MUSIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 66, 9 June 1927, Page 14

MUSIC

(By

F.1.R.)

All musical people seem to be happy, f It is the only engrossing pursuit—almost the only innocent and unpunishable passion.—Sydney Smith. “Fidelio” is on the list of Covent j Garden operas this season. So far ( Beethoven’s opera has not been staged j in Australia.^ The Palmerston North Choral Society presented The Bohemian Girl”- 1 on Wednesday, June 1, with a chorus of 100 and the following soloists: ! Madame Winnie Fraser (soprano), Mr. Hubert Carter (tenor), and Mr. Harison Cook (bass). • • w “Faust” was sung by the Christchurch Musical Society last night, with the following soloists: Margarita, Mrs. W. I. Tait, Timaru; Siebel, Miss Millicent Jennings: Faust, Mr. Harold Prescott: Mephistopheles, Mr. W. Watters; Valentine, Mr. Reg. Vincent. A Massenet museum has been installed at the Opera. It is a replica of Massenet’s Cabinet de Travail and contains many interesting manuscripts and relics. Letters sent the composer by enraptured ladies are excluded —the curator thought that discretion was the better part of inquisitiveness. tour with a recital at the Wellington Town Hall to-night. In all, eight recitals will be given. The dates are as follow: Wellington. .Tune 9 and 11, Christchurch, June 15 and 1?; Dunedin, June 21; and Auckland, June 29, July 2, and July 4. The age of chivalry is not dead. When Dame Nellie Melba handed Jascha Heifetz a massive laurel, inscribed in gold letters, at the Town Hall, Sydney, he stooped gracefully an dkissed her hand. The vast audience, appreciating his gesture as much as Dame Nellie, recalled the brilliant violinist time and again. Australia’s songbird, her face suffused with smiles, returned to her seat amid another storm of applause. The kiss of chivalry came at the close of tl*e animated last movement of Joseph Achron’s First Sonata for piano and violin, which was produced for the first time in Sydney; and which so delighted the audience that it seemed disinclined to let either Heifetz or Isador Achron, the latter at the piano, to leave the platform. For both violin and piano, the sonata presented difficulties, the mastery of which was enthusiastically appreciated. “NO MODERN MUSIC” 4 FRIEDMAN’S OPINION THE POLISH TEMPERAMENT “There is good music and bad music, but never modern and antiquated music. I know no composer more modern than Bach,” the great Ignaz Friedman has declared as the main article of his faith. This affords a wonderfully clear insight into the comprehending personality of the man. His is the splendid gift of regarding music as a Napoleon regards the world: for him, neither the lands nor the centuries have boundaries. Friedman is as consummate an interpreter of Bach as he is of Chopin, Beethoven and Liszt. Hearing him surmount with complete ease the almost insuperable difliculties of Busoni’s transcription of the violin “Chaconne,” of Brahms’s “Variations on a Theme of Paganini,” or Liszt’s “Don Juan” Fantasia, has simply amazed the minds of all critics. In rvery country they have chorused their wonder*t>ver these feats, besides pouring forth admiration of his everglamorous musical poesy.

What is it in the Polish temperament which leads its great pianists also to be the originators of a really national music? A discerning and distinguished musical writer has pointed out that Chopin, Paderewski and Ignaz Friedman, have all possessed this quality of talent, and no matter what musical influence they have been exposed to, or what schooling they have undergone, they have given their compositions a flavour which is characteristically national and racial. MORE THAN A PIANIST While Ignaz Friedman’s unsurpassed genius as an expositor of the great piano music of all nations will be a revelation to Australian and New Zealand music-lovers during his forty recitals under Mr. E. J. Carroll’s direction, the finer minds among our musicians are well acquainted with many of his compositions. The writer already referred to. in comparing the creative work of the three great Poles he mentioned, went on to say that Friedman as a composer is more the pianist, like Chopin; and like him tends to develop the lyric rather than the dramatic in his music, though in his more extended compositions. such as the piano concerto, and his chamber music, the dramatic element is not lacking. Strangely enough, it is a grand-niece of the great Russian novelist and idealist. Count Leo Tolstoy, whose obsession against music may be set down as merely one of his many eccentricities, to whom Ignaz is married. Needless to say, the dislike of music Is not a family failing. An inseparable companion now of Friedman’s whenever his travels and her schooling permit it, is his pretty daughter Lydia, who is now sixteen. It is not yet known here whether Madame Friedman and Lydia will accompany the famous artist to Australia and New Zealand. Friedman’s tour opens in Sydney on Saturday.

The Cherniavsky brothers have just concluded a tour through America. The famous trio are working their way around the world again, giving concerts in the principal centres, and expect to be in New Zealand during January, February and March next year.

The Commercial Travellers’ Choir, in conjunction with the Dunedin Male choir, gave a performance of “The Desert” at Wellington on Friday last. There were ove*r 100 voices and an orchestra of 25. The solos were taken by Messrs. B. M. Hyall and J. Cathcart. It is still worth while to be a famous operatic tenor. Mr. Joseph Hislop is on tour, and has recently been drawing crowded houses at double prices to the Copenhagen Opera House. After his final performance in “La Tosca” recently, the King of Denmark, to mark his approval of the great tenor’s vocal j and artistic gifts, summoned him to | the Royal box and created him a j Knight of the Order of Dannebrog. Copenhagen, despite an unenviable climate, has always been a seat of ! musical enlightenment, associated with many famous names, such as Jenny Lind, who started her career at the State-controlled Operatic School in that city. THE QUEEN OF SONG MELBA AT CANBERRA LEADING THE BAND Speaking of the rehearsal of the ceremony held in connection with the opening of Canberra as Federal capital of Australia an Australian paper says:—Dame Nellie Melba invested the affair with Covent Garden atmosphere, as, from tne very top step of Parliament House, she sharply corrected the band of the Second Military District for its playing of the extra notes in the National Anthem.

Dame Nellie, heavily furred, struck at the pose of Queen of Song, even at the “try-over,” as she rendered the first verse of the National Anthem to the band’s accompaniment. “Now we’ll try again,” she said. This time everybody joined in. The anthem was given some of the gusto of a chorus. If tenors, baritones, and sundry tones did not altogether balance Melba called for no encore. So, apparently.‘everything was considered satisfactory, from a musical point of view. Dame Nellie made an exit that had about it none of the •early despair. WHANGAREI MUSIC A BAND CONCERT The fourth Sunday concert under the aegis of the Whangarei Silver Band was held in the Town Hall on Sunday evening. The vocal soloist was Mr. Fred. C., Baines, who lias recently taken up residence in Whangarei. His opening number, “The Promise of Life” (Covyan), disclosed a very pleasing voice. As an encore he sang “Salaam.” His second item, “Soul of Mine” (Barnes) was appreciated to an even greater degree, and for a recall, “At Rest” (Aylward) was sympathetically rendered.

The saxophone selections of Mr. Alf. Healey were popular features, and he was accorded a fine reception for his rendering of “Samson and Delilah” (St. Saens). As an encore he played “Angels Guard Thee” (Godard). Later in the evening his second listed item,

“Because” (Guy de Hardelot), was nicely treated, and the audience demanded another recall, “Berceuse de Jocelyn,” another composition of Godard’s being given.

The items rendered by the band were greatly appreciated, and there is no doubt that Whangarei’s band will compare favourably with most of the A grade bands in the Dominion.

An entertaining item on the programme was an instrumental quartette by Bandmaster Collier and Bandsmen Bert Leatherby, King and A. Leatherby.

The formation of an Amateur Musical .Operatic and Dramatic Society at Opotiki was agreed upon at an enthusiastic meeting held there recently. Ths following officers were elected: President. Dr. Budd; vice-president, Mr. R. N. Meikle; secretary, Mr. G. Marshall; committee, Mesdames Burton and Marsicans and Miss Cave, and Messrs. V’. Cooke. P. R. Burton and L. Main; producer, Mr. P. Winter: musical director, Mr. H. Carter Bowles.

The now famous Polish tenor, M. Jan Kiepura, who drew crowded audiences to the Albert Hall, London, early in March, and was hailed as Caruso’s successor, has been badly injured in a motor-car accident in Teschen, Silesia. M. Kiepura recently said: "Two years ago I was getting five shillings for a performance at the Warsaw Opera. To-day I am the highest-paid singer in the world.”

EMOTIONAL APPEAL

HOW IT DIFFERS A PSYCHIC COMPARISON Paderewski, Bachaus and Heifetz are interesting studies, in so far

as emotionalism is concerned. All three possess perfect technical equipment, and besides being instrumentalists are cultured musicians, so that from the point of view of mechanical artifices they may be regarded as being equal. Psychologically a 11 three great art-

ists differ, each having his own sense of emotional appeal. Paderewski approaches his auditors so temperamentally conscious of his own soul’s message, so physically affected that he reveals through his facial expression the ideal that is passing to his listeners through the medium of his fingers. __ Bachaus, a great tone-poet, seems

always far away from his audience. For the time being he is mentally and soulfully w i t h Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, or whoever it is with whom he may be communing. His physical expression is one of rapture, and he holds those about him with the most

tender thread. A close observance of Heifetz will prove that he himself feels to a great extent some emotional message when he is playing, but his audience is charmed particularly by his elegance, style, mastery of dynamic forces, and abnormal dexterity.