This trend, which of course led to all trombonists playing on a B flat instrument, also led, at least in our 1960’s Manchester world, to a free interchange of ‘chairs’. Terry Nagle moved from 3rd to 1st in Barbirolli’s Hallé orchestra, still playing on a Conn 72H bass trombone, while Nev Roberts joined up on bass, playing a light-weight King 3B. Meanwhile I, as a student at the R.M.C.M, was playing 1st or bass, as required. I report all this, not to prove a point, but maybe to suggest that anything is possible. We all need to feel at home in the whole range of the instrument, and I’ve always been glad of the sometime experience of playing higher parts. My next piece of good luck came with an invitation to join the LSO in their 1964 World Tour. The other trombones were Derek James (on secondment from the LPO), Paul Lawrence, and Frank Mathison, all of whom, in their very different ways, tried to teach me how to enjoy touring. A tricky business, this touring, but it is an integral part of any musician’s life. You may see fascinating bits of the world, enjoy great meals and hilarious booze-ups. And of course, you may have to be playing decently on a frightening morning rehearsal, and then provide a superb performance in the evening.
overture. It happened one day that our 1st trombone was off sick and Sid Langston, who had been Principal with the B.B.C.S.O. many years before, was engaged as a short-notice deputy. He duly appeared at the Winter Garden theatre, all ‘mouth and trousers’. Silvestri used to have the naughty habit of asking any new face if they had played the piece before. When he applied this question to Sid, he received the reply, “Yes, I’ve done it with the composer!” Game, set, and match! I moved to the BBCSO in 1970, joining Alfred Flaszynski, Tony Parsons, and Jack Pinches in the section. The principal conductors were Colin Davis and Pierre Boulez. Boulez did once admit that he enjoyed rehearsals more than concerts, a notion which I’ve always regarded as quite weird and topsy-turvy, but which perhaps explains why his rehearsals always went on for three hours, to the absolute second.
A few enduring musical memories during my time at the BBC: in 1975 we enjoyed a short year sadly, as it was the last of his life, under the direction of Rudolf Kempe, without doubt one of the greatest conductors I have worked with. Then along came Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, another complete wizard, a man whose every tiny gesture you just had to watch, largely because he hadn’t rehearsed very much! Continues on the following page.
On a more up-beat note, my 20 years at the BBC provided many very exciting concerts, during various European tours, and especially during the Prom’ seasons, which I always enjoyed. The hugely overpopularised ‘Last Night of the Proms’ was, admittedly, a great turn-on to begin with, but I ended up feeling a bit sick of the ‘Hooray Henry’ sort of behaviour.
However, I digress.... I joined the Bournemouth Symphony, on bass, in 1967, and immediately became involved in a different sort of touring - mad-cap driving at all hours and in all weathers, all in the cause of Art. Considering that the BSO was always ‘strapped for cash’, we got through some pretty amazing repertoire. I remember Mahler 6 & 7, Prokofiev 5 & 6, Shostakovitch 8 (in the Odeon Cinema, Taunton, after a Sunday Lunch of draught Bass and a Mini pork pie!). Also, the world première of Lutoslavski’s Cello Concerto, with Rostropovitch and the composer, both of them, I imagine, struggling with Bournemouth. I must tell of one classic moment during Bournemouth days--- The eccentric but loveable principal conductor was Constantin Silvestri, and one of his favourites was Elgar’s In the South
However, I should dearly love to hear the ‘Spanish Ladies’ trombone quartet reinstated into the Sea Songs, giving us all a chance to hear Helen Vollam and her fine section in solo action.
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Dick’s trombone collect
Keith McNicoll & Dic k recording the ‘London Trombon e Sound’
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