THINGS TO COME

New Zealand Listener, Volume 13, Issue 329, 12 October 1945, Page 4

THINGS TO COME

A Run Through The Programmes

MONDAY TATION 2YD has just begun a new serial this week called "Number 17," which will be heard each Monday night at 9.30, the second instalment on October 15. It is by J. Jefferson Farjeon, and it features his well-known Cockney character Ben. The title refers to a mysterious empty house-or not so empty house-in a street in London, and in this house, or rather under it, are all manner of goings-on. We are permitted to say that there is a tunnel and a railway line immediately underneath, but to say much more than that at the moment would be spoiling the fun. Also worth notice: 2YA, 8.30 p.m.: "Music Hall." 4YA, 8.0 p.m.: Lyric Choir. TUESDAY A NEW BBC recorded programme by the BBC Symphony Orchestra which will be heard from 2YA at 8.0 p.m. on Tuesday, October 16, is devoted to music by Gustav Holst. It opens with the ballet music from The Perfect Fool, an opera which has puzzled a good many people -it is not easy to discover what Holst was getting at when he wrote it, and some say its intention was satirical, since two of the characters parody operatic style itself. But perhaps the. whole thing is simply one big charade; Holst himself requested that a "spirit of high comedy i should be maintained throughout." The

ballet music comes right at the beginning of the opera when the Wizard summons, in their turn, Spirits of the Earth, Water, and Fire to dance for him. The orchestra is conducted by Sir Adrian Boult. Also worth notice: 1YX, 9.16 p.m.: Symphony in A Flat (Elgar). 2YA, 9.40 p.m.: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Beethoven). — WEDNESDAY NEW series called Appointment With Fear will begin at 3ZR at 9.34 p.m. on Wednesday, October 17, with a thriller, "The Clock Strikes Eight." The story-teller is The Man in Black, introducing that famous fiction detective Dr. Gideon Fell, all 20 stone of him. Dr. Fell is one of the favourite characters of the detective story addict, so the BBC tells us, and seems to come out of the same mould as Dr. Johnson and G. K. Chesterton-that is, in some respects. "The Clock Strikes Eight" was written by John Dickson Carr and produced by Martyn C. Webster. Also worth notice: 2YA, 8.0 p.m.: Primary Schools Music. 4YZ, 8.0 p.m.: Primary Schools Music. THURSDAY HAT very popular serial of the racing world, "The Famous Match," by Nat Gould, which has been running at 3YA on Thursday evenings, will reach its final episode on Thursday, October 18, at. 8.30 p.m. This will no doubt be a matter of regret to many listeners who

could have wished it went on for ever, like Dad and Dave. But all good things have to come to an end, and anyway there will be "Appointment With Fear" at the same time a week later. In Auckland, on the same night (Thursday, October 18), a new series is beginning-not a serial, but a series, about a crookdetective of the Raffles variety. It is called "And Anthony Sherwood Laughed," and will be heard at 8.0 p.m, Also worth notice: 2YA, 9.40 p.m.: "In a Persian Garden." 4YA, 8.0 p.m.: Tchaikovski Violin Concerto, FRIDAY NEW programme in the series "Have you read -?" will be heard from 2YA at 8.30 p.m. on Friday, October 19. This time the book is Nightmare Abbey, a picture of early-nineteenth century lunatics by Thomas Love Peacock. Peacock was a Greek scholar and a business man, a man who liked his glass of wine, but kept his sorrows to himself; a very capable man in a responsible position, and a friend of Shelley. It is hard to believe that any of the characters in Nightmare Abbey ever existed, but you cannot help enjoying their mournful, ecstatic idiocies. Also worth notice: YA, 9.25 p.m.: "Thanksgiving for Victory™ ' (Vaughan-Williams). 3YA, 9.25 p.m.: Elgar and His Music.

SATURDAY At the Potsdam Conference of the Big Three not so many months ago the President of the United States sat down at the piano and played the "Missouri Waltz." That wasn’t the first time one of the world’s most powerful leaders had played a tune in Potsdam. A certain enlightened despot once showed no mean ability in playing the flute there. This was Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. Frederick wrote some music also, which was published about 50 years ago, and at 9.42 p.m. on Saturday, October 20, Station 3YL will play records of two of his pieces-a Largo from a flute concerto, and a solo for flute. What is more, these are played on Frederick’s flute. Also worth notice: 1YX, 9.24 p.m.: Violin Concerto (Beethoven). . 2YC, 9.01 p.m.: Goldberg Variations (Bach}¢ SUNDAY "CO God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him, male and female created He them. . ." This is the theme of the latest in the series "Days of Creation" which will be heard from 3YA at 2.45 p.m. on Sunday, October 21. "Days of Creation" is an anthology of poetry and music, the music in this case being taken from the works of Henry Purcell, while the poetry draws on Milton and a number of other English poets up to and including Siegfried Sassoon. Also worth notice: 1YX, 9.0 p.m.t: Piano Concerto No. (Chopin). 4YA, 8.15 p.m: "Der Rosenkavalier’* (Strauss). :