Martin Penny in Orange
Barcelona
Orange
TV with Owain Arwel Hughes St John's Smith Square
Basle
Rostropovich conducted Beethoven 9. Vishnevskaya kept her dog with her all the time
Walter Hagen-Groll
Accompanist Martin Penny
A later photo shows Joyce Reah second from left then wonderful contralto Ethel and her husband in the doorway (at Liz's 40th)
12 Feb 1974 Verdi requiem was Muti's first concert with the New Philharmonia . Princess Alexandra attended and !setting Talvela was the bass. Later in the year we sang the Missa solemnis with Maazel. We went to Orange to sing Tristan and were finally allowed to see the remaining acts!1975 was a busy year with Chorus concerts, Royal Albert Hall concerts and some operas at the Coliseum. I was working at Balham music library twice a week until 8 and alternate Saturdays. We had seen a small house in Forest Hill. The latter part of the year records decorating Wrights Road and buying furniture. In the summer we went to Orange to sing Messiah with Mackerras. Kiri Te Kanawa, James Bowman hitting top F sharp, Stuart Burroughs, Norman Bailey. A swimming pool to cool down. We also went regularly to Jean Taylor's to sing madrigals and the like. Jean was a dear friend. Her father had been in the BBC Choral society and she was a fine alto and worked at the BBC Music library with Francis Herbert who later went to the Royal Geographical Society library to work on maps. Jean was a kind host and loved our company. Later on she had an enormous influence on the choice of chorus directors.Joyce Reah was in many ways the true founder of the chorus as from her work at EMG Soho Square she brought together the singers Walter Legge needed. She would sit in the vestibule at Gandhi Hall and welcome all. Joyce came to all our family dos and loved them. How I wish I had written her stories down! We were for a time chorus librarians so we heard much we maybe should not have heard. Luckily I never told off Jan Latham-Koenig for not returning his scores and this paid off later when he conducted us in Strassbourg! He was the bass mentioned in a concert review as conducting from the front row. We once went to a BBC lunchtime concert of the Janacek Nonet and I remarked to him that he was amazing to watch as his hair beat out the rhythm. "They are terrified of me you know!" he replied. Charles and Germaine Spencer could be very unkind to singers who had to miss rehearsals or were late. The legendary Pitts (Liz knew him) would never want to dismiss any singer so the chorus was large and no doubt there was some elderly dead wood like Dolly! Walter Hagen-Groll who auditioned me was a fine conductor - Mozart "it is jazz". His preparation was thorough. He was ably assisted by Russell Burgess who sadly died. He was succeeded by Simon Johnson. Norbert Balatsch was in many ways an inspiration. He travelled from the Vienna Opera each week. We knew we were in safe hands. Mind you he could be terrifying especially when he got the sporanos to sing in twos. Stephen Rose succeeded Martin Penny both wonderful accompanists.
