LOVEDAY LACKING

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5322, 7 February 1947, Page 2

LOVEDAY LACKING

SHdliuD BE 'TR'MNED AUDIENCES EXPEiCT MEASURE OF SELF- ASS URANCE. (New Zealandevs wfio ■ several . years ago had faith; in a sliy- iad' from Palmerston North and assisted . him! to go to iLondon ta pursue his musical studies would have felt proud recently if they could have seen him hold an audience of 8000 spellboynd in the giant Royal Albert Hall with. a performance ' of the Mendelssohn violin concerto. It was Alan Loveday's first appearance at the new winter series of promenade concerts, with the B.B.C. Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Basil Cairteron, writes .Harvey Blanks from London. Since he left New Zealand Loveday's technique has, naturally, improved immensely, and he obviously owes much Lo his.teacher, the great Albert Saminons. His playing of tlie Mendelssohn concerto Was impecca'ble. He stressed the worik's very strong lyric lualities wtihout ever descending into mere sentimentality, and the audience was enraptured with his treatment of ' -he cadenza in the first movement. Not at Ease. .Loveday is, however, lacking in ..latform presence. He ambles on to the xlatform, trailing his violin in one hand und the bow in the other, and stands awkwardly with his feet apart, 'ooking rather like a footballer waiting Tor the hall to be passed to him. He . akes his hows, too, in ungainly • r'ashion, his arrns flopping loosely in c'ront of him. He appears more at ease .vhen he shakes hands, at the end of the work, with the conductor and he leader of the orchestra. It is understandable that he .should 'eel nervous, for he is still only 18 years oM, and it must be rather a Lerrifying experience to face the Albert Hall arena wtih its hundreds of oromenading musrc lovers, its' vast iiorseshoe balcony, three tiers of ;oxes, its spacious upper circle and ofty promenade galleries. Albert Sammons is a fine teacher for the young New Zealander, but he never .'.chieved the -conc^±t hall success he leserved because he lacked a definite ..latform manner and was too self.ffacing. Deportment Drill. It would he a good t'hing for Lovelay if someone with a knowledge of •udience psychology took him in hand 'or six months, drilled him in deport.nent and taught him to develop his own personality. Audiences do not .xpeet every virtuoso soloist to he a 1 emperamental individual, indulging n flamboyant displays of exhibitionIsm. But a measure of self-assurance snd a confident platform manner go .1 long way' in building a musical .■areer. The recent promenade audience, bowever, made allowance for Loveay's youthfulness and awkwardness, ind gave him more applause than was -arned by any other work in the .wening's programirie. Four times he .vas recalled, and at the end they broke into cheering. The last artisb ;o evoke vocal approval in the Albert ifall was Sir Thomas Beecham at a !)elius festival concert just before 'hristmas. ~