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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

My interview with Andrew Raeburn at Tanglewood

Tanglewood concerts were always an important part of music programming at WGBH. In the summer of 1970, as Erich Leinsdorf was about to retire as Music Director of the Boston Symphony, he would conduct his final concert at Tanglewood. WGBH General Manager Hartford Gunn commissioned me to travel to Tanglewood, and record a variety of reminiscences about Leinsdorf for a commemorative album, to be presented by WGBH as a farewell gesture to Mr. Leinsdorf. From the grounds keeper at Tanglewood to the Concert Master of the BSO, many were willing to share their thoughts about Erich Leinsdorf for this project. One of the most pleasant and informative participants was Andrew Raeburn, former program editor for the BSO, and a friend of Mr. Leinsdorf. This week, I had the pleasure of a correspondence with Andrew who happily agreed to have this interview posted, and was kind enough to provide a photo of himself, with the maestro. The entire interview lasts five minutes.
UPDATE:
Sadly, Andrew Raeburn passed away at the age of 77, only a few weeks after this interview was posted.

Chris Lydon hosts the Channel 2 Auction

2 1/4  x 2 1/4 Ektachrome - Click to enlarge

Sunday, July 25, 2010

WGBH Radio Drama Development Project

Beginning in 1967, the year I joined WGBH Radio (then WGBH-FM), Joan Wilson Sullivan and Lyon Todd headed an ambitious project resulting in 13 stereo radio dramas, published in an LP  boxed set, and distributed to "eductional" radio stations around the country. As I recall, we had NEA/NEH support.  I came on board as a part-time, assistant engineer to the project; senior engineers were Bill Busiek and Bob Carey. Later, WGBH sent me to WHA in Madison, Wisconsin, and a two-week radio production workshop, led by the then chief of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Desmond Briscoe. Those were heady days. This 2:57 audio excerpt (off LP) is from a radio play by F.W. Willis, about whom I remember nothing.  But the technique, the ensemble, and the audio quality generally were remarkable for a fledgling ensemble.
Introduced by Lyon Todd (click to play)

Aubrey Stewart, Bill Fairweather, and the unruly PCP-90

Click to enlarge