Wellington's Xmas Community Sing

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 19, 16 November 1934, Page 21

Wellington's Xmas Community Sing

Popular Christchurch Song Leaders to Conduct Sing to Raise Funds For Wellington’s Needy Families — Edgar Allan Poe Story to be Heard From 2Y A-Toc H Farewells Lord Bledisloe Next Week.

WELLINGTON is to have a Chris:mas community sing in the Town Hall on Monday, December 10, to raise funds for providing Christmas cheer for ueedy families. The two Christchurch song leaders, Mr. Alan Brown and Mr. Bert Goodland, will act as song leaders, anda choir of 120 yoices will lead the singing. The assisting artists will include performers not hitherto heard over the air'in the Dominion, and a special feature will be a four-grand-piano quartet, playing popular melodies and song "hits." The,sing"’ has been arranged by the Smith Family Joy-spreaders, and station 2YA will relay the proceedings. Permission has been applied for to hold several raffles in connection with the "sing," and some valuable gifts have been offered for disposal in this manner, LJSTENERS fo 2YA have come +. know the productions of radio plays by Victor S. Lloyd, and to look forward to them particularly. An out: standing. presentation should be his production of "The Cask of Amontillado," adapted from the story of the samne name by Edgar Allan Poe, One of Poe’s most thrilling stories, it has been cleverly adapted into an extremely dramatie radio play, which will be interpreted from 2YA by an outstanding cast of players well-known in Wellington repertory circles: Mrs. John Hastings, whose picture was published on the repertory and drama page of the "Radio. Record" last week in connection with a recent repertory. presentation; Mr. G. H. A. Swan, Mr Ralph Hogg, and Mr. Victor Lloyd, "The Cask of Amontillado" is to be present from 2YA on Thursday, November 22, y N Saturday, November 24, 2YA is . Telaying from the Memorial Hai!. of Wellington College the Dominion festival guest night of Toe H, when a farewell is to be tendered to his Excellency the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, The speakers for the even-; ing will include his Excellency, who will be introduced by Dr. I. T. Bowerbank; the Dominion president of Toc HW, Major-General Sir Andrew Russell, and the Rev. Herbert Leggate, M.C. Songs will be presented by the Madrigal Singers, and the assembled family of Toc H is to sing several wellknown. choruses. . {[t is not difficult to visualise a grea‘ ". musical composer under the spell of some fascinating myth or noble legend of antiquity, setting to work to en shtine it in worthy music. Wor in- stance, Schubert, almost immediately he read Goethe’s poem, "The rl King,’ sat down in a perfect fever of excite ment and dashed off what is now recog. . nised a8 a masterpiece of song. The: same may be said of Loewe in reference to the old Scottish legend of "Tom

the Rhymer," and so on. Classicai themes in freak and other mytiologie: have provided abundant material for operas, tone-poems and lesser musica! forms, and the whole histury of the art is crowded with instances of

inyths and legends from the storied part being used as foundation materis’ by composers, "From the Storied . Past" is the title of the lecture-recital to be given by Mr. Karl Atkinson at 2YA on Sunday, November 18. PROBABLY one of the best entertainments heard from 2YA for some :time was the programme presented by "The Man in the Street" on Wednesday, November 7-‘The 5.B.C on Parade." ‘Wxcellent variety was shown in the arrangement of this pro gramme, and the bright style of the comments delivered by the compere kept interest .alive throughout: the evening, The programme aroused more comment among listeners thaa anything presented for some time. and many expressed the opinion that the majority of the programmes should be presented in the same style. FfRoM 2YA on Friday, November 23, at 8.16 and 9,10 listeners wil) hear Miss Olive N. Fish, New Zealand contralto, in two brief tecitals, Miss Fis’) has not been heard on the air for some time, but she possesses a beautiful contralto voice, and she is sure to make friends among listeners who have net heard her before when she broadeasts next week. Miss Fish, who is at. present in Masterton, has been for some time in Napier, where she organised 4 branch of the British Musie Society, being the first honorary secretary for that district. — ACK on the job and looking brown and fit after a holiday spent beside the sunny shores of Kawhia is Mr, S, J. Hayden, assistant manager of the New Zealand Broadcasting Bonavrd. "Kawhia’s a great place for a holiday," said Mr. Hayden. "It’s miles from anywhere, and I hardly saw a motor car or heard a radio set the whole time I was away, But I couldn’t escape from the people who wanted to know who the dickens listened to wrestling broadcasts, and why there couldn’t be more jazz on the gir and why-well, you know

the sort of questions that people are continually asking," he concluded with a smile. N Sunday, November 18, a ner musical combination will be heard ‘from 2YA, This will be a recital for two violins and a piano, by Mr. and Mrs, BH. L. Meier (violins) and Miss Ormi Reid (piano). This talented group will be heard in two numbers by English composers: "Golden Son ata" (Henry Purcell) and Thomas Arne’s "Sonata in WH Minor."