Part Two - Personalities

Summary

From the outset, which is to say a year before I came into the picture, Glock began to update BBC music, remoulding it nearer to his heart's desire. One innovation was a series of ‘Invitation Concerts’ on Thursday (later moved to Tuesday) which mixed different eras and forces in a way not previously heard on the radio, nor indeed anywhere else. The very first placed Boulez and UE's Le Marteau sans maître between two Mozart string quintets. With the UE catalogue in the frame I made a point of turning up at some of the early concerts, notably when Wilfrid Parry and Yfrah Neaman were the soloists in the Berg Chamber Concerto.

During the interval of that or a similar concert in February 1960 I found myself addressed by Glock's French wife, Anne. I'd done a small piece of work for his publication The Score, and when she said “My husband wants to see you,” I thought “more of the same”. In due course his secretary Betty Evans rang to make an appointment for me to go to Yalding House. At that point I began to wonder if something was afoot, for he was known to be re-organizing the place – but then she rang again to say he'd double-booked himself and must postpone seeing me, which seemed to me to squash the whole idea, supposing there ever to have been one. (In fact it was standard practice with him.) I'd also heard meanwhile that the new producer was David Drew, he of the Roberto Gerhard study. I had no idea Glock was looking for several new people.

O ye of little faith! Came the second call and day, went the young man, to find himself facing not only Glock in his Controller's office, but the equally formidable Hans Keller, who was by then Chief Assistant, Chamber Music and Recitals.1 Glock didn't beat about the bush but asked straight away whether I'd like to join the BBC and help organize radio's classical music output. As well as saying, in effect, ‘would a duck swim?!’ I did prudently ask to know a few details of what the work entailed. He said it might be more ‘planning’, or more ‘producing’, whichever I preferred.