Sir Neville Marriner

(15 April 1924—2 October 2016) Marriner was born in Lincoln, England, and studied at the Royal College of Music and the Paris Conservatoire. He played the violin in the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Martin String Quartet and London Symphony Orchestra, playing with the last two for 13 years. He later formed the Jacobean Ensemble with Thurston Dart before going to Hancock, Maine, in the United States to study conducting with Pierre Monteux at his school there. In 1958, he founded the Academy of St Martin in the Fields chamber orchestra and recorded copiously with them. Marriner was the first music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, from 1969 to 1978. From 1979 to 1986, he was music director of the Minnesota Orchestra. He was principal conductor of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1986 to 1989. Marriner recorded for various labels, including Argo, L'Oiseau Lyre, Philips and EMI Classics. His recorded repertoire ranges from the baroque era to 20th century British music, as well as opera. Among his recordings are two CDs of British music for Philips Classics with Julian Lloyd Webber, including acclaimed performances of Benjamin Britten's Cello Symphony and Sir William Walton's Cello Concerto. Marriner also supervised the Mozart selections for the soundtrack of the 1984 film Amadeus. He was chairman of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields chamber orchestra until 1992, when he was succeeded by Malcolm Latchem. Marriner held the title of Life President. He was the father of the clarinettist Andrew Marriner, principal clarinet of the London Symphony Orchestra.

VIDEO: The Academy of St Martin in the Fields was founded by the now legendary conductor Sir Neville Marriner in 1958. Watch to find out a little more about Sir Neville and his relationship with the Academy, whilst enjoying the Academy's performance of the opening to Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner in April 2014. Read more about Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy at: http://www.asmf.org/sir-neville-marri...

 

Yo-Yo Ma birthday October 7

Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born American cellist, virtuoso, orchestral composer of Chinese descent, and winner of multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 2001 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. He is one of the most famous cellists of today.

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Anne-Sophie Mutter

To celebrate Anne-Sophie Mutter's 35 magnificent years on stage and her brilliant recording career, this extravagant limited edition box set is filled with her complete discography on Deutsche Grammophon plus 2 additional discs of previously unreleased material.



Also included is a 288-page hardcover book featuring essays by those who inspired Anne-Sophie, an exclusive interview with the icon, and over 150 photos chronicling her life in pictures – all housed in a beautifully designed case as colorful as her music.

Kurt Masur birthday 18 July 1927

Kurt Masur is a German conductor, particularly noted for his interpretation of German Romantic music. Masur was born in Brieg, Lower Silesia, Germany (now Brzeg in Poland) and studied piano, composition and conducting in Leipzig, Saxony. Masur has been married three times. His second wife, with whom he had a daughter, died in 1972 in a car accident in which Masur was severely injured. He and his third wife, Tomoko, have a son, Ken, a classical singer and conductor.

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Karl Münchinger

Karl Münchinger (May 29, 1915 – March 13, 1990) was a German conductor of European classical music. He helped to revive the now-ubiquitous Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel, through recording it with his Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra in 1960. (Jean-François Paillard made a rival, and also very popular, recording of the same piece at around the same time.) Münchinger is also noted for restoring baroque traditions to the interpretation of Bach's oeuvre, his greatest musical love: moderate-sized forces, judicious ornamentation, and rhythmic sprightliness, though not period instruments.

Born in Stuttgart, Münchinger studied at the Hochschule für Musik in his home city. At first, he guest-conducted often, supporting himself also with other duties as an organist and church choir director. In 1941, he became principal conductor of the Hanover Symphony, a post he held for the next two years. He held no other conducting position until the end of World War II.

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NEVILLE MARRINER

Sir Neville Marriner (born 15 April 1924) is an English conductor and violinist. Marriner was born in Lincoln and studied at the Royal College of Music and the Paris Conservatoire. He played the violin in the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Martin String Quartet and London Symphony Orchestra, playing with the latter two for 13 years. He later formed the Jacobean Ensemble with Thurston Dart before going to Hancock, Maine in the United States to study conducting with Pierre Monteux at his school there. In 1959, he founded the Academy of St Martin in the Fields chamber orchestra and recorded profusely with them.
Marriner was the first music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, from 1969 to 1978. From 1979 to 1986, he was music director of the Minnesota Orchestra. He was principal conductor of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1986 to 1989.
Marriner has recorded for various labels, including Argo, L'Oiseau Lyre, Philips and EMI Classics. His recorded repertoire ranges from the baroque era to 20th century British music, as well as opera. Among his recordings are two CDs of British music for Philips Classics with Julian Lloyd Webber, including acclaimed performances of Benjamin Britten's Cello Symphony and Sir William Walton's Cello Concerto. Marriner also supervised the Mozart selections for the soundtrack of the 1984 film Amadeus.
Marriner was knighted in 1985. He was chairman of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields chamber orchestra until 1992, when he was succeeded by Malcolm Latchem. Marriner holds the title of Life President. He is the father of the clarinettist Andrew Marriner, Principal Clarinet of the London Symphony Orchestra.

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Sir Charles Mackerras

Sir Charles Mackerras, classical music conductor acknowledged as the leading exponent of Leos Janacek's operas, has died of cancer. He was 84. Mackerras died Wednesday night 14 July 2010 in London

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Mackerras

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Mendelssohn Birth Bicentennial

3 FEB 1809 Birth of German composer Felix MENDELSSOHN (Bartholdy) in Hamburg. Wrote Symphonies and from A Midsummer Night's Dream the popular 'Wedding March'. Also Elijah, Fingal’s Cave. d-Leipzig, 4 NOV 1847.
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and generally known as Felix Mendelssohn was a German composer, pianist and conductor of the early Romantic period. The grandson of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, he was born to a notable Jewish family which later converted to Christianity. His work includes symphonies, concerti, oratorios, piano and chamber music. After a long period of relative denigration due to changing musical tastes and antisemitism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his creative originality is now being recognized and re-evaluated. He is now among the most popular composers of the Romantic era.

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Mendelssohn Birth Bicentennial

3 FEB 1809 Birth of German composer Felix MENDELSSOHN (Bartholdy) in Hamburg. Wrote Symphonies and from A Midsummer Night's Dream the popular 'Wedding March'. Also Elijah, Fingal’s Cave. d-Leipzig, 4 NOV 1847.
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and generally known as Felix Mendelssohn was a German composer, pianist and conductor of the early Romantic period. The grandson of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, he was born to a notable Jewish family which later converted to Christianity. His work includes symphonies, concerti, oratorios, piano and chamber music. After a long period of relative denigration due to changing musical tastes and antisemitism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his creative originality is now being recognized and re-evaluated. He is now among the most popular composers of the Romantic era.

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Olivier Messiaen Birth Centennial

Olivier Messiaen (French pronunciation: [mɛsjɑ̃]; December 10, 1908 – April 27, 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist. He entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 11 and numbered Paul Dukas, Maurice Emmanuel, Charles-Marie Widor and Marcel Dupré among his teachers. He was appointed organist at the church of La Trinité in Paris in 1931, a post he held until his death. On the fall of France in 1940 Messiaen was made a prisoner of war, and while incarcerated he composed his Quatuor pour la fin du temps ("Quartet for the end of time") for the four available instruments, piano, violin, cello, and clarinet. The piece was first performed by Messiaen and fellow prisoners to an audience of inmates and prison guards. Messiaen was appointed professor of harmony soon after his release in 1941, and professor of composition in 1966 at the Paris Conservatoire, positions he held until his retirement in 1978. His many distinguished pupils included Pierre Boulez, Yvonne Loriod (who later became Messiaen's second wife), Karlheinz Stockhausen, Iannis Xenakis and George Benjamin.

Zubin Mehta's autobiography

Music maestro Zubin Mehta has come up with an autobiography ‘The scores of my Life’. The book gives a candid insight into his personal, as well as public life. In this book he has discussed about his life, his family, and other interesting incidents. Zubin Mehta was born into a Parsi family in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, the son of Mehli and Tehmina Mehta. His father Mehli Mehta was a violinist and founding conductor of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra. Zubin is an alumnus of St. Mary's (ISC) High School, Mazagoan, Mumbai. Zubin initially intended to study medicine, but eventually became a music student in Vienna at the age of 18, under the eminent instructor Hans Swarowsky. Also at the same academy along with Zubin were conductor Claudio Abbado and conductor/pianist Daniel Barenboim.

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Natasha Marsh

Natasha Marsh, 32, is the voice of the theme music for ITV's Euro 2008 coverage. Her debut album, 'Amour' reached No 1 on the classical chart in 2007; her next album, 'Natasha Marsh', is released on 23 June


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Joseph Willem Mengelberg (28 March 1871 – 21 March 1951)

Joseph Willem Mengelberg (28 March 1871 – 21 March 1951) was a Dutch conductor.

January 4, 1921, Tuesday...William Mengelberg, orchestra leader of Amsterdam, arrived yesterday on the Holland-America liner Ryndam to be the guest conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra for some thirty concerts.
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