The Orchestra's Year

New Zealand Listener, Volume 31, Issue 803, 10 December 1954, Page 26

The Orchestra's Year

NDOUBTEDLY "Dunedin, January 26," has a big ring round it in the log-book of the National Orchestra. That was the occasion when their. concert was graced by the presence of Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. The programme included Sir Edward Elgar’s Nursery Suite, dedicated to the Queen and Princess Margaret, Gordon Jacob's Festal March, excerpts from Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, sung by Dora Drake and Lex McDonald, with

100 girls from local secondary schools, Prokofieff’s Cinderella Ballet Suite, and Richard Farrell playing Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1. : It was a grand and glittering occasion for the Orchestra, ‘who played that night in a hall bright with flowers and the panoply of full evening dress. But the Royal Tour brought other assignments for the Orchestra. The summer "Prom" series was given only in Wellington. In other centres, the Orchestra helped to entertain holiday crowds with programmes in light classical mood which chimed in well

with the gaiety abroad. Many towns besides the main cities saw the Orchestra in the course of the year. By train, bus, plane and ship they travelled thousands of miles, visiting Whangatei, Hamilton, New Plymouth, Wanganui, Gisborne, Hastings, Palmerston North, Blenheim, Nelson, Greymouth, Timaru and Invercargill. And everywhere the players went, instruments, music and _ sgeating for the Orchestra had-to be sent also-and newspaper and _ poster (continued on next page)

advartiiing arranged. In short, for the NZBS Concert Section it was just a normally feverish year, On the administrative side, M. J. Glubb came irito the ‘NZBS Concert Section as Acting-Concert Manager, succeeding J. L. Hartstonge, who went to England on an Imperial Relations Trust Bursary. Musically, the Orchestra gained its present conductor, James Robertson, in August, succeeding Warwick Braithwaite,.who then travelled. to Australia "to conduct for the Australian National ‘Opera Company.

An April, the world-famous pianist Solomon came to play the Beethoven "Emperor" Concerto and the Brahms No. 1. Other pianists with the Orchestra were Jocelyn Walker, Cara Hall, Julie Clarke, Janetta McStay, Doris Veale. Valda Johnstone, Charles Lilamand, Jan Smeterlin, Bela Siki, Maurice Till. David Galbraith, Ernest Jenner and Frederick Page. Violinists formed the next lergest contingent of soloists. Bteaich violinist Brigide de Beautond. played the Mozart. Concerto in D. K:218°"Vincent "Aspey, leader of the Orchestra, played the Mendelssohn Concerto and joined with Eric Lawson (viola) in Mozart's unfamiliar Sinfonie Concertante. Maurice Clare played the Brahms Concerto and the Alma Trio gave fine performances of the Beethoven Triple Concerto and the Brahms Double Concerto. Among the other solo performers with the Orchestra were Ken Smith, who played the Haydn Trumpet Concerto in. Warwick Braithwaite’s farewell concert. Winifred Stiles, who gave a first performance in New Zealand of Dorothea Franchi’s Rhapsody for Viola and Orchestra, and-Leon Goossens, who gave virtuoso performances on the oboe. The singers who appeared with the Orchestra in public and studio concerts included Dora Drake, Mavis Martin. Lily Latischeva, Linda Parker, Ronald Dowd and Andrew Gold. Several guest conductors formed part of the Orchestras scheme of things this year. Alex.Lindsay made an appearance as guest conductor with the Orchestra in March. A November series of studio concerts featured Dr. Charles Nalden. Iwan Federoff, Georg Tintner and Alex Lindsay again. The Orchestra’s music for the year had a firm foundation in the classicsMozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubertand also a strong representation of modern English composers from Elgar tc Bax, Vaughan Williams, Jacob, Frank Bridge. Tippett, Britten, Howells, Murrill, John Ireland and William Walton. whose Symphony had its first performance in New Zealand Interesting music from the standard composers of an older generation was Dvorak’s Symphony No. 2. and his Othello Overture; Dohnanyi's Ruralia Hungarica and Variations on a Nursery Theme; Bartok’s Roumanian Dances and his Piano Concerto; Debussy’s Iberia; and a novel programme of Russian music which included Rim-skv-Korsakov’s May Night Overture: Tchaikovski’s Second Symphony; Balakirev’s Tone Poem Russia; and Moussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition Berlioz’s music made an _ impressive showing with the Symphonie Fantastique, his Les Francs-Juges and Carna-

val Romain Overtures and the "Royal Hunt and Storm" from Les Troyens. Perhaps it is a sign of growing charity towards the moderns on the part of audiences that Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite should have made its appearance on a-"‘Pops" programme. Leon Goossens introduced ‘some unusual works for his oboe with the Malcolm Arnold and Marcello Concertos and the Volkmar Andreae Concertino. He also played the lovely Vivaldi Concerto. This past year, listeners have had much to thank broadcasting’s invaluable technicians for. Through their development of the wideband broadcast lines system, stations up and down the country can be linked for relays with much greater clarity of reception. The Orchestra played for many thousands of school children during the year, helping to create in them an interest. in "live’ music. Lunch-hour audiences have also increased greatly of late: Next year holds out the prospect of "bigger, better, brighter’ things, so the NZBS Concert Section tells us.