Eugene Goossens - Divertissement

Born in London to a musical Belgian family, Eugene Goossens (1893-1962) was primarily known for his conducting rather than his compositions. He studied at the Royal College of Music with Stanford and for three years from 1912 was a violinist in Thomas Beecham's Queen's Hall Orchestra. After a spell as Beecham's assistant conductor, conducting Stanford's opera The Critic amongst other works, Goossens focused on his conducting career - a notable early concert being the British premiere of The Rite Of Spring (1921) with Stravinsky present in the Queen's Hall.

Eugene Goossens

From 1923  - when he was invited by George Eastman to conduct the Rochester Philharmonic - until 1947 Goossens conducted in the United States, taking over the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from Fritz Reiner in 1931. One notable occasion in Goossens tenure in Cincinnati was the commissioning in 1942 of fanfares and other short, uplifting pieces to bolster morale during the wartime years. Several pieces were forthcoming but the only piece to remain in the repertoire is Aaron Copland's Fanfare For The Common Man.

When Goossens left Cincinnati for Australia and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra,  nine American composers contributed to a set of Variations on a Theme by Eugene Goossens (including Bloch, Copland, Harris, Piston and Sessions).

Apart from his conducting engagements in Sydney, Goossens was also the director of the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music. However Goossens international conducting career was to come to an abrupt end when his involvement with the "Witch of Kings Cross" - Rosaleen Norton - came to light. With a shared interest in the occult and erotica, they had an affair. After a European visit in 1956 - a year after he had been Knighted - police detained him at Sydney airport after a tip off and his luggage was found to contain what were then considered pornographic items (photos, film, books, rubber masks). Although not immediately arrested, he was to plead guilty and fined £100. The scandal ruined his reputation and he was forced to resign his positions and return to England in disgrace.

Gaspare Chiarelli

Goossens career was severely restricted after this, largely to composing and working for the BBC.

The Divertissement on this record was Goossens last completed orchestral composition (1960). It's premiere was planned to take place in the Netherlands, but (somewhat ironically, perhaps) it was first played in 1963 by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra - the seven year gap from Goossens hasty exit allowing his artistic reputation to regain some credibility.

On this recording the work is conducted by Canadian-Italian Gaspare Chiarelli, who not only studied with Goossens but also has conducted in Cincinnati.

Click on the scan of the sleeve notes below for information about the music . . .

Cartridge: Shelter 5000 MC

Phono amp: Graham Slee Accession MC

Turntable: CTC Classic 301 with SME M2-12R

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