"MERRIE ENGLAND" — THE 1928 B.B.C. Radio Broadcasts
The London newspaper The Times listed the following programme highlights and details in the edition published on Monday, February 13th, 1928; page 7:
BROADCASTING - THE PROGRAMMES
"MERRIE ENGLAND" OPERA
"Sir Edward German will conduct the Wireless Orchestra and Chorus in the first broadcast of the complete version of the opera Merrie England. The cast will include Miss Gwladys Naish, Miss Margaret Balfour, Mr. Francis Russell, Mr. Stuart Robertson, and others. This will be transmitted from Daventry ( 5GB ) at 8.35 PM."
PROGRAMMES...
DAVENTRY - Call 5GB (610 kc) (491.8 m.)
8.35 [PM]:— Merrie England, first broadcast of the complete concert version of the opera, written by Basil Hood, composed by Edward German, with Gwladys Naish, Gladys Palmer, Francis Russell, Stuart Robertson, Tom Purvis, John Collett, Stanley Riley, and Samuel Dyson; The Wireless Chorus (Stanford Robinson, Chorus Master) and the Wireless Orchestra, conducted by Sir Edward German. [Concluded at 10 PM.]
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On Wednesday, February 15th, 1928, The Times noted under the 'Broadcasting' column on page 20 that Merrie England would be re-broadcast that night at 9.35 PM on radio stations: LONDON - Call 2LO (830 kc.) (361.4 m.) and DAVENTRY - Call 5XX (187 kc.) (1,604.3 m.), with the same cast, chorus and orchestra, concluding at 11 PM. This amounted to a second 'live' radio performance of the opera as facilities for recording radio programmes, (on 16-inch Electrical Transcription discs which ran at 33 1/3 rpm and played for up to 15 minutes per side), did not become available until 1932.
