November 22, 1963, 3:02pm, WGBH Radio…

Posted November 22, 2013 14:55 by dave-dr-gonzo

Boston’s public radio station, WGBH-FM, was a pioneer in stereo broadcasting, and their weekly Friday afternoon broadcast of matinée concerts during the Boston Symphony Orchestra season were the envy of the industry – the state of the art in broadcast sound with a world-class orchestra. William Pierce had already introduced what had been the scheduled program to listeners when, instead of music, the orchestra’s conductor and newly-appointed music director made an announcement from the podium.

Audiophile engineer John Baker was in the audience that day:

I was there, as a junior in prep school, and will never forget that moment. What you don’t “hear” was the maestro raising his hands to begin the concert when the stage door he had just come out of opened again.

He looked over towards the door, dropped his hands and stick slowly and walked off stage.

What you hear is when he returned. It was a moment of memory stuck in time.”

Some of you may have heard the opening minute of this on The Rachel Maddow Show last night. Here, less the broadcast’s opening introduction, is the opening fifteen minutes of the program.