IN THE WAKE OF THE WEEK'S BROADCASTS

Radio Record, Volume X, Issue 3, 24 July 1936, Page 14

IN THE WAKE OF THE

WEEK'S BROADCASTS

Forging Ahead. HAMILT ON DICKSON, the rising young ’cellist of Wellington, was heard again last Thursday night from 2YA in a recital of works of old masters, with Decima Hughson (piano). Each gave a fine performance, and the ’cellist proved that he is:a musician of-rare enthusiasm. His keenness has been testified to on previous occasions, some of which have received notice in these columns,. and many of which deserve more than passing mention. He has provided Wellington listeners with a string ensemble which for performance alone -and we are ignorant of its personnel -is frankly unrivalled in New Zealand for quality of playing. In their last appearance before the 2YA microphone this miniature orchestra put up a surprising. performance which has _ not

only been well received by the -public, partly because of its light nature, but which has been most favourably commented upon by essentially musical listeners. On that occasion Hamilton Dickson’s String Bnsemble played "If I Were King" as it had never been played before in this country to at least this. writer’s knowledge. This young man is-out to give the public good music without boring the listener Who doesn’t want a solid hour of Brahms, Chopin or Handel. And good luck to him! Breathless Surprise. Dont think because one writes for the "Radio Record" that one necessarily knows everything about everything that is broadcast from every station. Some night one goes to the films, sometimes to visit friends Consequently, it was no personal sur: prise to find oneself listening to 2YC last Friday night when Borrah Mine vitch and his Harmonica Rascals were broadcast in a double-sided record. Suffice it to say that the standard of music-for music alone-was high, and two-people who listened in at the same time were hard to convince that this was just a lot of mouth-organs performing. Even now, one doesn’t know the names of the pieces they playedalthough it would be very easy to ask 2YC what the numbers were and then say, "Oh--er, yes. That was a little spot of Tschaikowsky, doncher know ?" Suffice it. that this combination of breathless instrumentalists played their music in a way that was entirely interesting and appealing. ' How the deuce they get all that: beauty out of such things as one used to "play" at Boy Scout camps in one’s youth, Heaven only knows, Grand Pianos. ILL BISHOP-a hearty "Fine Old Hnglish Gentleman" sort of atmosphere pervades his Hight O’clock Revues from 2YA--turned it on again from the Wellington studios last Saturday night. And our challenge. to those who niggle at this regular revue feature is, "Give us, then, something better for Saturday -night’s listeners." The old team ‘were on deck again, and

there are no- grouses about that. Funny point, though, is that in the programmes the announcement for this bright hour finished up with ". and two grand pianos." Maybe a bit strange to comment upon such a minor

thing in such a major performance, but, after all, who among those who take an intelligent interest in broadcasting affairs would ‘think for a moment that a national studio would

provide their performers with a couple of uprights? No doubt Perey Grainger would have been delighted to find a pair of spinets to play about with for percussion effects. ‘But who wants the tinny tinkle of an ‘archaic instrument on Saturday nights when Frank Crowther is the instrumentalist, assisted by Clem Howe? No one? Then why'the fuss? Who started it, anyway? ... In Our Next. WHEN. the presentation of that mysterious body known to listeners as "KY and the Wmbassy Players" gave their second half of "The Listening Well" from 2YA last Wednesday night the show was too terribly thrilly and spy-ie and all that, but one still wonders how the dickens the aged Giuseppe explained away to the painfully suspicious Austrian Intelligence officers the necessarily prominent existence’ of the gas cylinders which were used for filling the female spy’s escape balloon. Bit rough on the old chap, really, leaving him to square that off with the investigators, Sort of thing that makes one glad to be Britishplay the game, you cads, and all that. Had He? ITH the broadcast from 4¥A last Wednesday night among "Songs My Mother Taught Me" came "Robin Adair." Now. to be. confidential,. my own Mother didn’t teach me that. I picked it up at a church bazaar or some other convivial function." ’Smatter of fact, the only thing my Mother ever, told me about "Robin Adair" was the story of the woman who married for the second.time. Her first husband was named Robin, and her second was bald as a badger, and pretty sensitive. Seeing the woman's favourite song while sweeping the. dishes.and wiping the floors was. "Robin Adair,’ it wasn’t long before she was looking for a third husband. Which all goes to show the danger of being too darned cheerful about the house. Hiecoughs. ARELY does the National Broadcasting Service-even before it was called that-break out into hiccoughs. Well,’ not that ‘exactly, but it ‘is seldom that one hears a speaker in those holy twenty minutes between 8.40 and 9 p.m. provide listeners with the startling effect of hiccoughs through a microphone, ‘‘A speaker last Thursday night had the temerity to use this ruse for the purpose of illustrating a joke. And. furthermore, he actually chuckled audibly during his talk over the air, just as though he was enjoying talking to Heaven knows how many thou-sands-or how few dozéens-of listeners, Well, perhaps, he was. . « « Let’s leave him to jt.