The Sound that burned. 12.15 pm today on R3

[salymap]

A repeat of the programme on the Queens'Hall which was burnt down 70 years ago in the Blitz. Apparently it had wonderful acoustics.

Are there any recordings extant?

[salymap]

If you live in London and are interested in our orchestras and concert halls you will have enjoyed this, as I did. A glimpse of what we lost when the Queens' Hall was burnt down after Gerontius in 1941.

[MrGongGong]

If you live in London and are interested in our orchestras and concert halls you will have enjoyed this, as I did. A glimpse of what we lost when the Queens' Hall was burnt down after Gerontius in 1941.

Shame that it wasn't Gerontius that burned and the Queens' hall that survived

(SORRY I couldn't resist !)

[mercia]

Apparently it had wonderful acoustics.

the conclusion I drew from the programme was that the acoustics perhaps weren't all that good

I enjoyed the programme, nice to hear Amis, Aprahamian and Baker again

[Nick Armstrong]

Shame that it wasn't Gerontius that burned and the Queens' hall that survived

(SORRY I couldn't resist !)

[salymap]

Mercia, maybe tastes in acoustics change with the years. For a very short time, the RFH was much admired, then orchestras and conductors started complaining that it was too dry and showed every fault.

[Chris Newman]

Mercia, maybe tastes in acoustics change with the years. For a very short time, the RFH was much admired, then orchestras and conductors started complaining that it was too dry and showed every fault.

Someone told me that Sir Thomas Beecham was so angry with the RFH acoustics that he broke something with his brolly. I heard that he and the RPO were given a red card lasting several years by Ernest Bean, the manager, for some such bad behaviour at the hall. Is this true?

[salymap]

Someone told me that Sir Thomas Beecham was so angry with the RFH acoustics that he broke something with his brolly. I heard that he and the RPO were given a red card lasting several years by Ernest Bean, the manager, for some such bad behaviour at the hall. Is this true?

First time I've heard this one Chris. Maybe it will be mentioned in the Beecham programme on Monday at 7.30pm on R3.

[Petrushka]

It is a tragedy that the Queen's Hall was destroyed on the night of May 10/11 1941 which turned out to be the last night of the Blitz until the V1 bombs in 1944/5. It was also the night that Rudolf Hess flew to Scotland igniting a controversy that still awaits resolution.

Another major musical casualty, this time in the V1 blitz, was the Guards Chapel which was destroyed by a doodlebug at a Sunday service on June 18 1944 killing most of the Band of the Coldstream Guards and the Director of Music.

Anyone interested in the May 10/11 1941 raid should search out a book (probably long out of print as I bought mine in 1969) called The City That Wouldn't Die by Richard Collier.

Additional edit: Can be found here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/city-that-wo...185953&sr=1-32

[salymap]

Robert Elkin, father of my boss in one job, wrote at least two very good books, one called simply 'Queens'Hall', containing a lot of interesting facts about the hall from the beginning,
the other the annals of the Royal Philharmonic Society [not the orchestra, the long established, august body of that name].

[salymap]

]It is a tragedy that the Queen's Hall was destroyed on the night of May 10/11 1941 which turned out to be the last night of the Blitz until the V1 bombs in 1944/5. It was also the night that Rudolf Hess flew to Scotland igniting a controversy that still awaits resolution.

Another major musical casualty, this time in the V1 blitz, was the Guards Chapel which was destroyed by a doodlebug at a Sunday service on June 18 1944 killing most of the Band of the Coldstream Guards and the Director of Music.

Anyone interested in the May 10/11 1941 raid should search out a book (probably long out of print as I bought mine in 1969) called The City That Wouldn't Die by Richard Collier.

Additional edit: Can be found here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/city-that-wo...185953&sr=1-32

Weren't Buckingham Palace and/or part of the Palace of Westminster damaged on the same night?

[Petrushka]

Robert Elkin, father of my boss in one job, wrote at least two very good books, one called simply 'Queens'Hall', containing a lot of interesting facts about the hall from the beginning,
the other the annals of the Royal Philharmonic Society [not the orchestra, the long established, august body of that name].

Many years ago I came across a book devoted to the Queen's Hall at a book fair but for some reason never bought it. As I recall it had plenty of photos and detailed architectural plans of the hall. Perhaps this was the book you refer to, salymap? From memory I think it was published before the Second World War.

[Petrushka]

Weren't Buckingham Palace and/or part of the Palace of Westminster damaged on the same night?

Indeed so. As I say, it was the last night of the London blitz before Hitler turned his attention to the Soviet Union and in some ways was the most destructive.

[salymap]

Many years ago I came across a book devoted to the Queen's Hall at a book fair but for some reason never bought it. As I recall it had plenty of photos and detailed architectural plans of the hall. Perhaps this was the book you refer to, salymap? From memory I think it was published before the Second World War.

It probably is Petrushka, Robert Elkin lived from 1896 to 1964 and I borrowed the Queen's Hall book from the library but,sadly never owned it.However I bought the RPSoc annals at 18 before I really worked in music. I always loved the histories of the halls and orchestras from an early age, goodness know why

[Gordon]

I have that book which I found second hand many years ago. A good read.

In answer to your query in message 1 or 2 there are many recordings from the Queens Hall in fact the small hall was used as a studio and in the early days of electrical recording [after 1925] even had its machines connected by telephone lines to other venues in London like Kingsway Hall until that fine recording venue has its own recorders installed.

Considering that the BBC in its wisdom has decided to air a programme about the QH perhaps it should start work on one for the Kingsway Hall where many many hours were recorded between 1926 and 1984. The Hall was planned in 1908 and built during 1911/2. It opened in December 1912 and used for concerts before becoming an excusive recording venue by HMV from 1926. They have penty of time to prepare a suitable anniversary event surely.