RAMSBOTTOM Recorded Music Society

IN his presentation, Digestible Treasures, Geoff Bateman from the Huddersfield Society explained this was a reference to the classical recordings that were made specifically for the Reader’s Digest from the early 1960s.

Produced by Charles Gerhardt and engineered by Decca’s legendary Kenneth Wilkinson, the recordings, mainly by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, were generally recorded in Walthamstow Town Hall.

Geoff commenced with an overture, that to Richard Wagner’s Flying Dutchman, after which came the 2nd movement of Rachmaninov’s 1st Piano Concerto.

This preceded the 4th movement of Bizet’s only symphony, his C major, Liadov’s The Enchanted Lake and George Gershwin’s Promenade, a 1993 recording.

In conclusion Geoff played the Sir John Barbirolli recording of the Sibelius Symphony No. 2.

We continued with another acclaimed recording, Fritz Reiner conducting the 1st movement of Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, following which, Rodolph Kempe, who took over as principle conductor of the RPO when the orchestra’s founder Sir Thomas Beecham retired, conducted the 1964 recording of Respighi’s Pines of Rome.

The only vocal recording in Geoff’s programme, the Reader’s Digest issued few classical vocal recordings, was the National Philharmonic Orchestra’s recording of the Alleluja from Mozart’s 1773 motet Exsultate Jubilate, with soprano Kate Humey.

After the 3rd movement of Mozart’s 3rd Horn Concerto with Michael Thompson soloist, Geoff concluded his programme with, on the evening, the very appropriate Cloudburst from Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite, William Hill-Bowen conducting the RPO.

The next meeting of the society was due to be on Thursday, October 4.

For further details visit Facebook or contact Richard W Hall telephone: 01706 823490 or e-mail r.w.hall45@hotmail.co.uk.