Noted Flautist-Conductor

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 27, 15 January 1932, Page 6

Noted Flautist-Conductor

2YA Orchestrina’s Director

QN5 of the most prominent musical personalities at 2YA is Signor A. P. Truda, conductor of the Orchestrina and a distinguished musician with a notable record. A man of genial personality and tact, he is universally popular. As a conductor he has an extraordinary sense of orches-

tral balance. In Wellington he is well known as the conductor of a very efficient choir of St. Mary of the Angels. AS may. be imagined, Signor

A. bP. Lruda comes from a distinguished musical family. At the early age of ten he commenced his musical education at the Principe Umberto College, at Salerno, where for six years, under Professor Genovese, he studied music and the art of flute playing in its various branches. At the age of twelve he was one of twenty boys chosen at the college to sing in the boys’ chorus in the opera "Carmen." ‘The choirmaster was the celebrated organist, Rossi, and the opera conductor was none other than WLombardi. Among the leading performers were Enrico Caruso, Pignataro and others. This was the youth’s introduction to grand opera. Further continuing his studies, he went to Naples for three years, where he became a pupil of the celebrated flautist, Professor Casi, 2a protege of Briccialdi, who was noted for his wonderful tone colour, phrasing and voice control. The professor, a man of great culture and _ experience, quickly perceived Truda’s sense of

pitch temperament and musical aptness, and took a keen interest in his pupil and certainly found no difficulty in getting him to absorb his own fine gifts and qualities. Ata college concert, where the advanced and_ talented students were given an opportunity of performing in

the presence of notable conductors, Truda played "Fantasie" from

"Rigoletto," a number with melodious theme and technically difficult variations. His performance was so predominantly artistic

that it won for him the admiration of several conductors present and was responsible for his appointment later to play first flute in symphony and operatic orchestras under the eminent conductors, Lombardi, Barrella, Grandini and Marzano. Signor Truda has made comprehensive tours of Australia and New Zealand as flautist and conductor, and has been associated in concerts with Madame Calve, Blanch Arral, Rosina Buckman, Lidia Lipovska, Philip Newbury and others. He was solo flautist in the New Zealand International Wxhibition Orchestra and during an afternoon chamber conceit given by Alfred Hill, Cyril Monk, Gladstone and himself, Madame Blanch Arral, the prima donna who was touring New Zealand at that time, heard Truda playing, and. although she had a flautist, made special application to the president of the Exhibition and the conductor to release Mr. Truda for a particular concert in Christchurch. At the conclusion of this, Madame presented him with a gold pencil as a memento.