Roger Smith. Photo: Gareth Watkins.
Departing manager of Radio New Zealand Concert Roger Smith shares some personal perspectives and favourite music with David Morriss.
Roger says that he feels proud of Radio New Zealand Concert and believes strongly in the work that it does.
“I’ve had the opportunity to look quite closely at what other similar broadcasters around the world do, and I feel absolutely firmly that the standards that Radio New Zealand Concert achieves are as good as anything anywhere else in the world.
The dividend, what it delivers to the New Zealand listeners is as good as anything else, anywhere… on far less money, on a minuscule budget really. But we do incredible things. Part of what we have to do is to bring the best of NZ music-making to all of NZ, and we do. The national orchestra is brought to the entire country not through the touring that it does, even though the touring is quite extensive, but through the broadcasting that it does, which is right throughout the country. We also bring the best of what’s happening elsewhere in the world, as well, through our relationships with overseas broadcasters, so you can hear the Metropolitan Opera for free on the radio, if you want to, if that’s your thing.
So I am really pleased we’ve been able to continue to do those sorts of things, I’m really proud of the standards that we’ve achieved and maintained. But also, underlying it all is the incredible hard work that the staff deliver day-in day-out, incredibly dedicated, some of the best musical minds in the country work for RNZ Concert, I’m convinced of that and again the standards and the programming that they deliver to New Zealanders is fantastic.”
Music Details
Music details
Heard in this programme:
KHACHATURIAN
Adagio from Spartacus & Phrygia
Bournemouth SO/Karabits
ONYX 4063
KHACHATURIAN
Sabre Dance
Oscar Levant (piano), unnamed studio orchestra
The Barkleys of Broadway
Label: Hallmark (no number)
SIBELIUS
Karelia Suite, 1st mvt
Gothenburg SO/Järvi
DG 447 760
MULDOWNEY
1984, Main Title
The Endymion Ensemble/Muldowney
Album: Nineteen Eighty-Four
Label: Airstrip One (no number)
MAHLER
Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, from Rückert Lieder
Janet Baker, New Philharmonia/Barbirolli
EMI CDC 747 793
BARBER
School for Scandal, Overture
NZSO/Andrew Schenk
STRADAVARI SCD 8012
RACHMANINOV
How fair this spot
Ivan Kozlovsky, (tenor), Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra/Gusman
EMI Melodiya stereo LP ASD 2439
GARETH FARR
Waipoua
Mary Scott (clarinet), NZSO
TRUST MMT 2021
BRAHMS arr Schoenberg
Piano Quartet No 1
Berlin PO/Rattle
EMI 457 815
BRAHMS
A German Requiem, opening chorus
Munich Bach Choir, Munich Radio Orch/Albrecht
OEHMS CLASSICS OC 787
SMITH/WATKINS
Fearful Symmetries Ep4, excerpt
various
RNZ production
LILBURN
Two Pieces for L.B.
Margaret Nielsen (piano)
RNZ recording
HEYMANN
Irgendwo auf der Welt
Lilian Harvey, Ufa Jazz Orchestra / Gérard Jacobson
Label: Edel CLASSICS (no number)
