Ruskin Fairy Tale

New Zealand Listener, Volume 20, Issue 496, 24 December 1948, Page 8

Ruskin Fairy Tale

NE of the nicest things I have heard from 4YA was a reading of John Ruskin’s, fairy tale The King of the Golden River. This is the first time, as (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) far as I can recall, that we have had an entire story read from a local station, the NZBS recordings being about the only other things in that line, The Ruskin tale required two performances (I had heard only the first part at the time of writing), as it is rather a long ‘ story; but it would be a pity to cut even one line of it. The narration has been thoughtfully allotted to two readers, by which method not only were the individual voices spared from too-long performance, but the listener was charmed by the contrast.. Roland Watson read the passages dealing with the rough older brothers, and Kathleen Falconer took over at certain parts where a gentler voice was required for young Gluck. Together these speakers gave us @ very vivacious and picturesque rendering of a story which seems ideal for radio, crammed as it is with incident and description. It would be an excel. lent idea for a recording of this performance to be taken (I presume that I did actually hear the speakers from the studio, although the difference between voice and record is not so apparent in speaking as in singing). Such a transcription would delight adult list. eners anywhere, and would be a useful item for serialisation in, say, four epiodes for the children’s hour.