Due to the fact that the New York Philharmonic and radio station WQXR have been in the news, I thought it was appropriate to note that the first radio broadcast by the New York Philharmonic occurred on this day in 1930 at 3:00 p.m. According to the October 5, 1930 issue of the New York Times, the concert led by conductor Erich Kleiber, was beamed on WABC Radio at 3:00 p.m. It was the first of twenty-seven braodcasts held during the 1930-1931 concert season. These performances took place at both Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
Besides Mr. Kleiber, Arturo Toscanini and Bernardino Molinari also took part in these radio broadcasts. Intermission commentary was provided by the New York Times music critic Olin Downes.
If you would like to read more about the New York Philharmonic, feel free to check out Howard Shanet's Philharmonic: A History of New York's Orchestra. For a historic listening perspective, you may want to hear the compact disc New York Philharmonic: The Historic Broadcasts 1923 to 1987.
