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Sir Neville Marriner, (15 April 1924 – 2 October 2016) was an English conductor and violinist. Described as "one of the world's greatest conductors", Gramophone lists Marriner as one of the 50 greatest conductors and another compilation ranks Marriner #14 of the 18 "Greatest and Most Famous Conductors of All Time". He founded the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and his partnership with them is the most recorded of any orchestra and conductor.
In 1939 he went to the Royal College of Music in London, where he studied with the violinist William Henry Reed and was able to play among the second violins of the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Henry Wood, because many of its members had joined up after the outbreak of the Second World War. He joined up himself in 1941, serving in a reconnaissance role in the British Army, but was invalided out in 1943 with kidney problems. He returned to the Royal College, although Reed had died in the meantime. He then attended the Paris Conservatoire, where he studied with the violinist René Benedetti..
In 1958 he founded the Academy of St Martin in the Fields; initially a twelve-member chamber ensemble, it soon expanded to a chamber orchestra, and attracted musicians of a high calibre including Dart, Iona Brown, Christopher Hogwood and Alan Loveday. Marriner recorded prolifically with the Academy. The first recordings in the early 1960s, with Marriner both conducting and playing lead violin, were successful, leading Pierre Monteux, then the LSO's conductor, to encourage Marriner to shift his focus to conducting. Marriner had studied the subject with Monteux at his school in Hancock, Maine, in the United States, from around 1950..
Marriner was the founder and first music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, from 1969 to 1978. From 1979 to 1986, he was music director of the Minnesota Orchestra. He was principal conductor of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1983 to 1989. Except for 1974 to 1980 during which Iona Brown was the director, he remained the musical director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields until 2011, when he was succeeded by Joshua Bell, continuing to hold the title of Life President until his death. He also conducted many other orchestras, including the New York Chamber Orchestra, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra and Vienna Philharmonic. He continued to conduct into his nineties, becoming the oldest conductor of a The Proms concert in 2014, aged 90..
His obituary in The Telegraph praises the Academy of St Martin in the Fields' interpretations of baroque music and classical music as "fresh, technically brilliant", and describes them as a "revelation". Marriner preferred modern instruments and effects, and his work came under criticism by Hogwood, among others, for not striving for an "authentic" sound. He later expanded the Academy's repertoire to include Romantic music and early-modern music.
Marriner made over 600 recordings covering 2,000 different works – more than any conductor except Herbert von Karajan. He recorded for various labels, including Argo, L'Oiseau Lyre, Philips Records and EMI Classics. His recorded repertoire ranges from the baroque era to 20th-century British music, as well as opera. He supervised the Mozart selections for the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning 1984 film Amadeus; it became one of the most popular classical music recordings of all time, selling over 6.5 million copies.
Marriner's final recording was completed just a few days before his death, the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 with Yeol Eum Son as soloist. His partnership with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields is the most recorded of any orchestra and conductor.
He lived in London and in later life had a second home near Chardstock in Devon. Asked for an epitaph for his gravestone, he replied simply: "Follow the beat." Marriner died from heart failure on 2 October 2016, at the age of 92, at his home in London.
On 14 April BBC Four broadcast Sir Neville Marriner at the Proms: Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony, from 1983, and Sir Neville Marriner: Schubert's Symphony No 10, from 1988, both with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields. On 15 April BBC Radio 3 broadcast "Neville Marriner Day"
Marriner was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1979. He was created a Knight Bachelor in 1985. In 1990 the Hamburg-based Alfred Toepfer Foundation awarded Marriner its annual Shakespeare Prize in recognition of his life's work. In the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH). He was appointed an officer of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His recordings of Mozart were honoured with two Gemeinde Awards from the Austrian Music Academy.
Marriner won three Grammy Awards for his recordings of Haydn's The Creation (1982), the soundtrack for Amadeus (1985) and violin concertos by Brahms and Stravinsky (2003). He also received a total of 9 nominations.
Centenary
In April 2024 the Academy marked the centenary of its founder’s birth with concerts in St Martin-in-the-Fields church, the Wigmore Hall, the Royal Festival Hall and Lincoln Cathedral (the city of his birth). The Marriner 100 programme commenced on 15 April, the actual centenary day, with a concert at the orchestra’s spiritual home, St Martin-in-the-Fields, directed/conducted by leader Tomo Keller, music director Joshua Bell and former Academy flautist Jaime Martin, in which former members of the Academy Chorus, who had sung under Marriner, performed a suite from Die Schöpfung. BBC Radio 3 broadcast the concert as the climax of its Neville Marriner Day, with all its programmes devoted to his life, work and legacy. A month long centenary exhibition was held in the church.
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Honours and awards
Described as "one of the world's greatest conductors", Gramophone lists Marriner as one of the 50 greatest conductors and another compilation ranks Marriner #14 of the 18 "Greatest and Most Famous Conductors of All Time". he founded the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and his partnership with them is the most recorded of any orchestra and conductor.
Discography
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!Composer
!Title
!Other Artists (Marriner as conductor)
!Year
!Label Handel Concerti grossi, Op. 3 Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1964 Argo Various Recital for Strings Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1965 Argo Various Italian Concertos Roger Lord (clarinet), Barry Tuckwell (horn), Kenneth Heath (cello), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1965 Argo Various 18th Century Flute Concertos Claude Monteux (flute), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1965 L'Oiseau-Lyre Handel Concertos for Oboe Roger Lord (clarinet), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1965 L'Oiseau-Lyre Antonio Vivaldi / Pergolesi Gloria & Magnificat Elizabeth Vaughan (soprano), Janet Baker (contralto), Ian Partridge (tenor), Christopher Keyte (bass), Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1966 Argo Various Concertos for Recorders and Strings Bernard Krainis (recorder), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1966 Mercury Living Presence Bach Cantatas BWV 159 & 170 Janet Baker (contralto), Robert Tear (tenor), John Shirley-Quirk (bass), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1966 L'Oiseau-Lyre Bach Cantatas BWV 56 & 82 John Shirley-Quirk (bass), St. Anthony Singers, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1966 L'Oiseau-Lyre Mendelssohn String Symphonies Nos. 9, 10 & 12 Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1966 Argo Joseph Haydn Concertos for Horn Barry Tuckwell (horn), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1966 Argo Rossini String Sonatas Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1967 Argo J. Haydn / Michael Haydn Trumpet Concerto / Horn Concerto Alan Stringer (trumpet), Barry Tuckwell (horn), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1967 Argo Handel Arias Forbes Robinson (bass), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1967 Argo Igor Stravinsky Pulcinella / Apollon Musagète Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1968 Argo Mozart / Haydn Piano Concerto No. 9 / Piano Concerto in D Igor Kipnis (harpsichord), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1968 Columbia Masterworks Handel Concerti grossi, Op. 6 Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1968 Decca Records Gluck Don Juan Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1968 Decca Thomas Arne / C.P.E. Bach Concerto in C minor / Concerto in G minor George Malcolm (harpsichord), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1968 Argo Mozart Three Divertimenti for Strings / Serenata Notturna Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1968 Argo Elgar Introduction and Allegro / Sospiri / Elegy / Dances from The Spanish Lady Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1968 Argo Various Baroque Trumpet Concertos John Wilbraham (trumpet), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1969 Argo Richard Strauss / Richard Wagner Metamorphosen / Siegfried Idyll Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1969 Argo Rossini / Donizetti String Sonatas Nos. 2 & 4 / String Quartet in D Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1969 Argo Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings / Souvenir de Florence Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1969 Argo Various Baroque Trumpet Anthology Don Smithers (trumpet), Michael Laird (trumpet), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1970 Philips Records Haydn Symphonies Nos. 52 & 53 "L'Impériale" Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1970 Philips M. Haydn / J. Haydn Duo Concertante for Viola and Organ / Organ Concerto in C major Simon Preston (organ), Stephen Shingles (viola), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1970 Argo Bartók Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta / Divertimento Leslie Pearson (celesta), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1970 Argo Benjamin Britten Saint Nicolas Robert Tear (tenor), King's College Choir, Cambridge, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1970 EMI Elgar The Lighter Elgar Northern Sinfonia 1970 EMI J.C. Bach Six Symphonies, Op. 3 Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1970 Philips Various Strings & Brass John Wilbraham (trumpet), Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1970 Argo Dvořák / Edvard Grieg Serenade for Strings / Holberg Suite Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1970 Argo Mendelssohn Piano Concertos Brenda Lucas (piano), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1970 Argo Vivaldi The Four Seasons Alan Loveday (violin), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1970 Argo Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings • Les Illuminations Heather Harper (soprano), Robert Tear (tenor), Alan Civil (horn), Northern Sinfonia 1971 Angel Records Mozart Symphonies Nos. 35 "Haffner" & 40 / March, K. 408, No. 2 Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1971 Philips Bach Brandenburg Concertos Thurston Dart (harpsichord and arranger), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1971 Philips Various Living Baroque Don Smithers (trumpet), John Wilbraham (trumpet), Carmel Kaine (violin), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1971 Philips Mozart Eine kleine Nachtmusik / Sinfonia Concertante Alan Loveday (violin), Stephen Shingles (viola), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1971 Argo Bach Suites for Orchestra William Bennett (flute), Thurston Dart (harpsichord), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1971 Argo Various Trumpet Concerti John Wilbraham (trumpet), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1971 Argo Various Academy '72 Barry Tuckwell (horn), Josef Suk (violin), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 EMI Mozart Exsultate Jubilate Erna Spoorenberg (soprano), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Argo Shostakovich / Stravinsky Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings / Capriccio John Ogdon (piano), John Wilbraham (trumpet), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Argo Mozart Clarinet Concerto / Bassoon Concerto / Andante for Flute Jack Brymer (clarinet), Michael Chapman (bassoon), Claude Monteux (flute), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Philips Handel Ballet Music Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Argo Mozart Concerto for Flute and Harp / Sinfonia Concertante, K. 297b Claude Monteux (flute), Osian Ellis (harp), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Philips Bach The Complete Harpsichord Concertos Igor Kipnis (harpsichord), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 CBS Various English String Music Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 EMI Mozart Piano Concertos Nos. 19 & 23 Alfred Brendel (piano), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Philips Mozart Overtures and Ballet Music Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 EMI Mozart Coronation Mass / Litaniae Lauretanae BMV, K. 195 Ileana Cotrubaș (soprano), Helen Watts (contralto), Robert Tear (tenor), John Shirley-Quirk (bass), Schola Cantorum of Oxford, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Argo Mozart Piano Concertos Nos. 12 & 17 Alfred Brendel (piano), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Philips Mozart Symphonies Nos. 29 & 25 Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Argo Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis / The Lark Ascending / Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus / Fantasia on Greensleeves Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Argo Mozart Divertimento in D, K. 334 / Notturno for Four Orchestras Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Argo Mozart The Horn Concertos Barry Tuckwell (horn), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 EMI Mozart The 4 Horn Concertos Alan Civil (horn), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Philips Michael Tippett Little Music for String Orchestra / Concerto for Double String Orchestra / Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Argo Handel Music for the Royal Fireworks / Water Music Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Argo Mozart The Symphonies, Vol. 1 Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Decca Handel / Mozart / Rossini Meister der Musik Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1972 Decca Gustav Mahler / Britten Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen / Nocturne Robert Tear (tenor), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1973 Argo Mozart Violin Concerto in G, K. 216 / Concertone for 2 Violins, K. 190 Alan Loveday (violin), Carmel Kaine (violin), Iona Brown (violin), Kenneth Heath (cello), Tess Miller (oboe), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1973 Decca Georges Bizet / Sergei Prokofiev Symphony in C / Classical Symphony Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1973 Argo Bach Cantatas BWV 202 & 209 Elly Ameling (soprano), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1973 EMI William Walton / Prokofiev Sonata for Strings / Visions Fugitives Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1973 Argo Mozart Flute Concerto, K. 313 / Oboe Concerto, K. 314 Claude Monteux (flute), Neil Black (oboe), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1973 Philips Mozart The Early Symphonies Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1973 Philips Vivaldi L'estro armonico Alan Loveday (violin), Carmel Kaine (violin), Iona Brown (violin), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1973 Argo Tchaikovsky / Dvořák Serenades for Strings Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1973 Argo Rossini Famous Overtures Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1974 Philips Various Munrow & Marriner David Munrow (treble recorder), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1974 EMI Schoenberg / Anton Webern / Paul Hindemith Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 / Fünf Sätze, Op. 4 / Fünf Stücke, Op. 44, No. 4 Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra 1974 Argo Mozart Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 23 Alfred Brendel (piano), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1974 Philips Corelli Concerti grossi, Op. 6 Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1974 Argo Various The Academy in Concert Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1974 EMI Various Six Concertos for Trumpet Maurice André (trumpet), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1974 Erato Records Corelli Christmas Concerto Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1974 Argo Suk / Strauss / Janáček Serenade for Strings / Sextet from "Capriccio" / Suite for String Orchestra Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1975 Argo J.C. Bach / Haydn Harpsichord Concerto in A / Harpsichord Concerto in D / Overture in D George Malcolm (harpsichord), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1975 (recorded in 1969 Decca Rodrigo Concierto Madrigal / Fantasía Para un Gentilhombre Pepe Romero (guitar), Ángel Romero (guitar), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1975 Philips Mozart Piano Concertos Nos. 27 & 18 Alfred Brendel (piano), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1975 Philips Bach Concerto for Three Violins / Concerto for Violin and Oboe / Concerto for Flute William Bennett (flute), Tess Miller (oboe), Carmel Kaine (violin), Richard Studt (violin), Ronald Thomas (violin), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1975 Argo Stravinsky Concerto in D / Danses Concertantes / Dumbarton Oaks Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra 1975 EMI Vivaldi La Stravaganza, Op. 4 Carmel Kaine (violin), Alan Loveday (violin), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1975 Argo Bach The Art of Fugue Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1975 Philips Mendelssohn Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 Murray Perahia (piano), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1975 Columbia Masterworks Beethoven Symphony No. 4 / Grosse Fuge Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1975 Philips Haydn 12 Name Symphonies Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 Philips Various A Festival of English Music Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 Argo Haydn Symphonies Nos. 48 "Maria Theresa" & 85 "La Reine" Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 Philips Various Music for Double Bass Rodney Slatford (double bass), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 EMI Handel Complete Organ Concertos George Malcolm (organ), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 Argo Haydn Symphonies Nos. 43 "Mercury" & 59 "Fire" Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 Philips Handel Messiah Elly Ameling (soprano), Anna Reynolds (contralto), Philip Langridge (tenor), Gwynne Howell (bass), Academy and Chorus of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 Argo Telemann Don Quichotte / Viola Concerto / Overture in D Stephen Shingles (viola), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 Argo Samuel Barber / Charles Ives / Aaron Copland Adagio for Strings / Symphony No. 3 / Quite City Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 Argo Haydn Symphonies Nos. 44 "Mourning" & 49 "La Passione" Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 Philips Handel Two Double Concertos ("A Due Cori") Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 EMI Respighi Ancient Airs and Dances Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra 1976 Angel Records Bach Arias from Cantatas and Oratorios Janet Baker (contralto), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 EMI Mozart Piano Concerto No. 22 / Concert Rondos K. 382 & 386 Alfred Brendel (piano), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 Philips Bach Violin Concertos Henryk Szeryng (violin), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 Philips Butterworth / Britten A Shropshire Lad / Two English Idylls / The Banks of Green Willow / Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 Argo Haydn Symphonies Nos. 100 "Military" & 103 "Drum Roll" Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1976 Philips Vivaldi Concerti for Wind and Strings, Vol. 1 Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1977 Argo Vivaldi Concerti for Wind and Strings, Vol. 2 Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1977 Argo Mozart Piano Concerto No.21 K467 / Sonata No.10 K330 Yeol Eum Son (piano), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 2018 (final recording) Onyx Classics
External links
Categories: 1924 Births, 2016 Deaths, 20th-century English Conductors, 21st-century English Conductors, English Classical Violinists, English Male Classical Violinists, Bach Conductors, English Male Conductors, London Symphony Orchestra Players, Players Of The Philharmonia Orchestra, Alumni Of The Royal College Of Music, Conservatoire De Paris Alumni, Members Of The Order Of The Companions Of Honour, Knights Bachelor, Conductors Awarded Knighthoods, Commanders Of The Order Of The British Empire, Officiers Of The Ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres, Honorary Members Of The Royal Academy Of Music, Grammy Award Winners, Musicians From Lincoln, England, British Army Personnel Of World War Ii, Emi Classics And Virgin Classics Artists, London Records Artists, Deaths From Congestive Heart Failure In England, Music Directors Of The Minnesota Orchestra, Chief Conductors Of The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Conductors Of The Academy Of St Martin In The Fields, Players Of The Academy Of St Martin In The Fields
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