MUSIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 588, 14 February 1929, Page 14

MUSIC

(By

F.I.R.

E'9 Salaries The Menestrel of Paris cites the salaries contracted for by German conductors for the next season. Bruno Walter is at the head of the list with SO.OOO marks (about £4,000) for six months. Otto Klemperer is next with 60,000 marks (about £15.000). Igor Stravinsky Says—- “ Without any intention to belittle Wagner. X must confess that I find his compositions unimportant. I admire Verdi, though his last works ‘Othello' and ‘FalstatT leave me cold. Beethoven attracts me even less, but I like Bach and Mozart, and, strange though it may sound. Weber also.” “Musical News” Editor L»andon Ronald, the famous conductor, who is also Principal of the Guildhall School of Music, has added the editorship of the “London Musical News” to his already big day’s work. The “Australian Musical News” says of the appointment: “After a round of vicissitudes in the matter of editors, some of whom were merely flippant and some either st lid or lackadaisical, the ‘English Musical News’ has at last come into splendid good fortune by finding Sir Landon Ronald at its helm. It has acquired a strong vigour and soundness of outlook that it had not known for years.” Paderewski’s Popularity Remarkable scenes occurred at the close of Paderewski’s Chopin piano recital—his last in London this season—at the Albert Hall. The programme lasted for two and a-quarter hours, with only a three-minutes’ interval. But the audience clamoured for more. Paderewski returned and played three pieces without stopping. This so excited the audience that people gathered around the platform shouting out their favourite pieces, and Paderewski came back again and again, giving in all nine encores. The crowd then tried to get on to the platform, and Padwerewski had to be protected by a fireman, who stood behind him and kept people back from the piauo. Eventually the piano was closed, and the people left the hall. The extra recital lasted for threequarters of an hour.

The Lure of Orpheus ‘What will dearest Australia contribute?* concluded Dame Nellie Melba emotionally, when appealing from her West End mansion to her “dear beloved public” to assist in building an Empire opera house, presumably in London, if her artistic home. Covent Garden, is destroyed. States a writer in the Sydney "News”: “The music of Orpheus could charm trees and rocks and stones, but I doubt if Dame Nellie, even with the sweetness of her soulful sob song in to-day’s cablegrams, will charm too much money out of Australia for her Empire opera house. How many people in Australia, except the few able to travel, will be able to visit her Empire opera house, anyhow, and listen to the dulcet notes of the world's opera stars at so many guineas a sitting? To my way of thinking, art in this matter, like charity, begins at home. There is an illimitable field here in Australia for the development of the aesthetic and the arts, and especially of grand opera, without sending money to London. That is my own personal opinion, anyway.”

Elizabeth Schumann Elizabeth Schumann is a relative of that famous and romantic singer, Henriette Sontag, who first appeared in Prague at the age of 15 .secretly married Count Rossi, and died in Mexico City of cholera in 1534. Elizabeth Schumann was born in Merseburg, in Thuringia, and commenced her operatic career at Hamburg. In 1919 Richard Strauss invited her to sing at the Vienna Opera House, where she has sung ever since. She is particularly famous for her interpretations of the soprano roles in Mozart’s operas. It is difficult to imagine anything finer than her singing of the pasts of Zerlina and Susanna. In 1921 she toured in America with Richard Strauss: her singing of his songs is renowned and authoritative. Her favourite part, incidentally, is that of Sophie in Strauss’s "Der Rosenkavalier.” She has sung this part all over the world (Covent Garden, 1924). She yearly takes part in the great Mozart Festivals in Munich. She is married to the German conductor and composer, Karl Alwin, who was the conductor at the Hamburg Staddtheatre when she first appeared there, and who now conducts at the Vienna State Opera House.

MUSICAL PRAGUE

LITTLE-KNOWN ART CENTRE THE BOHEMIAN SCHOOL Interesting information regarding the development of music in the ne w Republic of Czechoslovakia has been given to The Sun by Dr. Greif, a noted musician, who has recently come from that country to take up the profession of music in Auckland.

Prague, the seat of two universities founded in the XIV. century, possesses a Conservatory of Music, three opera houses, two symphonic orchestras, orchestra attached to the Conservatory, and numerous choral societies, the largest of these having a strength of 600 singers. Although Prague is the acknowledged centre of the musical activity of the country, music is cultivated everywhere; every town of about 3,000 inhabitants has its own orchestra, without piano. The people are intensely musical, said Dr. Greif. From the cradle they are nourished with national songs—songs which live for generation to generation, many centuries old. and for which their origin must be sought in the life of the nation itself. The national songs are very interesting, their rythmical element being very striking. It was in this musical atmosphere that Smetana, the founder of the Bohemian School of Music, created his eight operas. Of these, “The Bartered Bride.” “The Kiss,” and “Two Widows,” had been performed in Vienna, Dresden, Berlin and New York. His symphonic poems and string quartets were played by the greatest orchestras of the world on account of their striking originality.

Dvorak, famous for his “New World Symphony,” was a pupil of Smetana’s, and other well-known living composers were Novak, Tuk (a member of the Bohemian Quartet), and Forster (professor of music at the University). Novak is the most prominent at the present time, his “Pan” being his best composition for the piano. In “Pan” he has reached the summit of his art, said Dr. Greif. All the parts of that symphonic poem, which, by the way, is dedicated to Friedman, had inner continuity and deserved to be studied by all serious pianists. In his opinion he was one' of the greatest living composers—a master of mood and form, and original in every respect. A great musical festival is held every year, Berlioz’s “Requiem” being performed to large attendances last year. He considered that the high standard of musical education in Czechoslovakia was due largely to the fact that only those who had studied at the Conservatory and had passed State examinations were allowed to teach. Music was very plentiful and operas could be heard every day for the equivalent of sixpence. Everywhere the people desired to hear the works of the great masters in their original form and arrangements were despised. “Prague,” said Dr. Greif, “although comparatively little known, could be classed as one of the great musical centres of Europe. There, people studied music, using it as a means of obtaining their aesthetical education.”

NEW ARTISTS

Varied Attractions for 1929 Season THE YOUNGER SET The road of the concert entrepreneur is a hard one. He has to have a stout heart and a long purse to stand up against the setbacks, which an elusive public will give him. But despite the vogue of the “talkies." which is extracting many thousands- of pounds a week from the entertainment purse of the Sydney public, and strong theatrical and “silent movie” opposition, some of our entrepreneurs are seeing to it that the staunch con-cert-goer will be well catered for.

Mr. E. J. Carroll has announced two outstanding

personalities of the concert world. | Miss Erica Morini. | a beautiful young | Viennese violinist, i who is described as i a feminine Hei* I fetz, with the I temperamental ferjj vour of Elman, | and the tone and

rhythmical verve of Kreisler, -who

commences her tour on Easter Saturday. Although only 23, she has toured America four times, and her tours through Middle Europe and England has necessitated a record number of passports. The other Carroll attraction is Alexander Brailowsky, another of the seemingly inexhaustible supply of Russian geniuses of the piano. Brailowsky, although a comparative newcomer in the world of music, has made three tours of South America, five tours of America, and has played in practically every town of importance in Europe. According to his programmes from Europe, musiclovers will hear some new music, although Chopin seems to be prime favourite with him. Later in the year Mr. E. J. Gravestock promises us Signorina Dusolina Fiannini, the young soprano, born in America of Italian parents. The “Glorious Giannini/’ as she has been described, is also a much-travelled artist. Her biggest successes have apparently been in Germany, although

America is her stronghold, and in England last year she was one of the big successes of the grand opera season at Covent Garden. She returns to Covent Garden this year for 12 performances, and will hurry across Europe to catch the P. and O. steamer ! at Naples for Australia, i These are all young artists, who j have- already made good. It is indicative of the growing importance of Australia and New Zealand that they Ino longer attract only “farewell" ! tours.

Spivakovsky

Famous Pianist on Return Tour A GIFTED RUSSIAN Jascha Spivakovsky, the young Russian pianist, who visited Australia in 1922, will return this year and jonimence a concert tour in Sydney on March 10 under the direction of Mr ; D. D. O'Connor. Spivakovsky will be remembered as a player of exceptional force, with an interpretative gift unsurpassed by any of the famous pianists heard here in the last decade. His performance of ; the great Brahms Sonata in F minor | came as a revelation to local musicians ; and its repetition will be eagerly ani ticipated. For the last few years Spivakovsky : has made his home in Berlin, and has ! been associated with the famous com- ! poser and conductor, Richard Strauss, | in performances of the latter’s pianoforte works in nearly all the European capitals. It may be expected that the Spivakovsky programme will include a generous proportion of the compositions of Strauss and other moderns. His Australian tour will commence in Sydney in March. At the conclusion of the Australian tour. Spivakovsky will probably visit: the Dominion.

“GLORIOUS GIANNINI

“That’s My Weakness Now” and “Ramona,” are sung by Layton and Johnston (Columbia 01310). This must rank as one of the most successful records this famous American pair have yet made. They have a distinctly novel and interesting way of handling “That’s My Weakness Now,” while their treatment of “Ramona” is productive of some most delightful harmony. As ever, they are beautifully distinct.

Beethoven’s nine symphonies are of deathless magnificence. We are told that the penultimate movement of the Ninth Symphony surpasses the possibilities of artistic expansion. The subject is humanity itself, with its sufferings and ideals, and here instrumental music speaks her last possible word. There can he nothing better, nothing higher, nothing ’beyond. “Only attempt further,” says Wagner, “is but progress backward.” The symphony has infinite sublimity and dramatic power that surpasses all other human emotions —emotions which very few on this earth have experienced, let alone expressed. Here is solemnity, breadth, and magniloquence—allied to gorgeous colour. Thus the task set Albert Coates and the Symphony Orchestra in presenting an adequate recording of this immortal work was tremendous, but they seemed to have been inspired by the occasion. The records are notable: for their loveliness of expression, and the four soloists—Edna Thornton, Nellie Walker, Webster, and George Baker, who take part in the choral movement —have realised the greatness of the occasion. The whole performance is an exalted one, and Albert Coates’s enthusiasm and musical scholarship will not go unrewarded by the gratitude of musiclovers the world over. (H.M.V. D 842849.)

Two fine songs by Harold Williams are “To-morrow” and “Thanks be to God.” (Columbia 01290.) Dickson’s

“Thanks be to God” is a fine type of song, and Masefield’s dramatic poem, '‘To-morrow,” has been set to very effective music by Frederick Keel. These songs have been exceptionally well rendered by Harold Williams, whose rich and stirring baritone voice has seldom been heard to greater advantage. The recording is perfection.

The Schubert “Quartet in D Minor” played by the Budapest String Quartet, is notable for its vigorous reproduction. The records mark a new advance in the technique of reproducing the playing of a string quartet. The “Quartet in D Minor” is one of the most remarkable of Schubert’s compositions. It was written in 1526, but accounts differ as to whether it was ever performed during Schubert's lifetime. Grove says it was, and that Schubert revised the Finale by shortening it very considerably after hearing his friend’s criticisms. The whole work is characterised by a full yet sweet volume. The work is written in a large mould, and in view of the fact that its composition was contemporary with some of the last group of Beethoven quai-tets, we can only marvel that Schubert, who was comparatively immature—especially as regards technique—should have written such an extraordinary work (H.M.V., D 1422-6).

An “11 Trovatore" selection by Percy Pitt, conducting the 8.8. C. Wireless Symphony Orchestra (Columbia 9155). is an artistic effort. Columbia are rerecording some of thsir old favourites by the electric process. This gives us a chance to make comparisons very flattering to the new record. In this “II Trovatore” selection, for example, the whole tone of the orchestra is brighter and clearer, greater volume is secured with less distortion, and every instrument lias an equal chance of coming through. The strings are much sweeter and the brass is less inclined to blare. Percy Pitt conducts with authority and a nice sense of melody, as becomes a former chief of Covent Garden.