"ONE-WAY TRAFFIC FOR MUSICIANS"

New Zealand Listener, Volume 19, Issue 474, 23 July 1948, Page 7

"ONE-WAY TRAFFIC FOR MUSICIANS"

OURA LYMPANY was holding court — or so it might ‘seem to a_ casual observer. Looking gay and charming, a pleated skirt flared about her ankles, she sat on a settee against one wall of the hotel room, the centre of attraction for four men-her husband (Colin Defries), her manager (Val Drewry), the talks officer from 1YA and a Listener reporter. Actually there was no regal formality about the gathering, but a free and easy three-way conversation among the three visitors, whose thoughts were jogged along by occasional questions from the other two, "There is too much of this foreign artists business," said Miss Lympany, when asked for her, comments on Beecham’s recent statement. She explained that by this she meant that whereas Britain welcomed musicians from overseas, there was not a reciprocal movement of British artists to foreign countries, including the United States. "Don’t think it’s sour grapes which makes me say this. It’s not, for I’ve played a lot, both on the Continent and also in America, but it has always been essentially a one-way traffic." A further point made by Miss Lympany showed that the attitude of the British public towards their own artists was responsible for some of the trouble. When she goes to New York later this’ year she will-give the world premiere performance of a piano concerto by the young British composer Richard Arnell. "Brilliant though he is he is unable to get his works performed in England simply because he is English," she said. Also criticised by the visiting pianist was the public attitude to new music. If a number achieved popularity, as had the Warsaw Concerto, for instance, there would be constant requests for its performance, and if an artist acceded to the demand there was an opportunity of "making a packet," whereas programmes of less widespread popularity did not

attract so many people and it was difficult to get some numbers accepted-she had had the Ravel Concerto for Left Hand accepted but once, although she had offered it all over England. Despite this clamour for the popular, Miss Lympany warned young musicians trying to get their start against offering only the best known works. They should learn out-of-the-ordinary pieces, for some time one of these would be wanted for a programme and they would be able to fill the bill, whereas there was plenty of competition to play the wellknown numbers. She confessed that she had got her early "breaks" by always saying she knew any particular out-of-the-ordinary composition when she was asked. If in fact she did not know it she soon made her answer correct by immediately buying the music and practising it. This was Miss Lympany’s first visit to: this part of the world, but for different reasons she had been keen to visit both Australia and New Zealand. Her interest in Australia resulted from having a brother working in Sydney and she had eagerly anticipated seeing him again and also his young baby, to whom she was godmother. New Zealand interested her because she had heard so much about it from Colin Horsley. Unfortunately, her brother had been posted to Santiago a fortnight before she arrived in Australia. Miss Lympany gave three concerts in Sydney and the success of them may be gauged from the comment made that the queues of autograph hunters waiting on her had broken records, and from the fact that after her performance of. the Beethoven Third Concerto a stranger had presented her with a score which had on its title page the name of Clara Schumann. In Australia she and her husband had attended the theatre to see the Oliviers and had subsequently met them for the first time-a case more or less of neighbours travelling 12,000 miles to be introduced. They were enthusiastic about the performance, and Miss Lympany spoke appreciatively of Sir Laurence’s musicalvinterest. Lady Olivier, she said, shared her hobbies, being a keen gardener and a connoisseur of wines. "I don’t claim to be a connoisseur," the pianist ‘added, "but I know a little about wines-the result of being brought up in Belgium." She spoke in high terms of Australiar. wines, in particular one to which they had been introduced iu Darwin, and asked about New Zeaianc wine production. Miss Lympany confirmed the statement made by Richard Farrell that the United States offered -the greatest opportunities for musicians to-day, and she referred warmly to the generosity of Americans. On her last visit in 1946 the proprietor of Musical America, knowing the difficulties for British peop'e caused by the dollar situation, had offered her a loan of several hundred dollars. "And this without knowing whether or not there was any possibility of my repaying it,’ Miss Lympany added. Another American, a fan ‘ho had bought every record the pianist had made and who was arranging his holiday so that he could fly from the Pacific Coast to hear her play at Carnegie Hall shortly, had sent her a year’s supply of household soap.