Alan Bush. A life - ACE128.6

Roger Steptoe, Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music, saying that people’s opinions of Bush’s music are coloured by their knowing that he is a Communist, and that hinders their appreciation of his work. Joan Horrocks talks about the choir going to the BerlinYouth Festival in 1951. Half went on the Bathory and arrived without incident; the rest. Photos of American troops. Bush’s voice takes up the story: at the American Zone he and others were turned off the train and spent the night on the railway line. Bush explains how people around Europe raised money for tickets for the choir to reach Berlin. Newspaper article condemning American "brutality". Bush talks about his piano concerto, his "first overtly political work". Tippett describes how Adrian Boult cut short applause for the first performance of the concerto by starting the orchestra playing the National Anthem. Newspaper article – part of it read over. Tippett describes how Bush wanted to write the piano concerto, which ended with a choral section, and perform it himself. It was done with Bush, the BBC orchestra, with Boult conducting. Excerpt from Five pieces for Violin, Viola, Cello, Clarinet and Horn, Op.6 (1925).