LIEDER RECITALS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 32, Issue 822, 29 April 1955, Page 5

LIEDER RECITALS

Sir,-I have often wondered whether the Broadcasting Service’s practice of discouraging local vocalists from singing well known classical songs is wise, but after having heard a recent studio recital of Sc‘tubert Lieder I am convinced that their policy is well founded. The main fault of this recital was the lack of symiathy between singer and accompanist, v-ith the result that neither could vive a finished performance. In Lieder, the piano part is an integral portion of the song and not just an "accompaniment" in the conventional sense of the word-indeed it should be the basis of the whole musical structure. In the cited case, the fault probably lay neither with the singer, nor with the pianist, as the time allowed for studio recital rehearsals is usually inadequate. The solution would seem to lie in two directions. If the singer decides to sing Lieder, he must either have many rehearsals with the studio accompanist, which may be difficult to arrange; or else secure the services of a competent outside accompanist and broadcast with him, rather than with the official studio accompanist. These ate the only ways in which local singers can hope to give us satisfying and polished performances of the recorded versions we hear. Alternatively, if the authorities consider that neither of these suggestions is practicable, let us hear more of the very fine Schubert, Schumann and Brahms Lieder available to us, on record. But let these be made into complete programmes, and not, as so often is mow the case, scattered throughout "dinner music" programmes.

MURRAY

TENKIN

(Auckland).

(1. The practice of the Broadcasting Service is not correctly defined in this correspondent’s negative formula. Much is done to encourage well-equipped singers to prepare lieder and other classical programmes, and to rehearse them with correspondingly well-equipped accompanists. On the other hand, ill-equipped singers are certainly not encouraged to prepare programmes in which they must fail; and if they offer them, the offer is unacceptable. 2. What is meant by the time "allowed" for studio rehearsal and by its being "usually inadequate" is not clear; but it is enough to say that there is no arbitrary rule about it. Singers are not obliged to work with studio accompanists, if they prefer to work with other acceptably competent accompanists of their own choice, 3. In one recent period of four weeks the four YC stations presented about 40 evening programmes of lieder. None of these was planted among dinner music, and no such programme ordinarily is, Three out of five of these programmes were by New Zealand artists or recorded in NZBS studios. The longest of the 40 programmes was 30 minutes; but there is no rule or prejudice against longer ones, which have been presented and will be again, as occasion serves.-Ed.)