# "First Hearing"



## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

I don't know if any of you remember a radio program from the 1970s originating in New York City by the name of "First Hearing".

A panel of three "experts" would usually be presented with a single movement from a newly recorded symphony, concerto or sonata and asked to give an instant review of same.

One of the regulars was a man who also used to do the program notes for the New York Philharmonic's concerts. I think his first name was Martin. I've been trying to remember his last name. I remember he used to absolutely hate Herbert Von Karajan. Does anyone out there remember his full name?


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

It came to me overnight. His name was Martin Bookspan. (Yesterday, I couldn't get "Greenspan" out of my mind, and it just didn't sound right.)

Anyway, once I remembered it, I checked Wikipedia. Apparently he's still alive. He retired as announcer for PBS' "Live From Lincoln Center" in 2006. During the time I remember, it says he was the program director for WQXR (which was the station from which "First Hearing" originated).

I think both he and George Jelenek(?), another semi-regular on the program, used to review recordings for Stereo Review or High Fidelity magazines. Another semi-regular was Edmund (Edward?) Downes. Most weeks it would be Bookspan, one of the other two I mentioned, and a guest reviewer - often a musician or conductor. I remember the pianist Ruth Laredo being on the program once. The guest reviewer was usually very nice and noncomittal. The others could be very negative at times.

They always withheld the name of the performer(s) until after the reviews were in. Bookspan was uncanny in his ability to ferret out a Von Karajan performance, and was relentless in his criticism of it - no matter what it was. (Of course, as program director...)

Now, what was the name of the emcee for this show....hmmm......?


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## GoneBaroque (Jun 16, 2011)

I do not recall the program, but I am familiar with the three reviewers. I think it was Edward Downes. They were honest in their appraisals I thought. As for not liking VK...WELL!


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I do remember the program and have lamented its loss since our local station stopped playing it decades ago. As I recall, they wouldn't even tell the reviewers what piece or movement was playing, so I always enjoyed playing a little game to try guessing at least the composer if not the piece -- a kind of "Name That Tune." 

Sometimes it was called "First Sneering" because the reviewers came across to some as pretentious intellectuals, but I loved it. I wish it were podcast.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

I always used to listen to this program, and it was always very interesting, but could be very irritating when you disagreed with the panel (which was very often.
Bookspan,Kolodin and Dpwnes were the three original panelists, but later there were many other distinguished guest panelists ,such as the late haprsichordist Igor Kipnis,
Hungarian pianist Gyorgy Sandor, the late conductor Christopher keene and others.
Yes, Bookspan had a pathological hatred of Karajan's conducting, and was a great admirer of Leonard Bernstein, and his mentor,the legendary Serge Koussevitzky, whose concerts he attended in his youth in Boston. Whenever a new recording by him was played, he attacked it viciously.
One problem with the program is that it often presented only single movements of large scale symphonies and concertos etc, and brief excerpts from complete recordings of operas, It's difficult to judge how good an entire recording is from one short excerpt, and the panelists often would dismiss a recording out of hand from this, which is not fair.
Sometimes, they would play an obscure work and ask the panel to guess who the composer was ,which was always interesting. 
The always smoothly tactful moderator George Jelinek , who passed away last year at the age of 90, always handled things deftly.


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

superhorn said:


> I always used to listen to this program, and it was always very interesting, but could be very irritating when you disagreed with the panel (which was very often.
> Bookspan,Kolodin and Dpwnes were the three original panelists, but later there were many other distinguished guest panelists ,such as the late haprsichordist Igor Kipnis,.........
> 
> The always smoothly tactful moderator George Jelinek , who passed away last year at the age of 90, always handled things deftly.


Thanks, Superhorn. I was mixed up about Jelinek, remembering him as a reviewer. That must have been Kolodin of whom I was thinking.

I agree on the frequent "unfairness" when the panelists were dismissive of something based on a relatively small sample.

What I liked best about the program was trying to guess what the panelists would say. Needless to say, I was usually wrong - what I liked, they didn't (and vice versa).

One I do remember agreeing with them on in a positive way was the Lupu/Previn Schumann Piano Concerto. I had never heard a version of this piece where the orchestra and soloist were so in sync with each other and at the same time so distinctive in their phrasing (first movement only, as I recall).


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## wqrsdetroit (Mar 15, 2018)

Vesteralen said:


> It came to me overnight. His name was Martin Bookspan. (Yesterday, I couldn't get "Greenspan" out of my mind, and it just didn't sound right.)
> 
> Anyway, once I remembered it, I checked Wikipedia. Apparently he's still alive. He retired as announcer for PBS' "Live From Lincoln Center" in 2006. During the time I remember, it says he was the program director for WQXR (which was the station from which "First Hearing" originated).
> 
> ...


Now, what was the name of the emcee for this show....hmmm......? Could it have been Lloyd Moss ?


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## RICK RIEKERT (Oct 9, 2017)

wqrsdetroit said:


> Now, what was the name of the emcee for this show....hmmm......? Could it have been Lloyd Moss ?


Yes, indeed.


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## Room2201974 (Jan 23, 2018)

YouTube may eventually make a Harlan Ellision story come true.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

I loved that show, looking forward to each installment. Martin Bookspan was also the classical moderator on an early - pre-internet - system called Prodigy. I always enjoyed online discussions with him. He wrote a book, 100 Classical Masterpieces, that was kind of Bible in its day for the clear writing and the recommendations for his preferred recordings.

There were so many great classical radio shows in the past; I have to wonder how much their absence effects the popularity of classical music. Karl Hass was another favorite with his show Adventures in Good Music. Radio was such a civilized mode of communication.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Lets hope OP comes by from time to time, seen it was 2011 ask.


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