1YA Notes

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 23, 21 December 1928, Page 14

1YA Notes

THE Christmas Eve programme has been specially augmented, and will run from 8 p.m. until midnight, the whole of the four hours’ programme including a wide and varied number of items. The first half of the programme will be in the hands of Madame Irene ‘Ainsley and her party, the chief feature being the presentation of "Rose Marie" (Friml). Madame Ainsley has previously performed this musical comedy on the air, and it was received so well by listeners that the repetition performance will be welcomed. A special item of interest will be a duet by Miss Marjorie Fair and Madame Ainsley, "The Barcarolle"’ from "Tales of Hoffmann" (Offenbach). Madame also includes in her party Mr. Arthur Friar Raisher, who is well known as an active member of all the university play and comedy productions arranged locally. Mr. Raisher has appeared only once before at 1YA, when he assisted Mrs. Bartley-Baxter with her Play Club. Mr. Raisher on this occasion will sing a baritone solo. (CSHRISTMAS Eve programme will also include a relay of selections by the Majestic Theatre orchestra under Mr. Whiteford Waugh, who is at present conducting an extended tour of the Dominion, Commencing at 10.40 p.m., a programme of special Christmas music arranged by Madame Towsey, assisted by members of the Savoy Octette, and a specially augmented chorus, will be presented. The programme will include carols, Christmas hymns, and sacred Christmas solos. The carols will be continued until 12 midnight, at which hour listeners will be extended the compliments of the season. Barry Ingall’s Hawaiians will dispense popular music on the stringed instruments.

An item of note on the early part of Christmas Eve programme will be the reappearance of Mr. Dan Flood, who has been absent in Australia for some considerable time, and his return will doubtless be eagerly looked forward to by listeners. At 9 a.m. a special Christmas morning service for the children will be presented, and at 11 a.m. the Christmas Day morning service will be broadcast from St. Mary’s Cathedral, the preacher being the Rev, Canon Percival James. The Anglican authorities are arranging for this service to be picked up and amplified throughout other churches in the provinge. ‘THE Boxing Day programme will find ready favour with those listeners who are fond of the popular type of music, the programme in the main being jointly in the hands of The Lyric Trio and the Asquiths, Mr. Alan McElwain will present humorous numbers, and has included his ever-popular "The Rich Man Drives By." A humorous trio will be presented, entitled "Woran," and a further similar item which should form an effective novelty is timed for 8.36 and entitled "A Kiss." The Asquiths will present a thirtyminute vaudeville entertainment, and although the Asquiths are always in-

ecorporating novel items in their half hour, Mr. Asquith promises this time something well out of the ordinary. A performer new to radio will appear in the person of Miss Joan Bryan, who is a@ soprano who will be coupled with the Lyric Trio in their concerted items and will also sing two solos. The programme will continue until 11 p.m., with specially selected dance and. novelty records, ON Thursday, the 27th, the programme will open with Madame Mary Towsey’s Quartet, singing a Sullivan number, "Brightly Dawns Our Wedding Day." Mr. John Bree, the popular baritone, has selected "The Kashmiri Song" and "On the Road to Mandalay." Mr. Eric Maxwell, a talented young pianist who has performed with continued success at the various competition festivals, will play a Men-delssohn-Liszt arrangement of "On Wings of Song." The Auckland Trio’ will include two items of a difficult nature, the better known of the two probably being "The First Movement of Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata." RGAN selections will be rendered by Mr. Arthur I. Dilson, who is to be assisted by Miss Dorothy Blomfield singing contralto solos. Mr. Wilson’s re-appearance with his. tabernacle organ has been enthusiastically welcomed by listeners, and he has chosen items which should please all tastes. Mr. Wilson will play an arrangement of "Love’s Old Sweet Song," which is particularly effective, and a bell voluntary. On the occasion of the first mystery night held at 1YA, Mr. Wilson played an item which mystified nearly all those who heard it, this being "The Doll Dance," with vari-

ety effects. On that occasion most listeners guessed this item as a gramophone number, but on the 27th Mr. Wilson will let listeners into the secret of how his grand organ can be made to resemble very closely the recorded item. (PH programme on Friday will feature the appearance of Messrs. D. Black and J. Simpson as "The Clarion Duo." These gentlemen are* well known to listeners as the bass and tenor respectively of "The Clarion Quartet," but owing to the absence of the remaining members, Misses Beryl Smith and Alma McGruer, on holiday, they will complete a duo role this evening. Mr. J. F. Montague presents two elocutionary numbers at 9.43 p.m., which will be particularly appropriate, ‘the first being ‘Good-bye, Little Room," and the second Tennyson’s "Death of the Old Year." ‘This latter number is a particularly fine poetical composition, and Mr. Montague ean be trusted to deal with it effectively. Miss Phyllis Gribben, the well-known contralto, will sing solos, the chief of which will be "The Enchantress," by Hatton. Mr. A. B. Chappell, M.A., will deal with another interesting phase of his lectures on "Maori . Life," "Maori Games." [HH orchestra, which will be heard in attractive numbers on Friday evening, is now under the control of

Mrs. Evelyn Prime, during the absence of Mrs, Dorothy Singer in Suva. Mrs. Singer has been for some time in indifferent health, and hopes to return greatly benefited by her holiday, In the meantime. Mrs. Prime can be depended upon to carry on the orchestra and maintain the high standard which this body has earned under Mrs. .Singer’s conductorship, Saturday evening’s programme will be of interest owing to the first appearance of Mr. Will Harris, a singer of popular tenor songs. Mr. Harris is well known at the various Orphans’ Clubs and similar bodies throughout practically the whole of the Auckland Provinee. HE Auckland Trio will present light trio numbers, and will play the popular "Cavalleria Rusticana’ selection of Mascagni. Mr. F. W. Barker presents humorous numbers, and should score a popular "hit" with his item entitled "A Frenchman on ‘Macbeth." " Miss Molly Wright will play ‘cello solos, and Len Keven, who acquitted himself so excellently at the recent production of the Auckland Amateur Operatic Society’s "Belle of New York," will sing baritone solos. The programme will continue until 11 p.m., with specially-selected dance and novelty items. The evening services will be relayed from St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, the preacher being the Rey. George Budd, and the organiser, Dr. Neill McDougall. Following the church service, a programme of studio items given by prominent artists, in addition to electrically-recorded gramophone numbers, will be presented.