In the Wake of the Week's Broadcasts

Radio Record, 29 July 1938, Page 6

In the Wake of the

Week's Broadcasts

KIPNIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN. TIRED!

JAS Alexander Kipnis tired after his . last pwbhlic recital and broadcasi in Christchurch? "Tired?" he repeated, "Not at all-that doesn’t make me tired." Nevertheless. T still wondered.

Christchurch has formed the deplorable habit of victimising every promin-

ent visitor to the city by inviting him to speak at this club, take tea with that group, lecture to the other society. It is a form of conscription against which most visitors are too gracious to protest. Nevertheless, no matter who the notable may be, I defy anyone to talk brightly for even half an hour to a crowd of total, and often uneasy, strangers without feeling some measure of strain. Nothing Mr. Kipnis said or inferred is re-

spousible for this paragraph. But the fact needed no telling!

YOUNG ORGANIST SHOULD TRAVEL FAR

Those who have heard Arthur Pywell on Tuesday nights, when he gives a 15-minute relay for 4ZB from the consile of the Christie ergan at the Empire Theatre, are marvelling at the skill and dexteritv

with which this young man, still in his ‘teens, handles the mighty instru-

ment that has taxed even world-fam-ous players. Mr. Pywell plays all classes of music and is particularly effective in jazz. Some listeners assert his performances are as good as those of Leslie Harvey, but, however that may be, it seems likely, at least, that the young man is destined to go travel

ii anusic. His recent appointment us organist and choirmaster to St. Mary’s Church, Mornington, is a step ulong the right ‘road. .

ALEC REGAN CAUGHT HIMSELF OUT

Even an old trouper is caught offguard now and then, Last Wednesday night it was Alec Regan, manager of Wellington’s Regent Theatre, who made the slip. For some weeks he has

been turning the "Leaves from the ‘Diary of a Film Fan" from stations

2YD and 4YO--at least his was the name I put to that light, quick voice with the trick of easy laughter and very artful hesitations, Hyen if I had not guessed his identity must have been revealed on Wednesday at 2¥D, For Regan, an-

nouncing a record between his script, said with naive emphasis: "This is gung for you by-PHIL-Regan." »%.

SPORTS RESULTS MUST BE ACCURATE

Sporting men have come to rely on the radio for on-the-minute results of matches-which puts the onus heavily on the services to be accuratc to the last detail. Bad slip by an announcer

of 2YC on Wednesday night was the statement that the All Blacks had won

their game againsi Western Suburbs at Wellington, Australia. As the dusty, dirty town of Wellington, bome of Australian country Rugby, lies on the plains some 200 miles or more from Sydney, "Western Suburbs" was a rather parochial nick. name for Western Districts. »

WHY NOT A RADIO DIGEST?

Very boring was last week for listeners not interested in speeches. On Tuesday from 2YA came series of long and dull verbiage on the proposed Wellington Cathedral, and on Wednesday

night from ali the main stations was Budget, Budget, Budget-as if most of us didn’t have

juite enough of that at home with the price of coal up. One realises, of course, that numerous listeners do like their Parliament to be audible (if not intelligible) and ordinarily I give in politely on this point, turning to the ZB’s or the alternatives for solace. Still, I think the Nationals are rather inclined to overdo the broadcasting of public events like the Wellington Cathedral discussion. Unless politicians and others adapt their speechifying to radio requirements-which stipulates terseness. of phrase, conversational charm and good delivery-I cannot see that they should be allowed to wear out good valves at listeners’ expense. Why not a journalist-announcer on the NBS who could take notes and give us

all the "meat" of meetings in a brief, interesting quarter hour or less? Why should radio digests not prove as good sellers as literary digests? *

CHRISTCHURCH SUFFERED "THE OUTRAGES"

Sorry features from the NBS are two dramatisations of incidents in the history of the British Trade Unionism which go under the-name of "The Dorsetshire Labourers" and "The Sheffield

Outrages." The service is nebulous in its classification of these two "dramatic inter-

ludes," but listeners have at least definite adjectives for them-not at all flattering. Dull in presentation, these propagandist scraps are at the best boring and at the worst infuriating. J am sorry to see them doing the round of the National stations, Christchurch suffering the "Outrages" last week. *

"THANK YOU" SAID CHARMINGLY

Greatest regret of my lisiening this week was in tuning in five minutes late to the final New Zealand broadcast of Professor G. B. Alexander, manager of the Le Moyne University

Debating Team, who spoke his fare- . well from 2YA on Thursday night. His subject was

America, but he saved enough time at the end for the most moving and sincere little "thank you, New zealand" that I have ever heard from any visitor-on stage or air. The talk that went before was also excellent, not at all academic but good, humourous stuff about American football and American English. The professor’s accent and quaint intonation gave it all extra ap-peal-made me doubly sorry to hear that charming farewell. fe

MEANINGLESS BUT 1 LIKE IT

Cireumstunees alter cases, they say, and I am coming to believe it. For a time I have been attempting to make something of this new piece of musie, "Vieni, Vieni.'-wondering how it.

could be classified. T didn’t know exaciIy what to think about it, exeept that it was lively

and hopelessly meaningless. I suspectI did not like it. Then the other night Tino Rossi, Italian. tenor, gaye a rendering from 4YA, «and suddenly "Vieni. Vieni" had all the dignity of 2 song. I still don’t understand it, but I know now { like it. *

AFTER THIS NO MORE COMPLIMENTS

Perhaps it is not right to be alwuys harping on the virtues of "Scenes from the Sporting Past," the new NBS serjes, and to leave singers, musicians, speakers, character actors and others

in the lureh., so 4 shall say just this of the series and promise not to mention it again: The

audience it serves is larger, I suppose, than any other block of listeners. Sport is New Zealand’s highest common factor (or should one say, lowest common denominator?) and thiy ser-ies--ineluding the extracts from 2YA last week of the Rugby match between the 1905 All Blacks and Scotland--~-

feeds our passion for sport in as satisfying a manner as any radio provender possibly could, ‘To all concerned, I dips me lid.

BBC SPEAKER: PROVES HIS WORTH

Fine example of how a radio lulk should be delivered was given by Mr. S. K. Ratcliffe, speaking from 1YA and 3YA recently. These talks on English celebrities and on Roosevelt

were well presented and all the more interesting because the

: speaker knows intimately the people he discussed. Mr. Ratcliffe is one of ihe outstanding radio speakers in Dngland and is not only a member of the BLC committee but has often broadcast from Daventry. It was he who described President Roosevell’s first inauguration. A distinguished English journalist, Mr. Ratcliffe was acting-editor of the Caleutta "Statesman" for three years, and has been connected with the Hnglisk "Spectator" and the ‘Manchester Guardian." B4

HAVE AT YOU, MR. GORDON MIRAMS

1 would be more than human if f did not relish the opportunity of eriticising the talk of my friend and colleague Gordon (‘"Honest-to-goodness" } Mirams, given on the quaint subject of duelling in the

Manners Makyth Man series last week from 2YA. Tirst then, he rush-

ed into his subject at such express speed that it seemed in the beginning he did uot intend to stop at any sta-tions-full stops, paragraphs or others, Though somewhat exhilarating, this technique made the early part of his talk difficult to follow, but later he slowed down and one could absorb some of the extraordinarily interesting aspects of the art of duelling. Though he obviously knew his subject with all the intimacy of loving study, Mr. Mirams surprised me by treating duelling with the utmost contempt. pra

SO DEBATES NEED NOT BE SO SOLEMN

Iexperts ar wise-cracking, the two members of the Le Moyne negro debating team gave Christehburch a new form of entertainment the other night, Debates are generally such solemn affairs,

probably because the subjects are too weighty; but these American visitors, though not dercend-

ing to vaudeville, had the crowd rocking with laughter every few sec onds. An exceedingly good impression Was made also by one of the Canterbury College speakers, Miss M, Dalwiell, 4

WHEN TEMPO _ GIVES BRIGHTNESS

OO INuLy vrehestras in New Zeaiand have the idea that orchestral music must necessarily be taken at slow tempo. It is all very well to strive for the round organ tone, but incisive-

ness In compinet work is all-impor-tant. An instance Wag provided by

, orA Urcnestra the other night when the "Tales of Hoffmann" suite was presented at a speed which quickened interest in this colourful work,