MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Radio Record, 20 May 1938, Page 26

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

There is no art without life, = There is no life without growth, = There is no growth without change, There is no change without contro-rersy.-TI'rank Rutter,

T has been a poor week for goo. music through the loudspeaker. Municipal elections and political speeches seem severely to have cut into time usually devoted to concert work. So, at the risk of not quite justifying the title of my page this week, I would like to refer to a very considerable bulk of correspondence received from performers whose work has been mentioned, Such interest is particularly encouraging. This page, while I hope it may he read with some little interest ‘by general listeners, aims chiefly to offer studied criticism, and perhaps some small degree of help, to performers. lam happy always to have their comments-even when, sometimes, they are not very complimentary ! Critics are as fallible as performers -perhaps more so... None realises that better than I do. However, correspondents who take me to task for some candid opinion or other, might pay me the compliment o! careful reading, [ recently received from a listener a ietter that took mc to task for saying New Zealand hac no Bach player. I didn’t say anythiug of the sort. I said that, as yet, I had not heard one. I was recommended by the irate correspondent to listen to Miss sepaaen

Fama, and at the first opportunity | most certainly shali. N the same subject some of the finest Bach playing I have ever heard was by Paul Schramm when I heard him in Australia, What I liked about Schramm’s Baeh was that it was played with such ease. There was none of the stiffness in his playing that is so characteristie of concert platform performance of that ingenious mathematician of music. I enjoyed Schramm’s performances so much that I was almost convineed that Bach was easy. A Woolston correspondent seeks advice about the Malaskin song "O Could I But Express in Sung." Last week I criticised a singer for not paying attention to the rhymical sense of ‘the final page of this number. I can only reiterate my previous criticism. The singer did not obserye the correct note valuation in most placés where the yoeal line differed rhythmically from the accompaniment. This was noticeable particularly in the final page of the song, Iam very pleased the performer wrote about this song, and I believe that she honestly considers she presented the Number with at least rhythmical accuracy, Still I cannot agree, Such mistakes can be made quite unconseiously. Unless an artist performs twos against threes with perfect concentration then the twos will easily hecome parts of the threes. A good

exercise for singers to avoid this is to sing a scale of two octaves svhile a piinist plays a scale in three octaves, both, of course, starting and finishing. at the same time, The danyer really occurs in an aitempt to "jit-in" the quavers with the triplets. This method should be abolished. Ewen recording artists fall into ‘his trap at times. To Mrs. M. H. L. Robinson, of the Royal Christchurch Musical Society, who published her complaint in the "Reeord" regarding my criticism of a recent performance, I can only say again that such criticisms as I offer are entirely without knowledge of the performers and without prejudice. I did not listen to the trio as by six minutes to nine I was tired of the Holst I had heard. Last Sunday I heard Ernest Jenner again, He was at 3YA playing piano solos. The annotations were good and the playing splendid. Two women ‘cellists were broadcasting the same evening-Jean Clarkson, from Auckland, and Nancy Estall, from a southern station. Both players produced good tones, but Miss BEstall sounded to me to have the more warmth in her performance. Her tone was Tich and full, even if the actual items were trivial in the musical sense. Harp accompaniment set off the ensemble excellently, Being a bit oldfashioned I do not know of a more attractive "drawing-room setting" than fwo young ladies playing ’cello and harp! . Jean Clarkson played better music than her contemporary but both artists played well in time throughout-there was no glissando noticeable, There is nothing more Objectionable in string playing than to listen to continual sliding from one moye to another,

BY

SCHERZO