Radio_Hong_Kong_1956-1957 — Page 27

The weekly series of recitals by local artists continued.

77. The backbone of musical programmes in Hong Kong is the gramophone record, and recorded performances were used to provide a balanced range of all types of classical music.

The Sunday Concert featured a major work each week; modern music was represented by the weekly 'Music of the Twentieth Century'. Thursday evening was devoted to opera lovers, while instrumentalists and singers featured in the weekly 'Virtuoso'. Other programmes during the week were pro- grammes of ballet music and shorter orchestral works.

The B.B.C. transcription service provided many excellent musical programmes among which the Promenade Concerts and 'Music in Miniature' had a large following.

Light music.

78. The Hong Kong Concert Orchestra under its Conductor, Victor Ardy, broadcast several times during the year from recordings made at their public promenade concerts. The Band of the Far East Air Force and the U.S. Air Force Symphonic Band both broadcast during their visits to the Colony. The Band of the North Staffordshire Regiment showed just how versatile a good military band can be with 'Variety in Music', a programme in which military marches were interspersed with the music of the band playing as chamber groups, or as dance and modern jazz groups.

79. Terry Parsons is a name which may be familiar to listeners in the Colony a few years ago. He was at that time a soldier serving in Hong Kong and from time to time broadcast as a singer with several small dance combinations. He left Hong Kong, was demobilized and became a bus driver in London, but not for long. His talents were recognized, and in a very short time he was appearing in Variety shows and in broadcasts as Matt Munro. He is now among the top singers in the United Kingdom and to celebrate his success, John Wallace, who had been the first to introduce him to Hong Kong audiences, presented some of the recordings he made for Radio Hong Kong.

80. Another popular musician, Tommy Abraham, left the Colony for England during the year and his departure was marked by two jazz concerts in August and September.

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