1960-09-10 — Page 15

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER ̈ 16, 1960.

I REMEMBER SARGENT WEEKEND FRIELL

ONE of the pleasures of growing older is to enjoy the achievements of one's friends and con- temporaries. This truism occurred to me recently when a message came from Sir Malcolm Sargent, asking the Baxters if they would like to occupy sents in his box at the Albert Hall on any night during the "Proms", which is short for Promenade Concerts.

Those of you who have read Oscar Wilde's novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray" will recall that a friend of Dorian had painted a portrait of him which expressed his elegance, his effrontery and his irresistible evil attraction.

It was

The theme, of course, Was that the sins of the oxquisite young man were shown only in the changing expression of the face in the portrait,

the portrait which hideously aged, whereas Dorian remained eternally young. And so it seems with Sir Malcolm Sargent, the world famous Bri- tish conductor, but let me hasten 10 add that Sir Malcolm is an wholesome und vormial as 219 human could be.

Ho delights in the 'company of

protty women, providing they Jnow so nothing" about music, and even if they don't. And to good complete the portrait, he company with men.

My first sequentanco with the then Mr Malouins Sargent was back in 1919, when I returned to London having been duly de mobilised in my nalive Canada, He was a church organist and a talented plunist,

We formed a congenial friend ship and used to go riding in Richmond Park or Rotten Row, which prohusal

stringe

komaly.

When I mounted my hired nog it would look around to see what in blazes had come abourd, By contrast, when Maleuin mounted his horse, it bolted, or Imate a good try for it. other words, Sargent was, utt all is vitaliser of the Ars degree.

In

But in mind and soul he had only one aim to be a great urchestral conductor, and while waiting to attain that goal, he played the organ in church or anywhere that avaliable.

was organ

But the credit of establishing the mous Promenade Con- darts, which have for many years been a feature of London's muskul life, must go to that remarkable cockney, Sir Henry Wood.

A prodigy. Henry Wood was, that terrible thing, child prodigy. Believe it or not, he was a deputy or ganist of St. Mary Alderman bury at ten years of age. When he reached the ripe old age of twenty-five,

became

Brst conductor of Queen's Hall Pro- memade Concerts-un appoint- mon which he held unbroken

he

were on their way. At night nearly everything was dead. One Saturday afternoon I took a friend to hour Elgar's "Dreaun of Gerontius" with Malcolm Serpent conducting the orchestra and chorus. I shall never forget the glory and beauty of It As we left the hall at the end of the performance darkness was fatling. We knew that Htier's planes would be on their way,

Late that night we heard rumours that a bomb had des- troves the hal where a few hours before we had been is Jening to Elgar's masterpiece, it was perfectly true-Queen's Hall belonged to memory.

There had been that day ari intimacy between the players. and the publie which no other London hall could provide, but never again was it to cho the music of the masters or minister in the soul.

—London Letter.

by SIR BEVERLEY BAXTER, M.P.

trskt

was taking the money to de- posit safely in ber flat until she could take it next morning to the bank.

He may or may not have been at the Prom, but if so, it would seem that murie does not always charm the' savage beast.

One of the pleasures in the Autumn of ilfe is to savour the good wine of human companion- ship, conditioned by the passinK of the years. Sargent has come

when he played, the organ, rode horseback and dreamed of some day canduating a symphony. orchestra.

though, of course, there would Albert Hall and gaze at that My Victorian monstrosity, 10 also be guest conductors. follow rider in the Row bad memoriat to Albert the Good galloped a long way, and what To ensure our comfort and brought to his refreshment,' there are two girl a training he

secretaries who untielpate every Here are some of the posts he want and every thought of Sir

hold: Chief Conductor Malcolm--and then his guests- u long way from the salad days B.B.C. Symphony Orchestra in that order. But while this Conductor-in-Chier Orchestra was going on, there was a young Classes: Professor of the Royal lout who may or may not have College of Music, and at least been at the Prom, but was con anolber half dozen that I enne tufnly not at Sargent's party. not recall at the moment.

The lout in question waited an alley and then grabbed a he has conducted in nearly bag of £300 of the box office No takings from a young women every capital in the world.

Hall staff, who country is too far away not on the Albert even New Zealand, Australia nor Jan. He is the Pied Piper of muste and everywhere the young follow him.

Hu reads orchestral scores an ordinary men read books, and

In Moscow Not very long ago he went to Moscow and conducted a Bus- orchestra for sion Synphoity

an audience of young factory workers. They were a wonder fal audience", he told me on his "It was a thrliling ex- return. perience and a moving enc.'"

For the last three or four years 1 have been out of touch with latin, But just as the present season of Prome was opening he sent word that his box at the be at our Albert Hall would tilsposal any time. So on the opening night we duly fomed three or four friends of his in his box. But with the destruction of

What a sight confronted us! Queen's Hall where were the

up were the galleries Henry High Froms to find a home?

lovers of l Wood gave the, unswer. He packed by music would take the Albert Hall with sizes, shapes and age. Then the all its vastness. This man with seried ranks of the dress stalls. background took with all their respectability and the cockney obstacles in his stride. He was not a seat vacant.

No home

But what is this in the centre

Hundreds

a good conductor without being of the auditorium? aither a prodigy or master, but he was thorough, know and hundreds of young people 30 closely en masse ind lion-hearted, standing ledgeable

be almost im- he had a gust for that it would Above all,

possible to move. They have life,

been standing there for half an hour or more waiting for the

There concert to begin.

is laughter and livelines and non- sense as they while away time, waiting on their two legs

CONCETES

for the beginning.

Approval

.4

thu

His was the original idea of huving Promenade orchestral known colloquially as "The Proms". And why not hire the Albert Hall, built by order of good Queen Victoria, who dedicated it to the memory of her beloved Albert the Good. the Half, that Sa vast was

At last the orchestral players it was lighted by stroll on to the platform, while originally

1,000 gas burners, all of which the youngsters applaud and even would be it in ten seconds by whistle. After a pause the first in electric spark in each cluster violinist comes to his place and the spark having been genera- there is a roar of approval, for ted by a battery placed above he is a very important fellow. the inner dome. I do not claim Suddenly the hall grows tease to understand this highly tech- with expectation. In sweeps Sir

but when Malcolm-slim, svelte, nical achievement, you ask St Malcolm about any haired, graceful. thing to do with the great hall, he gives you the works.

black-

When this particular "Prom" had ended, and the cheers at Anecdotes about Henry Wood last mibsided, we made our way were endless, but shall burden out of the old hall to the street for nearly fifty years. Each any only with one. Once when where u crowd was waiting to nual season involved the orgasi- he was rehearsing a symphony, give Sir Malcolm a cheer. Then sation and presentation of some he stopped suddenly, pointed at he led my wife and myself to Itens the violinists and shouted: "Wot his fat round the corner where ~gix-hundred-unisied.

tremendous pportunity 101 do yer mom" by Sawring away he had arranged a supper-party-

under the discipline of his widen musica! knowledge and regardicss?”

Like Sir Thomas Beecham, buller. raise the general standard of music.

Now let us pass over the years and come to the Hitler war, London was under bom-

yet after a quick sponge down Now let us beat the drum and and a change of clothes, he was bardment and normal life in

Malcolm 1 fresh as if ho had done The Metropolis died nightly sound the trumpet!

strenuous than when the

atrena Sargent is appointed permanent nothing more howling

of *The Proms", stroll into the Park opposite the warned us that enemy bombers conductor

ho was an outsize personality Our host had rehearsed his and, like Sir Thomas, he did orchestra in the afternoon and 10 bring music to the had conducted in the evening. much masses.

The one blinding fact about this week's Air Show

TOM Brooke-Smith has a surprise this week at the Farnborough Air

Show.

• IN VERTICAL TAKE-OFF new glaut with the SC1 and the Hawker

1127.

In the Short SCI research Another wony comes in the alrcraft he will rise vertically lao-up of Britain's under Jet power, circle, brake" aircraft groups.

in the air, und drop gently

and

◆ IN SYSTEMS to make flying Hawker Siddeley is making safer, like Blind-Landing the merger of Hawker,

straight down on to the []] - its first public appearance after the Decca, Dectra and Doppler

crete again.

An achievemeni nol only spectaculor bul unique, und one which opens a whole new world to flying.

The nexi designs are for an

Avto, navigation aids. Armstrong Whitworth, Gloster, IN TECHNIQUES to cut the Folland, Blackburn, and de cost of flying by improving air. Havilland. The British Aircraft Row over wings. Corporation turns out 15

of union

Bristol, English Drive, please

SC2 and a whole range of vert Electric, Hunting, and Viciters,

cal take-off and landing aircraft Impressive arrays both, anti For years there has been beyond it, but none is yet being working well by all account. British research on Intrainar

noward for following low, which can

As

vasily extend

proceeded with.

This is the tragic side to the

an aircraft's range and slash its big week of Bellish aviation. Government policy-a policy

consumption. For усага an inevi- fuel Everything is goug on at too which only hastened

de- there has bon a demand for a table slow a tempo,

process-they have servally wen Treasury support. prototype aircraft,

But now they seem in danger it is et doing nothing unless underwritten by the taxpayer,

посто Apart from Tom Smith's plane Farnborough this Britain's bliter experiences and

Line-up

Brooke.

Оле

arices

out

Now, with vast publicity, the noricans announce that they have hit on the idea and are of going to By TWO prototypes.

And Britain? We soldier on

year will be thin novelty: so the realisation that it is no good with a model wing stuck on the Men or Waltile and Grim tha thin that it is almost certainly being right, in aviation, if you top of an ok Lancaster.

acro-engine the last restricted to all-made are late,

made the Britishy

Tho in-Britain machines.

The Britannia was right but the finest in the world.. Alrendy, Farnborough, will be too late to win big markets, men of de Havillands made the showing more Amerkan-design- The Vanguard la likely to be jst age possible in their glorious ed, British-bulk equipment right but into 100,

faurs with the early Comet. than ever before. It would be I fear both the Avro 748 and Such men retrain txlay. Their stagic sensible if this wore a two-way the Dart Herald, admirable da pendus representa our traffic with genuine 20-opera- they may be, have missed ite hope for the future of British tion. With the US, it iary't. 'major markets too.

Aviation. They nood a`greater From Hussin · Use computition In future we must be right at drive behind them, from Glov is ruthier, with cut-price offers the right time. That means ernment and industry aliko.

of civil diriinors--hist snapped getting on with

up, by Chana, in exchanga

14 the lines for which, by stnéor tachaloni genius,

00000, not cash.

we have gained's lead.

Peter Woon

40

YEARS OF

SKEY CH

Truly be can say when ho, reaches the pearly gates, that he zave much happiness to MUSILY people and ministered to their souls in the language of great music.

·ģANTÀS, 1/5 Madelation with AIS INDIA and

RUDENS

"I can't imagine why anyone should

you steal anything like that, con

Henry? Honry! Can you?" .

"Maybe, but I wouldn't bank on it..

Not until they start expelling Chinesä

spios. from Moscow.“

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