Every so often, at this time, the BBC used to send out substantial parties of staff to raise the profile of the organization in parts of the country that were generally neglected. On this occasion, they arrived and set up a large marquee in the City Square at the heart of Dundee. Over several days programmes went out live while members of the public could discuss matters of interest with those familiar voices who had made the journey. An excellent idea.
One of the peripheral events was this Brahms Requiem. The BBC's own Glasgow-based orchestra was very rarely seen in Dundee. The Edinburgh Festival Chorus had not set foot in Dundee before, but must have had the Brahms in their systems following Festival performances eighteen months earlier - just a quick freshener required.
Promotion of the event was sadly minimal, so the audience at the generally excellent performance was derisory. A great pity, and an opportunity wasted. The orchestra did return to the hall several years later on the occasion of the Last Night of the Proms, when a Scottish event, usually limited to Glasgow, was relocated for one year. The hall was packed for this event, but no further experiments of the kind have occurred.
It was good to see Leopold Hager, one of the many excellent continental conductors who rarely travelled abroad. He drew excellent results from the orchestra. By contrast, the excellent soloists were local, and welcome home for a rare appearance.
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