The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 8

S.ri-ev f'o---a H-i'i. V.w. 17, 157? 8 1 0 0 WWtUlVB wan, i a 77 III ing grouna 4Vn ft jMj cftyj i s-nJ a British team to a ches Olympiad in Yugoslavia in September. If nothing else, all the will-he-he-won't-he tension engendered by Fischer's carry-on at Reykjavik is publicity for the books that will be published when the tournament is all over. Two British publishers are locked in an instant paperback of-the-match race.

Fontana hopes to bring out a move-by-move analysis of the match three days after it ends. Penguin plans a commentary of the Rus-s i a n-American confrontation written by the British Grandmaster C. H. O'D Alexander. If A if I I From LYNNE BELL in LONDON So the women have taken over London And in case anyone should question or argue the point, the Government has put it in writing.

An advance analysis of the 1971 census, just published, says women outnumber men in every nook, cranny and bedsitter of Greater London's 110 square miles. And that includes the last bastion of male dominance, the City of London. For every 100 sober-suited, bowler-hatted men there are 1001 women giving them a run for their floating sterling. Out west, in the fashionable bed-sitmews house husband-hunting grounds of Chelsea and Kensington, there are six girls to every five blokes. And if that doesn't make for tough competition I don't know what does.

In fact, the chances of a girl finding a man in any of London's 32 boroughs gets tougher and tougher. Even in traditional working class areas like Camden (in the north) and Toner Hamlets (the East End) there are more women than men. And while married women in these areas could be expected to stick to the tradition of home and family, in fact 48.4 per cent of them go out to work. Just for the record, don't believe all you hear I tfct I-; i rfi ft rwWl Iff ii5 1 1- 15 WliMiJ the whole length and breadth of the land, you won't discover anything quite like The At gyle Arts Centre. A fascinating mae of splendid little shops nestled inside part of the 137 year old convict built Argyle Store and Bond.

ii Dllliu I mmmm' about London growing more crowded every day, it's just not true. There are 600,000 fewer Londoners now than there were 10 years ago. The level of population in the 12 inner boroughs is what it was way back in the 1850s. I can only assume all those women got tired of waiting and left town. Which brings me to some timely advice: If it's a husband you're wanting, girls, London isn't the place.

After all, first come, first served. And we were here first. Completely out of the blue, singer-turned-actor Adam Faith has started a cult among the mid-teens. As "Budgie," the Cockney TV lad who always backs a loser be it romance, quick money or success Adam has made an unconscious appeal to the kids who have been looking for something to fill the gap left by made. Or there was Na-tivo's domino print black and white silk shirt with long solid black cuffs, a black bow tie and black colour panel from chest to waist.

Then there were his rhinestone daisies pinned on the knot of the white butterfly bow tie and at the tuxedo lapel of an otherwise sober dinner jacket. (AAP) 2 The halter look in soft, floppy crepe in pastel colours of yellow, blue and pink, $28 from Bros Seventeen Depts, Broadway, Parra-matta, Eondi, Chatswood, Roselands and Miranda Fair. Rome fashions: a drycleaners' benefit i- if the fade-out of the skinhead craze. These 14 and 15-year-olds have let their hair grow, changed their Army boots for clogs or conventional footwear, and tried to emulate the life style of their small-time crook idol. Even their cult names would please Budgie.

The hoys call themselves "smoothies" and their girlfriends are "sorts." Adam, a serious 32-year-old, had another generation of teenagers a dozen years ago swooning and screaming at his pop songs. He is a bit surprised at becoming a cult leader now. But his flared jeans, satin jackets, platform soles and near-hippie hairstyle won't disappear when the present TV series ends. He's already started work on the film version cf "Budgie." There has to be some point to the Spassky-Fis-cher chess fiasco in Reykjavik, apart from the hysterical slapstick quality of the entertainment. The people who sell chess sets have found it.

Britain, not a country to turn out chess champions of the calibre of either of the two gents jweat'ng it out in Iceland, is in the middle of a chess boom. The Chess Centre in London reports a 100 per cent leap in the sale of sets in just one week, and the thousands of games and sports shops around the country are delighted with sales. The British Chess Federation reports a huge increase in chess inquiries. The biggest leap in snlcs has been in tiny pocket sets, which every second schoolchild drags out and studies on the bus or waiting for the tube. And the kids are following every move on the board of the international tournament.

"Heads you're Snassky, tails I'm Fischer," is the usual sort of pre-game gambit between chums these days. The interest goes right to the top. The Government has granted $3500 to sichord lent extra lustre, while the 45-voice Philhar-monia Motet Choir sang with a blend of assurance, poise and pedigreed vocal beauty that belongs only to a meticulously selected and trained choral elite. And the soloistsl 1 concur with most of the praise heaped on soprano Joan Carden for her Gilda in the Australian Opera's "Rigoletto'' last week, but I found her Galatea even more artistically groomed: the complete evenness of her voice at both extremes of its compass, the ease and accuracy of her octave leaps tin "As When The the melting tenderness and gentle vibrato and feeling for style were all fused into a superb unitv thM found its apotheosis in the magnificent final aria. Equally splendid was 1 i I "order THE SYDNEY ROME, Sunday.

The men will have a white Christmas this year. As five menswear designers inaugurated five davs of winter coutourier collections in Rome yesterday, white was the surprise new fashion colour. There were Coccoli's white car coats, sashed topcoats and pea jackets worn with navy trousers. Mimmo Siviglia showed an all-white Shetland business Here, in the heart of Sydney's historic Rocks area, you'll find craftsmen actually at work on their beautiful wares and everything is for sale at remarkably modest prices Pottery, silver, copper, enamel-ware, stained glass, opals. Hand-loomed tapestries, PttU JLJ ayJ pfNTERTAINlV'ENT and the ARTSC" hand-made leather belts, hand ELECTRIC SPARKLE Pace and clarity FOR RIGOLETTO bags, and all manner of swinging twentieth-century gear.

As well, there's cosy, rustic Mary Reiby's Parlour to take your coffee or luncheon in. A charming Colonial Museum Children Adults 25c. and two Art Galleries one of contemporary Australian art, the other of Primitive native Art and Artifacts; all guaranteed authentic, and all reasonably priced. And a very special Book Shop with a hand -chosen collection of Australian books and prints. Rain or shine, there's no more fascinating place to while away an hour or two than the Argyle Arts Centre where you' re welcome every day of the week, between 10 a.m.

to 6 p.m. and especially during our Second Anniversary Celebration. The bravest woman in Britain last week must have been Mrs Ellen Murphy. This Welsh grandma from Rhyl, overcome at her first sight of flesh-and-blood Royalty, rushed up to Princess Anne and enveloped her in a bear hug. It was one of those rare Princess Anne bear hug occasions when royalty appeared nonplussed, officials slow-witted and the Princess's bodyguard too far away.

All Mrs Murphy wanted to sav was "Bless you, bless you" but one can't help wondering how the family chat went that night over the late-night Royal cuppa. It just goes to show that Britain is democracy. Not too long ago Mrs Murphy would have been cooling her Royal enthusiasm in the Tower. Robert Gard as Acis with a tenor voice of rare radiance and dramatic shading whether loud (as for his fust aria) or soft In Her Eyes Sits singing of this sort sets standards. Raymond McDonald's ringing tenor was a little overbearing as a shepherd role more suited to counter-tenor or tas Handel later recast it) feble.

while bass John Brosnan handled the great blustering giant Polv-phenus (whom Handel's cook VValz used to sing) with a control and deep mellow resonance that were marvels of their own. The last two pages of the printed program on Saturday were left blank for autographs. Every one of the 68 performers deserved to have his recorded there. I I I I Sydney, NSW. 2001 order for copies at SI.50 ejeh Raymond, the documentary film producer.

The "Herald's" Frontiers of Science feature is translated into 12 languages and printed in more than 100 newspapers throughout the world. Copies of "This Planet Earth" may be obtained by forwarding the completed coupon plus $1.50 a copy to Box 4957, GPO, Sydney, NSW, 2001. Or you may present the coupon and money to our Reader Services Department at 23 Hamilton Street, Sydney, or 235-243 Jones Street, Broadway, Sydney. Western scarves and a self-belt with a big transparent plastic rectangle for the buckle. The styles, generally speaking, were trimmer versions of the classics, with many a reference to British fashions.

But there were a few odd touches, such as Baz-zarini's white shirt cuffs turned up over the jacket sleeves. No button or links thoimh the holes were showed what a gain to the scene of Ripoletto's house can come from a warmer, more spontaneous presence. Even if her voice lacked the absolutely even focus of Miss Carden's, it still rang out surely and clearly and met all the demands asked of it. Saturday's matinee, still highly enjoyable dropped appreciably in striking power by contrast. Byers was not in such good form vocally or this occasion; but the main factor in the different quality of impact of the performance was Beryl Furlan's Gilda.

Miss Furlan is a talented and improving operatic singer who deserves the opportunity; and there were excellent notes in her "Caro nome" along with some rather disconcerting changes of vocal timbre from phrase to phrase. But she seriously lacked the vocal stamina and carrying power for the vengeance duet at the end of Act II, and her voice could not, as both Miss Carden's and Miss Fowles' could, top the last act trio. More central seats at these two performances enabled me to appreciate some aspects of depth and proportion of Allan Lees' sets that had been obscured frcm 4 me at the season's opening. I hasten to record my better opinion of the result, at the same time continuing to feel that the sets are chiefly useful as a neutral framework for the brilliantly designed costumes. rer" I felt a lack of a certain extravagance and impulsive, impetuous nature needed for this and the following pieces.

In these works, which demand some triple forte playing. Demus, equipped technically for any virtuoso challenge, nevertheless often produced a harsh tone, for which the pniiaMe-voiced Bosendor- r'mo may have been js a 'itcJ best to a strength. The Berg sonata was given dramatised angularity, while I recall having felt much more drawn to suit with rows of white stitching at the trouser cuffs. And Bazzarini presented an off-white evening jacket, worn with black broadcloth trousers. It had a notched neckline but no lapels.

At the opposite extreme from such pristine fare, in line as well as colour, were Coccoli's silk overblouses in vivid Chinese-looking floral prints. Thev came with matching flowered pleasure-loving irresponsibility of the character (though there is one nonchalant movement of his right hand in the opening scene that might be the key to further development in this direction): he finds it much easier at the moment to look and sound serious and concerned, so that he really comes into his own dramatically at the beginning of Act II. But at least we know who is master of the court. The Rigoletto of Alexander Major was also a positive help in raising the temperature of the performance. Major is a far more limited actor than Robert Allman, the Rigoletto of the opening night.

Allman can let us know that he is ravaged ith torment and apprehension under the defiant exterior of his Act 11 entrance; Major can do only one thing at a time, dramatically sneaking, and then only in the broadest, staciest terms. All the same, smaller build (it helps if the hunchback is a compact person) and the harder, firmer touch of ebony in his voice, helps him to be more biting and incisive in his scenes of raillery; and, finally, it would be unfair not to salute the enormous progress Major has made in the past two season. Glenys Fowlcs as Gilda contributed in a decisive way to the success of the evening. Without diminishing my memory of the vocal radiance of Joan Carden in the part, she matters of directness and sensitivity. Saturday's program instead called for varying degrees of romantic effusion.

These ranged from the Hummel-Weber-like storming cf Schubert's Fantasy" through the grand sweep of Franck's "Prelude Chorale and Fugue" to the youthful, neurotic romanticism of Alban Berg's sonata. While Demus grve beautiful and fragile bert in ADfiM a finely restrained and gracious performance, the moment he turned to the guns of the "wande By ROGER COVELL As cast changes in "Rigolctto" are running through the Australian Opera like epidemic 'flu, no adequate account of its current impact at the Elizabethan Theatre can be based on a single performance. I have already been back to see two different casts since the season's opening; and I am happy to say that in no sense have these visits been a penance or a feat of endurance. Not only is "Rigoletto" one of the few flawless works in the entire repertory of opera, one that Verdi himself only matched once' or twice in his later career: the Australian Opera's 1972 presentation of it holds together well and amply repays several hearings. For last Thursday's change of cast, in particular, there was an electricity in the house that had been largely missing at the opening performance.

This can certainly be put down partly to the unpredictable ups and downs of opera performance; but it also had something to do, no doubt, with a change in the chemistry of dramatic interaction among the principals. Mark Elder continued to conduct with fire and authority: and this time he had in Reginald Byers a far more confident and vocally stronger Duke to work with. Mr Byers, admittedly, gives us little idea of the form" MORNING HERALD FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE -VOLUME 4 OFFER ipossiiffiarsst lip By FRED BLANKS The egocentric connoisseur who applauded wildly by himself in the middle of Handel's "Acis and Galatea" in the Conscrvatorium on Saturday evening got the right idea in the wrong place. From the first heat of Peter Seymour's baton to the last chord, it was a wonderful performance. "Acis and Galatea" is not just a masque, sere-nata or pastoral (as the original and its pillaged versions were variously defined in the composer's life-time) blessed with half-a-dozen arias of magnetic beauty, but a creation of unflagging enchantment throughout.

Deservedly, it was one of Handel's most successful works. Though he failed to play organ concertos during interval, as Handel did (it would have added a handsome touch), Peter Seymour d'rected a practically authentic readine with the brisk pace and clarity that ensured it a vernal freshness. Handel scored the work for five-part chorus (sopranos or trebles, three tenors of which one was sometimes replaced by altos, and bass), four soloists (soprano or treble, two tenors and bass), and a small body of instruments based on strines and harpsichord with selective woodwind reinforcement and colouring in manv arias. Every one of these departments was staffed by on Saturday. Donald Haze I wood led an excellent task force from the Sydnev Svm-phony Orchestra to which Inerid Walker's recorder and Winsome Evans' harp the work in a recent performance of it here by another pianist, whose approach was to wring fully from it every twinge and ache of seductive nostalgia.

In the Franck, Demus avoided four-square playing in a manner which unfortunately reminded ms of a metronome alternately running down and then being agitatedly rewound. I felt that this concert revealed limitations in his musical temperament leaving him still a mighty player of the architecturally noble classics. Box 4957, GPO. lirw'loscd is cheque 'povul lur NAME(Pleosepnnl) ADDRESS MEET THE CRAFTSMEN the talented creators of the unique, hand -made wares for sale. You buy direct from the reason why prices are so reasonable.

And what a lovely way to gift-shop. I 4 rnrr Poslcode I I I Please write name and address on back of cheque. Science book on sale horn today LACKING IN EXTRAVAGANCE rss.nr.jrom now unni juiy i to celebrate our Second Anniversary 4 faithful 10" reproduction of 4 the original historic map of 4 Sydney Town in 1836. Handsome enough to frame, and quite free to every Argyle Arts Ctifve ntiett sffvtntr liiht IV mm AA852472 Bv ROMOLA COSTANTINO The first ABC subscription recital of Jocrg Dermis in the Town Hall on Saturday somewhat modified previous impressions I had obtained from his Sydney concert appearances a week earlier. F.cviously he had been he.

id in works by Mozart an. I Bach, played in a way which blended he clarity of eighteenth century fingerwork with the best in twentieth century musi-cianship as we know it, in The fourth book in "The Svdney Morning Herald's" Frontiers of Science series goes on sale today. "This Phinct Earth" deals with all aspects of the junior science courses inolving the earth scien-ccs. The scientific adviser to Frontiers of Science is P.ofcssor S. T.

Butler, ot heoretical n'i' th" ''niversity 1 a icjiu-br contributor to the "Herald." The co-author with Professor Butler is Robert.