In an online lecture, Michael White brings to light a forgotten cultural exchange, at the height of the Cold War
At the height of the Cold War in 1956, an extraordinary event happened that’s largely forgotten now but was big news at the time on both sides of the Iron Curtain: Sir Arthur Bliss, Master of the Queen’s Music, organised what he called a ‘Musical Embassy’ of British performers on a tour of Russia.
It was particularly unusual because cultural exchange between the two countries had been stifled since the Berlin Blockade of 1948. Performers crossing the divide were few and far between. So when the eight members of this ‘Embassy’ arrived in Russia it was greeted with enormous curiosity on Soviet radio, TV and the press.
Among them was the leading soprano Jennifer Vyvyan, celebrated for her association with Benjamin Britten, and the then-famous piano duo Cyril Smith and Phyllis Sellick who, in mid-tour, suffered a devastating catastrophe that changed both their lives.
The critic and broadcaster Michael White – formerly chief music critic at the Independent, columnist for the Telegraph and Radio 3 presenter – is Vyvyan’s biographer. He has amassed a treasure-trove of documents relating to this 1950s ‘Embassy’ and tells a fascinating story of a cultural event that should be better-known and re-appraised.
Once voted Britain's least boring music critic by listeners to Classic FM – who turned out not to be great fans of critics but made a begrudging exception – Michael White studied at Oxford, began writing for the Guardian, and was chief critic at the Independent for ten years. He went on to be a columnist for the Daily Telegraph and contributor the New York Times – with other columns in Opera Now and Classical Music magazine.
As a radio & TV broadcaster he has presented long-running BBC series like Opera in Action and Best of Three, attempted to explain Wagner's Ring Cycle in half an hour, introduced the Proms, fronted Cardiff Singer of the World, led the (extensive) TV coverage of Pavarotti’s funeral, and made acclaimed documentaries - including Opening the Boxes on Radio 4, about his rediscovery of the hidden life of singer Jennifer Vyvyan. He’s also made countless guest appearances on Newsnight, Front Row and the Today programme.
He gives talks and lectures internationally for opera companies like Glyndebourne and Garsington, orchestras like the LSO, and festivals like Edinburgh, Aldeburgh and Grafenegg. He leads study days and presents web-streamed concerts for Wigmore Hall. And he has devised a words & music show about the life of Rachmaninov, Russian Soul, which he narrates alongside soprano Ilona Domnich and pianist Sholto Kynoch.
His books include Opera & Operetta (Collins) and Introducing Wagner (Icon): a guide for the curious but wary.