Around The Nationals

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 133, 9 January 1942, Page 20

Around The Nationals

UNGARY’s rustic wedding cusH toms provided the material for Karl Goldmark’s Rustic Wedding Symphony, which has recently been introduced to New Zealand audiences. The work may even have some connection, in the composer’s own mind, with his very first performance-it was after a wedding, and young Goldmark played all the tunes he knew on the. wineglasses, atranging them in order according to how much wine was left in them. * * * COSMOPOLITAN port in preChristian Russia is the scene of Mlada, an opera-ballet by Rimsky-Kor-sakov, a suite from which will be heard over 3YA on Wednesday, January 14, at 7.30 p.m. The composer is said to have drawn on his memory of some Hungarian and Algerian orchestras (heard at the Paris Exposition in 1889) when he wrote Mlada, and it is among his most colourful works. The story of Mlada is from Russian mythology. Mstivoi, Prince of Rhetra, covets the possessions of Jaromir, prince of Arkonsk, and tries to use his daughter, Voislava who loves Jaromir, to gain his own ends. Jaromir is betrothed to Milada, but she dies on her wedding day, poisoned by a ring given to her by Voislava. Voislava casts a spell on Jaromir and is on the point of being united with him when Mlada’s spirit intervenes. The spell breaks, Jaromir slays Voislava, and is presented with Milada, by the grace of the Goddess Lada. * * * NEW series of women’s morning programmes has been prepared, to be heard from the four main national stations in turn, and the titles indicate some interesting sessions. Starting on January 5, each of 16 features will be heard from each station before April, each feature consisting of four sessions in one week. Famous personalities are dealt with in each session, and each of the sessions for one week goes under a name, such as "Famous Pianists," "Queens of Song," "Makers of Melody," "World’s Great Artists," "Voices of the Orchestra," "Notable Namesakes of the Famous," and so on. Station 1YA will begin (on January 5), with "Famous Pianists," 2YA with "Husbands and Wives Series," 3YA with "Popular Instrumental Combinations" and 4YA with "Workers in Harmony." Each station will have its serial two days a week as before. * * * A SPECIAL Norwegian programme will -be broadcast by 4YA on Monday evening, January 12, beginning with the BBC recorded programme "Three Bus Drivers of Oslo." After this, there will be a quantity of Grieg’s music, including the Homage March and the Holberg Suite. with Kirsten Flagstad’s recordings of fvur well-known songs. The Swedish male chorus will sing items by other Norwegian composers, and Hilda Bor will play some piano pieces by Grieg.