PERSONALITIES of the week

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 36, 15 March 1935, Page 10

PERSONALITIES

of the week

EX-PRISON CAMP. XHE three dozen men of the Don Cossack Russian Male Choir and their leader, Serge Jaroff, are former officers of the Russian Imperial Army. Their history as a singing unit dates pack to the prison camp of Tschelengir, near Constantinople, where they were sent with the rest of the White Army after the defeat of General Wrangel. With their transport to Sofia, Bulgaria, they formed for a time the choir in the Russian Orthodox Chureh. .The Don Cossacks made their concert debut in Vienna in 19238. Since then they have sung nearly three thousand concerts in all parts of the world. The Don Cossacks trayel ov "Nansen Passes." issued by the Leugue of Nations to men without a country. Their performances, under their diminutive leader, are unforgettable to New Zealanders. BACH SPECIALIST. EORGE THALBEN BALL, the pre sent organist of the Temple Church, London, was born in Sydney, New South Wales, on June 18, 1896. He is a brilliant pianist as well as an organist of distinciien, He brought 3% new fame to the old church through bis excellent recordings of the boy soprano, Ernest Lough, and the Temple Church Choir. Mr. Ball specialises in

Bach, and he continued for a time the Bach recitals at St. Ann’s, Soho, after the death of Dr. KH. H. Thorne, He has been president of the London Society of Organists, a member of the council, and examiner for the Royal College of Organists, as well as examiner for the Associated Board, and 2 professor at the Royal College of Music, London. We has earned additional fame as a B.B.C. broadcasting organist, AN IRISH JONES. ew light music recordings are more generally popular than those of Tom Jones and the Grand Hotel Orchestra, Eastbourne As a_ violinist, Tom Jones has had a brilliant career. following an equally brilliant studentship. He was borz in Birmingham in 1902, and his parents are Trish, uot

Welsh. His grandfather had such a large family that they were able tv form a complete orchestra amongst themselves, and enjoyed quite a reputation in the Midlands. His father made him learn the violin. and took the slipper to him until he practised regularly. He is a bad golfer (self-confessed), but a good swimmer. He says he prefers drawing in pencil to playing the.violin (as far as practising goes, at any rate). Most listeners prefer his fiddling. FINEST "ELIJAH." RECOGNISED as the finest "Elijah" now before the public, and an incomparable "Wotan" in Wagner's "Valkyrie," Horace Stevens, native of Windsor, Melbotrne, joined All Saints" Church choir, East St. Kilda, when he was sevén. He sang in the choir of St. Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne, as boy soloist for six years, and at 21, was appointed lay clerk. For many years he was a prominent dentist and lecturer, and in the field of sport he was a champion sculler and oarsman. After war service Mr. Stevens studied under Sir Flenry Wood, and sang the part of Elijah at Manchester under that conductor, Sir Henry’s nomination of Mr. Stevens for the title role of the oratorio

being practically turned down, the committee received an ultimatum from sir Henry, who won. VIOLINIST FACTORIES. PVERY year the great violinist faetories of Burope, such as the Auer factory or the Sevick taclory, turned out at least one perfect spechnen, He-or_ very occasionally she+is always faultless, Double-stop-ying to him is as simple as ABC, his larmonicgs are as clear as the open string, his scale passages run as easily and swiftly as on a pianola, his bowing arm and wrist have all the suppleness of a willow. Preferably his first name ends in -cha or -scha, but this is not essential. Such an one is Toscha Seidel, and not the least admirable of these comets to burst into the musical atmosphere after the war. Born in Odessa thirty-five years ago Seidel, for four years «a pupil under the late Professor Leopold Auer, reaches perfection if technique, has excellent tone and _ hiss records are a joy to hear. BRICKS AND BACH N an atmosphere of suspense created by the intermittent battering of a riotiug mob on the Auckland Town Hall doors, and the cheering and hooting from the adjoining main hall, Gordon Bryan, the brilliant English pianist ouce enthralled a large andience on a memorable oceasion in 1982 in the Auckland Town Hall Concert Chamber There cannot ve many pianists whlo have ever given a recital under those extremely trying conditions The programme was to have opened with three chorale preludes by; Bach. but showers-of bricks al! round fhe kati decided the soloist to yeuture the mere robust "Joyous" Sonata of Haydn Thie® audience, on venturing forth after the recital, faced a howling mob and he, one will ever forget their experience A LIVING MASTER. THE ‘theorists who maintain that it is bad for an artist to be healthy and to be assured of food and shelter must find Glazonouv difficult to account for. He is one of the comparatively few composers who have never had «to struggle either for a livelilrood or for recognition. To him has befallen a rare experience; during his life time he has become a historical figure a part of musical history, and has been number: ed among the musica] saints. It must not be inferred from this that he is obsolete and belongs entirely to the‘ past. No; his music has simply been / canonized and permanently added to the musical history of Russia, and per-, haps of the world. He still lives, a kind of Russian Brahms. gifted ‘with the technique of composition, with a titanic mastery which seems to have been born with him,