THEIR CIVIL WAR

Radio Record, 5 August 1938, Page 9

THEIR CIVIL WAR

By

EMILE

| Musical B) trife Between Husband Wife Is. The Family Jest-of The » Schramms W hen They Play Two Pianos

-"~ WASTER pianist whe began life as o boy | \prodigy, Paul Schramm has come to ~ live in New Zeeland, with his home in Weltington. He is well remembered by "radio listeners for his NBS -tour fast December. This time he brings another musical asset, his wife, Diny Schramm, -~ with whom he plays two-piano works. }

&6 E call it our civil war," said Paut. Schramm, ‘"‘this playing of two--piano music by my wife ‘andmyself." He laughed across at his smiling wife, Diny. Schramm, | the Dutch girl"

whom he nad met in Moland.: et She had been a music’ studént in Holland and Germuny, had been a teacher in the Conservatorium at Holland, and she had studied as a2 pupil..under the visiting Paul Schramm. "And go it happened," says Paul Schramm. The brilliant Austrian pianist 'who has left. Batavia to live in New Zealand, which he toured ‘under engagement to the NBS last December, laughed a¢ross at his. smiling wife. Even Hans. the small son of the Schramms, looked up with a flash of amusement in the eyes raised from the arithmetic book on the table in front.of him. For Hans must soon go to a New Zealand school. ~ nS "Usually Divorcing"’ "THIS year will be the tenth anniversary of ‘their civil war, the Schramms told me. ‘They will. continue. the campaign shortly with two piano--recitals in New* Zealand. «- : : ~

"We are one of the .very seldom artist pairs who are still. together after 10 years," said. Mrs, Schramm. "The others are usually divorcing very quickly." PHERD is ‘is a * good" deal of music specially © writtén for two pianos, but naturally-mach: less than for piano © solos.) ; This,’. how every ' =, d0e8 : not worry*, _Payl Schram. He merely arranges: , one piano compositions for .two pi--anos, ..He has ar-. ranged works by Weber,.. Rubinstein and Strauss, and one, work which. he thinks will-be wellliked in, New Zealand, . Gershwin’s ' "RRS DSOOE in Blue? . & a F ae

ee Teee ee ete ee, th\ tain was pouring ‘steadily down on the ‘Wellington streets. There was not much ’‘warmth-after Batavia. if . "We the cold," said \Mits:Schramm, "and so does our car. We brought it .with

us from Batavia. Our blood is too cold and. its oil is too thick." ~ They. said they thought they were going to like New Zealand very’ much, but when they arrived after the . Tasman crossing, "much shaken by the sea," they were wélcomed. by what were icy storms for people coming from the. tropics, and they were seasick and frozen. " " ""we could only cancel everything and nurse ourselves." ‘They sthiled in rueful recollection. No More Wars PAUL SCHRAMM is well-remembered in New Zealand for his provocative and original interpretations of Beethoven, Bach and Chopin during his recent NBS tour. He began hig career aS a boy prodigy, when he made his first tour of the Balkan States, Germany and Austria. From then on, he showed remarkable progress, both as @ pupil of Leschetizky and subsequently as a concert pianist. ' He lived in‘ Berlin until 1988, snd then made a tour of the Fay Fast.

"¥ had no faith in Burope," he said. "I liked Batavia so I stayed there. And I made all my subsequent tours from that divine * place." Paul. Schramm served with the Austrian. army for two years during the war. He does not want to be mixed up in any more wars. What he @*sires most is peace and freedom. He found them in _the colourful islands of Batavia, and he hopes to find them again in New Zealand. jX Batavia -he . had his .own symphony orchestra of &° -instrumentalists, . "Tn it," be says, "we. had men of airs nationalities, sv. Gontd. onp..85).

Their Civil War

PAUL SCHRAMM AND FAMILY (Continued from page 9.) We had everything from a Dutch count down to a Malay soldier. We had to rehearse in six languages--Dutch, German, English, French, Malay and Chinese !" FTER. his NBS tour last December, Paul Schramm went to Australia for a tour with the ABC. On that tour, he told me, he compused a small orchestral piece for the Batavian Symphony Orchestra, of which he is the eonductor. "As a gift for my return to Batavia." He finished it in the dining-room of an hotel on the Kalgoorlie goldfields. When he reached Perth he showed it to the conductor of the Perth Orenestra. a "HE found it amusing," said Paul Schramm. "It was a light piece depicting the joys and sorrows of a provincial orchestra. He wanted to broadcast the piece." But the piece needed four pereussion men and the orchestra could raise no more than three. There was only one thing to do. Paul Schramm enlisted in the orchestra as the mi.sing percussion man. He played the big drum and the triangle. " A T the rehearsals the orchestra laughed at my efforts. My perspiration was very heavy because I could never get in on the right bars. But on the evening of the broadeast everything was all right and I was very proud.’ JN the past year Pauw? Schramm has made three tours of Australia for the ABC, an exceptional number for any artist. He has been asked to undertake other tours for the ABC from time to time while he is living in New Zealand, At the moment, he is preparing to give a week of recitals in Wellington, from August 15 to August 19 inclusive. ‘Three of these will be evening recitals, two of them for one-piano works and one for two pianos. Twc school recitals Will be given on afternoons, one for one-piano works and one for two. "Thus," says Piul Schramm, "I hope to introduce.myseif to the pubiie in the tight way."