The Wellington Symphony Orchestra

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 15, 25 October 1929, Page 7

The Wellington Symphony Orchestra

Another Broadcast from Wellington N the evening of Thursday, October 31, the last’ concert of the Wellington Symphony Orchestra’s first* season will be given in the Town Hall, Wellington. . This performance will be broadcast, but it is a broadcast that is not intended for able-bodied folk who live in Wellington. The radio transmission of this eagerly-awaited pleasure is for the benefit of those who live outside the: capital city, and for those Wellingtonians who lie. sick and for those who minister to them. It is: expected that all music lovers who are in sound ‘health and within half an hour’s travel of the Wellington Town Hall will avail themselves of the double pleasure of both hearing great music and of enjoying the rare atmosphere of great music played before one’s eyes. Wonderful as radio reproduction is, it is necessary to be present to sense the electric atmosphere and the tense expectancy of a performance of dramatic music. Even the luxury of an easy chair at home is nothing to the vivid experience of seeing as well as hearing the violins fling themselves down the scale in a frenzy of agitation; the long roll of the drums and the breathless silences in moments of stress; the triumphant fanfares from the brass; and finally the satisfaction of having helped merely by one’s presence to make great music live again in a thousand ° listening souls, The Wellington Symphony Orchestra is, of course, an incorporated society, and as such its promoters are precluded from participating in any profits. The orchestra, so far, has paid its way-no mean feat for its first year of existence. This does not mean that it is getting all the support it needs or deserves. Far from it. There must be hundreds of folk in Wellington who would be sufficiently interested to subscribe a guinea and receive subscriber’s privileges if they only know the wonderful work that this organisation is doing for the orchestral department of music both in the Capital City and everywhere within range of station 2YA. An orchestra costs a great amount of money to maintain. The production of an orchestral concert is an undertaking fraught with considerable financial risk. A rainy evening, to mention but one factor, may result in considerable loss. . This year has seen a season of which the conductor, Mr. Leon de Mauny, and those associated with him may well be proud. It behoves present subscribers to remain loyal to the organisation and support it next year at all costs, not only with their own guineas, but also with the guineas that they can persuade their friends to subscribe. This last concert of the season on the 31st will devote the first half of the programme to Schubert: ‘‘The Unfinished Symphony," ‘The Erl King" (sung by Mr. Harison Cook with orchestral accompaniment), and "The Rosamund Overture." The second half will include the overture to ""Tannhauser," the first movement of the Schumann Pianoforte Concerto (Madame Evelyn de Mauny, soloist), the "Faust" ballet music, and one of Elgar’s "Pomp and Circumstance" marches. Both their Excellencies, Sir Charles and Lady Alice Fergusson, will be present. It will perhaps be their last public appearance in New Zealand at a local musical performance.