LOST LEGEND

As a lifelong ‘Stan fan’ I would like to add a comment to the obituary of the Polishamerican conductor Stanis√aw Skrowaczewski, principal conductor of the Hallé from 1983 to 1992, who died this February. While the 90th birthdays of his contemporaries and fellow conductors Neville Marriner and Pierre Boulez were widely celebrated, Skrowaczewski was often overlooked. For instance, there was no review of the 28-CD set issued to celebrate his 90th. It would have made a splendid summary of his career to date as it included his important Bruckner cycle and several of his own compositions. There’s also a recording of his last London appearance when, aged 92, he conducted Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 from memory. Stephen Johnson wrote that ‘it must have been great to hear this concert live’. So it was – yet sad, too, as the hall was less than half full. He will be much missed. Tim Gartside, Lancaster