<<  -- 5 --  Bill Newman    EPISODES FROM A MEMORY BANK

When Cameron wished to generate exciting performances for his Henry Wood Promenader devotees, he could soar with the music to conjure magnificent performances of Walton's First Symphony, Ravel's La Valse and the second suite from Daphnis and Chloe. I firmly believe that spells at San Francisco and Seattle resulted in his realising the potential of British orchestras achieving likewise. On each occasion the dome of the Royal Albert Hall was almost raised aloft! Kodály's Dances of Galanta on the CD is superior to both Solti and Doráti.

A sumptuous live performance of Brahms' Fourth Symphony with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra featuring incandescent woodwind ensemble playing from Messrs Jackson, MacDonaugh, Brymer, and Brook was rapturously received only for Cameron to refuse any applause for himself. Instead he directed his immense pleasure to each principal in turn.

Brahms 4 was Cameron's favourite symphony, and he included it in his final 80th Birthday concert at the Proms along with Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms and a Mozart Horn Concerto. The orchestra was the London Symphony.

That was in 1964, but looking back forty years there were posts at Hastings and Harrogate, then prior to that in 1912 at Torquay, and two posts with American orchestras in the 1930s. His tenure at the Proms as Sir Henry Wood's first Assistant in 1940 marked a continuing source of eminent achievements and discoveries for the next 24 years. I witnessed two slight mishaps that befall whether we are ready or not. One occurred during Strauss's Don Juan and the die-away on two pizzicato chords. The cymbal player, unaware that his instrument was perched precariously on the edge of the top platform, was horrified when it toppled and clattered down each step to settle just in front of the conductor, now in a state of immobility on the rostrum. Sympathetic applause from the audience helped to relieve the incident of the embarrassment that can follow.

Much later in time, a Royal Festival Hall concert started with Beethoven's Egmont Overture. It was to be followed by the Emperor Piano Concerto with Wilhelm Backhaus as soloist with the London Symphony led by Hugh Maguire. During the opening orchestral tutti Cameron suddenly staggered from the podium. It was obviously a sudden bilious attack so he was carried off by principals acting as pallbearers. Maguire conducted the concerto, but was there a maestro nearby for the Sibelius 2? Eventually Harry Newstone came to the rescue. Amazingly, the same mishap occurred the next season with the same orchestra. This time it was Pierre Monteux, who argued furiously to get back to the rostrum, assuring everybody it was 'only ze runs'!

Life as a musician is fraught with problems, and Basil Cameron stood in later for Sir Adrian Boult who was indisposed. The main work, Vaughan Williams Job was given a performance so stunningly brilliant that it remained in my memory for a long time.