In 1964 the famous violinist Ida Haendel was appearing in Prague and, on this occasion, the Philharmonic teamed up with her to record Lalos ↗Spanish Symphony↗ for Supraphon. The recording took place in the Rudolfinum and was preceded by the requisite acoustic tests - the trickiest passages from the point of view of the overall sound, sections of the violin part covered extensively by the orchestra and so on. Then, all of a sudden, we noticed a strange blue mist in the hall and, judging by its density and smell, we realised that it wasnt coming from the Philharmonic canteen. We all went outside, more out of curiosity than anything else, to the occasional murmur of sceptical comments or wisecracks. Behind the podium, though, the smoke was much thicker and flames were whipping almost to the level of the second floor. The fire brigade took a good while to arrive. They got out of their vehicles and made their way to the Rudolfinum at a leisurely pace. When they saw us, they smiled in amusement, but the sight that greeted them inside urged them to act quickly. A destructive fire-fighting offensive began which transformed the interior of the Rudolfinum into a battlefield in seconds. At that moment I thought of the Herálec firemen, role models that they were, and in spirit saluted my fellow-countrymen. The cause of this memorable incident would today be defined as human error: someone threw a cigarette end into a waste-paper basket while it was still burning. Fortunately, the fire only affected the back-stage area; the Dvořák Hall got away unscathed, but only just. We finished the recording over the next few days, even though the drenched, seared corridor didnt make for a very cosy environment. Naturally, a smoking ban throughout the building was put into effect immediately. youtube/watch?v=pX4wL0ozPEA
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 08:20:10 +0000
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