Naturally it was Beecham who conducted Delius' "Koanga". It was a first performance and he was anxious and bad-tempered throughout rehearsals; ever afterwards if he seemed at all liverish the word would go round that he was in a "Koanga mood". The producer was as usual Charles Moor whose motto was "when in doubt do nothing" so that Voodoo scene was a pitch-dark, apparently empty stage. When Beecham enquired: "Is anything going to happen, Mr. Moor?" he was told that it would be all right on the night. I can't recall that it was much better. The heroine, Oda Slobodskaya, was immensely tall and when she appeared at the dress rehearsal not only "blacked up" but wearing a comical headdress Beecham became convulsed with laughter and asked her if she really intended to come on like that at the performance. She became very angry in a heavy Russian accent and ended by throwing her shoe at him which fortunately seemed to amuse him even more and greatly improve his temper. To crown it all we had two banjo players who sat just in front of the conductor's desk and squabbled ceaselessly. It transpired that Fred Laurence had engaged them without realizing they were deadly enemies. Once they disappeared altogether and when Sir Thomas enquired after the "exotic gentlemen", as he liked to call them, he had to be told that they were outside having a fight. Not surprisingly, by the time we got to Birmingham on tour he had dispensed with them. << less