In January 1970 my two-year contract with the BBC training orchestra came to an end. I then had a one year extension during which I could leave with three months notice.
Bass sections are stable and there were not many orchestras in those days. So long periods could go by with no permanent positions becoming available. Not having any money it was essential for me to have a regular job. Further having a regular job provided me with both the experience I needed and the time and money for lessons.
Before the two years were up I had auditioned for two jobs. One job with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the other with Covent Garden.
I think the Covent Garden audition was the first. The job may have been number three in the bass section.
My rationale for applying was that I needed experience auditioning and, while I was very aware of my own shortcomings, I had played solos in the orchestra such as Mahler Symphony number one, I had some experience after the two years in Bristol, and it was up to the orchestra I was auditioning for to accept me or not.
My pieces were probably the Eccles first movement and a quick movement from a Vivaldi cello Sonata. I prepared some of the Opera excerpts such as the bass solo from Verdi’s Ortello and set off hopefully to the audition.
In the waiting room I met senior professionals such as Nat Paris and…… Nat was already in the Covent Garden section and was auditioning to move up. … Was in Sadlers Wells Opera and was auditioning to move across.
My turn came and I went into the audition room. There was no one there that I knew. As always everyone was very polite and reassuring. I played my pieces and then came the sight reading.
I only remember two parts of the sight reading. The solo from Mahler one and an unfamiliar notey Wagner excerpt. When I saw the solo from Mahler one I noticed that every two bars there was a comma denoting a breath. I asked the principal, Wiggy, whether he wished me to play the solo with this gap every two bars. Before I received an answer the manager interrupted to tell me off for questioning the principal. ‘This man earns £100 a week’ he said.
I struggled through the Wagner excerpt as best I could. I did not get the job. However later word came to me that I had impressed at the audition. Done well.
The BBC Symphony Orchestra audition was different. It was well-known that Gerry Brinnan was looking for bass players who used the German bow. No one else was said to stand a chance.
However I turned up at Maida Vale studios ready with my pieces. I was shown into the warmup room which I had to myself. After a while there was a knock on the door and a burly porter entered to carry my bass and show me the way to studio one. Not used to this treatment I felt very intimidated.
Studio one was the main studio which had been cleared for the audition. In the middle of this large empty space there was a music stand and a stool. In the far distance was a trestle table with the orchestral manager, Gerry Brinnan, Jim Merritt my teacher at Guildhall and some others.
I played my pieces and was then handed a pile of sight reading. In those days I used to wear glasses. By the time I’d finished my pieces my glasses were already beginning to steam up. Also sweat was dripping off my forehead onto the glass lenses. After a while I was unable to see the distant table with Gerry Brinnan and everyone else seated at it.
I have no recollection at all as to what sight reading was put up. I expect there was some tricky modern stuff.
I was not surprised when I was not offered a job. I was however offended when a message came through to me that I needed to have some lessons. Perhaps looking back I ought to felt complemented that someone thought it worth while to send the message through.
Fortunately for me a position in the CBSO became available. I had attended many CBSO concerts at the three choirs Festival; I had attended CBSO concerts at rugby and in Coventry Cathedral. Les Chapman who had been the same year at Guildhall was already in the section. I was very familiar with the orchestra also when the CBSO had come to Bristol, through Les I had met the bass section.
Note that though this meant I was a shoe in to the section. I still had to audition. I played my pieces, did the sight reading and then it was up to them.
Fortunately I was offered a job there. I handed my notice in Bristol and the week after I finished in Bristol I started in Birmingham.
I took the CBSO contract to uncle Alec for him to witness my signature. Uncle Alec said that he knew something about contracts would I mind if he looked through it. After a brief look he came across the sick note regulations and told me that if I wished I could use these sick note regulations to hardly work at all.
In the event I was joining a hard-working orchestra where the management used every dot and comma in the contract to squeeze the most out of us, while we just played, and played, and played… and travelled.
mikeslea 