Gramophone – September 2019

ThefirstrecordIeverownedasaboywas‘LastDate’bythe

pianistFloydCramer.Iwassokeenongettingrecordsthat

IwentdowntotheradiostationinSydney,andaskedifthey

hadanysparerecords.Theygavemea45rpmof‘Iwantto

walkyouhome’byFatsDomino,andIworethatout.Inthe

1950sand’60stherewasalotoftalkradioinAustralia,no

ClassicFM.Somyparentsboughtmeagramophonewhen

Iwas 11 andsignedmeuptotheConcertHallRecordClub.

Adiscwouldarriveeverymonth:Dvo∑ák’sNewWorld,

Tchaikovsky’sPathétiqueandMozart’sJupiter.Myparents’

effortsstuckwithme,andattheageof 14 Istartedbuying

LPsmyself.

Ineverlearnedtoreadmusic,butmyparentsboughtmea

guitar,whichIstartedlearning.Thencrickettookover,and

theguitarsatathomeandeventuallywarped.Isawmyfirst

operain1972.Iwas 22 yearsold,andIhadbeenonaround-

the-worldcrickettour, 90 matchesinsixmonths,mostof

theminEngland.WeendedupinRome,nottoplaycricket

buttorelax.AfriendintheteamgotmealongtotheBathsof

Caracalla,toseeAida.Wesatintheopenaironchairs–and

therewereelephants!Surelytheycan’tdooperalikethisall

thetime,Ithought.AndIwashooked.

WhenIgothomeIboughtupJoanSutherlandrecordings

onLPsandcassettes.ShegaveanAustralianidentityto

operathatwehadn’thadsincethedaysofNellieMelba.

ThenonedayIboughtaDeccaoperacompilation,and

itwasRenataTebaldiwhohitme,singing‘Chegelida

manina’:Ihadtoplayitagainandagain.JussiBjörlingalso

gottome:hedidn’thavetherobustqualityofothertenors.

ThesedaysI’masubscribertotheOperaAustraliaseason

myself,andI’veseenthesopranoNicoleCarsingalotof

rolesattheSydneyOperaHouse.Inthe’90sIdiscovered

theAustralianBrandenburgOrchestraandtheirdirector

PaulDyer,andIbecameasupporterofthem.That’s

howIheardAndreasSchollforthefirsttime:whatan

extraordinaryvoice!

Itrainedmyownvoice,asasingerdoes,bylisteningtoit,

andworkingonit.IwasdoingTestcricketbytheageof

26,havingbegunworkingattheABCwhenIwas22.My

mentorwasGordonScott:heusedtoworkonemphasis

andbreathingfromthediaphragm,justassingersdo.And

IhadsomebenefitfromthefactthatIhadmyadenoids

removedwhenIwasveryyoung.SoI’veneverbeenanasal

broadcaster,thoughthat’squitecommon.Ialsolearntalot

fromAlanMcGilvray,sittingatthebackofthecommentary

boxwhilehewascallingthegame.‘Copytechnique,

notstyle,’hetoldme.‘Makeyourownstyle.’Itwasthe

AustralianPrimeMinisterSirRobertMenzieswhotold

McGilvray:‘Whenyouarebroadcasting,themostimportant

thingis–pause.’

Ifdonewell,cricketcommentaryhasanintimacywiththe

audience,likeagoodmusicalperformance.You’retherefor

sometime,andthere’sanunwrittenproductionhappening

infrontofyou.It’slikeathriller,andyou’renotsurehow

itwillendup,ifit’sagoodgame.Alotofpeopledon’t

understandathingaboutcricket,butit’safriendonthe

radio.Musicisthesame.WhenIlistentoTchaikovsky’s

FirstPianoConcerto,Icananticipatewhat’scoming,butit

feelsdifferenteverytime–andthat’showitiswithsomeone

likeSteveSmithbatting.He’sfiddlingatthecrease,buthe

getsintoarhythmwhenhebatswhichisakintomusical

performance.Hegoesintoperiodswhenhedoesn’tplay

shotsatall,becausethebowlersaretryingtoteasehimout.

He’sworkedoutthatmostofthetimehe’llwinthebattle,

andhehastheskillandthepatiencetotimehisownperiod

ofdominance,oncethebowleristired,andhecanexplode

intoform.Youcansenseaninstinctuallifeforceandneedto

communicateinbothgreatbattingandmusicalperformance.

DavidWarner’sbatisaninstrumentandanextensionof

hisbodynolessthanthepianoisforAlfredBrendel.

On BBC Test Match Special and ABC Grandstand, Jim Maxwell

is a leading member of commentary teams for the Ashes, which

runsuntilSeptember 8

Jim Maxwell

The maestro of Australian cricket broadcasting

on singing, speaking, training and listening

THE RECORD I COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT

Mozart Symphony No 41, ‘Jupiter’

Concertgebouw Orch / Böhm DG

It’s the ordered structure of this symphony that

grips me, and the sense of purposeful low, like

Michael Holding running in to bowl.

ILLUSTRATION:

PHILIP BANNISTER; INTERVIEW BY PETER QUANTRILL

MY MUSIC

146 GRAMOPHONE SEPTEMBER 2019 gramophone.co.uk