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City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

jennyann

Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
I was having a leaf through a booklet I have on the First 50 Years of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Hugo Rignold was the Principal Conductor from 1960-1968 and many of us remember his daughter Jennifer Gay, who was the first child presenter for Children's Hour on BBC TV. The Principal Conductor before him was Sir Adrian Boult, who served two terms with the CBSO, the first from 1924-30 and his second term was just one year 1959-60. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Rignold
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Gay
 
The CBSO wind section played at Greswold School Solihull on Saturday evening, they were brilliant.
 
I first went to see the CBSO in the late 1950's and the principal conductor was Rudolph Shwarz - so he must have been succeeded by Hugo Rignold - I never realized that "Jennifer" (as she was always known by on Children's TV) was his daughter.
 
My Mother was a professional violinist with the CBSO under Sir Adrian Boult.
She said that some conductors could be very short tempered or temprimental but Sir Adrian would always be patient and try to explain his thoughts very often with humour. If a certain section of the Orchestra did not respond then he was able to go down and show them by playing any instrument. Mike
 
Quoting her Wiki entry - "She is the first female conductor to be named music director of the CBSO".

Maurice
 
But when I first started going to the Thursday CBSO concerts as a schoolboy, George Weldon was the conductor. Programmes in those days were pretty mundane, so when Rudolph Schwarz took over and started introducing more modern works, particularly of British composers, it was like a breath of fresh air to many of us. I remember the premiere of Vaughan Williams' Antartica Symphony, and works by Walton & Bliss. I also remember Bartok's 4th Piano Concerto, which I'd never heard before. Not perhaps to everyone's liking, many of whom would have preferred a Boston Pops sort of programme, but the orchestra always played to full houses and we sat in the seats behind them. I was to later encounter Schwarz as conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

And from 1953 until I underwent National Service, my Thursday lunchtimes were spent listening to the organ recitals of Dr. George Thalben-Ball.

Maurice
 
I similarly remember Messrs. Weldon and Schwarz at the Town Hall in Birmingham. although few pieces of music stand out other than Tchaikovsky Piano concerto No. 1 (B flat minor). I did not get there as often as I would have liked, more in summer time (light evenings and all that), as my journey into the city was considered an issue. Although walking the streets was not the problem it seems to be in some areas today there was the question of unlit lanes - not good when there is no moon ;) - besides there was always 'homework' to be done. :eek: Having spent a while when in the R.A.F at Great Malvern I was able to get to some concerts held there.
The Bournemouth S.O. used to visit Torquay at one time but that does not happen now.
 
Alan,

Travel was fortunately no problem for me as I was living in Albert Road, Kings Heath, so a good choice of buses, and my mate lived in Bourneville Village. Once I came out of the R.A.F. in May 1957 I was busy making music myself, so the opportunity, or for that matter the inclination, didn't arise and by January 1961 I was living in Dorset. I think only the Bournemouth Sinfonietta does any West Country travelling now and that is largely schools. I can remember that at least two days a week travelling was built into the players' contracts. The B.S.O. does the occasional foreign tour and their original home, Bournemouth Winter Gardens - acoustically excellent - was demolished to create a car park, and they moved to what was then Poole Arts Centre, though I believe that has been renamed now. It's all about money, I'm afraid.

Maurice
 
According to the BBC news it is taking place in a warehouse in Longbridge. Would not have thought the acoustics would be very good
 
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