“When the world-renowned London Philharmonic Orchestra leaves London on September 11 to commence a 25,000-mile Far East tour, it will be receiving financial support from Investors Overseas Services and the OIS Foundation,” reported the South China Morning Post on August 30, 1969. “This was confirmed by Mr Malcolm Fox, IOS Regional Vice-President Far East, in a joint statement with the Hongkong impresario, Mr Harry Odell.”
How the South China Morning Post reported the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s tour of Asia in 1969. Photo: SCMP Archives
“The tour, which takes the Orchestra first to Singapore and on to Hongkong, Manila, Seoul and Japan, is supported by the British Council and the British Board of Trade, in conjunction with the financial support of IOS. [A] highlight of the tour will be three concerts in Tokyo, as part of the British Trade Week, commencing on September 26.”
On September 18, the Post reported that “the London Philharmonic Orchestra came to Hongkong in 1962 to play in the inaugural concerts of the City Hall. Last night we had the pleasure of hearing the LPO again, with many new members but with the same high standards of performance. Two conductors are with the orchestra for the Far East part of the tour, and John Pritchard conducted last night. Jerzy Semkow will take over the podium this evening.
John Pritchard conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Photo: Handout
“Last night’s programme was varied, colourful and very attractive for audiences in cities such as Hongkong where visiting orchestras come but a few times a year. There were no big classical works but instead several ‘virtuoso’ compositions which showed what exciting effects a finely trained professional orchestra of highly competent musicians can produce.”
The same day in another interview, Pritchard said, “‘Batons are peculiarly personal things […] I’ve had this one copied over and over again, I’m never happy conducting without it.’ The original one was made for him when he was first invited to be a guest conductor at the Vienna State Opera.
“‘An old man came up to me,’ Mr Pritchard remembers. ‘He was wearing a weird black suit. Instinctively he knew that I wasn’t happy with the baton I used at the time. He told me he would make me a new one. Without being told, he seemed to know just what I was looking for – it was perfect. Apparently this old man had made batons for 50 or 60 years. He had made them for all the leading conductors of the time.’”