Many years ago when I was a wee slip of a youth in my late teens I started to go regularly to the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall to see the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. At that time there were two percussionists: John Ward (I hope that my memory is not letting me down) and Jean Webster. I was completely captivated by the musicians' skills and particularly, for some reason, by Jean Webster. What was really strange was that when I watched the Proms the other night one of the National Youth Orchestra's percussionists was remarkably like Jean Webster (though her hair was longer). Or was it just my imagination?
As an aside I wonder if Jean Webster was one of the longest serving percussionists with any orchestra in the UK? She retired as principal percussionist of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in the early 2000s so she must have been with them for about 40 years. That's quite a long time in any one's life.
I know that this is an old post, but I stumbled across it today when searching for something else, and it struck a chord with me.
ReplyDeleteI started going to see the RLPO at Philharmonic Hall in 1970, and have very fond memories of John Ward and Jean Webster, whose percussion work absolutely captivated me from the first concert I saw. Alongside them of course was timpanist Ian Wright, who was another very long serving member of the orchestra.
All three of them, like many of their orchestral colleagues, also taught instrumental music at local schools and colleges, and there must be a great many musicians who owe their careers to the skill and knowledge that were passed on to them by these brilliant teachers.
It's nice to see them mentioned!
Thank you very much indeed for your comment, Nigel. I was going to 'The Phil' regularly in the early/mid '60s and possibly on occasion very early '70s. I left Liverpool in 1970. It's lovely to find someone also from that era who remembers as well.
DeleteYou will remember Sir Charles Groves well then, as I do. My father got tickets via his workplace for the industrial series concerts, so he went once a month throughout each season. I started going with him when I was 7 and we started going to the main subscription season just a little while later. The subscription seat I sit in today is dedicated to his memory. If you get to visit Liverpool again on your travels you should come and see them again - you'll find the orchestra still in safe hands under the new Chief Conductor Domingo Hindoyan.
DeleteI remember Sir Charles Groves very well. A colleague/friend and I had adjacent season Industrial Concert tickets for quite a few years. We also went to the Saturday concerts when we could. My Mum had been a member of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society when it was under Sir Malcolm Sargent. I saw him a few times and met him once in 1965 when I was involved with the Commonwealth Arts Festival.
DeleteIt's fascinating meeting someone who understands 'my era'. I say that because although I left Liverpool in 1970 and although my parents lived there till they died around 20 years ago in their 90s I was never involved with Liverpool life when I visited and I know no-one at all living there now. All the people I kept in touch with moved away.
I must look and see if I have any of my Phil or theatre programmes from those days.
DeleteI still have shelves of them, including the one for my very first concert!
DeleteIf you're also interested in theatre, you might like to follow the link via my Blogger profile to my own blog called Sight Lines. I am a theatre reviewer writing for various different outlets, and I copy almost all my reviews to my blog pages.
DeleteYes, I see from the brief look I had at your blogs earlier that you have a wide interest in music and theatre.
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