Open Microphone

New Zealand Listener, Volume 35, Issue 888, 10 August 1956, Page 18

Open Microphone

NEWS OF BROADCASTERS ON AND OFF THE RECORD

ON TOUR AT HOME

AROLD BECK, the distinguished New Zealand cellist now touring his homeland (below), was for six years principal cellist of the Halle Orchestra. In 1953 he appeared as soloist in the first performance for many years \of the Delius Cello Concerto. The performance took place on a Sunday evenin Manchester’s Free Trade Hall, Mr.

Beck described the occasion for us: "Our Sunday night audiences were used to popular concerts, so I

was anxious as to how Delius would fare. When Barbirolli came and told me there was a full house I was very relieved. Afterwards I was astonished at the reception the composition got." This concerto is now one of Mr. Beck’s favourite works, but he does not play it as often as he would like. "All these enterprising concert managements think that people are scared of Delius," he said. "In England it took the efforts of Beecham and Barbirolli to get him into the concert hall at all." With the Halle Mr. Beck toured the Midlands and used to take part in the festival of modern music held annually at Cheltenham. "Although it doesn’t cut

a great dash, it’s just as important in its own right as the bigger ones," he said. "Each year many new modern works are performed. The composers come along every day-the critics come, too, and they can attend the rehearsals, All round there is a very convivial atmosphere. It’s an intimate kind of festival that really makes history." Mrs. Beck, who is with her husband in New Zealand, described the visit of Vaughan Williams to last year’s festival. "He had come especially to hear a new work by a former pupil of his, and during the concert he listened to it with great concentration. The item following was to be a Brahms Symphony, and when this started Vaughan Williams unplugged his hearing aid, sat back and appeared to go to sleep."

Mr. Beck has now left the Halle and for the last six months has been principal cello of the London Symphonya completely different type of orchestra. It has no permanent conductor of its own, stays in London a good deal, and the Festivals it usually attends are the

Bath and the ‘Three Choirs. "The beauty of the London Symphony is that when we are playing classical works we may have Josef Krips to conduct us, and-~ for modern works there is Igor Markevitch, who is equally accomplished in this field,’ Mr. Beck said. "It’s very good for an orchestra to have the best conductors for both modern and _ classical works." Very . happy to be back in New Zealand, Mr. Beck told us: "I’ve wanted to come back for a long time, and I did hope to see the country, go to Mount Cook, and so on, but now I find it will be nothing but rehearse and play." After the New Zealand tour Mr. Beck and his wife go to Australia, Mrs. Beck’s home, where he will be giving concerts. They then fly to Johannesburg to re-join the L.S.O., which will be playing there under Krins.

New Zealanders will not® be hearing the Delius Concerto, but they will hear cello concertos by Elgar and Dvorak. Studio broadcasts by Harold Beck next week will be broadcast from all YC stations at 9.30 p.m. on August 14, 8.0 pm. on August 17, and 8.55 p.m. on A E37, ugus wi

ae "TRUTH is none the less Truth because she wears a nose like George Robey and Charlie Chaplin’s pants," says the New Zealand-born cartoonist David Low-‘"the most famous cartoonist in the world"--whose radio portrait, drawn by a well-known British journalist, Frank Owen, will be heard from 1YA on August 19, In this portrait Mr. Owen speaks of the personality and pri-

CARTOONIST

vate life of the creator of Colonel Blimp and other notable characters, and listeners will hear also recorded excerpts from a broadcast Low made some years ago in which he "explains himself’ and outlines the idea of political cartooning. Born in Dunedin of an Irish mother and a Scots father, Low was just 12

when he began cartooning in the Christchurch Spectator, and only 20

when he made his name, before the First World War, as political cartoonist of the Sydney Bulletin. It was Arnold Bennett, then visiting Australia, who told Fleet Street what it was missing. Low arrived in London in 1919 when he was 28, and after nine years with the Star was "netted" by Lord Beaverbrook for his’ Evening Standard. This was a Consetvative newspaper, but Low insisted on having absolute freedom in his drawing; subject only to the Editor’s right to reject any cartoon. Since Mr. Owen himself was Low’s. Editor a year or two before the last war, what he has to say about the influence of Low’s work on public opinion is specially interesting. Low now works for the great Liberal paper, the Manchester Guardian, which he joined when he left the Labour Daily Herald about three years ago. Frank

Owen’s portrait of David Low will be heard later from other YA stations. * FOLLOWING the example of its leader, who made his first broadcast, as a pianist, when he was only 12, the

PIONEERS

John MacKenzie Quartet was early on the air-in fact, it was one of the pioneers among small modern groups

in New Zealand radio. Those early personal broadcasts of Tohn’s were

made from 1ZR and 1ZB and, still in Auckland, he later played the organ at the Civic Theatre. John formed his own Trio in 1948 to accompany an Auckland vocal group called the Musical Friends, which broadcast regularly for about three years. The John MacKenzie Trio soon became popular on its own account, John tells us, and in 1949 made two visits to Wellington for broadcasts. Since then the Trio has become a Quartet whose members, besides its’ leader at the piano, are Ray Gunter (Spanish guitar), Bob Ewing (bass) and Don Branch (drums). The Quartet’s new series of recorded programmes to be heard on Wednesday evenings from YA and YZ stations, starting on August 15, will give listeners their last chance for some time of hearing Ray Gunter, who has gone to England on a business trip. Many people consider Ray the best Spanish guitar player in New Zealand, Apart from his work with his Quartet, John MacKenzie also runs his own Dixieland band, with Bobby Griffiths as

old-fashioned valve trombone. He is also a member of Crombie Murdoch’s Radio Roadhouse orchestra, and when he has time plays the electric organ. This is, of course, after-hours activity, for during the day John is a commercial traveller. How he fits in his other interests-golf, tape recorders and colour movies-he hasn’t told us. John is married-up to the present series his wife, Molly, has always compered his programmes-and the father of two children.