Russian musicians to New Zealand, is a resident of Surabaya (Java), a city of 10,000 white people and half-castes, and ever _so many Javanese, and which viesin importance with Batavia as a port. M. Bucker was formerly agent at this port for the Messageries Maritime Steamship Company, but now he is the proprietor of several moving picture enterprises, and agent in Java for Pa the and other leading film-makers. ' It was there that lie met the musicians now under his management. It was a case of mutual attraction. They had said to him: • "take us to Australia." _ And he bad agreed to do it on certain terms,_ and so they had coma and conquered in no ordinary manner. M.; Bucker says that it is very seldom indeed that any dramatic or outside musical attractions come their way, though He has endeavoured to get some travelling companies to play Surabaya, Batavia, and Samarane;. Trash they would not look at ill Java, but any attraction that had artistic merit'was greatly appreciated, flis own theatre in Surabaya only seated 750 people, hut that was sufficient for the white population. The Javanese were satisfied with pictures all the time. MMs. Piastro 'and Mirovitch had come across Siberia from Russia, giving over 150 concerts en route, after which they had worked down through Japan and China to the Dutch East Indies. Beyond tho shortage of tonnage for oversea trade, M. Bucker states that Java has not felt any marked effect from the war.