Obscure Non-Prog Music Facts

1970s songer Noosha Fox from glam rock band Fox...

After Anton Bruckner heard conductor Hans Richter conduct the premiere of his Fourth Symphony, he approached Richter after the concert, and pressed a thaler into his hand, and said "Have a drink to your health". Richter attached it to his watch chain and kept it for the rest of his life.

Leonard Bernstein recounted how when he first met conductor Serge Koussevitzky to join his conducting class, Koussevitzky did not even look at his information, and said he could join right on the spot.

Conductor Serge Koussevitzky made a gift of some cuff links to Leonard Bernstein, and Lenny wore them at every subsequent concert he conducted.

When Otto Klemperer made an impressive piano reduction of Gustav Mahler's 2nd Symphony for the composer, Mahler was so impressed that he wrote an endorsement of Klemperer on a card, which Klemperer kept in his wallet for the rest of his life.


Edited by presdoug - October 01 2013 at 09:25

Sir Thomas Beecham quote-"A harpsichord sounds like two skeletons copulating on a tin roof in a rainstorm."

Conductor Leopold Stokowski said of Artur Rodzinski-"Now there is a conductor born, not made."

Conductor Sir Malcolm Sargent said to the Viennese while on tour in Austria, "Elgar is a better composer than Bruckner".

I read that Lemmy of Motorhead and Hawkwind also used to be a roadie for The Nice way back in the day.

When planning Walt Disney's original Fantasia movie, they were considering doing some animation set to Wagner's "The Ride Of The Valkyries".

A movie about Furtwangler (played by Stellan Skarsgaard)and his prosecution by the Allies (Harvey Keitel) for being pro-Nazi. It's quite good but the best bit is when (now real life archive footage) he shakes hands with Goebbels at the end of a gig and behind his back - in full view of the audience and cameras - wipes his hands on a cloth.

The film is quite good but the reception comment at the end pretty much gives a fair assessment of the movie. It may be true to life as in films we like definitive closure which does not really happen. Although for me the above ending footage does make it definitive enough. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taking_Sides_%28film%29

uduwudu wrote: A movie about Furtwangler (played by Stellan Skarsgaard)and his prosecution by the Allies (Harvey Keitel) for being pro-Nazi. It's quite good but the best bit is when (now real life archive footage) he shakes hands with Goebbels at the end of a gig and behind his back - in full view of the audience and cameras - wipes his hands on a cloth. The film is quite good but the reception comment at the end pretty much gives a fair assessment of the movie. It may be true to life as in films we like definitive closure which does not really happen. Although for me the above ending footage does make it definitive enough.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taking_Sides_%28film%29

Thanks for your assessment and link. Furtwangler was a courageous man in terrible times.

Conductor Arturo Toscanini once declared Berlioz's Romeo and Juliet Symphony to be "some of the most beautiful music ever written".

When conductor Sir Malcolm Sargent told Sir Thomas Beecham that he had been in the Middle East, and a bullet had hit the car he was in, Beecham replied, "I had no idea they were that musical."

Rick Robson wrote: presdoug wrote: Conductor Arturo Toscanini once declared Berlioz's Romeo and Juliet Symphony to be "some of the most beautiful music ever written". When conductor Sir Malcolm Sargent told Sir Thomas Beecham that he had been in the Middle East, and a bullet had hit the car he was in, Beecham replied, "I had no idea they were that musical." Hah! Beecham is awesome indeed!..   And almost no one better than the fantastic Toscanini to say some wise words about music and steering me towards acquiring this awesome Berlioz' symphony for sure, I can't let the time go by without knowing it!   Just stunning what Berlioz wrote in his Memoirs: "Beethoven opened before me a new world of music, as Shakespeare had revealed a new universe of poetry."

The inimitable Sir Thomas Beecham-what a musician and personality!
             The Romeo and Juliet Symphony is worth every note that makes it up, Ric. I would suggest Toscanini's complete recording of it, as well as Charles Munch's 1950's account, and that of Pierre Monteux in the early 1960s.
              That is interesting that quote of Berlioz. He also remarked, "I am picking up where Beethoven left off." I believe that Berlioz also conducted Beethoven's music.

Mahler conductor Bruno Walter described the composer's 6th Symphony one time as "One great, big, resounding-NO!!"