Stokowski interviewed by Deryck Cooke (1965)

In 1965, Leopold Stokowski conducted a Maida Vale studio concert which included his only performance of Nielsen's 6th Symphony. During the break, he was interviewed by critic and musician Deryck Cooke. Talking of his early London days, Stokowski mis-remembered his birthplace which actually took place in the Marylebone district. However, the family did move to St. John's Wood while Stokowski was still a student at the Royal College of Music. The house he tried to recall was 18 Acacia Road (not Abbey Road) but it was blitzed during World War II, so he was never able to find it again. Stokowski was 83 at the time of this interview, so he can perhaps be forgiven for failing to recall Sibelius's name at one point! This interview is featured on a CD (BBCL 4018-2) where it completed a disc featuring Stokowski's 1968 Royal Festival Hall performances of Berlioz's 'Fantastic Symphony' and Scriabin's 'Poem of Ecstasy' with the New Philharmonia.