J. E. Whittaker
Leader, J. Mouland Begbie
Conductor, Guy Warrack
Ella McConnell (contralto)
Humperdinck's delightful opera Hansel and Gretel, based on Grimm's well-known story, was first produced at Weimar during Christmas, 1893, and at Daly's Theatre in London on Boxing Day, 1894.
The overture begins with the evening prayer, which is broken into by one of the witch's themes on the trumpet. Later we hear the lovely tune of Gretel's waking song and the merry dance of the children at the end of the opera.
The 'dream pantomime' music accompanies the interlude when Hansel and Gretel, lost and frightened in the wood, have said their evening prayer and gone to sleep. They dream that a staircase of light is let down from Heaven and that fourteen -angels descend and stand around them to guard them against all evil.
The ' witches' ride ' is the prelude to Act 2 ; the grotesque music speaks for itself. These witches are comic characters ; no one need take them too seriously.
ELLA MCCONNELL AND ORCHESTRA
Songs by Dvorak:
Mein Lied ertont (My song resounds)
Rings ist der Wald (Silent Woods) Als die alte Mutter (Songs my
Mother taught me)
Reingestimmt die Saiten (Tune thy fiddle, Gypsy!)
Darf des Falken Schwinge (The
Heights of Tatra)
Allemande, Courante, and Gigue
at the Organ of the Granada,
Woolwich
Where Shakespeare Acted
A. Ivimey
This is the first of six talks on London by the author of 'The, Romance of London' and 'A History of London '. Alan Ivimey , who was born in London, is the only son of Dr. John Ivimey , who was Director of Music both at Cheltenham and at Marlborough, and is now organist at All Souls', Langham Place.
Alan Ivimey was educated at
Cheltenham College and King's College, Cambridge. He is a well-known journalist who makes a feature of writing about, and lecturing on, London, and photographing London, too. He is on the editorial staff of the Amalgamated Press, and also contributes to various daily and weekly periodicals.
Leader, A. Spiero
Under the direction of Emilio Colombo from the Hotel Victoria, London
