THINGS TO COME

New Zealand Listener, Volume 9, Issue 213, 23 July 1943, Page 2

THINGS TO COME

A Run Through The Programmes

SEASONED explorers know how much easier it is to feel alone in a big city than in the great open spaces of the world. Trekking across the waterless desert you may not meet a friendly face for days or even months, but at least you don’t meet an unfriendly one. So ‘also the cannibal of the tropical forest when he pulls out the tribal cauldron and calls for the witchdoctor at least notices ‘that you are there. But the big city, with its sea of stony, unrecognising faces, ‘may well represent a waste more desolate than Antarctica. It may be wrong all the same to assume that New York, like London, Paris, or Auckland, presents such an indifferent face. Our artist shows a New York inhabitant taking altogether too much notice of our lonely explorer, but no doubt Mrs. Faith Mathew in her talk from 1YA next Monday, July 26 ("Inside America: Alone in New York") will explain this. Also worth notice: 2YA, 7.45 p.m.: Music by Mendelssohn. 3YA, 9.25 p.m.: Maurice Clare (violin), Noel Newson’ (piano) (studio recital). 4YA, 8.1 p.m.: Masterpieces of Music, with comments by Prof. V. E. Galway. TUESDAY N his talk from 4YA on Tuesday, July 27, at 7.15 p.m., G. W. Parkyn will tell us something about the technical side of measuring children’s intelligence. Yes-don’t laugh-it can be measured if it can’t be greatly increased. And because it can be measured, the task of topdressing, hoeing, digging, planting, and’ sowing educational ideas can also be made more intelligent. But those of us who feel a twinge of pity for the ruthless exposure of little Tommy’s mental shortcomings, must not let such sentiment blind us. Little Tommy will never have to trail at the back of a class in which he is expected to do the impossible with figures that mean nothing to him. He will never be expected to understand what he cannot understand. So listen while Mr. Parkyn tells you, not only how all this can be done, but what the effect on young Tom, Dick or Harry will probably be. Also worth notice: 1YA, 7.34 p.m.: Roy Hill, tenor (studio). — As p.m.: English Folk Songs from the tudio. 3YL, 9.1 p.m.: Appassionata Sonata (Beethoven). WEDNESDAY : NEW recording of the third of Tchaikovski’s six symphonies accounts for the frequent appearance of this work in the programmes just now, and 3YA will broadcast it at 9.30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 28. It goes by the nickname of "Polish," but that, like a good many other musical nicknames, has very little application. It is a pleasant composition in five movements, including one "in the German manner," a waltz, and a scherzo. When the recording reached England, a musical writer exhorted his readers: "Relax, then, with the Third, and let me see no naughty brow upvaunted when Tchaikovski holds out hands so gleefully." Also worth notice: 1YA, 8.0-9.0 p.m.: Music by Bach. 2YA, 7.30 p.m.: Concert from a Military MONDAY , Camp. 4Y¥O, 90 p.m.: ‘Capriccio « Espagnole’"’ (Rimsky-Korsakov)

THURSDAY R. LAI-YUNG LI, assistant botanist in the Plant Research Bureau of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, is the expert chosen to give talks on the care of the soil in 1YA’s Winter Course Series on Thursday evenings. He will give four talks, the first (this week) entitled ‘"Man’s Duty to the Soil." The later talks will be "What is Soil Erosion?" "Fundamental Concepts

of Soil Deterioration," and "Soil Conservation and Permanent Agriculture." Dr. Li is in New Zealand temporarily, as he is still attached to the staff of Lingnan University, Canton, China, and will return there when circumstances permit. He came to New Zealand early in 1942 on his way back to China from the United States where he had held an exchange position on the staff of the Pennsylvania State College since 1938. When he returns to Canton Dr. Li will work halftime on the teaching staff of the University and half time in the government Sub-Tropical Fruit Research Institute. Also of interest: 1YX, 8.45 p.m.: Haydn trio. 2YA, 9.25 p.m.: Studio Concert Orchestra. 2YC, 8.0 p.m.: Quartet in E Flat Major (Haydn) 4YA, 8.14 p.m.: Songs by Mendelssohn, FRIDAY PEOPLE who are among the world’s greatest are often those about whom we know least. We know little about Shakespeare’s life beyond that he was born at Stratford, married a woman older than. himself, and left her his secondbest bedstead when he died. The rest we infer from slight references in his own and contemporary writings. Of Socrates we know as little, and since he left no writings behind him it is not even clear whether what we think was Socrates was Plato or vice versa. We have of course accepted the legend that Socrates had an ugly face and a shrewish wife and that he was condemned to the comparatively humane death of drinking a cup of hemlock. We look forward to hearing more from Professor T. D. Adams in his readings from 4YA on Friday evening, July 30, at 9.32 p.m.

Also worth notice: 1YA, 8.15 p.m.: Symphony in A Major (Beethoven) 2YC, 9.0 p.m.: Sonata for Horn and Piano (Beethoven ) 3YA, 8.36 p.m.: Organ Music by Elgar (Dr. J. C. Bradshaw). 4YZ, 8.0 p.m.: Szostakowicz’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 35 SATURDAY RTHUR BLISS, now director of music for the BBC, is a composer known to New Zealanders mainly by his music for the H. G. Wells film Things to Come. But the ballet music, "Checkmate," now recorded for the first time by the BBC symphony orchestra, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult, will supplement the New Zealand _listener’s acquaintance with this vigorous personality in modern music. It will be broadcast from 2YC (in an annotated version prepared by the BBC) at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 31. The characters of the ballet are chessmen, and the story concerns the strife of the aged Red King and the voluptuous Black Queen, who beguiles the Red Knight into losing the battle for his side. Also worth notice: 1YX, 9.0 p.m.: Modern English composers: 2YA, 11 a.m.: ‘‘Women and the Arts-Dame Laura Knight" (talk). 2YH, 8.0 p.m.: "Paris Angelicus’" (Franck) 3YL, 9.1 p.m:: "Missa Solemnis" (Beethoven) 4YZ, 9.28 p.m.: "Fire Bird’? Suite (Stravinsky). SUNDAY SWITZERLAND may be, as some wag has said, the home of woodwork bears and won’t work watches, but it is also one of the citadels of Freedom. This fact will be commemorated on Sunday afternoon, August 1, at 3 o’clock, when 2YA will present a programme with appropriate music. It is, after all, a remarkable thing to have maintained a tradition of freedom for more than 600 years, and to be to-day that one small corner of Europe from which the Red Cross stretches out its hands to a world in conflict. Also worth notice: 1YA, 3.30 p.m.: ‘"Scheherezade"’ (RimskyKorsakov). 2YD, 7:33 p.m.: "Nothing But the Truth" (featuring Frank Morgan). 3YA, 8.15 p.m.: "Melody and Song’’ (studio). bas Sa p-m.: Trio in E Flat Major (Schurt).