Dame Myra Hess: Concert Hall radio broadcast January 20, 1947

An unpublished January 20, 1947 radio broadcast from the Concert Hall radio program, featuring pianist Dame Myra Hess. Introduced by Lionel Barrymore, Hess plays the first movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No.23 - a work that she did not officially record and which she played at her final concert in 1961 - followed by a performance of her celebrated transcription of Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. She is accompanied by Donald Voorhees and the radio orchestra. Although Hess is quoted as describing the Bell Telephone Hour as 'a circus' (Myra Hess: National Treasure by Jessica Duchen, p.248) - as Barrymore's stilted introduction and other parts of the program not included in this upload might suggest - her playing is sublime in both of these works. For more about Hess and her artistry, here is a feature I prepared about her for her 130th birthday in 2020: https://www.thepianofiles.com/dame-my... If you wish to support The Piano Files, please consider membership at my Patreon page:   / thepianofiles