THINGS TO COME

New Zealand Listener, Volume 18, Issue 450, 6 February 1948, Page 4

THINGS TO COME

A Run Through The Programmes

A Woman’s Utopia O ration books, na dish-washing, no laundry to do, domestic servants for only £3 a week-these are some of the things which led Vivienne Blamires to describe South Africa as "A Woman’s Utopia" in one of four recorded talks which will soon be broadcast from 3YA. During a residence of five-and-a-half years in that country-part, of which was spent at Broadcasting House in Durban-Vivienne Blamires had time to travel through several provinces of the Union, and also to consider some of its problems from a woman’s point of view. Those things which impressed her most forcibly are described in these four talks, the first of which, "About the Womenfolk," will be broadcast at 2.30 p-m. on Thursday, February 12. The others, which will be heard at the same time on succeeding Thursdays, discuss "The Colour Question," "Broadcasting and Music in South Africa," and "Travel in South Africa."

Bloodstock for China [AST June an article in The Listener | described how 25 pure-bred Corriedale sheep from New Zealand were transported by air across China to the Northwest town of Shantan. That epic journey was actually only: part of the whole story of UNRRA’s work of distributing

to the various provinces of China several thousand =§ of livestock donated by the governments of New Zealand, Canada, and ‘the United States. W. Huse, one of the eight men who handled this task,

will talk about his experiences from 2YA at 7.10 p.m. on Monday, February 9. In all there were 3,263 dairy cattle, 1,025 sheep, and 792 army mules, of which New Zealand contributed 400 cattle and all the sheep. Three of the men in charge-Mr. Huse, H. M. Sievwright and Dr. ©. S. M. Hopkirk-were New Zealanders, and they were faced with a treméndous problem of transport By air and sea, rail, river and road, the livestock were taken to Shantan, Nanking, Liuchow, Formosa, Lanchow, Inner Mongolia, and other areas. The work was hard. "But there’s no doubt," Mr. Huse says, "that the Chinese people really appreciated this wonderful gift of bloodstock.to help them rebuild their herds." Don’t forget to tune in next Monday.

Eternal Shakespeare PROFESSOR SISSON, of London University, author of several books on Shakespeare, shows in a BBC programme, In the Words of Shakespeare, how the eternal truths Shakespeare expressed in his plays are as applicable to life to-day as they were when he first wrote them down. Professor Sisson reads Falstaff’s and Hotspur’s speeches on honour, the speech to the thieves in Timon (which might have been made with equal force and application to any bunch of modern gangsters), some philosophic soliloquies from Troilus and Cres- _ sida, Hamlet’s advice to his players, th

Duke of Vienna’s speech on man’s fear of death, and other extracts which indicate at least one reason for Shakespeare’s universality. In the Words of

Guardian of Keats ME. RICHARD ABBEY was a LonF doh tea-broker; a man of business, with sound commercial instincts. He could be trusted to carry out his obligations conscientiously and usually with success. In the year 1815, however, he found himself guardian of four young people whose poetical fancies and affections presented a problem outside the scope of even such a sound man of affairs as Mr. Abbey-which was not altogether surprising when it is realised that one of the wards was the poet John Keats. Readers of E. M. Forster’s essay will remember the story, and now Douglas Cleverdon, of the BBC, -has adapted it for radio. Mr. and Mrs. Abbey’s Difficulties makes fascinating listening, and lovers of Keats will be interested to know that the sound effects in the programme were recorded in Keats’s House at Hampstead, London. Mr. and Mrs. Abbey’s Difficulties will be heard from 3YA at 9.54 p.m. on Wednesday, February 11.

Petrouchka USIC in ballet, we are told by Arnold Haskell, can fulfil a variety of functions; it can be the servant, the naster or the equal partner of the choreography. Diaghilef always aimed at an equal balance between the two, and he obtained outstanding results with such ballets as Petrouchka and The Firebird. ‘The musical origin of Petrouchka is discussed by Stravinsky in his autobiography. "I had in my mind," he said, "a distinct picture of a puppet suddenly endowed with life, exasperating the patience of the, orchestra with diabolical cascades of arpeggi. The orchestra in turn retaliates with menacing trumpet blasts. The outcome is a terrific noise which reaches its climax and ends in the sorrowful and querulous col- @ lapse of the puppet." The final ballet,

; as developed by Stravinsky and the choreographer Fokine, has been ‘described as "the perfect dance drama." But because of its novel use of a bi-tonal chord (a combination of C Major and F Sharp Major), the music of Petrouchka soon overshadowed the ballet, and it has had a far-reaching effect on modern music. Stravinsky’s Petrouchka will be broadcast from 2YA at 8.0 p.m. on Tuesday, February 10. Mendelssohn’s Full Circle FELIX MENDELSSOHN ’S experience of the world was the direct opposite of that traditionally associated with composers of music. Instead of having to meet the unfavourable conditions of poverty, poor environment, misunderstanding, perhaps bad health, and complete lack of appreciation, he was born into a family of refinement and social position. In his lifetime he was the most popular of all composers. But by reason of that very fact he became ‘suspect to the next generation, which thought him tame, saccharine, emotionally flat, and lacking in virility. In Leipsig-even in England-detractors arose; a period of disparagement began; the depreciation became as excessive and as unjust as the adulation had been before, and for a time his works (always excepting the oratorio Elijah) were neglected. But the peculiar excellences in his music’ are as worthy of appreciation as ever they were, and to-day his fame appears to have come full circle. Mendelssohn compositions in this week’s programmes include: the Sonata in D Major, from 3YL at 9.30 p-m. on Tuesday, February 10, and the Violin Concerto from 2YC at 8.58 p.m, on Saturday, February 14.