Listening in Dunedin

New Zealand Listener, Volume 16, Issue 404, 21 March 1947, Page 13

Listening in Dunedin

"AS far as Dunedin listeners are concerned, the broadcast of the inaugural concert of the National Symphony Orchestra was not a’ complete success. It can’t be a fault in my set alone, since other listeners here complained of bad reception; and as far as I was concerned, reception that night was much better than usual for 2YA. Although I heard the whole concert and thoroughly en-_ joyed it, the enjoyment was not that of | @ critical musician or of a commentator who desires to make a few.judicious re-_ marks about the performance. During whole sections of the broadcast I switched the radio off until conditions improved; at no time could one hear all sections of the orchestra equally well; perhaps for 20 minutes in all we heard the performance as well and as clearly as is necessary to pass judgment on a new and previously unheard combination. As far as I could judge, the orchestra put on a vivacious and interesting performance, and I am eager to hear it in the concert-hall; but I think it is time that something more was done to improve listening conditions for those of us in distant centres in the case of important broadcasts of this nature, What could be more important than that all listeners in every part of New Zealand should hear every performance of our own Symphony Orchestra with as much clearness and distinctness as is technically possible? -Otherwise, our enjoyment of the orchestra will be unfortunately limited to the few occasions when this body of well-trained musicians can manage to visit us on tour.