FOR THE PEOPLE: BY THE PEOPLE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 73, 15 November 1940, Page 14

FOR THE PEOPLE: BY THE PEOPLE

N.Z. Musicians To Play N.Z. Music In National Concert

HE first concert of its kind organised since Kupe touched New Zealand will be broadcast by the main NBS Stations on Saturday of next week, November 23, from 7.30 p.m. In a national hook-up, YA stations will combine to relay the works of prizewinners in this year’s Centennial Music Competitions. Five of the items will originate in Wellington, two in Auckland, ‘and two in Christchurch. Dunedin, although not represented in the broadcast plan, will be able to take its personal interest out of the composition of Roy Spackman, a Dunedin musician. The first item is Douglas Lilburn’s "Festival" overture, which was placed second to the same composer’s " Drysdale" Overture in the orchestral comPosition section. It will be played by the NBS String Orchestra in combination with the 2YA Concert Orchestra, with Andersen Tyrer conducting. This is an interesting sample of the work of a young New Zealand musician with interesting prospects. Commenting on it as a judge when the results were announced, Mr. Tyrer said that the "Festival" Overture showed a commendable sincerity of purpose. Although some of the passages were clouded the orchestration as a whole was very good. Lilburn’s winning entry in the same section, the " Drysdale" Overture, will be played by the same combined orchestra under Andersen Tyrer, as the second item after a break made in the concert programme for the NBS Newsreel. Of " Drysdale," Mr. Tyrer has said that it shows plainly that Lilburn possesses musical ability of @ refined order. " Drysdale" is the name of the composer’s home. "Prodigal Country" One other item makes up the group of three by which this composer is repre-

sented in the first nationally organised concert of national music. His " Prodigal Country " won the choral works section. There is fine work and judgment in this, with never a stodgy line. Lawrence A. North will be soloist for it, singing with the A Capella Choir and the Combined Orchestra. This choir won second prize of £50 in the Centennial Choral Competition. Lilburn’s music is written to words from Robin Hyde’s " Journey from New Zealand," Allen Curnow’s "New Zealand City," and Walt Whitman’s "Song of Myself." The words are: From Robin Hyde’s "Journey from New Zealand": Baritone Solo: Now as I go between sands red and yellow as poppies, Or across a desert many-breasted like Kali, I shall see always these things, And my heart be broken for them. Earth, earth, and the purple thitherdusty grasses, I shall dream thee fat rains, waiting alone by the desert Whose white and bitter body makes mock of rain. Chorus: Sheep bought for Russia, thick-sided breeding rams, With the grey grass of the steppes tangled between your teeth, Do you lift up your heads, short and bellicose, black-nosed, With the round horns curled hard as a boxer’s fist; Do you lift up your heads snuffing their northern-watered winds That drank ice all winter, and seek, however dimly, The scent of another spring than the Muscovy spring? Solo and Chorus: I too am sold into strangeness, Yet in my heart can only dissolve, re-form, The circling shapes of New Zealand things. * * mw Young crude country, hard as unbroken shell. ...

From Allen Curnow’s "New Zealand City": Solo: This is the land of new hopes joined with a thousand years’ despair, of children with senile faces. Male Chorus: The shadow of Europe falls encompassing the east and the wrinkled edge of empire embraces these islands. Old and crooked Asia is an evil glance in the north. And eastward is the white madhouse where they breathe nervously the air-conditioned air; dollar by dollar is told the good man’s rosary. Serf to them all for pleasure or pain betrayed to the world’s garret and gutter, bought at the export price of butter. Solo: Yet I in my heart Can only dissolve, re-form, The circling shapes of New Zealand thiggs. From Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself": Solo and Chorus: Smile O voluptuous cool breath’d earth! Earth of the slumbering and liquid trees! Earth of departed sunset-earth of the mountains misty-topt! Earth of the vitreous pour of the full moon! Earth of shine and dark mottling the tide of the river! Earth of the limpid grey of clouds! Far-swooping elbow’d earth -_rich apple-blossomed earth! Smile for your lover comes. Prodigal you have given me lovetherefore I to you give love! O unspeakable passionate love.

Maori Legend The other work by a New Zealand composer to be broadcast during the concert is Spackman’s "The Burning of the House of Hades." This won second prize in the choral works section. It is founded on Maori legend, and depicts the descent of a band of Maoris into Hades, where they hope to secure wisdom and learning from the presiding spirit. They descend by a flaxen rope. The owner of this flax complains that his field has been despoiled by their cutting and is advised by the evil spirit to haul up the rope so that the party cannot return. This is done. When they learn that the evil one wishes to keep them in Hades the Maoris burn down his house. This will be the second item in the programme. Strings and Voices The Auckland String Quartet, which gained second place in its section of the Centennial Competitions, has elected to play (from 1YA studio) works by Borodin and Glazounov, instead of the setpieces (Haydn and Brahms). The winners of this section, the Christchurch String Quartet, have selected Schubert and Bach, and will play later in the programme. The first and third-placed choirs in the Choral Singing Section of the competitions were the Christchurch Orpheus Choir and the Dorian Choir (Auckland). Under H. C. Luscombe, the Dorian Choir will give the fourth item in the programme from 1YA, and the Christchurch Orpheus Choir, conducted by F. C. Penfold, will sing from 3YA studio in the second half of the programme, Beyond These Shores Rounding off the programme will come an item prepared by the NBS in Wellington: "New Zealand Miusicians Find Fame Overseas." The list from which the compére of this item will be making his selection is a long one, and will possibly surprise listeners. Among the records available from overseas recording companies for this item no fewer than 25 soloists are included, with three choirs, the latter all Maori,