with Barry Norman
Bernstein Rehearses Elgar
The BBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA has welcomed many distinguished conductors in its history, including Toscanini and Bruno Walter , and last week the name of Leonard Bernstein was added to that list at a public concert (televised live by BBC2) at the Royal Festival Hall, with Elgar's ' Enigma Variations' among the works performed. The first rehearsals for that concert were held in the Omnibus studio and tonight we present an impression of one of the world's leading conductors working on Elgar's first orchestral masterpiece. Bernstein talks about the enigma of the title and discusses the music's challenges for today's orchestras and audiences. Mary Renault has made the ancient world live for millions of readers, with such bestsellers as The Last of the Wine, The King Must Die and, most recently, a trilogy about Alexander the Great. And yet as a person she is almost unknown. Until now she has never given a television interview, but recently she spoke to Omnibus producer David Sweetman at her home, which is, surprisingly, not a Greek island but a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa.
Director. Bernstein, HUMPHREY BURTON Producer, Mary Renault, JANE COLES Studio director JONATHAN FULFORD Deputy editor UN squires Editor CHRISTOPHER MARTIN