The Week's Music...

New Zealand Listener, Volume 32, Issue 814, 4 March 1955, Page 10

The Week's Music...

by

SEBASTIAN

SUPPOSE it was natural enough, after the "selling" of pet national composers by the BBC and VOA, that other countries should start to put their wares on view. The Radio Nederland programmes have already been mentioned in this column, and now the French Broadcasting Service are doing their own bit of pumping with programmes covering the period from the 16th Century to the present. So far I’ve liked the older music most, especially some _ interesting Rameau, but that is not to say that the rest is beneath notice. It may be my receiver, but I had the impression that the recording was not up to the standard we expect nowadays from transcription services. Occasionally we hear programmes of older choral music, but those’ of local origin are rare enough for comment. The Wellington Baroque Chorus conducted by the indefatigable Stanley Oliver (NZBS) gave us such a programme, comprising madrigal-type and secular pieces by early German composers. This was pleasant music, some of the best of the period, though a far cry from the contemporaneous Elizabethan works. The performance was competent, with some patches of really sensitive singing; two pieces by Lassus and Hans Leo Hassler stole the show-but then, they are hardly "pure" German.

There have been several recent recitals from the baritone Gerald Christeller (2YC), who rarely has an off night. Latest of these was a Schubert programme, which induced some of his loveliest tone and phrasing work. Some of his upper notes had almost a tenor quality, but this only bore out the adage that a baritone is a tenor who takes pride in his voice. On the other hand, for singers who, like Anna Russell and Jimmy Durante, take little or no pride in their voice, let me recommend Florence Desmond (YA link), whose biting commentaries on other people’s voices must be heard to be credited. Whether the victim is male or female seems to make no difference, and the subject matter (as with a bee). carries its honey close to the sting. Descending to Piano Corner, most of us will remember Doris Veale as a talented member of a talented family who, after coming home from some highly successful overseas study last year, gave us some _ equally fine-not to say successful-concerto playing. Now it appears that she can play to the dispassionate ear of the microphone as well as to an audience, and recitals of Bach, Ravel and Schumann showed the scope of her interest as well as her great capabilities. As a pianist, I am quite cowed by Miss Veale.