George Weldon
Encyclopedia
George Weldon was an English
conductor
.
and at the Royal College of Music. He studied conducting with Malcolm Sargent
and Aylmer Buesst
. In 1943, at 36 years of age, he became the conductor of the City of Birmingham Orchestra
in succession to Leslie Heward, where he largely reconstituted the orchestra.
Ruth Gipps
became the choirmaster of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Choir in 1948 after the birth of her son, Lance, the previous year. Rumours circulated that the married Gipps was having an affair with Weldon and that Lance was Weldon's son, but these were never confirmed.
In 1950 it was suddenly announced that Weldon would be replaced by Rudolf Schwarz
. The reasons for this are unclear, but according to Ruth Gipps, Weldon resigned before he could be dismissed. In 1952 he became assistant to John Barbirolli
at the Hallé Orchestra
and remained in that position until his death. He became well known for his love of sports cars.
While in Manchester, he took charge of the Hallé summer seasons of promenade concerts, and many industrial concerts around the north of England. He frequently conducted in London and abroad, made broadcasts and many records.
, including some in stereo
. His recordings of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake
and The Sleeping Beauty with the Philharmonia Orchestra
has been reissued on CD on the Seraphim Records
and Classics for Pleasure labels. Numerous other recordings by Weldon were also available on CD as of 2008.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
.
Biography
Weldon was educated at Sherborne SchoolSherborne School
Sherborne School is a British independent school for boys, located in the town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset, England. It is one of the original member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
and at the Royal College of Music. He studied conducting with Malcolm Sargent
Malcolm Sargent
Sir Harold Malcolm Watts Sargent was an English conductor, organist and composer widely regarded as Britain's leading conductor of choral works...
and Aylmer Buesst
Aylmer Buesst
Aylmer Buesst was an Australian conductor, teacher and scholar, who spent his career in the United Kingdom. He was mainly associated with opera and vocal music...
. In 1943, at 36 years of age, he became the conductor of the City of Birmingham Orchestra
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. The Orchestra's current chief executive, appointed in 1999, is Stephen Maddock...
in succession to Leslie Heward, where he largely reconstituted the orchestra.
Ruth Gipps
Ruth Gipps
Ruth Gipps was a British composer, oboist and pianist.-Biography:Ruth Gipps was born in Bexhill-on-Sea, England in 1921. She was something of a child prodigy, winning performance competitions in which she was considerably younger than the rest of the field -- and female, to boot...
became the choirmaster of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. The Orchestra's current chief executive, appointed in 1999, is Stephen Maddock...
Choir in 1948 after the birth of her son, Lance, the previous year. Rumours circulated that the married Gipps was having an affair with Weldon and that Lance was Weldon's son, but these were never confirmed.
In 1950 it was suddenly announced that Weldon would be replaced by Rudolf Schwarz
Rudolf Schwarz (conductor)
Rudolf Schwarz CBE was an Austrian-born conductor of Jewish ancestry. He became a British citizen and spent the latter half of his life in England.-Early life:...
. The reasons for this are unclear, but according to Ruth Gipps, Weldon resigned before he could be dismissed. In 1952 he became assistant to John Barbirolli
John Barbirolli
Sir John Barbirolli, CH was an English conductor and cellist. Born in London, of Italian and French parentage, he grew up in a family of professional musicians. His father and grandfather were violinists...
at the Hallé Orchestra
The Hallé
The Hallé is a symphony orchestra based in Manchester, England. It is the UK's oldest extant symphony orchestra , supports a choir, youth choir and a youth orchestra, and releases its recordings on its own record label, though it has occasionally released recordings on Angel Records and EMI...
and remained in that position until his death. He became well known for his love of sports cars.
While in Manchester, he took charge of the Hallé summer seasons of promenade concerts, and many industrial concerts around the north of England. He frequently conducted in London and abroad, made broadcasts and many records.
Recordings
Weldon made a series of recordings for EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, including some in stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
. His recordings of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake
Swan Lake
Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
and The Sleeping Beauty with the Philharmonia Orchestra
Philharmonia Orchestra
The Philharmonia Orchestra is one of the leading orchestras in Great Britain, based in London. Since 1995, it has been based in the Royal Festival Hall. In Britain it is also the resident orchestra at De Montfort Hall, Leicester and the Corn Exchange, Bedford, as well as The Anvil, Basingstoke...
has been reissued on CD on the Seraphim Records
Seraphim Records
Seraphim Records is the sister label of Angel Records.-History:During the 1960s through the 1980s, it was Angel's low-price label; recordings that had originally been released on the Angel label were re-released at a bargain price on the Seraphim label...
and Classics for Pleasure labels. Numerous other recordings by Weldon were also available on CD as of 2008.