The Penalty

New Zealand Listener, Volume 16, Issue 407, 11 April 1947, Page 16

The Penalty

| WE in the South are beginning to pay the penalty (at first not apparent) of having joint possession of a real live ‘Symphony Orchestra. First we were robbed of our best woodwind players. Then our best strings began to pay occasional visits to Wellington. Now the whole string group from 4YA, belonging to the National Orchestra, has gone for an indefinite period which may last for many months. Of course, we still have the remainder of the Concert Orchestra at 4YA,.but how can this group be expected to maintain its standard when all its best players are whisked off? As against this, we will presumably have performances from our String Group whenever they happen to be in town, . and we will have a couple of visits during the year by the Symphony Orchestra in the flesh. Whether this compensates for denuding our community of its best teachers of orchestral instruments and its best players, with the added possibifity that our young musicians in search of tuition will naturally gravitate North to where they can obtain what they want, is a problem which I leave to the broadcasting authorities and to anyone interested in. the musical future of Otago and Southland. Luckily we have any number of good soloists, and make up for our dearth of orchestral instrumentalists by excellent -radio recitals (Dr. Galway, organ; Charles Martin, pianist, from Invercargill; Mary Pratt,-contralto, from Dunedin; and a new two-piano team from 4YA, Gil Dech and Ormi Reid-these have been the interesting spots in the local programmes during recent weeks). But it does seem a little monotonous, if the future of music in the South is to consist of a preponderarice of solo singers and welltempered performers upon the keyboard.