Barry Bermange/Delia Derbyshire

[french frank]

Query from someone carrying out research into Barry Bermange's experimental works on the Third Programme in the 1960s.

"In 1964 Bermange collaborated with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop on “The Dreams”, a programme which recreated sensations of dreaming by blending spoken word narration with abstract electronic music by Delia Derbyshire."

What is being sought is a more recent recording of an interview with Mark Russell on Between the Ears in 1993.

Any thoughts at all as to where such a recording might be found?

[Lat-Literal]

Query from someone carrying out research into Barry Bermange's experimental works on the Third Programme in the 1960s.

"In 1964 Bermange collaborated with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop on “The Dreams”, a programme which recreated sensations of dreaming by blending spoken word narration with abstract electronic music by Delia Derbyshire."

What is being sought is a more recent recording of an interview with Mark Russell on Between the Ears in 1993.

Any thoughts at all as to where such a recording might be found?

Presumably the thought here is that there would have been some sort of home or work recording. Barry Bermange, born in 1933, is alive. I don't know which Mark Russell was the presenter or if it was the one born in 1960, a composer who graduated from York University in '82 and had a spell on the campus radio station? Among the celebrity enthusiasts who could conceivably have recorded such a programme for their own purposes, there are fairly strong links to David Sylvian and Julian Cope both of whom are keen on Delia Derbyshire. I think you might also look to Steve Kember who was in Spacemen 3 in that era and later collaborated with her and possibly Ryuichi Sakamoto although he is probably less likely. Of course, there could easily be a Joe Public who has it. I have recordings on cassette of some Andy Kershaw documentaries from precisely that sort of time so that was the context then.

I am assuming that this route has already been explored:

After her death, 267 reel-to-reel tapes and a box of a thousand papers were found in her attic. These were entrusted to Mark Ayres of the BBC and in 2007 were given on permanent loan to the University of Manchester. Almost all the tapes were digitised in 2007 by Louis Niebur and David Butler, but none of the music has been published due to copyright complications. In 2010, the University acquired her childhood collection of papers and artefacts from Andi Wolf. This collection is accessible at the John Rylands Library in Manchester.

Reel-to-reel would, though, suggest earlier for any home recordings : 1960s and a bit into the 1970s.

[french frank]

Presumably the thought here is that there would have been some sort of home or work recording. Barry Bermange, born in 1933, is alive. I don't know which Mark Russell was the presenter or if it was the one born in 1960, a composer who graduated from York University in '82 and had a spell on the campus radio station? Among the celebrity enthusiasts who could conceivably have recorded such a programme for their own purposes, there are fairly strong links to David Sylvian and Julian Cope both of whom are keen on Delia Derbyshire. I think you might also look to Steve Kember who was in Spacemen 3 in that era and later collaborated with her and possibly Ryuichi Sakamoto although he is probably less likely. Of course, there could easily be a Joe Public who has it. I have recordings on cassette of some Andy Kershaw documentaries from precisely that sort of time so that was the context then.

I am assuming that this route has already been explored:

After her death, 267 reel-to-reel tapes and a box of a thousand papers were found in her attic. These were entrusted to Mark Ayres of the BBC and in 2007 were given on permanent loan to the University of Manchester. Almost all the tapes were digitised in 2007 by Louis Niebur and David Butler, but none of the music has been published due to copyright complications. In 2010, the University acquired her childhood collection of papers and artefacts from Andi Wolf. This collection is accessible at the John Rylands Library in Manchester.

Reel-to-reel would, though, suggest earlier for any home recordings : 1960s and a bit into the 1970s.

1. Bermange was/is primarily a writer who simply collaborated with D. Derbyshire, so I don't know that her recordings would have included a (much later) interview with Bermange.

2. Mark Russell of Mixing It.

3. I think the enquirer was hoping for a Joe Public off-air recording (again, more likely to have been someone with an interest in Bermange than Derbyshire). I think he's pursuing other lines of enquiry.

No idea what's happened to the BBC's Grand Idea of making available its historic archive (what it hasn't thrown away).

[Lat-Literal]

1. Bermange was/is primarily a writer who simply collaborated with D. Derbyshire, so I don't know that her recordings would have included a (much later) interview with Bermange.

2. Mark Russell of Mixing It.

3. I think the enquirer was hoping for a Joe Public off-air recording (again, more likely to have been someone with an interest in Bermange than Derbyshire). I think he's pursuing other lines of enquiry.

No idea what's happened to the BBC's Grand Idea of making available its historic archive (what it hasn't thrown away).

Thank you.

On 2, yes, but I'm not sure of his background. I don't know whether there are any useful ongoing academic connections or links. On 4, so much was thrown away. Another name that springs to mind is Brian Hodgson who was at the Radiophonic Workshop c. 1964 and is mentioned here with other key figures but I accept that this is more Derbyshire than Bermange:

https://www.transdiffusion.org/2014/01/17/delia_derbyshir

From memory, the University of Bournemouth only holds the ILR archive but I think at one point I discovered that University of Kent was sitting on a fair amount of BBC radio stuff.

[french frank]

From memory, the University of Bournemouth only holds the ILR archive but I think at one point I discovered that University of Kent was sitting on a fair amount of BBC radio stuff.

And I've no idea what the British Library holds - which I guess might be more speech oriented.

[Richard Barrett]

I would just contact Mark directly.

[Lat-Literal]

I would just contact Mark directly.

And if he doesn't know, my other suggestions were going to be the estate of Maddalena Fagandini who was at the Radiophonic Workshop (plus Radiophonic Ladies at the Wayback Machine on which she has featured), the George Martin Estate (for a tentative link), Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel and anyone who was associated with Dick Raaymakers. Also Mixmag, plus Richard Attree, Elizabeth Parker, Roger Limb and Peter Howell who were all at the Workshop in 1993 and might have had an interest in him via their past associations with Delia.

All long shots!

[David Huggins]

Hello, and my belated thanks to everyone who replied to this thread. I'm the researcher who originally asked about this missing R3 programme back in 2018.

I'm continuing to research Barry Bermange, and as part of that process I'm still on the lookout for a domestic tape recording of the episode of BBC Radio 3's Between The Ears broadcast 19th October 1993, listed below. This is of interest because of the introductory interview with Bermange, conducted by Mark Russell. https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/51b13222...70706e7a77ee5e

I've checked with the BBC Sound Archive and it seems they didn't keep a copy. Mark Russell doesn't have it either. I've also asked most of the people mentioned in this thread (many thanks for the suggestions), but a tape of the programme is unfortunately still proving elusive.

So I thought I'd bump this thread, on the off-chance that a forum member with a recording might have missed it the first time round. If anyone here knows of someone who recorded the 1993 series of Between the Ears I would be very grateful if you could put me in contact. Thanks!
David.