Bruckner- oops!
Jascha Horenstein (1898 - 1973)
Jascha Horenstein was
marvellous conductor, particularly of Mahler and Bruckner. He was one of the rare conductors who was
really admired by orchestral musicians.
The recordings we did of Mahler’s 1st and 2nd symphonies in Barking Town
Hall were really outstanding.
However,
one memory stands out of a performance in the Royal Festival Hall of Bruckner’s
7th symphony (the one with the beautiful
slow movement of Wagner tubas). This
symphony has a long scherzo followed by a long trio and then returns to the long
scherzo. During the evening
performance, as we arrived at the end of
the first scherzo it was clear that Horenstein thought the movement
was ended. Somehow the entire orchestra sensed that he had forgotten the trio,
so that with his next down-beat we started the finale. After a few seconds Horenstein’s face showed
absolute shock as he realised that he was set to do the shortest performance
ever of that symphony. Poor man.
Roger Birnstingl
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