Letter Book Guide

TENDENCIES AND CONTRASTS IN MUSIC OF HENRY BARRAUD 35 it is not the music which is stretched out taut but rather the subject of the drama which is reduced to its fundamental tragic elements. Numance was originally per- formed at the Paris Opera and in view of its success has already been revived there. and final concert was a pot-pourri of twentieth- century English traditionalists, together with LETTER the Suite from Lulu by Berg. THE EDITOR, TEMPO lSthJune, 19S7- Everyone thinks that he can compile an DEAR SIR, anthology better than the next man, and it An event of great importance in the world would be churlish to criticise the L.P.O. for of modern music took place in the early having omitted works that happen to be months of this year with a series of concerts particular favourites of particular people. It entitled " Music of a Century " given in the was clearly never the intention of this series Royal Festival Hall by the London Phil- to be more avant than the avant-garde. harmonic Orchestra. Nevertheless, the total omission (barring the I attended all nine of these concerts, puerile Ballet Mecaniaue by Antheil) of works which, to quote from the handbook issued by native American composers was startling. to cover the series, were "cast in the form 1 would suggest that if concerts of con- of an anthology, with each programme temporary music are to be given to a wide pursuing some particular line of musical public in the Festival Hall, and that if the thought." idea of an anthology is to be persisted with, The first concert, entitled " Retreat from a wider range of works should be considered Wagner," was one of the most rewarding for performance. of the series, the highlight being a wonderful Nevertheless, this series of concerts was rendering of Strawinsky's Symphony of Psalms. a fine advertisement for contemporary music, The second concert, entitled " Adventures and the merits far outweighed any short- in Tonality," contained a curious compound comings. It is greatly to be hoped that the of music that was tonal, Hindemith-tonal, L.C.C. and the Arts Council will continue polytonal and atonal: incidentally, although to sponsor such worthwhile ventures; it is the programme set out a useful quotation also greatly to be hoped that the printed from Hindemith's Philharmonic Concerto programmes will be thoroughly checked for (which could really have done without one) printing errors, which were legion. it failed to set out the note-row for Schoen- Yours faithfully, berg's Five Pieces for Orchestra, so that we R. A. BULLOCK. were left completely in the dark as to the composer's intentions. For the third concert, entitled '' Strange Orchestras," the hall was packed to capacity, and obviously many of the audience had BOOK GUIDE come more in the mood to hear the Hoffnung THE ART OF TYMPANIST AND Orchestra than the L.P.O. The fourth DRUMMER concert, entitled " Nostalgia," was com- by Andrew A. Shivas, M.D., D.P.H. posed wholly of pops, and the same is true (Dennis Dobson, 8/6 net) of the fifth, aptly called " Once Upon a Time." With the sixth concert we were I find Mr. Shivas' book delightfully refreshing offered Mahler's Song of the Earth and and informative. Sufficient encouragement Britten's Spring Symphony: this was an and enlightenment is given to the amateur— enterprising programme, even if not wholly particularly with regard to the possible mastery successful in execution. of the side drum—that, speaking as a pro- With the seventh concert, entitled fessional I experienced a twinge of alarm. " Primitive Strength," we were offered a I foresee a marked diminution in the " well- thrilling performance of Strawinsky's Rife earned copper, (not forgetting the ham tea ") of Spring and some little-played works of derived from the heretofore pleasant engagement Janacek and Bartok. The eighth concert, as an "extra" with the amateur organisation. entitled " Diversion," contained a charming The lack of printed examples, giving space for Concertino for Pianoforte and Orchestra by detailed technical observations is in itself Francaix and Arnold's Second Symphony, highly commendable, and the beginner will but some may have felt that the distinguished profit well from the combination of the old conductor, Massimo Freccia, was not in and new styles of practise for the attainment sympathy with this kind of music. The ninth of the long roll. Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. Open University Library, on 08 May 2019 at 13:41:05, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0040298200044065.

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