Serious Music's Reply to Dance Bands

Radio Record, 3 July 1936, Page 12

Serious Music's Reply to Dance Bands

A Week of Many Promising Studio Performances

.t T’S all very well to have campaigns for flesh-and-blood dance band broadcasts, but what about the flesh-and-blood musicians whose performance is intended to please the listener who appreciates more serious music? The rhetorical question is put just at the right time, for next week’s pro-grammes-revedl @ particularly busy period as. far as studio perfornances «are concerned; and the variety of composers represented

in these flesh-and-blood broadcasts -including several New Zealanders -should satisfy the wandering taste. frroM 1YA there will be two evenings on which the studio will be filled with fine harmonies-instead- of having them taken off records. Beethoven's Spring Sonata is to.be performed by Haydn Murray (violin) and, Owen Jensen (piano) on Wednesday night, July 8, and on the following evening the first

half of the concert programme will be devoted to music by New Zealand: composers. It is generally considered that this work of Beethoven’s in F was named the "Spring" because of the sense of vivacity, joie de vivre and animal spirits which pervades the work, especially in the first and last-two movements. The two instrumentalists may be relied upon to give’a’ suitable intevpretation to the work. A programme of the sort to be presented on the Thursday night is a most

encouraging sign in a young country ot a sincere urge to creative effort in music. the numbers are. being performed by New Zealanders, and Owen Jensen is to-be heard again. Listeners will rapidly detect . unmistakable signs of definite harmonic enterprise and original thinking in some of the compositions, The first performance in New Zealand of Delius’ Concerto in C Minor will be broadcast on Sunday night, Juiy 5,.from 2YA. Delius was born in Braidford, England, in 1863, and at the age of 20 he went to Florida, where ke wrote some of his most interesting works. After European study he lived almost exclusively in France, preferring the quiet countryside to the bustle of cities. Unfortunately, the orchestral parts of this concerto were not avaiiable; but, while it was realised that its presentation would be enhanced if it could be performed with full orchestra] accompaniment-Delius being so not: ably a master of the use of orchestral colour-it was thought that it wouid be a pity to miss the chance of presenting this outstandingly beautiful work-on that account. It was, therefore, decided to broadcast the concerto with two. pianos. . In this case New Zealanders: will: not be the performers, the task: being allotted to Mrs. Evelyn de Mauny and Paul Vinogradoff, the former to provide the "orchestral" accompaniment. Friday will be the big night for 3YA, when Arthur Gordon and Aif Binns will play violin and piano parts respectively for the broadcast of: Paul Juon’s Sonata in A Major. This work has been very seldom done.- It is, however, of a refreshingly vivid and vital nature, written by the most prominent of the Latvian composers. Juon has composed a number of smaller piano pieces, but this sonata is one of his bigger works. A symphony and a quintet from 4¥4 shouid piease the classic-lovers. Mo_zart’s ‘Jupiter" Symphony (No, 41) in © Major is to be played by the 4¥A Concert Odchestra under the baton of Gil Dech on Thursday night, July 9, In 1788, within two months, Mozart composed three noble symphonies, of which this is one-considered the finest of the trio. ‘It is not known why this ° symphony has been called "The Jupiter." Jahn, one of the master’s biogra _ phers, thinks that the name #s intended to indicate the majesty and splendour of the music rather than to suggest a deeper symbolism. ,The finale is a mas terpiece of marvellous art which leaves an impression of a magnificent princels pageant, The major work to be presented by the 4YA.Chamber Music Piayers from the same station on Friday night is Schubert's Quintet in A Major. Schubert wrote the parts of this "Trout’ quintet without making any score, and played the piano part at the first performance without having written any | of it at all. Melodious as Schubert ever is, there are few of his works upon which he has lavished as many lovely themes as on "The Trout," one of the finest chamber music works in exist‘enee, and one of the-first written for piano and strings--Mozart and Beeihoven had provided for piano with woodwind. Another unusual feature of "The Trout" is that it has tive move ments instead of the conventionai four