Vernon Handley
Encyclopedia
Vernon George "Tod" Handley CBE (11 November 1930 – 10 September 2008) was a British
conductor, known in particular for his support of British composers. He was born of a Welsh
father and an Irish
mother into a musical family in Enfield
, London
. He acquired the nickname "Tod" because his feet were turned in at his birth, which his father simply summarised: "They toddle". Handley preferred the use of the name "Tod" throughout his life over his given names.
. While in school, he watched the BBC Symphony Orchestra
in its studio in Maida Vale
, where by his own account he learned some of his conducting technique by watching Sir Adrian Boult
. Later the two corresponded in the early 1950s and met around 1958. He spent a period in the Armed Forces and then attended Balliol College, Oxford
, where he read English philology and became musical director of the University Dramatic Society
. He also studied at the Guildhall School of Music
in London, where his performing instrument was the double bass (in addition to the trombone and violin). After graduating he worked as a nursery gardener, bricklayer and petrol pump attendant during the day, studying and conducting amateur orchestras and choirs in the evening. He then became Sir Adrian Boult's pupil. During their first meeting he "was put through the worst two hours of counterpoint and harmony that I've ever faced" and was then asked how he would conduct a page of a score that Boult put in front of him, Sir Arnold Bax
's Third Symphony
, which Handley happened to have studied. Handley later conducted that work in the first concert he gave in London, with the symphony orchestra of Morley College
. Handley remained a devoted champion of the music of Bax throughout his career.
. In 1962, Handley was appointed the musical director of the newly formed Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he programmed much of Bax's music and made the first recording of Bax's Symphony No. 4
. Handley and the orchestra also recorded Gerald Finzi
's Intimations of Immortality
. He also directed the Tonbridge
Philharmonic orchestra. In 1983 he was appointed associate conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra
. He was Principal Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra
from 1985 to 1989, and had the title of Conductor Laureate from 2003 until his death. From 1986 to 1988, he was chief conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra
. He held assistant conductorships elsewhere, was Conductor Emeritus of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and conducted a number of others in concert, for broadcast and for recording. Handley was appointed Principal Conductor of the English Symphony Orchestra in January 2007.
Handley is much revered for his enthusiastic and untiring championship of British music, including many lesser known, unfashionable or relatively neglected composers whose artistic reputations and popularity he often helped to revive. Although he claimed to be just as attached to composers from elsewhere, the majority (some 90 out of 160) of Handley's recordings were of British music. He is said to have recorded as many as a hundred premières of British works, including highly successful series on Hyperion Records
of the symphonies of Robert Simpson
and Sir Granville Bantock
. Simpson dedicated his Symphony No. 10
to Handley. According to Lewis Foreman, Handley "single handedly transformed the reception of the music of Granville Bantock." He also went on to make the first largely complete official recording of Bantock's monumental Omar Khayyám
setting. He contributed a foreword to Alan Poulton's Dictionary-Catalog of Modern British Composers (Greenwood Press) and to a book on Adrian Boult. He also recorded symphonies by Bax, Moeran
and Stanford
for Chandos Records
as well as discs of other orchestral works. Handley recorded the symphonies of Elgar
and Vaughan Williams
for EMI. Handley also recorded many works by Sir Malcolm Arnold
for Conifer Records, which have recently been reissued in the UK by Decca Records
.
Handley held clear views on the style of conductors, saying "Music isn't mime; you shouldn't fraudulently convince people that they have heard what they haven't", and stating "jet-set musical careers... are little to do with the work, more to do with PR". Questioning the influence of television on conducting, Handley recalled Boult telling him, "Do remember, won't you, that you are playing to the blind man in the audience."
Handley received numerous awards, such as The Gramophone magazine's Special Achievement Award in 2003 for services to British Music (sparking a "Nod for Tod" honours campaign); and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Classical BRIT Awards
on 3 May 2007 at the Royal Albert Hall
. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(CBE) in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours
(having declined appointment as an Officer of the order in 1988). He held an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Surrey
and was a Fellow of the Royal College of Music
.
Handley died at home in Monmouthshire
on 10 September 2008. He had been scheduled to conduct Prom 2 of the 2008 BBC Proms
season on 19 July, but withdrew because of ill health (Paul Daniel
replaced him). After Handley's death, the director of The Proms
, Roger Wright, announced the dedication of the 10 September Prom concert (Prom 73) to Handley.
Handley married and divorced three times. He met his first wife, Barbara Black, while studying at Balliol; they married in 1954 and had a daughter and two sons, one of whom died when aged 13 months. His second marriage in 1977 to Victoria Parry-Jones produced a son and a daughter. His third marriage to the flautist Catherine Newby in 1987 produced a son. The five remaining children survive Handley.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
conductor, known in particular for his support of British composers. He was born of a Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
father and an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
mother into a musical family in Enfield
London Borough of Enfield
The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He acquired the nickname "Tod" because his feet were turned in at his birth, which his father simply summarised: "They toddle". Handley preferred the use of the name "Tod" throughout his life over his given names.
Education and studies
Handley attended Enfield Grammar SchoolEnfield Grammar School
Enfield Grammar School is a boys' comprehensive school in Enfield Town in the London Borough of Enfield in north London.-History:Enfield Grammar School was founded on the 25th. May 1558...
. While in school, he watched the BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:...
in its studio in Maida Vale
Maida Vale
Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
, where by his own account he learned some of his conducting technique by watching Sir Adrian Boult
Adrian Boult
Sir Adrian Cedric Boult CH was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London for the Royal Opera House and Sergei Diaghilev's ballet company. His first prominent post was...
. Later the two corresponded in the early 1950s and met around 1958. He spent a period in the Armed Forces and then attended Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, where he read English philology and became musical director of the University Dramatic Society
Oxford University Dramatic Society
The Oxford University Dramatic Society is the principal funding body and provider of theatrical services to the many independent student productions put on by students in Oxford, England...
. He also studied at the Guildhall School of Music
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
in London, where his performing instrument was the double bass (in addition to the trombone and violin). After graduating he worked as a nursery gardener, bricklayer and petrol pump attendant during the day, studying and conducting amateur orchestras and choirs in the evening. He then became Sir Adrian Boult's pupil. During their first meeting he "was put through the worst two hours of counterpoint and harmony that I've ever faced" and was then asked how he would conduct a page of a score that Boult put in front of him, Sir Arnold Bax
Arnold Bax
Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, KCVO was an English composer and poet. His musical style blended elements of romanticism and impressionism, often with influences from Irish literature and landscape. His orchestral scores are noted for their complexity and colourful instrumentation...
's Third Symphony
Symphony No. 3 (Bax)
The Symphony No. 3 by Arnold Bax was completed in 1929. It was dedicated to Sir Henry Wood and is perhaps the most performed and most immediately approachable of Arnold Bax's symphonies....
, which Handley happened to have studied. Handley later conducted that work in the first concert he gave in London, with the symphony orchestra of Morley College
Morley College
Morley College is an adult education college in London, England. It was founded in the 1880s and has a student population of 10,806 adult students...
. Handley remained a devoted champion of the music of Bax throughout his career.
Career
Vernon Handley's first professional engagement was in 1960, conducting the Bournemouth Symphony OrchestraBournemouth Symphony Orchestra
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is an English orchestra. Originally based in Bournemouth, the BSO moved its offices to the adjacent town of Poole in 1979....
. In 1962, Handley was appointed the musical director of the newly formed Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he programmed much of Bax's music and made the first recording of Bax's Symphony No. 4
Symphony No. 4 (Bax)
The Symphony No. 4 by Arnold Bax was completed in 1930 and dedicated to Paul Corder. It was inspired by Bax's love of the sea and premiered in 1931 by British conductor Basil Cameron and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.-Scoring:...
. Handley and the orchestra also recorded Gerald Finzi
Gerald Finzi
Gerald Raphael Finzi was a British composer. Finzi is best known as a song-writer, but also wrote in other genres...
's Intimations of Immortality
Intimations of Immortality
Intimations of Immortality, Op. 29, an ode for tenor, chorus, and orchestra, is one of the best-known works by English composer Gerald Finzi. It is a setting of nine of the eleven stanzas of William Wordsworth's "Ode: Intimations of Immortality", cast as a single continuous movement...
. He also directed the Tonbridge
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
Philharmonic orchestra. In 1983 he was appointed associate conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
. He was Principal Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra
Ulster Orchestra
The Ulster Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Belfast, the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall...
from 1985 to 1989, and had the title of Conductor Laureate from 2003 until his death. From 1986 to 1988, he was chief conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra
Malmö Symphony Orchestra
The Malmö Symphony Orchestra is a Swedish orchestra, based in Malmö. Since 1985, the orchestra has given its main concert series in the Konserthuset, Malmö. The orchestra has a current complement of 94 musicians...
. He held assistant conductorships elsewhere, was Conductor Emeritus of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and conducted a number of others in concert, for broadcast and for recording. Handley was appointed Principal Conductor of the English Symphony Orchestra in January 2007.
Handley is much revered for his enthusiastic and untiring championship of British music, including many lesser known, unfashionable or relatively neglected composers whose artistic reputations and popularity he often helped to revive. Although he claimed to be just as attached to composers from elsewhere, the majority (some 90 out of 160) of Handley's recordings were of British music. He is said to have recorded as many as a hundred premières of British works, including highly successful series on Hyperion Records
Hyperion Records
Hyperion Records is an independent British classical record label.-History:The company was named after Hyperion, one of the Titans of Greek mythology. It was founded by George Edward Perry, widely known as "Ted", in 1980. Early LP releases included rarely recorded 20th century British music by...
of the symphonies of Robert Simpson
Robert Simpson (composer)
Robert Simpson was an English composer and long-serving BBC producer and broadcaster.He is best known for his orchestral and chamber music , and for his writings on the music of Beethoven, Bruckner, Nielsen and Sibelius. He studied composition under Herbert Howells...
and Sir Granville Bantock
Granville Bantock
Sir Granville Bantock was a British composer of classical music.-Biography:Granville Ransome Bantock was born in London. His father was a Scottish doctor. He was intended by his parents for the Indian Civil Service but was drawn into the musical world. His first teacher was Dr Gordon Saunders at...
. Simpson dedicated his Symphony No. 10
Symphony No. 10 (Simpson)
Robert Simpson composed his Symphony No. 10 in 1988 and dedicated it to the conductor Vernon Handley who gave the premiere of the work in the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, on 16 January, 1991 with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra...
to Handley. According to Lewis Foreman, Handley "single handedly transformed the reception of the music of Granville Bantock." He also went on to make the first largely complete official recording of Bantock's monumental Omar Khayyám
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám is the title that Edward FitzGerald gave to his translation of a selection of poems, originally written in Persian and of which there are about a thousand, attributed to Omar Khayyám , a Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer...
setting. He contributed a foreword to Alan Poulton's Dictionary-Catalog of Modern British Composers (Greenwood Press) and to a book on Adrian Boult. He also recorded symphonies by Bax, Moeran
Ernest John Moeran
Ernest John Moeran was an English composer who had strong associations with Ireland .-Early life:...
and Stanford
Charles Villiers Stanford
Sir Charles Villiers Stanford was an Irish composer who was particularly notable for his choral music. He was professor at the Royal College of Music and University of Cambridge.- Life :...
for Chandos Records
Chandos Records
Chandos Records is an independent classical music recording company based in Colchester, Essex, in the United Kingdom, founded in 1979 by Brian Couzens.- Background :...
as well as discs of other orchestral works. Handley recorded the symphonies of Elgar
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
and Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
for EMI. Handley also recorded many works by Sir Malcolm Arnold
Malcolm Arnold
Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold, CBE was an English composer and symphonist.Malcolm Arnold began his career playing trumpet professionally, but by age thirty his life was devoted to composition. He was ranked with Benjamin Britten as one of the most sought-after composers in Britain...
for Conifer Records, which have recently been reissued in the UK by Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
.
Handley held clear views on the style of conductors, saying "Music isn't mime; you shouldn't fraudulently convince people that they have heard what they haven't", and stating "jet-set musical careers... are little to do with the work, more to do with PR". Questioning the influence of television on conducting, Handley recalled Boult telling him, "Do remember, won't you, that you are playing to the blind man in the audience."
Handley received numerous awards, such as The Gramophone magazine's Special Achievement Award in 2003 for services to British Music (sparking a "Nod for Tod" honours campaign); and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Classical BRIT Awards
Classical Brit Awards
The Classic BRIT Awards are an annual awards ceremony held in the United Kingdom covering aspects of classical music, and are the classical equivalent of pop music's BRIT Awards....
on 3 May 2007 at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(CBE) in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
(having declined appointment as an Officer of the order in 1988). He held an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
and was a Fellow of the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
.
Handley died at home in Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
on 10 September 2008. He had been scheduled to conduct Prom 2 of the 2008 BBC Proms
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
season on 19 July, but withdrew because of ill health (Paul Daniel
Paul Daniel
Paul Daniel CBE is an English conductor. He is particularly noted for performances and recordings of opera and of British music....
replaced him). After Handley's death, the director of The Proms
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
, Roger Wright, announced the dedication of the 10 September Prom concert (Prom 73) to Handley.
Handley married and divorced three times. He met his first wife, Barbara Black, while studying at Balliol; they married in 1954 and had a daughter and two sons, one of whom died when aged 13 months. His second marriage in 1977 to Victoria Parry-Jones produced a son and a daughter. His third marriage to the flautist Catherine Newby in 1987 produced a son. The five remaining children survive Handley.
Discography
| Year | Recording |
|---|---|
| 1965 |
|
| 1972 |
Geoffrey Bush Geoffrey Bush was a British composer, organist and scholar of 20th century English music.Geoffrey Bush was born in London, became a chorister at Salisbury Cathedral at the age of 8 and studied informally with the composer John Ireland... - Music for Orchestra with London Philharmonic Orchestra for Lyrita. |
| 1974 |
Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many... - Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, also known as the Tallis Fantasia, is a work for string orchestra by the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. It was composed in 1910, and performed for the first time in September of that year at Gloucester Cathedral for the Three Choirs Festival... with London Philharmonic Orchestra London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera... for EMI EMI 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... 's Classics for Pleasure (CfP) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"... - Hamlet Hamlet (Tchaikovsky) Hamlet provided material for two works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, his fantasy overture after Shakespeare Hamlet, Op. 67a, and the incidental music he composed for Shakespeare's Hamlet, Op. 67b.-Overture-Fantasia, Op. 67a:... Overture-Fantasy, with London PO for CfP. |
| 1975 |
Gerald Finzi Gerald Raphael Finzi was a British composer. Finzi is best known as a song-writer, but also wrote in other genres... - Intimations of Immortality with Guildford PO for Lyrita. |
| 1976 |
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... for Lyrita. Cyril Rootham Cyril Bradley Rootham was an English composer, educator, organist and important figure in Cambridge music life.-Biography:... - Symphony No. 1 and Josef Holbrooke's The Birds of Rhiannon Op. 87 with London PO for Lyrita. |
| 1977 |
Frederick Delius Frederick Theodore Albert Delius, CH was an English composer. Born in the north of England to a prosperous mercantile family of German extraction, he resisted attempts to recruit him to commerce... - Summer Night on the River, A Song Before Sunrise, The Walk To the Paradise Garden, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, La Calinda, Sleigh Ride and Irmelin Prelude with London PO for CfP. Elizabeth Maconchy Dame Elizabeth Violet Maconchy Le Fanu DBE was an English composer, most noted for her cycle of thirteen string quartets.-Biography:... - "Proud Thames" Overture with London PO for Lyrita. |
| 1978 |
Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos... - Falstaff and Cockaigne with London PO for CfP William Walton Sir William Turner Walton OM was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera... - Symphony No. 1 Symphony No. 1 (Walton) The Symphony No. 1 in B-flat minor by the English composer William Walton was commissioned by Sir Hamilton Harty, and completed in 1935.-Structure:The work is in four movements.# Allegro assai# Scherzo: Presto con malizia... with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra for ASV. Arthur Bliss Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, CH, KCVO was an English composer and conductor.Bliss's musical training was cut short by the First World War, in which he served with distinction in the army... - Adam Zero Adam Zero Adam Zero is a ballet with music written by the British composer Arthur Bliss, in 1946.-Background:After World War I, Bliss developed an interest in ballet, after seeing the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev in London... with Royal Liverpool PO for EMI. |
| 1979 |
Patrick Hadley Patrick Arthur Sheldon Hadley was a British composer.-Biography:Patrick Sheldon Hadley was born on 5 March 1899 in Cambridge. His father, William Sheldon Hadley, was at that time a fellow of Pembroke College... - The Trees So High with Guildford Philharmonic Choir and New Philharmonia Orchestra for Lyrita. Grace Williams -Biography:Williams was born in Barry, near Cardiff, Wales.She was educated at Barry County School, and won a scholarship to Cardiff University . She then went to the Royal College of Music, London, where she was taught by Ralph Vaughan Williams... - Symphony No. 2 and Ballads with BBC Welsh Symphony for BBC Regium reissued by Lyrita. Ernest John Moeran Ernest John Moeran was an English composer who had strong associations with Ireland .-Early life:... - Violin Concerto with London Symphony Orchestra for Lyrita. |
| 1980 |
|
| 1981 |
|
| 1982 |
|
| 1983 |
Chandos Records Chandos Records is an independent classical music recording company based in Colchester, Essex, in the United Kingdom, founded in 1979 by Brian Couzens.- Background :... . Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music... - Symphony No. 39 Symphony No. 39 (Mozart) The Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, K. 543, was completed on 26 June 1788.-Composition and premiere:The 39th Symphony is the first of a set of three that Mozart composed in rapid succession during the summer of 1788. No. 40 was completed 25 July and No. 41 on 10... with London PO for Chandos. Antonín Dvorák Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many... - Symphony No. 8 Symphony No. 8 (Dvorák) The Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88, B. 163, was composed and orchestrated by Antonín Dvořák within the two-and-a-half-month period from August 26 to November 8 1889 in Vysoká u Příbrami, Bohemia... and Nocturne for Strings with London PO for Chandos. Enigma Variations Variations on an Original Theme for orchestra , Op. 36, commonly referred to as the Enigma Variations, is a set of a theme and its fourteen variations written for orchestra by Edward Elgar in 1898–1899. It is Elgar's best-known large-scale composition, for both the music itself and the... , Introduction and Allegro and Serenade with London PO for CfP. |
| 1984 |
Violin Concerto (Elgar) Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61, is one of his longest orchestral compositions, and the last of his works to gain immediate popular success.... with London PO and Nigel Kennedy Nigel Kennedy Nigel Kennedy is a British born violinist and violist. He made his early career in the classical field, and he has performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti... for CfP |
| 1985 |
The Lark Ascending The Lark Ascending is a work by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, inspired by George Meredith's 122-line poem of the same name about the skylark. The work was written in two versions: violin and piano, written in 1914; and violin and orchestra, written in 1920. The orchestral version... , and The Wasps - Aristophanic Suite with London PO for CfP Ulster Orchestra The Ulster Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Belfast, the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall... for Chandos. Florida Suite The Florida Suite is an orchestral suite by English composer Frederick Delius. Delius composed the work in 1887 at Leipzig, after his time as manager of an orange grove in Florida, inspired by its landscape and culture, mainly centred around the St. Johns River. During this time, Delius also... and North Country Sketches with Ulster Orchestra for Chandos. |
| 1986 |
Charles Villiers Stanford Sir Charles Villiers Stanford was an Irish composer who was particularly notable for his choral music. He was professor at the Royal College of Music and University of Cambridge.- Life :... - Symphony No.3 and Irish Rhapsody No.5 with Ulster Orchestra for Chandos. Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to... - Four Sea Interludes Peter Grimes Peter Grimes is an opera by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto adapted by Montagu Slater from the Peter Grimes section of George Crabbe's poem The Borough... and Passacaglia Frank Bridge Frank Bridge was an English composer and violist.-Life:Bridge was born in Brighton and studied at the Royal College of Music in London from 1899 to 1903 under Charles Villiers Stanford and others... - The Sea
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"... for Chandos. A Colour Symphony A Colour Symphony, Op. 24, F. 106, was written by Arthur Bliss in 1921–22. It was his first major work for orchestra and remains one of his best known... and Checkmate Suite with Ulster Orchestra for Chandos. Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in... - Peer Gynt Peer Gynt Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"... Suite No. 1, Two Elegaic Melodies, Sigurd Jorsalfar and Symphonic Dances with Ulster Orchestra for Chandos. Gerald Finzi Gerald Raphael Finzi was a British composer. Finzi is best known as a song-writer, but also wrote in other genres... - Cello Concerto Kenneth Leighton Kenneth Leighton was a British composer and pianist. His compositions include much Anglican church music, and many pieces for choir and for piano as well as concertos, symphonies, much chamber music and an opera. He wrote a well-known setting of the Coventry Carol... - Veris Gratia Suite
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| 1987 |
Symphony No. 5 (Vaughan Williams) Symphony No. 5 by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams was written between 1938 and 1943. In style it represents a shift away from the violent dissonance of the Fourth Symphony, and a return to the more romantic style of the earlier Pastoral Symphony... and Flos Campi with Royal Liverpool PO for CfP Robert Simpson (composer) Robert Simpson was an English composer and long-serving BBC producer and broadcaster.He is best known for his orchestral and chamber music , and for his writings on the music of Beethoven, Bruckner, Nielsen and Sibelius. He studied composition under Herbert Howells... - Symphonies No. 6 and 7 with Royal Liverpool PO for Hyperion Hyperion Records Hyperion Records is an independent British classical record label.-History:The company was named after Hyperion, one of the Titans of Greek mythology. It was founded by George Edward Perry, widely known as "Ted", in 1980. Early LP releases included rarely recorded 20th century British music by... . Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."... - Violin Concerto Violin Concerto (Sibelius) The Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, was written by Jean Sibelius in 1904.-History:Sibelius originally dedicated the concerto to the noted violinist Willy Burmester, who promised to play the concerto in Berlin... and Ernest Chausson Ernest Chausson Amédée-Ernest Chausson was a French romantic composer who died just as his career was beginning to flourish.-Life:Ernest Chausson was born in Paris into a prosperous bourgeois family... 's Poeme for violin and orchestra with Royal PO for Chandos. |
| 1988 |
William Walton Sir William Turner Walton OM was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera... - Symphony No. 1 Symphony No. 1 (Walton) The Symphony No. 1 in B-flat minor by the English composer William Walton was commissioned by Sir Hamilton Harty, and completed in 1935.-Structure:The work is in four movements.# Allegro assai# Scherzo: Presto con malizia... and Variations on a Theme by Hindemith with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is an English orchestra. Originally based in Bournemouth, the BSO moved its offices to the adjacent town of Poole in 1979.... for EMI. John Ireland (composer) John Nicholson Ireland was an English composer.- Life :John Ireland was born in Bowdon, near Altrincham, Manchester, into a family of Scottish descent and some cultural distinction. His father, Alexander Ireland, a publisher and newspaper proprietor, was aged 70 at John's birth... - Piano Concerto in E flat Piano Concerto (John Ireland) The Piano Concerto in E flat was John Ireland’s only concerto. It was composed in 1930, and given its first performance on 2 October of that year by its dedicatee, Helen Perkin , at a Promenade concert in the Queen's Hall...
Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene... - 'Variation on a Theme by Haydn and Serenade No. 1 with Ulster Orchestra for Chandos. Alexander Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music... - Prince Igor and In the Steppes of Central Asia In the Steppes of Central Asia On the Steppes of Central Asia is the common English title for a "musical tableau" by Alexander Borodin, composed in 1880.... Mikhail Glinka Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition within his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music... - Russlan and Ludmilla Overture Mussorgsky Mussorgsky can refer to:*The Mussorgsky family of Russian nobility;*Modest Mussorgsky, a Russian composer belonging to that family.*Mussorgsky , a 1950 Soviet film about the composer... - Night on Bare Mountain
Wand of Youth The Wand of Youth Suites No. 1 & No. 2 are works for full orchestra by the English composer Edward Elgar. The titles given them by Elgar were, in full:-History:... Suites No. 1 and 2 with Royal Liverpool PO for CfP. |
| 1989 |
Margaret Fingerhut Margaret Ruth Fingerhut is a British concert pianist who has performed in many different countries and has become well-known for her innovative and entertaining recital programmes which combine popular and unusual repertoire... for Chandos. Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of... - Egmont Overture Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music... - Symphony No. 8
Violin Concerto (Dvorák) Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53 is a concerto for violin and orchestra composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1879. The concerto was premiered in 1883 by František Ondříček in Prague. He also gave the premieres in Vienna and London...
Rutland Boughton Rutland Boughton was an English composer who became well known in the early 20th century as a composer of opera and choral music.... - Symphony No. 3 and Concerto for Oboe with Royal PO for Hyperion. |
| 1990 |
Granville Bantock Sir Granville Bantock was a British composer of classical music.-Biography:Granville Ransome Bantock was born in London. His father was a Scottish doctor. He was intended by his parents for the Indian Civil Service but was drawn into the musical world. His first teacher was Dr Gordon Saunders at... - Celtic Symphony, Hebridean Symphony, Witch of Atlas and The Sea Reivers with Royal PO for Hyperion. |
| 1991 |
Malcolm Arnold Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold, CBE was an English composer and symphonist.Malcolm Arnold began his career playing trumpet professionally, but by age thirty his life was devoted to composition. He was ranked with Benjamin Britten as one of the most sought-after composers in Britain... - Symphonies No. 7 Symphony No. 7 (Arnold) The Symphony No. 7, Op. 113 by Malcolm Arnold was finished in 1973. It is in three movements:*Allegro energico *Andante con moto-molto vivace-lento *Allegro - Allegretto - Allegro - Allegretto - Allegro... and No. 8 Symphony No. 8 (Arnold) The Symphony No. 8, Op. 124 by Malcolm Arnold was finished in November 1978. It is in three movements:*Allegro*Andantino*VivaceThe work was commissioned by the Rustam K. Kermani Foundation and given its first performance in on 5 May 1979, with the Albany Symphony Orchestra conducted by Julius Hegyi... with Royal PO for Conifer. Herbert Howells Herbert Norman Howells CH was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music.-Life:... - Three Dances with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra for Hyperion
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| 1992 |
John Foulds John Herbert Foulds was a British composer of classical music. Largely self-taught as a composer, he was one of the most remarkable and unjustly forgotten figures of the "British Musical Renaissance".... - Dynamic Triptych for Piano and Orchestra
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| 1993 |
Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas... - Overtures with Royal PO for Intersound. Gustav Holst Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets.... - The Planets The Planets The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst... and St Paul's Suite St Paul's Suite St Paul's Suite originally titled Suite in C, is a composition for string orchestra by the English composer Gustav Holst. It was written in 1912, but due to revisions wasn't published until 1922. It is named after the St Paul's Girls' School in the United Kingdom, where Holst was Director of Music... with Royal PO for Intersound Symphony No. 6 (Arnold) The Symphony No. 6, Op. 95 by Malcolm Arnold was written in 1967, and finished in July of that year. It is in three movements:*Energico*Lento - Allegretto*Con fuoco... , Fantasy on a Theme by John Field, Sweeney Todd, and Tam O'Shanter Overture with Royal PO for Conifer. Huddersfield Choral Society Huddersfield Choral Society is an internationally famous choir based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1836, and is recognised as one of Britain's leading choirs... for CfP. |
| 1994 |
Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music... - Symphony No. 2 Symphony No. 2 (Rachmaninoff) Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 is a music piece by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, created in 1906–07. The premiere was conducted by the composer himself in St. Petersburg on 8 February 1908. Its duration is approximately 60 minutes when performed uncut; cut performances can be as... with Royal PO for Intersound. Symphony No. 2 (Arnold) The Symphony No. 2, Op 40 by Malcolm Arnold is a symphony dating from 1953. Arnold composed the symphony on commission from the Bournemouth Winter Garden's Society... , A Grand Grand Overture, Carnival of Animals, Concerto for 2 Pianos (3 Hands) with Royal PO for Conifer. |
| 1995 |
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| 1996 |
Symphony No. 9 (Arnold) The Symphony No. 9, Op. 128 by Malcolm Arnold was finished in 1986. It is in four movements:*Vivace*Allegretto*Giubiloso*LentoThe symphony is scored for 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons... and Concertino for Oboe and Strings with Bournemouth SO for Conifer. Symphony No. 1 (Arnold) The Symphony No. 1, Op 22 by Malcolm Arnold is a symphony which Arnold wrote in 1949. The composer conducted the first performance at the Cheltenham Music Festival in 1951, with The Hallé Orchestra... and No. 5 Symphony No. 5 (Arnold) The Symphony No. 5, Op. 74 by Malcolm Arnold was finished in 1961. It is in four movements:*Tempestuoso*Andante con moto - Adagio*Con fuoco*Risoluto - LentoThe work was commissioned by the Cheltenham Festival Society... with Royal PO for Conifer. Symphony No. 3 (Arnold) The Symphony No. 3, Op. 63 by Malcolm Arnold was finished in 1957. It is in three movements:*Allegro – Vivace*Lento*Allegro con brio – Presto – Lento e maestoso – PrestoThe work was commissioned by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society... and No. 4 Symphony No. 4 (Arnold) The Symphony No. 4, Op. 71 by Malcolm Arnold was finished on 13 July 1960. It is in four movements:*Allegro*Vivace ma non troppo*Andantino*Con fuocoThe work was commissioned by William Glock for the BBC... with Royal Liverpool PO for Conifer. Max Bruch Max Christian Friedrich Bruch , also known as Max Karl August Bruch, was a German Romantic composer and conductor who wrote over 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a staple of the violin repertoire.-Life:Bruch was born in Cologne, Rhine Province, where he... - Scottish Fantasy Scottish Fantasy The Scottish Fantasy in E-flat major, Op. 46, is a composition for violin and orchestra by Max Bruch. Completed in 1880, it was dedicated to the virtuoso violinist Pablo de Sarasate.It is a four movement fantasy on Scottish folk melodies... Édouard Lalo Édouard-Victoire-Antoine Lalo was a French composer.-Biography:Lalo was born in Lille , in northernmost France. He attended that city's music conservatory in his youth. Then, beginning at age 16, Lalo studied at the Paris Conservatoire under Berlioz's old enemy François Antoine Habeneck... - Symphonie espagnole Symphonie Espagnole The Symphonie espagnole in D minor, Op. 21, is a work for violin and orchestra by Édouard Lalo.-History:The work was written in 1874 for violinist Pablo de Sarasate, and premiered in Paris in February 1875.... with Royal Scottish National Orchestra for CfP |
| 1997 |
Julian Lloyd Webber Julian Lloyd Webber is a British solo cellist who has been described as the "doyen of British cellists".-Early life:Julian Lloyd Webber is the second son of the composer William Lloyd Webber and his wife Jean Johnstone . He is the younger brother of the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber... for Hyperion. Royal Scottish National Orchestra The Royal Scottish National Orchestra is Scotland's national symphony orchestra. Based in Glasgow, the 89-member professional orchestra also regularly performs in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, and abroad. Formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, the company has performed full-time since 1950,... for Hyperion. |
| 1998 |
BBC Concert Orchestra The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five which is not a full-scale symphony orchestra.... for Conifer. BBC Philharmonic The BBC Philharmonic is a British broadcasting symphony orchestra based at Media City UK, Salford, England. It is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The orchestra's primary concert venue is the Bridgewater Hall.... for Chandos. John McCabe (composer) John McCabe CBE is an English composer and pianist.- Biography :John McCabe was born in Huyton, Liverpool, Merseyside. A prolific composer from an early age, he had written thirteen symphonies by the time he was eleven... - Concerto for Flute and Symphony No. 4 with BBC Symphony Orchestra BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:... for Hyperion. |
| 1999 |
Edgar Bainton Edgar Leslie Bainton was a British composer, most celebrated for his church music. Perhaps his most famous piece is the liturgical anthem And I saw a new heaven, but during recent years Bainton's other musical works - neglected for decades - have been increasingly often heard in the concert... - Symphony No. 2 John Gough Brigadier General Sir John Edmond Gough VC, KCB, CMG , known as Johnnie Gough, was born in Muree, India and was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Background:Gough,... - Serenade
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| 2001 |
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| 2002 |
Benjamin Dale Benjamin James Dale was an English composer and academic who had a long association with the Royal Academy of Music. Dale showed compositional talent from an early age and went on to write a small but notable corpus of works... - The Flowing Tide with BBC SO for BBC Radio 3 broadcast (not released on record). |
| 2003 |
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| 2005 |
November Woods The tone poem November Woods was written by the British composer Arnold Bax in 1917. It is for many his greatest tone poem.It opens with a dramatic depiction of a stormy woodland landscape, followed by a much more peaceful section and development before the stormy opening mood returns towards the... , The Garden of Fand and Sinfonietta with BBC PO for Chandos. York Bowen Edwin York Bowen was an English composer and pianist. Bowen’s musical career spanned more than fifty years during which time he wrote over 160 works. As well as being a pianist and composer, Bowen was a talented conductor, organist, violist and horn player... - Violin Concerto and Piano Concerto No. 1 with BBC Concert Orchestra for Dutton Dutton - Places :*Dutton, Alabama, town in the United States*Dutton, Cheshire, village in England*Dutton, Lancashire, village in England*Dutton, Montana, town in the United States*Dutton/Dunwich, Ontario, town and municipality in Canada*Dutton, South Australia... . |
| 2006 |
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| 2007 |
Toby Spence Toby Spence, born London 1969, is a professional and internationally renowned tenor active on the concert platform, in the opera house and in recordings across a wide range of classical music.-Early life and studies:... , Roderick Williams Roderick Williams Roderick Williams is an English operatic baritone.-Biography:Williams studied on the Opera Course at the Guildhall School of Music in London... , BBC SO and BBC Symphony Chorus for Chandos. John Joubert (composer) John Joubert is a British composer of South African descent, particularly of choral works. He has lived in Moseley, a suburb of Birmingham, England, for over 40 years. A music academic at the universities of Hull and Birmingham for 36 years, Joubert took early retirement in 1986 to concentrate on... - Symphony No. 1 with LPO for Lyrita. |
External links
- Biographical information, tributes
- Biography on Clarion
- BBC brief biography On the occasion of an honorary doctorate from the University of Surrey in 2004
- Interview about Bax - contains biography
- Vernon Handley on Hyperion, Chandos and Dutton Epoch