THINGS TO COME

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 80, 3 January 1941, Page 6

THINGS TO COME

A Run Through The Programmes

IRE is surely not such a bad place after all. Diana Craig returned to New Zealand recently after touring the country, and her talks about it are pleasant enough to blarney listeners into wanting to get there themselves. She certainly enjoyed the Irish, as listeners ‘will find for themselves as they surrender to a voice trained and experienced in repertory work here and. in Great Britain. The talk is to be broadeast by 2YA at 10.45a.m. on Wednesday, January 8. But we are not sure if either Miss Craig or the programme organisers will survive without at least some small protest from the faithful out here. They not only talk about Ireland when they should talk about Eire; but they say "Southern Ireland " almost as if they thought there was another. However, it was a nice excuse for a faintly Irish joke, indeed. Mass Music ‘Local experience of changing musical taste seems to be bearing out Heddle Nash’s theory that people these days are discovering the attractions of sacred music. It is quiet, it is soothing, it is melodious, and it is dignified, in a time when none of these virtues is ever very evident in common things. Perhaps 2YA recognised this point when Mozart’s Mass in F Major was chosen for the evening programme of Tuesday, Janu-

ary 7. Listeners are to be given some 20 minutes of this very beautiful music. The Mass will be sung by the Motet Singers, with a string orchestra. Mozart is also represented in the programmes by an altogether different sort of music. His "Don Giovanni" is featured by 3YA on Sunday, January 5. One and 3000 Two' or three monsoons back we had our artist make us a drawing to attract the attention of listeners to the serial "Khyber." Now it has turned up again, in the programmes from 1YA this time, at 7.45p.m. on Monday, January 6. In the meantime, we heard a joke about the sahib in the picture. He was true-

blue Poona, 1880 vintage, and he held a fort against 3,000 natives. At a nearby fort similarly beleaguered, a Colonel sahib sent a message to G.H.Q.: "Surrounded. Send a brigade, horse and foot, artillery, food, ammunition." But our Colonel was made of the right stuff. His message read: "Surrounded by 3,000 natives. Send one rifle. Three thousand rounds." Which reminded Bill of the story about the five men trapped by savages in the jungle with three defenceless women. "Send help," they radioed, "or two women." All of which has nothing to do with Auckland’s new serial. However ... Belinda Belinda is a B.Sc., and she talked for the NBS some time ago about household pests. Belinda, in fact, is at her best about bugs. At least we like to think so, because alliteration is a good thing, and b’s are best for that. Which brings us to a talk scheduled by 2YA for the women’s morning session on Monday, January 6. Belinda is about to begin to broadcast about " Our Natural Heritage and What we are Doing with it." Actually, this is not so much about bugs as about the plant, animal, and bird life in New Zealand generally. Belinda will tell how we are wasting it, or how we are using it to advantage. It is timed for 10.45 a.m. Northern Terry _ For us, only the irresistible attraction of such things as puns and alliteration’s artful aid. For Michael Terry, the irre--sistible attraction of wide spaces in distant places. Another of his traveladventure talks will be broadcast by 4YA at 7.15 p.m. on Friday, January 10. This time he will interest listeners in Australia’s northern territory (hence the pun) and discuss the work done there by the Australian policeman. He describes men whose work entitles them at least equally

to fame with the Canadian North-West Mounted Police. Where the "Mounties" have cold to contend with, the Australian policeman has heat, drought, crocodiles, and aborigines whose respect for human life is not always as great as their respect for the policeman’s uniform. Mr. Terry knows their work, and knows the country in which it is done. Music and Disney An interesting note received recently about Stravinsky set us searching the programmes for him this week, and we found him scheduled for 2YA at 9.40 p.m., on Thursday, January 9. Some of his fiery music has been illustrated by Walt Disney in a very special "cinesymphony," about which we hope to say more shortly. The item next week is "The Fire Bird" Suite, played by the Philadelphia Symphony under Stokowski. It so happens that this great orchestra and that great conductor cooperated with Disney for the "Fantasia" picture, and maybe you'll be able to imagine what the film will be like if you remember this while listening to the broadcast. Sing to Win Germany is going to war to the tune of Wagner. British broadcasting services, on the other hand, are not above playing "Roll Out the Barrel"-or "Roll Out the Bomber," as Lord Beaverbrook recently suggested. But the saving sense of the ridiculous, which replies to

"Deutchsland uber Alles" with a song about hanging washing on the Siegfried Line, still leaves room for stirring music, and some of the best of it has been collected for a broadcast by 2YA at 9.36 p.m. on Monday, January 6. The songs were collected and recorded in Great Britain and the collection has been secured by the NBS for sampling here. Egypt With the development of the military situation in the Western Desert, the importance of the work of the New Zealand Broadcasting Unit is likely to be greatly increased during 1941. Already they are into their stride, and some notable commentaries have been received and re-broadcast in New Zealand. Doug. Laurenson’s description of a dust storm two weeks ago was an especially fine piece of work. Sooner or later we may expect them to be handling more humanly exciting news. They maintain their service by mails and by radio. The NBS receives their broadcast despatches by relay through the BBC. Some material is sent by ordinary mails, and by all sorts of criss-crossing air and steamer services they maintain a con-

stant supply of recordings made in Egypt. These arrive here with the sands of the desert still adhering, and operators in New Zealand can imagine how difficult it must have been to keep the discs clean. In addition to the Monday broadcast of records, and Saturday’s Despatch, Captain J. S. King’s sports talk on Sundays is already popular. Those Hundred Years The year 1940 has been, of course, a significant one for the whole world, but in marking the end of our first hundred years, it has had a special significance for New Zealanders. The Centennial celebrations were officially closed some time ago, and the film "One Hundred Crowded Years" has been completed and previewed, and now, as a final reminder of the Centennial, station 2ZB and 2ZA are presenting, on New Year’s Eve, a radio survey of the past 100 years. In spite of the fact that it is impossible to summon back the voices of many of our great New Zealanders, we can recall their achievements. Tributes are paid to many who have played a notable part in our brief history-Sir Truby King, Thomas Bracken, Rosina Buckman and Sir Joseph Ward, to mention only four taken at random. The programme was written by Bob Allender of 2ZA,