ORCHESTRA OF REFUGEES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 151, 15 May 1942, Page 10

ORCHESTRA OF REFUGEES

Symphony Concerts In Egypt

Mie has Hitler to thank for the formation of one of the finest symphony orchestras in the world-an orchestra which has recorded on only one occasion, but the fame of which has spread among musicians and music-lovers everywhere. It is the Palestine Symphony Orchestra, a combination whose- concerts in Cairo and Alexandria have been attended

by thousands of New Zealand troops during the last two years. Regimental Sergeant-Major T. J. Kirk-Burnnand, a member of the NBS who was recently invalided from the Middle East after service in Greece and Crete, was lucky enough to meet members of the orchestra in Cairo, attended many of its concerts, and watched it at rehearsal. In a talk the other week to a British Musical Society group in Wellington he gave some interesting impressions of this brilliant combination. It was under the direction of Huberman that the orchestra was formed in Tel Aviv a few years ago. With the beginning of anti-Semitic persecution in Germany, Palestine became the home of more and more distinguished Jewish musicians, and by the end of the 30’s, they were arriving from all over Europe. Tel Aviv is now one of the most musical cities in the world, with frequent celebrity concerts and firstclass music in the humblest cafes. The Palestine Symphony, which tours with 60 players, attracted such conductors as Toscanini, Sargent and Weingartner, and soloists of the calibre of Backhaus, Szigeti (whom members of the orchestra idolise), Menuhin, and of course Huberman. There is no permanent conductor. Recitals in Cairo . The orchestra’s tours of Egypt are sponsored by the Société de Musique d’Egypte, and are the most important musical events of the year. In Cairo, recitals are held in the Ewart Memorial Hall of the American University, which seats about 1100 people. Prices range from £1 to five shillings with a 25 per cent reduction for men in uniform. Custom favours informal dress for the audience, and there is an air of peace and comfort only spoiled by loudspeaker = 7

requests to the audience to keep their seats in the event of an air raid, as the concert will not be interrupted. Concerts start at 9.15 p.m. and finish about 11.30 or 11.45 p.m. Four, sometimes five, substantial works are played. A programme on January 23 of last year comprised Bach’s Suite No. 3, Beethoven’s Second Symphony, the Pulcinella Suite (Stravinsky-Pergolesi), dnd Smetana’s Bartered Bride Overture. Harmony Prevails Sergeant-Major Kirk-Burnnand was impressed by the good fellowship among the players at rehearsal. Musicians who travel and play together so continuously would be forgiven if they become "edgy" and temperamental, but not a sign of bad temper did he see. There’s nothing spectacular about the manner in which the orchestra is presented to its audience. Players’ seats are raised just sufficiently to give each player an unobstructed view of the conductor. Sergeant-Major Kirk-Burnnand noticed also, that the players were, if anything, conservative in their choice of instruments. Some of the brass section had old rotatory valve instruments, and when asked why they did not change to a more modern type, replied, with a shrug of the shoulders, "Oh; that is la American!"

| noes HE amount and quality of musical talent in the armed forces serving in the Middle East is nothing short of remarkable, according to Regimental SergeantMajor Kirk-Burnnand. As an example, he tells a story of an invitation to a desert concert he received while he was with a body of New Zealanders up near Mersa Matruh, which, at the time, was a "hot spot,’ bombed regularly by the Italians. The concert, which was turned on by an RAF. Army Communication Flight, was held by candlelight in an improvised hall. At an advanced post in the desert, any diversion was better than none, and the New Zealanders had not gone along expecting high-class entertainment. They were amazed to find a tenor who had sung with the Milan Opera, a violinist who had played in one of the greatest symphony orchestras of Europe, and a pianoaccordionist named Giannini, rated one of the finest in the world.