You are on page 1of 20
16 THE END OF AN By 1939 the Proms had already survived looked as though with the support of | BBG, the established presence of their foun¢ manence of the Queen's Hall, they had obstacles in sight that had not already been 0 broke out. Few people, it seems, realised | collapse of the League of Nations, tyrannical power, the persecution none of it meant very much at home did come it would have any more physi as usual Henry Wood and They opened on the ¢ came to an abrupt halt. The apparent that the hostilities paigns of 1914-18, and thei For the first time Sir Henry, 1 a full-time associate, Basil Can {_A former member of the Qu with regard technique same pioneering spirit which had ¢ founder-conductor of the Torqt Centenary Festival, which was t of those days, and prompte d he conducted under | convenience as it had pre called Cameron could cond Battle of Blitz h od surveying the naa the Queen’s Hall after it had been the night of 10.and 11 May, 1941. The Queen’s Hall Proms spina also Sir Henry's. According to Jessie ‘en when the news of its destruction was broken to him. conducted cot i gi ¥ 1 conducted community singing, Gerald Moore would accompany any Fields or Vera Lynn number, ge as soloists—playing the for, from Schubert to the latest Grac Jience would suddenly em Cameron recalls those day embers of the au singing, or whatever an Boult strolled in just when we were going to do the Symphony. He joined in on the triangle. And Benno Moiseiwitsch, who ad been the soloist in the evening’s concert, stayed on and played the piano part in Schubert’s Trout Quintet, which he had never played before. We just stuck the music in front of him. lone of the great moments was when we announced that & famous conductor ‘now in Australia’ would conduct the Figaro Oye ar On to the form walked Sir Thomas Beecham—or the exact image of him—and proceeded to conduct the overture with all the typical mannerisms. He was Pyen a tremendous reception. He was, in fact, Ralph Nicholson, a violinist in the LSO. One night Sir A pla 101 For the 1941 the size of the Qt spaces: the Ror Memorial and Ke talked of the Royal on to say: was closed for ; Unfortunately twas that in 1941 ihe new home in th the LSO te Soi found a Once again assisted by Basil Gi romenade concerts. o'clock so that peop! relevant precautions In the event auditorium i and attendant person sh ‘Trenches in | Ameri cart’s blood’, hold on the present-day repertoire f s. In the course of the 194: An occupied Europe. ‘The presence of Sir Adrian Boule was a timely acknowledgement of his influence as the BBC's Director of Mu 1889. He graduated with the Doctor had been President of the Univers 1913 studied at the Leipzig Conserv, Niki including at Liverpool audiences could hear Bach and programme. He finall Philharmonic Society during the notable for including first Albert Sammons), and The already conducted this suite Hall on 29 September 1916 Wood was present at this It was Boult’s first cont a little symposium publ A day or tw Symphony, in enter the name of y ae Sir Adrian joined the staff of the afterwards succeeded Stanford ; went on to organise an enterpr Orchestra in Kingsway Hall Diaghilev's Russian Ballet com both his own reputation and. over from Wood as conductor this led to his first major Orchestra, Then in 1930 h BBC, and conductor-in- tayed 0 succeeded by Bliss) and 1950 (when his plac the BBG, Boult play music policy, in America whe the gratitude Nevertheless | 1944 was Wood's seventy-ffth year, fact. He continued to hope thet nual option on the Albert Hall, few problems. Basil Cameron was support of Boult, and a newcomer, if mot always with the maestro's ap son of the Proms seemed not know, and wor Concerts were for strings, the Beet of his Fifth Symphy Wood's own passions Even though the was by no means during the period bet was unsettled, notably should have the « Concerts” for an apse of two days, the from the BBC's Bec standards, Wood pres one on 12 July, and a Beatrice Harrison, Ne Henderson, Harriet | rehearsal of the with the orchestra i them play it!’ In d with him, he slep stor) : w 109 yayet tOSBIS DOOM. yeu “PRPRIA WOqIoFy “yornyyy s,e1yojndag 1g—z0ua) se Suns & mt PHOIIA, “OA oy UL ng «; wsenG jo uStor OU} UT o10Jaq svat asoup [[v 2194 aov{d DU 6 4 “Aoqqy SISUIUNSA MA UL JOU yor 07 prey Apsnf ox9M sayse sty og AQ y ee Paiuney suvas vore ures yey Aepo} uaad wy} uopuoT jo j1ed Sbynog v's P22IUDDUO os Wo0q pry at] asoym ueur v AOy [ei My gon SX Su 3 y iy Diss uosiaduir 00} ce UInY VW ‘sioy}0 pue Aouing ‘apuexy ‘|ooung Jo sur feaieo rs AAV. sorsurusa yy UE ISX PNOYs sayse s.poom ey? paiss ‘rey tau, .. UIBU_ jo ony fe Mey ob ML wor woHeU am, se aquosop 07 sum daqe [M 3u0 sy ang — 7 TeMorey s.uon eu OY) sem a Perouny Cur 4 un} & Jo asnesaq ysnf up: Og 2q JOU Pinos syusWaSeSus

You might also like