Here and There

Radio Record, Volume VI, Issue 25, 30 December 1932, Page 5

Here and There

Selections from this week's Programmes

By

TRIPLE GRID

Cleopatra. _ ‘A recording of this name will be broadcast from 1YA. on Thursday ‘next, but there is little probability that there is anything special about it. ° It is about the illustrious Cleopatra, queen of ancient Egypt, who had as her ~ lovers two successive rulers of "Rome, about whom a few words are due. ‘This woman, from time immemorial, has made the strongest appeal to the imagination of men. She was loved first by Caesar and taken as his mistress to Rome, despite the bitter opposition of the Romans; then by Mark Antony, who finally took her part in a war against his own country. The tragic end of this couple after a spell of magnificence and glory only makes their fate more moving. She bore to Caesar

@ son, who was murdered at the age of seventeen by Caius: Octavius, afterwards the Emperor Augustus. By Antony Cleopatra had three children, and she was in all probability his fifth legitimate wife. Small wonder she became thexobject of the deepest ‘interest, not only to her. age, but also to posterity. None but an exceptional woman could have fulfilled so brilliant a destiny. Her end was as her life. Antony, defeated, beset by Octavius, over whom. Cleopatra could exercise no influence, deserted by the provinces which he had dominated, dropped by the woman for whom he had given all, even betrayed by her, took his own life thinking the queen had taken hers. Seeing a triumphal procession through Rome, with herself as central figure, she sought the only way out-death at her own hand. She died by poisoning; how is a mystery. Some say it was-an adder, others a needle. With her eath a whole historical period came to an end. ut the whole world did not stand still: a new ra immediately opened, called after Octavius aesar the Augustan Age, Mozart -who will be the subject of an illustrated talk from 4YA on Wednesday next, was one of the greatest, if not the greatest creative and executive musicians that ever lived. At the early age of three he showed an uncanny aptitude for music, for whilst his sister was receiving lessons, he took a delight in striking pleasing and harmonious intervals on the clavier. When he was four he could memorise brilliant solos and concertos, and this aptitude for memorising was but one -of the first indications of unfolding genius, for at the age. of eight he memorised a complete choral work on hearing it once. Before he was five he had composed a simple concerto. He played the violin without tuition. ‘A trio practice was regularly held in his father’s home and on one occasion he begged to be allowed to play the second violin. He was told to go away, but, following tearful entreaties, he was allowed to play "so softly that heicould not be heard." The trio:had not long been in progress when the first violinist stoppedhe was. entirely superfluous, Mozart made his first public appearance at the age of five, and when he was six he toured Germany, and a year later appeared in Paris where four of his sonatas were: published. At the age of eight he achieved success at the English court, and when in England he attempted a symphony. At eleven his first opera was produced. When at the early age of 35 he died, the world lost what would probably have been \ its greatest master of music. Altogether he composed. over 600 works, ranging from opera to champer music. Colorado. This theme has been suggested: by a . radio recording to be played at 1YA. on Saturday. Probably Colorado, or that part of this American State through which the Colorado river. flows, is one of the most remarkable in the world. ‘To the tourist it is a land of a thousand

wonders, but from’ a geologists’ point of view it provides a wealth of information about the world — ‘of yesterday. The river, arising in the mountains of Wyoming, Colorado and Utah, in regions of heavy .snow and precipitous rainfall, enters the gorges for which it is famous early in its career. For more than a thousand miles the river cuts a deep gorge; into it empty lateral branches, each one of which has its gorge or canyon; every brook has its canyon. The Grand Canyon is the most interesting, and for more than 278 miles the famous river winds its way at the bottom of almost precipitous sides, in places nearly six thousand feet high. A low plateau, dry and treeless, extends almost from the brink of the canyon, to be cut by other deep ravines at intervals which block the passage of all but birds and airplanes. In some places the rock is richly coloured and varigated, others loose and disintegrated. ‘There are plains of soft sandstone sometimes dry and sandy, other times in conglomerate formation forming a mosaic of many colours. Why has the Colorado cut for itself this vast canyon and revealed rocks that were laid in the very beginnings of.the world millions of years ago? Once a great plain, dry and unfértile, the district was subject to tremendous uplift. The rivers, now thousands of feet above their level, began rapidly down cutting. The only weathering agent was the rivers-themselves, as

climatic conditions tend to preserve the landscape, there being an absence of rain in these regions. In places the rocks aré harder than others and they provide gigantic caps for the softer underlying rock, giving to the landscape a mushroom effect in colours that vie with the rainbow in beauty. Old Panama. ---\which happens to he the title of a march toe be played at 1YA on Tuesday, is an interesting relic of a faded cevilisation, Panama, now the Pacific terminus of the canal which bears its name, is the oldest settlement on the continental western hemisphere. It was founded in 1519, The centre of western Spanish civilisation

in the early sixteenth century, it was strongly fortified and richly endowed with buildings und churches. 1t was a storehouse of the gold and silver that flowed into it from South America and of the treasures of the Orient. Becoming the envy of pirates and buccaneers, who made many raids upon it in those early days, it was eventually sacked by none other than the illustrious Henry Morgan, who razed it in the middle of the seventeenth century. Another city was built some two miles seaward, and this is the present Panama, This time it was surrounded by strong granite walls whose remains are still landmarks. The architecture is in stone, the dwellings being flat-:. topped with tile roofs and two or three stories high. Lotus Flower. ‘This happens to be the title of u contralto solo from 1YA on Thursday next, but the name called to mind some of the interesting facts concerning the flower. The name is loosely applied to many plants of different orders. The lotus of the Greeks was a native bush with fruits as large as sloes, containing a mealy substance used for making bread and fermented drinks (you see they had such things even then). The fruit was an important article of food among the poor, hence the term "lotus eaters." The Egyptian lotus was a waterlily, as also was the sacred lotus of the Hindoos and the American lotus. The lotus tree of the Romans was probably a nettle of the elm family with fruits like small cherries. The lotus of the botanists is a member of the pea family (leguminosae), and contains many widely separated species. Various forms of the flower have appeared in the art work of the Bgyptians, Romans, Greek and Byzantine civilisations. Old Forgotten Waltz. ‘this title, which is being broadcast from 1YA, on Wednesday, brings to mind the fact that the old waltz is nearly forgotten. In fact, the new one is, too, for that matter. One has only to go to a modern dance to see that the art is almost lost. With the inception of the jazz waltz which replaced the familiar round waltz, people became confused. The younger generation who had not gone to the trouble to learn the new stem properly found the somewhat slower time fairly suitable for their adaptation of the quickstep, and so they were happy. ‘The older generation did their own waltz and only a few who had graduated from @ dancing school did the correct thing. So the art of waltzing died a slow death, with the result that when a waltz is struck up not more than five per cent. of the dancers are_fo be seen doing the correct step. Many do not recognise the waltz time, but meander round the floor doing a ready-made step rather gingerly and getting in the way of those few who are endeavouring to do the new waltz. It is not difficult, and it is certainly much more pleasant to dance than the older one, The slower time enables one to take those long steps which give ease and grace to "the light fantastic."

High Spots in the Programmes "CONGO NIGHTS""-3YA, Monday. "IN DAVY JONES LOCKER’-1YA, Tuesday. THE MELODY TRIO-3YA, Tuesday SCOTS MUSIC-4YA, ‘Tuesday. MAORI CHOIR-2YA, Friday. The Talks "H.M.S. WARWICK" -4YA, Tuesday OLYMPIC. CELEBRITIES OF .LOS ANGELES-1YA, Wednesday. SEA STORY-IYA, Saturday.

Edwin Dennis. Appearing. on the , programme of 2YA on Tuesday is Edwin Dennis, one: of Wellington’s leading tenors and exponents of the art of elocution. «Associated with the stage from his sixth _year, when he made his first public performance by singing solo at an anni--versary concert, Mr. Dennis has ‘had experiences ranging from singing and.

acting to orchestral conducting. During the war he organised concert parties which became famous in_ the New Zealand sector, and after demobjlisation undertook a course at the Royal College of Music, graduating therefrom with the diploma, one of the highest qualifications a vocalist ean! obtain. During the next few years he toured England and appeared in. the original cast of the "Maid of the Moun-. tains." Coming to New Zealand he . took up the teaching of singing, and hag a long list of pupils successful in the various examinations. His diversity of interests has led him in many different directions, including broadeasting,.and he has appeared at 2YA in many different roles-every time to the intense admiration of a wide circle of listeners. Clapham and Dwyer, whose celeyor fooling has made millions laugh, owe their world fame entirely to broadcasting. Prior ko their first engagement by the B.B.C. it is said that they were not professionals, but merely gave occasional "natter turns’ at smoke concerts aud similar functions, The day after their first broadcast they were famous. Two new "stars" had flashed into the entertainment firmament, Since they then have been regarded by the B.B.C. as two of the most popular radio artists whd have ever broudcast in Britain. Their work before the "mike" is said to be largely spontaneous, though much ‘painstaking preparation is given heforehand to the general outline of their "shows." ‘There have beelk many oceasions on which popular radio artists have been within an ace of disappointirig their waiting audiences. and one of these occasions recently occurred to Clapham. Both artists were due fo apyear at 2LO0 in a "New Car Act." A few days previously Clapham had himself become the proud possessor of 2 new car. Some hours before he was due to broadcast he took his family for a vide. "Everything went well at first," Mrs. Clapham narrates, "then the beastly thing collided with something. It turned turtle and landed us all in a ditch. My husband had a busy time, I can assure you. extricating us all, getting the children home, and getting himself to the studio that night." We may assume with confidence that "Charley’s" comments about cars in the "New Car Act" were straight from the heart.

Farmers! The first hour’s proceedings, from 9 a.m.-10 a.m., at the Wellington wool sale on Friday, January 6, will be broadcast on relay by Station 2YA.