John Simons (piano)
BBC Scottish Orchestra (Leader, J. Mouland Begbie )
Conductor, Ian Whyte
Talk by Oswald T. Falk
There has been mudh recent controversy about the possibilities of currency convertibility. In this talk Mr. Falk considers whether it is practicable as en immediate measure and discusses the conditions that would have to be accepted.
(The recorded broadcast of Jan. 23)
A musical setting of Eugene O'Neill 's domestic tragedy
' Before Breakfast'
Music by Erik Chisholm
Royal Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra
(Leader, David McCallum )
Winifred Davey and James Moody
(piano duet)
CONDUCTED BY THE COMPOSER
As conductor and composer, Erik Chisholm hasalways been interested in opera. Now principal of the Music Department of Cape Town University, he recently took a smalll company of his senior opera students on an extensive tour of South' Africa One of their most popular operas was Menotti's masterpiece The Medium, with Noreen Berry , an unknown s:nger of twenty-three, scoring an outstand ng success in the role made famous by Marie Powers. To make a double bill with this, Chasholm composed a grim !inrle opera based on Eugene O'Neill 's ' domestic tragedy,' which he retitled Dark Sonnet. One character, Mrs. Rowland, alone appears on the stage. She is the w:fe of a poetic but characterless idler whose apathy and unfaithfulness turn her into a diunken harrid-an; from her sordid kitchen she reproaches and reviles her husband ceaselessly until, driven distracted by her nagging, he cuts his throat as he shaves.
The composer makes use of rhe twelve-note system, which Berg's Wozzeck showed to be very apt for grimly poignant subjects. Dark Sonnet, previously broadcast yesterday in the Third Programme, is to be televised on February 2.
Kenneth Wright
Nirad C. Chaudhuri comments on E. M. Forster 's most recent book, which consists largely of letters from India written in 1912 and 1921 by Mr. Forster himself
The Cantata Singers
Osbotn Peasgood (organ)
Conducted by Reginald Jacques
Motets:
Come, Jesu, come
Sing ye to the Lord
by Calderon
(Sunday afternoon's recorded broadcast)
' The Art of Playing on the Violin
Neville Marriner (violin)
Thurston Dart (harpsichord)
Introduced by Thurston Dart
Extracts from Geminiani's treatise read by Robert Rietty
(The recorded broadcast of Oct. 12)
