GERMAN MUSIC AT A CONCERT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 10, 7 October 1919, Page 5

GERMAN MUSIC AT A CONCERT

MR. ALFRED HILL DEFENDS THE VERBRUGGHEN ORCHESTRA WHY A BELGIAN PREFERRED WAGNER With respect to the trouble in Sydney over the New South Wales State Conservatorium Orchestra (.under Mr. Verbrugghen) playing an alll-Wagner programme recently (mention of which has been mado'in The Dominion), Mr. (Alfred Hilil (deputy-conductor of tho orchestra), who is at present in: Wellington, called at The Dominion office yesterday to explain the situation. Mr. Hill's first desire was to disillusionise the public hero as to. any wisih on the part of Mr. Henri Verbrugghen to play the music of AVagner because it was German music. He simply played''it because it was great music, and as such was the common heritage of tho world. Mr. Verbrugghen was a Belgian by birth, but for twenty-five years he had been resident in England, and was a naturalised Britisher. Further, his'people in Belgium had] suffered severely at the hands of the Germans, anil he had no reason to lovo them. Three years ago Mr. Hill-and Mr. Verbrugghen had- talked about the introduction of Waßnerian music, but it was decided theji that the orchestra vas not good enough to tackle it. Later, as it worked into form, some of the 1 lighter overtures were played, and eventually "Tristan and Isolde." Mr. Verbrugghen played Wagner 'because it was not only master music, but it was the belt card with the public, both as respects enthusiasm and money. "Why, in Auckf.and," > said Mr., Hill, "Mr.,Maughan Barnett took. exactly tho reverse view, even to the cutting out of "Elijah" and "The Messiah," and he had the whole council and p'iblic _ against him. What I want txvmake quite clear is that Mr.. Verbrugghen arranged the all-Wagnerian concert iin all innocence, and I have had private letters stating that it was the- greatest concert evei held in Sydney, but still a mistake has evideptly been, made, and Mr. Verbrugghen has cancelled the arrangements mndo for the repeat concert.. "I can assure you that Mr. Verbrugghen is orf.y too anxious to do all he can to raiise the standard of music in Australia, but at the same time he would like the orchestra to get somewhere near toj paying its way in the future, and naturally, seeing the public liked Wagner, he decided to give it them, not because it is'; German munic, 'but because it is great musio. Mr. Verbrugghen looks upon music as an essential in tho education of e. people, and as a necessity to modern civilisation. He visits the schools, in Sydney, and lectures the olasses, and not only does lie attempt to teach tho students what music means, but he expounds it. He takes a quartet along with him, aad there and then dissects a. composition bit by bit. lio shows why a certain passage is written in a, certain key—to produce the correct mood—and shows how when played in another lcey the mood ii was desired to oreato is missing! "I am doing my best to arrange for the orchestra to come across to Wellington at Christmas time, tt ivould be a wonderful thing for music here—a real awakening—and if it does como we will get Mr. Verbrugirhen to expound lus beautiful theories/' There are 70 members of the qrchestra, and Mr. Hul estimates. that the'cost'of bringing them over to Wellington would bo about .£4OOO. .The compete orchestra would have tp come. Mr. Verbrugghen would not come with anything less.

In view of Mr. Hill's ramarics, it is interesting to note that the orchestra's programme for Saturday, September 27, was deckled upon the votes recorded by the'previous Saturday's iaudience, and comprised: Tescliaikovsky'fi. Symphonic "Pathetique" (202 votes), the "Tannlmuser" overture (120), "Peer Gynt" Snito (285), Concertante for vicflin and violaMiss Jenny Cullen and Mr. David E. Nicliolls (i 77), and the Prelude and "Liebitod," from "Tristan and Isolde." For the second place amonf; the symphonic?, overtures, suites, ballet?, and concertos, thoro ivaa a. remarkable fals in the voting, but in the miscePaneous section the • audience was fairly > equally divided upon the choice of two Wagner pieces—the prefhide to the • third act of "Lohengrin" (86 votes) and the "Tristan anil Isolde" solection, which received 92 votes. Otherwise , (states the Sydney "Daily Tolegraph") the unanimity of tho audience as regards the first places wa9 surprising. Two out of the five numbers were Wagner pieces, and except for tho Mozart number, the balance of the programme showed a predilection for modern orchestration.

Mr. W. Arundel Orchard, in a letter to the' "Td'.egraph," states that tho question of playing Wagner's music was well ventilated in London during the war in 1915, and since then WagnnPs music has been performed without question, it being recognised that a great composer who has been so -universally accepted is. beyond controversy, Wagner's penetrating essay written in 1880 concerning the Treaty of Ettinkfort-on-Main refers (says Mr. Orchard) to the "regeneration of the human race, now ruilied by our civilisation—under arms," and, further on, he Bays, "tho worfd-wisdoni of our great statesmen deals ns positive and 6erious harm." ■