MUSIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 268, 2 February 1928, Page 16

MUSIC

(By

F.1.R.)

Elsa Stralia, soprano, who recently returned to America from a tour of Australia and New Zealand, was the soloist at a Capitol Theatre concert in Xew York. She sang arias from “Semiramide” and “Tannhauser.” * * * Meyerbeer's “Le Prophete” was recently revived at the Xew York Metropolitan under the baton of Arthur Bodansky. The cast included Martinelli, Matzenauer and Leonora Corona (who studied in San Francisco). • • * Fqanz Schreker, prominent Berlin composer, has finished another opera, • The Organ.’* HLs last previous work, “Der Feme Klang” has been sung all over Germany and more recently in Stockholm. * * * William Heughan ancl Gladys Sayer. whose visit in 1924 is pleasantly remembered, send greetings from London. Concert tours planned by Mr. Heughan for 1928-9 include visits to Canada, the United States, Australia, Xew Zealand and South Africa. • * * Bernardino Molinari, leader of the Rome Augusteum Orchestra, has arrived in the United States for guest appearances with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. On arrival he commented on the current growth of public interest in symphonic music in Italy. • * * Mr. Vincent Aspey, a former resident of Huntly, and who for some time past has been a member of the Majestic orchestra at Auckland, is to leave shortly for Australia to continue his violin studies. He will be given a farewell concert in the Huntly Town Hall on February 9. Mr. Aspey is well known and very popular in the Waikato district and should be accorded a fitting farewell. • * • In the Queen’s Half last season, Mischel Cherniavsky, ’cellist, was engaged by Sir Henry Wood to appear with his Symphony Orchestra in the Queen’s Hall. This was in recognition of the musical progress Mischel has made. Critics and music lovers in various countries are remarking on the quickened musical growth of the three brothers Cherniavsky. They recently finished a tour of America where they established new records. m • • Bayreuth will have a Wagner festival next summer from July 19 to August 19. The schedule will include “Tristan,” “Parsifal” and “The Ring,” according to an announcement of Jules Daiber, Steinway Hall, New York. In Munich the Mozart-Wagner Festival will take place from July 26 to August 28. Five Mozart operas—“ The Ring,” “Meistersinger,” “Tristan,” “Parsifal” and ‘Lohengrin”—will be sung. Salz: urg’s festival is to include performances of “Fidelio,” Donizetti’s “Tarquato Tasso” and “The Magic Flute.” • • • In music the French and Germans; are chummy again. Arnold Schoenberg had a warm reception when he conducted some of his music in Paris lately. Bruno Walter also was welcomed when he came to make his first preparations for the Mozart festival to be given at the Odeon next spring. Max Reinhardt will produce two of the Mozart operas and Firmin Gemier the other three. The festival is to be given by German, French and Italian ».rtists. It is to be repeated in London. Jierlin and Geneva. mm* A new English opera, “The Leper’s Flute,” by Ernest Bryson, was given un admirable production recently by the British National Opera Company The opera derives its name from an old Capetown legend, of the early 18th c€*ntury. A leper whose flute is constantly heard “off.” revenges himself upon the woman who has discarded him by giving his flute to her new lover, and thereby dooming him to become a leper in turn. Mr. Bryson has written some interesting and often very charming music, and the opera has some really dramatic moments. mm* John Galsworthy takes up the subject of modern music in his “Castles in Spain,” published by Scribner. “Applause,” says the author, “now greets a piece of decorative noise such as Honegger’s •endering of a locomotive’s progress. But even in the time of Bach, would not Hon- -r or Stravinsky, provided they escaped incarceration, have stimulated the 18th century man by their ingenious noises fully as much as the beating of forest drums has always stimulated people? Down to quite a short time ago a white man who craved for exciting noise had to repair to the zoos at feeding time or hire a man to play the bag-pipes without actually breaking into a tune. Such considerable and not undignified sounds were all he could obtain, but his appetite was there; all unknowingly he hungered for ‘Le Sacre du Frintemps. • • * Word has been received from Mr. E. J. Gravestock that he had arranged a tour of New Zealand and A.ustralia of Miss Amy Evans, the distinguished English dramatic soprano, an 1 Mr. Fraser Gange, the Scottish baritone, the tour to begin at Wellington about the middle of April. These distinguished singers, who made an unforgactable impression here some five years ago iire thoroughly representative concert and oratorio singers o r the first grade. Having established themselves firmly in the Old Country, where .heir services were always in demand, these singers looked for new worlds to conquer, and some tw6 years ago accepted an engagement to appear in America. Such was the success that attended their appearances in that country that they have resided in New York ever since. Miss Evans and Mr. Gange have many friends in New Zealand who will be delighted to hear of their early return. * * * “We have not had £20,000 of the £ 300,000 appealed for,” said Sir Thomas Beeeham recently; referring to the fund he is raising for the re-estab-lishmenL of grand opera. Subscribers were asked to send £1 as an initial payment, with an undertaking to send three further annual subscriptions of 10s. “The resoonse from Birmingham,. Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds ha 3 been most disappointing. I am sure that this scheme is wanted, but there is an appalling amount of lassitude The response from London and Scotland has been satisfactory. If the scheme is going to be a success the subscription list has to be trebled before February 1 next, when the scheme will definitely close.”