The Week's Music...

New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 932, 21 June 1957, Page 20

The Week's Music...

by

SEBASTIAN

ECAUSE he was British and yet not contemporary, because he carries in his name a suggestion of some Edwardian elegance that is deemed oldfashioned, Elgar is somehow gradually being relegated to the rank of a curiosity, an interesting survival, as though he were the primitive on whom the Brittens and the Waltons of today build their styles; a false assumption, at that. Exceptions are works like Enigma, but by and large his enthusiasts are becoming fewer, and his music more popular only with the ageing part of our population. Any interested people seis knowledge of the man and his works was limited must have had their eyes opened when a _ selection of centenary programmes did his music some justice. Besides informed talks and recordings, there were various live performances; for size and weight the Violin Concerto takes pride of place, and because the composer was a violinist himself it has also something of the quality of a selfportrait, with its typical noble or exquisitely tender phrases and its immensely powerful climaxes. In _ this Malcolm Latchem was the soloist with the National Orchestra (YC link), and showed a fine grasp of the demands of the work, and a technique which, if

7 not impeccable, at least did no harm to the music’s interpretation. The Orchestra seemed more than usually tractable, and played their second fiddle with a very good grace. Elgar’s chamber music is possibly the most neglected field of his work, and it was a pleasant change to hear his Piano Quintet (YC link) which is one of the great works on this form, ranking with those by Franck and Schumann, This was played by Maurice Till and the Francis Rosner Quartet, who managed its difficult lines with impressive insight and a feeling for the whole shape of the piece that made it an experience worth hearing more than once, The better-known E Minor Violin Sonata was also heard, from Ritchie Hanna and Ormi Reid; this is a more thoughtful Elgar, no less the real one, and again the playing stood on the merits of the music, and found it no tottering pedestal. Altogether, Elgar’s cause has suffered nothing amiss from the publicity of these few days. As a preview of a review, I should say that this year’s Festival in Auckland seems to be biuger and more varied than before, and its offerings just as delightful, what with its opera, orchestra, recitals, and all kinds of music. We shall delve into it next week.