Notable Music of the Week

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 16, 26 October 1934, Page 10

Notable Music of the Week

An English Composer's Satiric Opera: "Did _You Ever See a Lark Waltzing?

[HL only way in which we can ever ~ pope truly to enjoy music is to use cur ears in such a spirit of alertness and intelligence as will enable us really to know what the composer to saying. And this is not so easy a mutter as some people are: disposed te think.-Stewart Macpherson. "The Perfect Fool." (GUSTAV HOLST’S opera, "The Perfect Fool," was first produced by the British National Opera Company in May, 1928, and was prominent in their repertory for some time. Lately, however, only the ballet music has been heard at all frequently. The plot of the opera is itself fantastic, and is made more so because Holst, who wrote both words and music, used his opportunity to guy opera conventions and to parody operatic styles, particularly the florid Italian and the Wag: nerian. But the ballet music is straightforward and Holstian, and, so far as one can tell, parodies nothing. The ballet occurs at the opening of the opera. A wizard is conjuring up all sorts of spirits: whom he compels to supply him with various materials and ingredients for a magic potion which will give him such power over a certain princess that she will be ‘quite unable to refuse to marry him. ‘The ballet has three movements. Of the Spirits of Earth is demanded a cup suitable for containing magic essences. The Spirits of Water are required to fill the cup with a highly potent distillation of love, and the Spirits of Fire to dwell in the cup, "burning, blasting and scorching," as the text puts it, or, in other words, to "put. a kick in it." And after all this trouble it is the fool who is destined to get the princess, not the. painstaking wizard. "The Dance of the Spirits" will be played at 2YA by the Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday, October 30. Friendly Tunes. ie 1907, when Dohnanyi was 30, he wrote three string quartets. No, 2 of this little series is his "Quartet in D Flat Major, Op. 15." It is unques: tionably one of the greatest quartets which our generation has produced. Played by the famous Flonzaley Quartet, it will be heard from 4YA on Friday, November 2, Dohnanyi’s music generally is distinguished not only by very able craftsmanship, but a very genuine gift of invention. As a composer .he was known at first by his fresh and attractive works for his own. instrument-the’ piano. Tor a- good: many years, however, he has been steadily gaining wider recognition as a composer of orchestral and chamber music, and latterly. of music for the theatre. Also Ernst von Dohnanyi is a pianist with a-very distinguished repuiation; he is a conductor of distinc-

tion, but above all he is.a composer who is held in the highest regard the world over. He is, in the first place, an impeccable craftsman, he_ treats tunes as friendly things and makes us share his friendship; he can even make music laugh, and for that faculty

so rare with others we are filled’ with gratitude. Although making comparatively little use of folk tunes, most .of his music is strongly characteristic of his native Hungary. London in Music. MANY contemporary musical compos: ers have depicted various phases of London. and its life in music. HBlgur, Vaughan Williams, Ketelbey and Bric Coates are those which occur most readily to the mind in this connection.

In his suite "London Every Day,’ Eric Coates in three movements sketches "Covent Garden" (Tarantelle), "Westminster" (Meditation), and "Knights bridge’ (Mareh). A brilliant student of the Royal Academy of Music, where his principal instrument was the viola. Brie Coates found himself in’ the front rank of players and was for "some years principal viola. player of the Queen’s Halli Orchestra. : He \was'a distinguished chamber music player too. . -While still a mémber of the Queen’s Hall Orchestra, he hada good deal of hig own orchestral. music pro- , duced at-its promenade and other concerts, but since 1919 he has practically given up. playing, and devoted himself to composition. -. Much of his music ‘and many of the songs are in lighthearted vein, graceful and melofious, and: al] are-marked ~by thoroughly ‘sound workmanship and. mastery of the resources: of the. orchestra: © The London Suite .will be played af, 1YA on Tuesday, October 30, by the New Light Symphony Orchestra. ‘ Foreign Inspiration. — r "PRE music" of the modern Russian school which began with Glinka is in a.very real sense national, and presents something of the Russian cheracter in many vivid ways. But. pre occupied as they: were with their:own idiom and their own traditions, several ‘members of the Russian school turned ‘more’ than once to other. countries for ‘inspiration. Rimsky-Korsakov’s "Spanish Capriccio’: are immediately recalled in this connection. Glazounov has written a-"Serenade Wspagnol," and, although-the work is rather slight, the Spanish character is unmistakably suggested by the rhythmic accompaniment, somewhat in the manner‘of a guitar. The melody is of that big and broad order which is eminently well suited to the ’cello,. The 1YA Octet will play this work on Thursday, November 1. An Uncanny Memory: ALEXANDER GLAZOUNOV,. . like all composers who. haye risen to fame, is credited with having shown: exceptional’ musical gifts at a very early age. In one*respect, however, he differs from most others similarly gifted. His musical memory ig. uncanny’; he has.always been ‘able to re member in the minutest détail, and even to write down after the performance, any piece of music he has happened to hear. He once completely reconstructed in this way the overture to Borodin’s opera, "Prince Igor." Born in 1865, he soon came under the influence of the famous "Five," the founders of modern Russian music, He studied privately -with Rimsky-Korsa-kov to such purposes that at the age of 16 he had a symphony performed under Balakirev. After that, he won.

rapid appreciation, and Glazounov’s arti$tie life hag been ohe of increas: ing triumph; othetwise, it hag been unevéntful. In broadeasting circles he is best known by his tjusic for ballet, "The Seasons," and some smaller orchestral works. To New Zealan:lers Glazopnev’s sight symphoties are practi¢ally a closed book, But our rate of mijsica] progress ik, thanks to radio, being accelerated to such a degree that in the néar future Wwe may hear not only novelties, but thé less familiar, but staple musical fare. ’Do Larks Waltz? JN 8¥4’s programme on Friday, November 2, the ofchestta is sche.luled to play Drigo’s’ "Valse des Alouettes" (Waltz of the Larks), To the a baa

topical query, "Did you ever see a dreain tvalking?’, we shall have to add, "Did you ever see a lark waltsing?" Oné explanation of this unusual title to an orchestral selecticn may be that if is paft of 4 Suite dealing With a mére or less fafitastic theme At any raté theré is nothing eccentric about its composér, Richard Drigu. who, even if he is ignoted by the Musical Dictionaries, has pfolifie output of listenable music to his credit, ranging from simple songs and instruméntal p:eces to ballets ahd grand opéras. He received his early education and made hig first suecess in his native Italy, As Q pupil of Paolo Serrao, one-time prvfessor of coniposition at the Naples. Conséfvatoire, hé won the diploma for composition and ¢otiducting. After

gaining sonié name as a conductor of opera in Italy, hé transferred his activities to St. Petersburg, wheré he became popular as a conductor at the Imperial Opera House,