Programme One
Sunday 15 May 2005 15:30-16:00 (Radio 3)
First of a two-part story recounting the evacuation of the BBC Symphony Orchestra as war broke out in 1939, narrated by Stephen Johnson.
The radio broadcast signalling the declaration of war also meant a signal for members of the orchestra to leave their homes immediately, and head for a rendezvous from which they would be evacuated to a secret location. Here, the orchestra would be able to continue with its duties in safety.
In the years that followed, the Orchestra, based first in Bristol and then Bedford, played an improbably important role in the British war effort, often performing under difficult circumstances.
The story of this remarkable chapter in the BBC Symphony Orchestra's history examines the logistical problems of transporting an entire artistic community to new homes, considers the remarkable artistic achievements of the orchestra during this time, and touches on some of the hilarious and absurd anecdotes of wartime orchestral life.
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