Had a busy day today. Work done on Heavenly Property and Gray Matters websites. An exciting possible new client contacted me after a positive referral. Installed Windows on Barnaby's new PC (with dual monitors - I'm dead jealous!). Went into Cambridge to get my last 3 years tax returns from my accountant and did some shopping in a Chinese supermarket (fabbo!).

Mike Kemp wrote with some excellent ancient Spaceward history for me...

Hi Mark,

 

I remembered another couple of snippets of Spaceward memorabilia. This concerns two related orchestral recordings we made in 1975.

 

Both were the result of meeting Somtow Sucharitkul, then in Cambridge doing a music degree. He is now famous as founder of the Siam Philharmonic Orchestra, director of the Bangkok Opera, and also, incidentally, a science fiction author under the pseudonym S.P.Somtow.

 

We recorded a symphonic piece of his entitled "Fragments from a Wooden Horse", a theme he has returned to in some of his science fiction work I notice.

 

He had also been commissioned to orchestrate a symphony by the a Mr J William Middendorf II, then secretary of the US navy. Apparently Mr JWM would hum the tunes to him, and he would score it out for orchestra - at least that is what we are told, but seeing Mr JWM's impressive catalogue I now wonder if this was true!

 

To do the recording we assembled a "Cambridge Symphony Orchestra" of impressive size in the old Music School theatre in Downing Street,Cambridge. Somtow conducted and directed. The recording went well, and after it was all over we had to phone the US Pentagon to tell Mr JWM about it. Naturally we reversed the charge as in those days transatlantic calls were beyond the budget of a fledgeling recording studio. After dialling the Pentagon and nervously asking to speak to the secretary for the Navy, we were put through rapidly. We were surprised when he asked us to play the symphony to him over the phone, but of course we did. When it was over (some 25 minutes later) there was a breathless silence over the line, then he said "That was great, play it again". So we did. Anyway we finally pressed 1,000 vinyl disks of the performance for him, and later we were again impressed when he when he sent the US navy to the door of 19 VIctoria Street to collect the disks. This was in the form of a cavalcade of military limos, with a high ranking officer emerging and hammering on the door, followed by him and his underlings trying to fit into our tiny office. Together they sat at the desk and counted each of the disks. There were a few more than 1,000 pressed and they of course refused to take these. I think they regarded us rather suspiciously over the excess number, maybe supecting a subtle plot. Orders were after all to collect 1,000 disks, and I guess you don't mess with orders from the secretary to the US navy! Anyway, they finally departed happily with the disks and that's the last we heard. For the record I guess this was his Symphony Number 1. There was a box of spare disks around for a number of years - not sure what happened to them.

 

Hope this is an interesting item for the site!

 

atb

 

Mike

 

PS references:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._William_Middendorf

http://www.iri.org/boardbio.asp?id=5692409498

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.P._Somtow

http://www.somtow.com/home.html

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/somtow-sucharitkul/

I notice that Cobblers Last album "Boot in the Door" from 1979 is for sale on Ebay for £80. No offers yet.