A conversation with; #3 (Reel 2)

Now resuming the conversation with Hans Schmidt Essar stet here is George Stone. After you mentioned that when you went to Darmstadt room went to board and then did you follow to Humber When Yeah you know it's of some difficult times and LTC and I lost not that I was in some of the TV I wasn't that taught me to go back when I was in. I'm bored with everything done and I want James 5 to your home or your home was generally music taken I was his first Cup and I thought that's what I've done. And

later I was a gentleman. And from there I went to a link of all 42 to the German orbitals dates. Well then it was just after the war that the British invited you to you're going to ise an orchestra in Hamburg would you tell us about this experience in the first place I imagine recruiting musicians at that particular time was not the easiest thing in the world. But how did you go about this in the last month of the wall. I met my family in humble about yakked I'm ballin but I had to conduct and so I walked in and I state that

with them to be together. And this cut us off and stayed there and came with the end came the British took over the radio it was a rice and a humble as a state. But yes we had in this Radio One Radio Orchestra from about 70 musicians but the English thought there must have a symphony orchestra for this radio and so they came to me and asked me if I would be able or willing to rebuild an orchestra of to the more data the BBC and BBC all the French became a radio auctions and I caught them. Yes it would be in

my best stadium then the right thing for me you know be very interested to do that. And so came an interesting sad time. Time in we had no food no heating lighting. Had to have something to do in this time and so I went back caught some English people and some musicians from this distance to the German camps of prison camps but the German prison you know. Yes. Hartstein in the north of how muc was big and where you are not going to try not to I was

in a prison camp in prison in prison camps or fall hours and but only between the channel and the Denesh. Limit Yes and there be an arms. We'll come to listen. And then the band little villages and many musicians came some of them from other theaters and found many became like the angels from heaven to us to them because it takes them out of the prison like camp favor for me and make music. We want better. And this was the beginning. No it was very difficult to

find. Let's set our places for the bad lives and things do not think either of us about instruments but about an instrument they got or I don't know. The funny thing was the double bass there in CO stable but then we got a lot of good very good musicians. They were happy to come in the November. We gave our first public concert in two years. They have a twenty fifth level do the same program the small star must Egmont over to

him as a double concert of violin and cello and fifths Tchaikovsky. At this point I'll be able to play again and to do it and that is was so we planned to have 18 violins 16 that has a 7 string and what wins each group is five names. Two principals in each go eight homes. Five trumpets five from bones and so on the other one by little by little a B became the proud hundred ten men. It was not so easy that for this orchestra seventy men found it was not good enough good enough

to take in my really good symphony orchestra and so we could. And you know only for the live music for the above that is a little too previous. So if we have like the BBC in London to Oct test us you are still with the North German guy very orchestra. What's the nature of this orchestras concert schedule now do you play on the radio concerts. A subscription series. How does this work with the with the reorg. This is so played many things on tape for both casting it and have 10 concerts and some extra concepts

and they're very nice. And then you are traveling. All. Countries for a few off event I serve and everywhere in North America of the 24 counts I think next year will come up again. When you made the Australian tour in 1953 was this with the orchid or you want to have a conducting too yeah. I was between the time conducting and two months ago I had. My hundreds. I contacted my caucus to number 100. 100 while I contacted five different or is this one different different order if you know how to test it. Were you in Japan. Yes yes. How many orchestras Did you know that they're only

very interesting because they have many orchestras. Yeah. And as this is very interesting. Now do you make recordings with your North German radio. Yes I did just go to German come of want to go to Russia got my phone and my seven Decca loaned on your London Records and now going to make the Beethoven symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic for London. Yeah I had six but I must. Before I notice I'm not you are used to me. I'm curious to know how the affiliation

Stockholm came about. So yes Stockholm is and what's an old favorite of mine from my youth and I was sailing that and I love to be that. And they invite me to comment I conducted that as a guest in the film when he was thinking isn't it possible that you can take over our orchestra. Besides I could manage it. And I did it. Well you don't know. Because I know that half the people and welcomed with them less than I was but then later I had told them No I must stop at. Twice a doctor.

That's why I'm now able to be here more often and talk to your American debut was with Philadelphia. Yes. Yeah that was good. Now you took your orchestra from Hamburg or Britain. Yeah I think you were the first German orchestra to. Tour in Yemen following the war. Yeah this must have been an interesting experience. It was very interesting. X mentions that as if fame is really on his name mentioned. And the whole of them this is so named Free Trade Hall was destroyed by the German bombs. And after the rebuilding. Bob you only did this if asked. First festival performance with the queen

and so was his orchestra. And then came one week only with full an orchestra and the first of these for just over an hour. And as was very funny I thought as my initial friends told me you should come there because I can't believe it look we have this towards your hall and if you should play the first concert. Yes and I asked him. And so yes we have book hall to finish. You must come and so we came and the did it to just us. Next day came I'm stood up and parodies and all but we began and that's was so touching. Moving it was to do that in the new one. So I make a little speech for the

public after my first to the end. Just to say that this bit of this and the enemy yesterday were invited to make because it for them. It destroyed home. I don't know. Perhaps just by Nazis young people was here and oh a bomb. Nobody can know them out of them. But my sense of your mother so well and in a very real sense the existence of the orchestra itself owed something to the British because they were that's it. You know that's what the British did and then I played in the thing that by the tax dollars. And one of your mother's. The god you mentioned

Kitty Boyd perhaps since the night where the bomb came to destroy our hall it was such a loud noise. So we were like yeah that's nice sense of humor you. You have a reputation and a well deserved one as an interpreter of Mozart. You also I understand have done considerable pioneering of modern works. I'm curious about the series of programs you presented with your orchestra in Homebush new works programs could you tell us about this phase Yeah you

began after that. So we had to please the listeners accustomed to listen to music because it was forbidden to play so I don't know other things bad suspicious and not possible. And so when I first played it. Even from the young people half of them went out and I must say I can understand and you are not accustomed to it immensely. Music then you just think that's talent and they're well so honest to go out. But even later I did the same again and again

and the success was bigger and bigger than my head. To begin then and Shostakovich and Britten and about talk and so on you know other words these works. Which frankly were commonplace in the United States but a long time. Yeah we just were not known there I find you know uncomprehensible really that that Scriven ski these things came out in the teens so it was not in any sense a new music. Thank you yeah I think there are 1911. Yes in spite of all the things they come with the act I'm one of the biggest whelks of the modern music. Oh there's no doubt of me more than all I thing and it's it's a great piece. You know we had in our public concepts always modern

piece. But then we had to think of the new Well that's noir that that's false and all for a concept only for these soul named experimental music of Stockhausen cage. Well and this really was on a lark. Yeah yeah. And so we did both. I imagine also that the works of intimate later works of Hindemith must have been totally unknown also and had to be. And how about such composers as one thinks of block her heart and how I have had these things been performed before. Yes and then I just get about all of the big

brave and the limitations of their further out. How much time in your programming do you give to the current will to Stockhausen the Boulez type of piece. Yeah. Do you include very much of that in your program in your day to day. With the orchestras and no I don't not as we have a certain line. What big can give our public. This is for the Swedish Yes.

How about the Poles now here you have been there and the little piece that you did here is the SLI effective piece I did 10 years ago. There's a lot of. I don't know. Let's not go out and make him sit by and say a nice peaceful quiet. We did that here last year. It's beautiful there a second time. Yeah it's a lot better than it is Reg are still widely performed in Germany. Not very often but he has his mind his own following as it is and I find inspired often that it's I did He was badly affected by I think

it is better than the music is better than seems seem to be for. People. See me not to the guy in England. It's every. Bit like music on a higher level of course. And then there was a time here when records at least rager had a certain vogue but works largely have disappeared as a matter of fact at the present time I think Rudolf Serkin with his he does it yes he does they can chat yeah On the contrary. But that was Bush of course sacking the plate that Bush wasn't at Milo.

I know you're whining Clinton. Well rigor was a profound one of our strength. But it is interesting to note all these things come and go. Yeah I work such as the Mozart variation. Yeah yeah seems to today's ears rather definitely dated. Yeah but I don't know that it's so bomb the full pieces in it. I know when I did he love valuations he could be on the street he was sitting in every Everly and he's a very look with Asian style and has a fine job and me. He and I saw touched on this music not in or if you had had actually checked.

But yes that's And this is his domain delusion and all of the other. But what about Carl Orff is of course beta he was always played the whole time especially coming up and he opened eyes to the mood. These are not the repertory pieces over there. Yeah yeah. They affect one of the questions we so often ask in these interviews. It gets to the inner workings of the conductor and we phrase it somewhat like this how do you go about preparing a let's say a new work for rehearsal with an orchestra. How do you approach a new score. You mean begin

and how you study the score before you bring it to rehearsal. So I study the court and what's the nature of how do you go about studying the thing you take it to the piano for example and you know you sometimes and sometimes quite new effects and so this cause and to gain this strength only that Carson or Lee has already and then together by little and little. They come for the most part. Our impression is that. For your study of the score you simply read it. Yeah horizontally vertically and yeah yeah of course.

Surprising Facts you can often even compose a surprise of this example I mean I'm thinking of the way that you conducted the Bruckner sevens recently here in Chicago and Chicago Symphony Orchestra this as I perhaps I read into your view of the score that you were thinking of this as a work which was written by unorganised who had a certain concept of sound in let's say an orchestral layers and you built those layers with the orchestra almost by pulling out stops. Is this true or did I. Did bring this to my own listening. Funny thing is I spoke with a colleague of mine about there went off and he saw

this call and thought it is so simple but it's perfect. It's not so much to change. Not so much as as the French are left for markers and shots which are no must must have an ulama then and so I have a sometimes feeling like you know the times it's a timeshare crescendos and yeah doesn't that the guy I'm thinking of the school's kind of building. Yeah let's use architecture a came from verified it is really difficult when you got here in the early hours with an empty hall and then you come to conduct the performance the acoustical things are

so changed. It's very difficult to make the right thing. I thought perhaps on the third performance was so I could balance balance. Yeah very solid and robust. Have you noticed this before in Orchestra Hall or is it since the acoustical adjustment has been made that you know of for my place I must say here but frankly I couldn't find a difference. But on my last I was two years ago they have letters from all of the planes. That's awesome awesome. But for my prayers the conduct does it's not the best place to go to hear to hear yes that I

did that one size should have to live. You know that that central location does not give you it must be very difficult to achieve this kind of balance because at that particular focal point you cannot hear the effect that even three rows back. Yes I do get that. Well Mr. Schmidt is there that we are delighted that you have been with us again in Chicago. We shall look forward to your continuing visits here. We know you'll be back next season and we'll look forward to those concerts. And we thank you very much for joining us at these microphones today. I think. I've come so often here that even people we have to look forward to and we certainly thank you for this opportunity to talk with you today.

This has been a conversation with Hans Schmidt stepped founder and music director of the Northwest German Radio Orchestra Homburg participating where around Parsons professor of music theory at Northwestern University School of Music Program annotator for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and George Stone program director of Zenith radio corporation's radio station WEAA FM. This program was distributed by the national educational radio network.