Around The Nationals

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 155, 12 June 1942, Page 20

Around The Nationals

HE "Symphonie Espagnole" of Edouard Lalo is of special interest, as marking a turning point in the career of the composer. Lalo had begun composing early but, disgusted at the lack of interest of the French public in anything but opera, he composed nothing for ten years. Then, at 44, he composed an opera which had little success, but this was followed by the Spanish Symphony (to be heard from 3YA on Friday, June_19) which, with his succeeding works, made his name. Actually the symphony is in the form of a suite in five movements for violin and orchestra, and, written in the picturesque Spanish idiom, it offers scope to the brilliant violinist. In this presentation Yehudi Menuhin is the soloist. " * * ORACE FINCH, playing "Finch Favourites" on the organ, will be heard from 4YA on Tuesday, June 16, at 9.54 p.m. Finch was church organist at St. Helens in England when he was only nine. At 14 he became pianist at a picture theatre and after some changes joined the staff of the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool, as pianist in 1926. When an organ, identical in specification to Reginald Dixon’s famous instrument in the Towel Ballroom, was installed in the Empress Ballroom, Horace Finch was chosen as organist. HERE will be two items of interest to children in the children’s session from 3YA this week. On Monday, June 15, the second in the series "The Cupboard Was Bare," will be given, and on Wednesday, June 17, there will be another programme of fun and frolic from Major’s Merrymakers. These Merrymakers have been at it for two years and, we are told, are just as lively as ever. : T is a little surprising that the name of Karol Szymanowski, whose Tarantella will be played from 2YA on Thursday, June 18, as part of the programme "Invitation to the Dance," is almost unknown in New Zealand. In Europe, however, he has been regarded by some as the greatest Polish composer since Chopin, and as the leader of the Polish musical Renaissance. He was certainly, like both Chopin az¥? Scriabin, 2 masterly pianist. a * " Sunday evenings at 9.2 p.m. Station 2YD is presenting a series entitled Theatre Box. This feature, which will run for many weeks, gives glimpses of the theatre from all angles. There may be a burlesque one week, an episode from a "straight" play the next, or a musical comedy or thriller. It is a box that holds every variety, and each episode is, as it were, one out of the box. The item on June 14 is a burlesque, "The Honour of the School."