A pile of concert programmes has come into my possession and it’s an opportunity to share them with you in the hope of encouraging memories or more local material.
The first is a concert programme for the London Philharmonic Orchestra – founded by Sir Thomas Beecham back in 1932 – and playing at Bath Pavilion on December 1st 1943 ‘at the request of the Society of Cultural Relations with the USSR.’
The principle conductor at that time was a Ukrainian-born young man called Anatole Fistoulari (1907-1995) who apparently had signed a contract with the Orchestra to perform 120 concerts around the country during those wartime years.
Quite an undertaking but he had found time earlier that year to marry a young lady called Marina who happened to be the daughter of a rather famous musical composer by the name of Gustav Mahler.
Incidently, the London Philharmonic showed its own wartime spirit by keeping going despite the fact that many members of the orchestra had lost their instruments in an air raid on the Queen’s Hall in London in 1941. An appeal for replacements was successfully broadcast by the BBC!
The British Concert Orchestra paid a visit to the Bath Pavilion on Sunday December 4th 1949.
Its conductor was Viennese-born actor and radio comedian Vic Oliver who has the distinction of being the very first ‘castaway’ when Desert Island Discs began in 1942.
The popular piano duo team of Rawicz and Landauer performed at Bath Pavilion sometime in the post-war years. No year on the programme – only January 7th as the date.
This talented duo played together from 1932 until 1970. Here’s a link to a YouTube clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i82tN2f1t4w featuring the amazing musicians.
The London Philharmonic were back in Bath at the Pavilion in 1950 – this time with Eduard Van Beinum (1901-1959) – a Dutch-born violinist wielding the baton. He had taken over leadership of the LPO in 1947 but left after a couple of successful seasons.
Away from concerts and into the theatre with a lovely old programme for Bath’s Theatre Royal – when under the ownership of Mr Reg A.Maddox.
I remember a Mr Maddox being in charged when l started presenting HTV West‘s weekly entertainment show What’s On. He may have been the son of the father. I am not sure?
Anyway this was a production of Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan – a John Gielgud production with ‘decor’ by the one and only Cecil Beaton!
Have no idea of the year but elsewhere in the programme was an advertisement for Reg A Maddox’s 21st grand pantomime Dick Whittington and a couple of lovely supporting advertisements.
One was for West’s Grill? Does not say where that was. Another for Duck, Son and Pinker – ‘the great music stores.’ I have a photograph of a doorway featuring that old store.
Finally you may your own photographs of the Searchlight Tattoo held in Royal Victoria Park back in June 1973. Why don’t we have events like that now!
Be great to hear from anyone who has their own memories or archives of some of this city’s entertainment past.
