Concert review: William Blezard Centenary Concert

Concert review: William Blezard Centenary Concert

12 February 2022, St Michael’s Community Centre, Barnes, London SW13 William Blezard was a pianist, composer and musical director to Joyce Grenfell and Marlene Dietrich, and was married to the pioneering female conductor and musicianship teacher Joan Kemp Potter...
Feature: William Baines and Flamborough Head

Feature: William Baines and Flamborough Head

Flamborough Head, Yorkshire and William Baines (1899-1922) In the early hours of a sleep-deprived night during the darkest days of the Covid-19 lockdown, my thoughts had turned to Flamborough Head where my wife and I had bought a weekend retreat on the Outer Headland...
No Ordinary Joe – obituary of Joseph Horovitz

No Ordinary Joe – obituary of Joseph Horovitz

26 May 1926 – 9 February 2022 I met Joseph Horovitz, who died in February at the age of 95, more than 25 years ago. Arriving at his west London villa to interview him for an article, I was writing about his ballet music.  I was immediately struck by his...
Recollections of Gordon Crosse

Recollections of Gordon Crosse

Following on from John Turner’s comprehensive tribute to his long-standing friend Gordon Crosse, Andrew Burn recalls how Crosse influenced and guided him at a crucial point during his teens. Gordon Crosse was a huge influence on me when I was in my mid-teens...
Hugh Wood: Reflections

Hugh Wood: Reflections

Reflections by David Matthews Hugh Wood, who died on 14 August this year at the age of 89, was one of our finest composers. He was born in Lancashire in June 1932 into a musical family (his mother was a pianist), but he was a late starter as a composer. After public...
Feature: George Frederick Pinto

Feature: George Frederick Pinto

We are delighted to feature an extract from Jonathan Delbridge’s FNCM diploma thesis A Study of the Piano Music of George Frederick Pinto. George Frederick Pinto (1785-1806) George Frederick Pinto was born on 25 September, 1785.  Nothing is known of his father,...