Product Code Database
Hugo Henry Rignold (15 May 1905 – 30 May 1976) was an English conductor and violinist, who is best remembered as musical director of the Royal Ballet (1957–1960) and conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1960–1968).
After playing the violin and recording with many jazz and dance bands, and leading his own London Casino Orchestra, in the 1920s and 1930s, during World War II, Rignold began to conduct classical orchestras. Thereafter, he conducted opera at Covent Garden and then the Liverpool Philharmonic, beginning in the late 1940s, followed by the Royal Ballet and his long tenure with Birmingham.
He made many recordings with these musicians, a good number of which have been reissued on modern CDs. Other classical musicians such as Leon Goossens and Sidonie Goossens, did likewise, but these early jazz and dance records caused some snobbish condescension towards Rignold later in his career (as later happened to André Previn).Mountain, p. 134For example: "The conductor Previn known better as a jazz pianist and more recently for his musical activities in Hollywood, fulfils his role adequately." Gramophone, June 1965, p. 13 1920s recordings in which Rignold played with the Jack Hylton Orchestra include George Gershwin's "Oh, Lady Be Good" recorded on 29 March 1926, and Irving Berlin's "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" recorded on 17 August 1926. Both were for His Master's Voice at the company's studios in Hayes, Middlesex. Later, with Hylton as his mentor, he founded and led his own band, which was playing up to the beginning of the Second World War.
Rignold married three times: in 1934 to Rita Mary Gaylor (the actress Molly Gay); in 1941 to Phyllis Stanley; and in 1948 to Patricia Horton. There was a daughter by each of the first two marriages. "Rignold, Hugo Henry", Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2009 The elder was Jennifer Gay, who became the first on-screen schoolgirl continuity announcer for Children's Hour on the BBC. TV Announcers: "The Continuity Booth" . Retrieved 26 October 2008Baily, Kenneth (ed.) "Kiddy-Vision, Once Daily" in The Television Annual for 1953
In the 1949/1950 season with the Liverpool Philharmonic, Rignold conducted 34 concerts, with guest conductors, including Sargent, Rafael Kubelík, Zoltán Kodály, Adrian Boult and Thomas Beecham conducting a total of 19 other concerts. Rignold's programming there maintained a balance between presenting accepted modern and classical works and premiering new works, including Sergei Prokofiev's suite from Cinderella and works by Bohuslav Martinů, E. J. Moeran and Gordon Jacob.
From 1957 to 1960 Rignold was musical director of the Royal Ballet, In 1960 he became permanent conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra when Andrzej Panufnik unexpectedly resigned. He remained at Birmingham until 1968.
Rignold made a number of classical recordings, but did not have a long-term contract with any of the record companies, with the consequence that his recorded repertory was somewhat haphazard – accompanying concertos, or selections for operatic artists (including Maggie Teyte), and ballet music. Most of his records were made in the mono era, and some have been reissued on CD.
He was a car enthusiast and talented driver: it was said that "he would not be out of place on the Grand Prix circuit".Mountain, p. 96
Bibliography
External links
|
|
