NO STRANGERS TO THE EAST

New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 911, 25 January 1957, Page 15

NO STRANGERS TO THE EAST

ROGRAMMES by Maurice Clare and Marta Zalan this week comprise a Sonata in D by Weiner, of unusual interest because Miss Zalan studied ‘under Weiner in Budapest, a Handel sonata and Milhaud’s second sonata. Weiner, who is comparatively unknown in this country, is of the same generation as Bartok, Kodaly and Dohnanyi, but like Dohnanyi, has written mainly on traditional lines. "He looks back rather than ahead,’ says Miss Zalan, "while Kodaly and Bartok have flashed ahead. In his writing there is always tremendous care for detail. An interesting point about this sonata is that the main theme of the first movement comes back as the main subject in the last movement, only in a different rhythm. The second movement is very quick, a kind of stylised waltz, and then there is a slow movement of extraordinarily passionate romanticism."

A lullaby lilt, provincial tunes and atmosphere are found in the sonata by Milhaud, a son of Provence. "This. is an easy going work which poses no great intellectual problems, nor does it probe any tremendous depths-it is simply to be enjoyed," said Maurice Clare. Although the emphasis in these programmes is on the Romantics, Maurice Clare by way of contrast will later be playing two works by the modern composer Dallapiccola. He has also recorded for later broadcast six sonatas by Corelli with Dr. Thornton Lofthouse at the harpsichord, and t»ken the solo violin parts in a recoraing of all the Brandenburg concertos recently made by the National Orchestra. Miss Zalan is a newcomer to New Zealand. In Budapest she studied the piano under Leo Weiner, then later in Paris her teacher was Lazare Levy.

Five years ago she left Europe to settle in Australia, where she has quickly made a name for herself as a solo broadcaster and a chamber music player of distinction. Last year she played with the Musica Viva in their opening concerts, made two concert tours of Noumea, and played with members of visiting quartets. Along with many other pianists of today she enjoys chamber music most of all. These artists will soon be setting off on a long tour of the Far East, which eventually will take them back to Europe. They have, both been to the Far East before, playing in places such as Singapore, Borneo and Japan. In Japan the audiences are quite different from Western audiences in their reactions, and at first this is rather puzzling to artists unused to their ways. "The audiences are magnificent, they re-

main abDsolutely silent much better than a Western audience, but they are inclined to be reserved in their applause," said Maurice Clare. "It takes some time before you are sure of their reactions and can tell just how they feel. This reserve has been a source of trouble to many visiting artists from overseas, who are puzzled by it and don’t quite know what to make of it." "In Japan they take music so terribly seriously," satd Miss Zalan. "In the past ‘they have had so many German teachers who have drilled them in the German tradition of seriousness so well that this tradition is still avery strong one." Mr. Clare added: "As far as music goes Tokyo is just like a Western capital: it has frequent concerts and at least three symphony orchestras."