Monday may be Tax Day, but much more pleasantly, it also happens to mark the centenary of Sir Neville Marriner, who was born on April 15, 1924.
This morning on “Sweetness and Light,” we’ll honor the prolific English conductor, who died peacefully in his sleep on October 2, 2016, three days after giving his last concert in Padua, Italy. The next day, he was scheduled to begin a tour of Austria, Germany, and Belgium, with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the orchestra he founded in 1958. At the time of his death, he was 92 years old.
Hardly gone, then, and certainly he left so many recordings, that he’ll continue to be remembered, with gratitude, for quite some time.
Under Marriner’s direction, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields became the most-recorded chamber orchestra in the world, the partnership yielding over 500 recordings.
Too many, obviously, to survey in an hour, so I’ll focus on four, which have meant a great deal to me, personally.
Marriner could always be counted on to deliver solid, interpretively, middle-of-the-road performances. Occasionally, he would even surprise by turning out a world-beater. He was the perfect choice to supervise the soundtrack for Milos Forman’s “Amadeus.” He was also a sensitive collaborator, in concerto and opera.
It seems there wasn’t much Marriner couldn’t accomplish in the studio, in the days when the major labels still dominated the classical music recording industry and, by extension, radio air time. Rare was the morning or afternoon drive that didn’t feature at least one recording by “Sir Neville and His Marriners,” as one host in the Philadelphia area memorably dubbed them.
There will be nothing taxing about the music this week, as we celebrate Sir Neville Marriner on “Sweetness and Light.” Start your day with a smile, this Saturday morning at 11:00 EDT/8:00 EDT, exclusively on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon!
Stream it, wherever you are, here:
Leave a Reply