FAREWELL TO…
Lynn Harrell Born 1944 Cellist
Despite his successes as a performer, Lynn Harrell remained a humble and generous man. He made his recital debut in 1971, the same year he started teaching – performing and education ran side by side throughout his career. The son of musical parents – his father was Met Opera baritone Mack Harrell, his mother a violinist – his childhood was a mixture of music and sport, but music won out. He was, perhaps, spurred on in his late-teenage years by the untimely deaths of both parents. At 18 he was in the ranks of George Szell’s mighty Cleveland Orchestra, becoming principal at 20. The 1970s saw his recording career bloom, followed by a pair of Grammys and years on the road, performing with orchestras across the globe. A move to California in the late 1980s saw him take up the Piatigorsky Chair at USC Thornton School of Music. He was also International Chair at the Royal Academy of Music from 1985-93, followed by two years as the Academy’s principal. This ‘gentle giant’ had a great physical presence on stage but he famously made his instrument sing with the most delicate sonority. Gabriel Bacquier Born 1924 Baritone
One of the 20th century’s great baritones, Bacquier was a versatile artist comfortable in comedy or drama, front of stage or in lesser roles. Throughout the 1950s he made his name in France and Belgium, following studies at the Paris Conservatory where he won many prizes. The 1960s saw his international star begin to burn bright, with lauded turns at Glyndebourne and La Scala, followed by successful runs in the US where audiences took him to their hearts. A prolific recording artist, Bacquier was also a master recitalist.
Martin Lovett Born 1927 Cellist
The last surviving member of the Amadeus String Quartet, Lovett was a modest, unshowy musician. With the quartet he made great strides in Viennese chamber music, though never really took to modern examples. The son of a cellist, he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music before working as a freelance musician. Then, in 1948, a 40-year career with the quartet began. Awarded an OBE in 1970, Lovett was also recognised with merits in Germany and Austria.
Also remembered…
Mezzo-soprano Rosalind Elias (born 1930) originated the role of
Erika in Barber’s Vanessa at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1958. She studied at the New England Conservatory and at Santa Cecilia in Rome, going on to perform some 54 roles at The Met.
Sir Peter Jonas (born 1946) was the first British intendant of a German opera company (Bavarian State Opera), a role he undertook from 19932006. A champion of contemporary opera, Jonas also served as the general director of English National Opera from 1985-93.