CONDUCTORS DIE ON SAME DAY IN MAY
It is with great regret that we record the passing of two British conductors this month: Matthew Best and Neville Dilkes.
Matthew Best, bass singer and conductor – founder of the Corydon Singers, was born on 6th February 1957, and died on May 10th 2025. He is well known for his many distinguished recordings on the Hyperion label. Read more about Matthew Best at Gramophone.
Many readers will be saddened to hear of the death of Neville Dilkes (28 August 1930 – 10 May 2025), who founded the Midland Sinfonia (later the English Sinfonia) in 1961. He is well remembered for his recordings of British music, including works by Arnold, Butterworth, Harty, Ireland, Lambert, Walter Leigh and especially his HMV recording of Moeran’s Symphony in G minor (album cover pictured above), which introduced many people to this fine work. For many years, he lived in Nalliers, France. A full obituary can be found on The Telegraph website [paywall].
CD LAUNCHES BY SOMM RECORDINGS
Two new CDs feature music by Elgar and Purcell are being launched by Somm Recordings.
The first CD sees the Eusebius Quartet in an unusual pairing of quartets by Elgar and Faure. Edward Elgar (1857–1934) was a competent violinist, and made several attempts throughout his career to write a string quartet.
Finally, ill and depressed by war-time London in 1918, he completed his String Quartet, Op. 83. The slow middle movement contains a quotation from his Chanson de Matin and was a favourite of Lady Elgar, who described it as ‘captured sunshine.’ It was played at her funeral in 1920.
Also included is a collection of shorter gems transcribed for string quartet by the British composer, arranger, and pianist Iain Farrington. These comprise Elgar’s Carissima (originally composed for small orchestra) and selections from Fauré’s Piano Preludes: Nos. 4, 8, and 9, this last described by Aaron Copland as being “so absolutely simple that we can never hope to understand how it can contain such great emotional power.”
Photo credit: Top photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash