By Benchill - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6631064
Royal Concert Dunedin Town Hall January 26, 1954
This Royal Concert, which the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh attended, was given by the New Zealand Orchestra, which was controlled by the New Zealand Broadcasting Service, at the Dunedin Town Hall on the 26th January 1954. The conductor was Dunedin born, (Henry) Warwick Braithwaite, the leader of the orchestra was Vincent Aspey and the soloist was (Thomas) Richard Farrell. Warwick Braithwaite conducted the National Orchestra from early 1953 until August 1954. Up to the time of this concert a number of soloists had played with the orchestra including Yehudi and Hephzibah Menuhin, Lili Kraus, Alfredo Campoli, Loius Ketner and John Brownlee. New Zealand-born artists who had also played with the orchestra included Richard Farrell, Colin Horsley (pianist), Alan Loveday (violinist) and Peter Cooper (pianist).
The programme contained numerous works by British composers, along with works by Engelbert Humperdinck, Serge Prokofiev and Liszt, concluding with God Defend New Zealand sung by the Massed Girls’ Choir of Dunedin.
Nursery Suite – composed by Sir Edward Elgar on the occasion of the birth of Princess Margaret. It was one of the composer’s last compositions.
Prayer and Finale from “Hansel and Gretel” Humperdinck – sung by the Massed Girls’ Choir with two soloists. In the Prayer, the two children wander lost in the forest. As they fall asleep, they sing this prayer to the angels who descend to watch over them. In the Finale there is general rejoicing, the children are reunited with their parents.
Festal March – composed by Dr Gordon Jacob. On the birth of Prince Charles on the 14th November 1948, the BBC commissioned works from three composers, Herbert Howells, Gordon Jacob and Michael Tippett.
Cinderella’s Waltz – composed by Serge Prokofiev. He composed an entirely new score for the ballet Cinderella. This new version was first performed in London by the Sadler’s Wells Ballet, conducted by Warwick Braithwaite at the Royal Opera House, Convent Garden.
Concerto No. 1 for E flat for Piano and Orchestra – composed by Liszt. This concerto lasts about twenty minutes. It premiered in Weimar on February 17, 1855, with Liszt at the piano and with Berlioz conducting. The following is taken from the concert notes. “This short concerto is astonishingly brilliant. The continuity with which the thematic material is used in transformed rhythms and speed allows the four movements to be played without a break. The concerto opens with a proud and audacious theme. Against the fortissimo of a full orchestra, the soloist plays a vigorous passage in octaves. The remainder of the movement is quieter and more graceful. The quasi adagio section is cast in a reflective mood with an episode in recitative. The allegretto vivace movement is announced by the triangle, which plays a prominent part in the lively episode. In the finale, most of the thematic material used earlier reappears and the concerto is brought to a rousing conclusion.
By Henri Lehmann - Cropped image of: this one. Taken from a previous Wikimedia Commons upload., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=100989637
Part Songs: The Snow and Charming Chloe – The Snow was composed by Elgar, a three-part song for female voices set to a poem written by Elgar’s wife. The second song, written by Roy Thompson, is to words by Robert Burns, “It was the charming month of May. When all the flowers were fresh and gay”.
From Alamy.com
Overture: “Cockaigne” (In London Town) Op. 40 - composed by Elgar. The first performance was in the Queen’s Hall, London at a Royal Philharmonic Society Concert, on 20 June 1901, conducted by the composer. The composer takes the listener on a stroll through London where the atmosphere of the bustling city along with the street noises and cries can be heard and imagined.
God Defend New Zealand – words by Thomas Bracken and music by John J. Woods. The programme notes concerning the national anthem are extensive. The editor of the Saturday Advertiser, Thomas Bracken, offered ten guineas for the “best air to the following National Hymn”. Tradition has it the John Woods of Lawrence, Otago worked through the night to complete the music. The three judges from Victoria, Australia awarded the prize to Woods unanimously. According to these programme notes the song was first performed at a ball “in aid of the Lawrence Hospital” where it was very well received. A few weeks later, on Christmas evening 1876, it was played at Dunedin’s Queen’s Theatre, The Lydia Howard Troupe, accompanied by the Artillery Band gave a “spirited” performance that “evoked very loud applause”.
At the back of the programme there is a separate sheet that has printed on it all of the words of the choral items.
The Otago Daily Times dated 27th January 1954, describes the Royal Concert. It states that this concert was the first time that the Queen had worn a formal evening gown in Dunedin. She wore a gown of ice-blue silver brocade, it was low cut at the back, had a halter neckline and a fitted bodice. Her jewellery included a diamond tiara, diamond necklace, bracelets and earrings, she was wearing long white gloves, carried a white handbag and had an ermine stole. Her two ladys-in-waiting also wear gowns as well as tiaras and one, a diamond necklace. There is a royal box in the Dunedin Town Hall which for this occasion was decorated in begonias in pastel shades of cream and apricot. The Prime Minister Sidney Holland and his wife were present. The Otago Daily Times article describes in some detail the floral decorations throughout the Town Hall. After the concert the principal artists were presented to the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh. There was a crowd of 3000 at the concert at the Dunedin Town Hall.
(Henry) Warwick Braithwaite – he studied at the Royal Academy from 1916 - 19. At the age of twenty he won a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music. One of his teachers was Myra Hess. He also won a prize for composition and the Challen Gold Medal for the piano. By the age of 23 he began conducting, beginning with an opera company. He enlisted in the UK for New Zealand during WW1.
He came from a large Dunedin family, some reports state that there were 25 children in the family although there seem to be records for 17. The Southland Times dated 16th August 1916 states that he competed with some success at the local Competitions some years ago. He is the fifth son of Mr Joseph Braithwaite, Bookseller, Dunedin. In the Otago Daily Times dated 21st July 1947, there is an account of an afternoon tea for Warwick Braithwaite where he met some members of his family that he had not seen for a long time. At the time of writing, seven of his siblings were living.
Warwick Braithwaite died on the 18th January 1971 at Finchley Memorial Hospital, London.
His sister Mabel was a singer and her performed with her in london
(Thomas) Richard Farrell – born in Wellington on 30th December 1926, he later studied at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music in Sydney, Australia. He was given a full scholarship to study piano at the Julliard School of Music, New York where he attracted the attention of Aaron Copland. After leaving the Julliard, he gave several concerts in the United States. From 1951 he moved to the UK, making London his home. His repertoire covered many composers – Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Ravel, Liszt, Grieg, Chopin, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. Not long before he was killed, he had moved to Switzerland in preparation for a career as a conductor. He was killed in a car accident in Arundel, Sussex on the 27th May 1958.
References
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Concerto_No._1_(Liszt)
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockaigne_(In_London_Town)
www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard/Farrell