One of the strangest concerts I’ve ever seen: William Walton’s ‘Façade’ performed in a converted church in Bristol. The Edith Sitwell role was taken by Walton’s widow Susana accompanied by the first British TV newsreader Richard Baker.
We sat in the gallery of St. George’s which made it quite hard to hear the words declaimed by Baker and Walton over the musicians. I remember picking out the ‘hot as any hottentot’ business, but not much else.
I was quite star-struck by seeing Baker, not just THE face of news when I was growing up but much more importantly the voice of ‘Mary, Mungo and Midge.’ All I really remember about Lady Walton is a feather boa.
Adrian Masters 