The rite of spring: 75 years of ABC music-making

For three generations the ABC's symphony orchestras were a jewel in the crown of Australian culture, allowing audiences to hear Rubenstein, Tauber, Szell, Beecham, Schwarzkopf, Rostropovich and Klemperer in their primes, while providing career-long employment for Australia's own leading classical musicians.

Much less well known is the fact that for many years the ABC's in-house musical ensembles also included full-time dance bands, a military bank and wireless choruses of uncommon distinction.

In this ground-breaking study of the complete gamut of ABC music-making, well-known author and music critic Martin Buzacott describes how, often against the odds, the ABC's musical founders - including Sir Charles Moses, Sir Bernard Heinze and William G.

James - created a culture of musical excellence whose legacy remains with us today.

Based on unprecedented access to the ABC's archives and personal interviews with many leading Australian musicians, The Rite of Spring: 75 Years of ABC Music-Making takes a fascinating journey through a musical history in which all Australians have shared.