THINGS TO COME

New Zealand Listener, Volume 19, Issue 483, 24 September 1948, Page 4

THINGS TO COME

A Run Through The Programmes

Authors at the Microphone OES a New Zealand author gain more by staying home or by going abroad? Is the novel still a satisfactory medium for the writer to-day? Is writing worth anything to the community? Is the author the modern priest, prophet and saint? What does society owe to writers? Frank Sargeson and Dan Davin, two prominent New Zealand authors, and-because of their standing here and abroad-two of the men best qualified to answer these questions, will be heard from 2YA in a recorded discussion at 8.20 p.m. next Monday, September 27. In some forceful and lively conversational sallies Mr. Sargeson puts forward the viewpoint of a man writing wholly in New Zealand, while Mr. Davin explains why he has done all his writing overseas, and why he prefers to live in England instead of in New Zealand. The discussion is chaired by Oliver Duff, and will be broadcast later from other National stations. Adventures in the Jewel Trade ATTON GARDEN, in London, is the street where some of the world’s most famous dealers in precious stones have their offices. There is a mass of material for adventure and romance in the short thoroughfare, and. some of it has gone into The Man From Hatton Garden, a series of 15-minute programmes about the adventures of a diamond merchant named Julius Winkle. These stories, recorded by the BBC, are based upon actual events in the experience of Louis Kornitzer, who wrote four books about his adventures in the precious stone trade. At his death, not very long ago, Kornitzer was acknowledged to be the greatest authority on pearls in Hatton Garden. The Man From Hatton Garden starts from 4YA next Monday, September 27, at 3.0 p.m., with "The Rajah’s Ruby," an adventure whose main ingredients are a Rajah’s discarded wife, the TRajah’s fondness for bridge, and a great pigeon’sblood ruby.

Uncle Percy MONG the most sensitive and understanding studies of chifdhood ever written are Hugh Walpole’s Jeremy stories. Many listeners will remember the one about the visit of the overbearing and_ insufferable Uncle Percy to the Cole household, and how it drew Jeremy and his father closer to each other. This story has been adapted for radio by H. Oldfield Box and produced by the BBC by David H. Godfrey. It has been titled in the radio version Uncle Percy, and will be heard from 1YA at 9.43 p.m. on Wednesday, September 29. Royal Escape ROM the battlefields of Worcester in 1651, Charles Stuart, son of Charles I of England and = recently crowned King of Scots at Scone, escapes ‘into the English countryside and shelters from Cromwell’s victorious troops with a family named Penderel. From here he begins a series of attempts to

escape from England, trying first for Ireland from Bristol, and later for France. Frustrated in his early attempts and with a £1,000 price on his head, Charles finally manages to get away after an amazing series of adventures, including his concealment in the "Royal Oak" at Boscobel. He is assisted all this time by many loyal partisans of the Royalist cause, and, in the historical romance by Georgette Heyer which tells this story, his constant friend and devoted admirer is Jane Lane, daughter of Colonel Lane of the Royalist forces. A radio adaptation of Royal Escape, as the novel is called, starts from 3YZ at 6.0 p.m. on Wednesday, September 29, In its 26 episodes the serial recaptures in full measure the romance of those gallant days, with the thrill of clashing sword-blades and the rich touch of royal silks and velvets. Cows is Cows "yf UCH progress has been made since primitive man made butter by bashing milk about in a bag of animal skin. To-day the extraction and processing of milk are highly scientific industries organised on a very large

scale." In this manner W. G. Whittleston begins a talk entitled "How to Milk a Cow," which will be given from 1YA on Thursday, September 30, at 7.10 p.m. Mr. Whittleston will deal, in a manner as interesting as the extract indicates, with "the problem of getting the milk out of the cow when it is actually there’-a problem, which, he says, non-farmers probably don’t realise exists. His is the first of four talks on work at the Animal Research Station at Ruakura. The others, to be given on succeeding Thursdays, are"The Place of Artificial Breeding in Dairying,’ by J. P. James; "Why Collect Identical Twins?" by J. J. Hancock; and "The Fat Lamb Breeds," by D. E. K. Walker. Music in Shakespeare HAT is the story behind the music and songs that add so greatly to the beauty of Shakespeare’s plays? Did the Lord Chamberlain’s Players employ their own musician to write the incidental music required, or did they engage the services of a leading composer, in much the same way .as Olivier called in William Walton for his film productions of Henry V and Hamlet? Were the words of lyrics like "Under the Greenwood Tree" written to suit special music, or was the music written to suit the words? The programme Music in Shakespeare, compiled by Douglas Clev-

ot erdon of the BBC, shows in a fascinating way how the composition of his company of actors influenced Shakespeare’s use of music and songs in his plays. It throws interesting light on Shakespeare as a working dramatist, suiting his songs to the limited resources of the cast, and, when necessary, writing in dialogue to "carry" a none-too-confident singer. Cleverdon himself’ presents the programme, in which the music is played by the Dolmetsch consort of viols and recorders, with Martin Boddy (tenor), and Alfred Deller (counter-tenor), and Marjorie Westbury, who sings the songs of Ophelia and Desdemona. Music in Shakespeare will be heard from 2YC at 9.0 p.m. on Friday, October 1. Lehar Operetta F-RANZ LEHAR’S greatest success, and one of the greatest of all light operas, is The Merry Widow, whose famous waltz most of us have danced to at one time or another. This operetta has travelled to the ends of the earth. When_it was performed in America it ran to more than 5,000 performances, and it was given more than 1,000 times in London, Vienna, Berlin and Paris. In Buenos Aires it ran simultaneously in five theatres in five different lan- guages. Although Lehar continued to write works of a similar kind, none achieved a like popularity, though The Count of Luxembourg, Alone at Last and Gipsy Love were given in varioug countries. Listeners who like the abundant melody and piquant orchestration of this Hungarian composer should listen in to 3YA at 7.55 p.m. on Saturday, October 2, for Frasquita, another of his works. It will be presented by an Australian company directed by Albert Fisher, with Peter Bathurst as narrator. Artists will include Geoffrey Moore, Gwen Parsons, Valerie Ryan, Harry Grunden and the Big Four.