Duncan Druce, composer - obituary Violinist who composed a sensitive and convincing completion of Mozart’s unfinished Requiem

Duncan Druce, who has died aged 76, was a composer, violinist and musicologist whose completion of Mozart’s Requiem drew much attention when it was first heard at the Proms in 1991 – not least when the conductor Roger Norrington brought him forward from his place among the violins to share the applause . The son of a bacteriologist, Robert Duncan Druce was born at Nantwich, Cheshire, on May 23 1939. He was seven when the family moved to Leeds where, encouraged by a school teacher, he immersed himself in the city’s musical life. He played violin with the National Youth Orchestra and spent a year studying with Herbert Howells at the Royal College of Music. At King’s College, Cambridge, where he took a double first in Music, one of his undergraduate exercises was to compose a single movement for a string quartet in the style of Mozart; Druce instead wrote an entire quartet. TELEGRAPH OBIT

David Frederick Stock (June 3, 1939 – November 2, 2015) was an American composer and conductor.

Stock was a longtime resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he served as a professor of composition and as the conductor of the Contemporary Ensemble at Duquesne University. In 1976, he founded the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and was the music director for 23 years until his retirement in 1999. He was the composer in residence for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra during the 1987-88 season, and for the Seattle Symphony Orchestra for the 1996-97 season. Among his many compositions are Kickoff, premiered by the New York Philharmonic under Kurt Masur during the Orchestra's 150th Anniversary; Violin Concerto, premiered by Andres Cardenes and the Pittsburgh Symphony under Lorin Maazel for that Orchestra's 100th Anniversary; and Second Symphony, premiered by the Seattle Symphony under Gerard Schwarz.

VIDEO: DAVID STOCK: Violin Concerto: Final Movement - Andres Cardenes, Violin

David Willcocks, Choral Conductor Kings College (1919-2015)

Sir David Willcocks, who has died aged 95, was the most influential choirmaster of his generation, spending 17 years as director of music at King’s College, Cambridge, and 38 years in charge of the Bach Choir. He was a man of immense courage in both musical and military fields, earning an immediate MC during his war service in Normandy.OBIT Sir David Valentine Willcocks CBE, MC (30 December 1919 – 17 September 2015) was a British choral conductor, organist, composer and music administrator. He is particularly well known for his association with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, which he directed from 1957 to 1974, making frequent broadcasts and recordings. Several of the descants and carol arrangements he wrote for the annual service of Nine Lessons and Carols were published in the series of books Carols for Choirs which he edited along with Reginald Jacques and John Rutter. He was also director of the Royal College of Music in London. During the Second World War he served as an officer in the British Army, and was decorated with the Military Cross for his actions during the Battle of Normandy. His elder son, Jonathan Willcocks, is also a composer. WIKIPEDIA

Jaime Leon Ferro (1921 - 2015)

Born in 1921, Jaime León the Grand Old Man of Colombian music. A vital figure in the development of Colombian art-music, León has been pianist (a grand-student of Clara Schumann), conductor, teacher, administrator and composer. His Misa breve has an innocent sincerity reminiscent of Poulenc’s religious music, and although the word-setting in his songs is subtle and imaginative, they have the same melodic immediacy and uncomplicated appeal. He died May 8, 2015....
Recordings:
Jaime Leon

 VIDEO: In this video Colombian soprano Patricia Caicedo and pianist Janet Pumill perform a set of art songs by Colombian composer Jaime Leon. The songs are Más que nunca (poetry by Maruja Vieira), A tí (poetry by José Asunción Silva), Rima (poetry by Eduardo Carranza) and Todo pasó (poetry by Rafael Maya). The performance took place at TCU in Fort Worth, TX, on October 4, 2011. It was part of the 8th Latin-American Music Festival. If you are interested in learning about the Latin-American Art Song repertoire, its composers and poets please visit www.barcelonafestivalofsong.com the site of the Barcelona Festival of Song a Summer Program for singers and accompanists dedicated to the study of the history and interpretation of the Latin-American and Spanish Vocal Repertoire. If you are looking for scores please visit www.mundoarts.com For more info about Patricia Caicedo, her performances, books and CDs please visit www.patriciacaicedo.com

George Cleve, Conductor Who Interpreted Mozart, Dies at 79

George Wolfgang Cleve (1935 or 1936 – August 27, 2015) was an Austrian born American musical conductorMr. Cleve, who was born in Vienna, fled with his family to the United States and spent most of his American career on the West Coast.NYTimes Obit Cleve studied at the High School of Music and Art and the Mannes College of Music. His conducting teachers included Pierre Monteux, Leonard Bernstein, George Szell and Franco Ferrara. He guest conducted many orchestra in both the United States, Great Britain, and continental Europe, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Montreal Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, the Swedish Radio Orchestra, the Russian National Orchestra, and the Singapore Symphony, among others. Cleve was appointed music director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for the 1969-70 season, and then served as the music director of the San Jose Symphony from 1972 to 1992. Cleve was also an active opera conductor, having led performances of Carmen with the San Francisco Opera, Don Giovanni, Pagliacci, and Cavalleria rusticana with Opera San José, and other productions with the Opera Company of Philadelphia, San Francisco Spring Opera, Long Beach Opera, the Spoleto USA Festival and the Mannheim Opera. Cleve was the founder, in 1974, and director of the Midsummer Mozart Festival in the San Francisco Bay Area. Cleve died at the age of 79 in Berkeley, California in 2015.

VIDEO: George Cleve conducts the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia...Schumann, Symphony no. 4

 

Issachar Miron (a.k.a. Stefan Michrovsky)

Miron, born in 1919, (died January 29, 2015 at 95). He left Poland at the age of 19, thus avoiding the Holocaust. In 1941, while serving in the Jewish Brigade of the British forces, he composed the melody for lyrics written by Chagiz. The song became popular in Palestine and was played on the Israeli radio. Julius Grossman, who did not know who composed the song, wrote the so-called third part of 'Tzena' about November 1946. Gordon Jenkins made an arrangement of the song for The Weavers, who sang it with Jenkins' orchestra as backing. The Jenkins/Weavers version, released by Decca Records under catalog number 27077, was one side of a two-sided hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard magazine charts while the flip side, "Goodnight Irene," reached #1. Cromwell Music Inc., a subsidiary of Richmond/TRO, claimed the rights to the song, and had licensed the Decca release. They alleged the music to have been composed by a person named Spencer Ross, though in reality this was a fictitious persona constructed to hide the melody's true authorship. Mills Music, Inc., Miron's publisher, sued Cromwell (TRO) and won. The presiding judge also dismissed Cromwell's claim that the melody was based on a traditional folk song and was thus in the public domain. Arounds the '80s, Israeli folk star Ron (Ran) Eliran recorded the song along with 14 more songs by Miron to make a CD together called, Sing to Me Eretz Yisrael. The original English lyric, written by Mitchell Parish, was greatly altered in the version recorded by The Weavers. Other charting versions were recorded by Vic Damone and Mitch Miller's Orchestra. A humorous version, entitled "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena, Tzena" was recorded by the Smothers Brothers on their 1961 debut album, The Smothers Brothers at the Purple Onion. The newest version was released in October, 2012 by Bruce Berger, also known as Rebbe Soul. The arrangement is highly rhythmic, contemporary, and upbeat. Guitarist Chet Atkins also recorded the song--without lyrics--on his 1960 album The Other Chet Atkins

.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzena,_Tzena,_Tzena BIO NYTimes

Wolfgang Gönnenwein was a German conductor

Born in Schwäbisch Hall, Wolfgang Gönnenwein studied music and German studies at the University of Heidelberg and the University of Tübingen. In 1959 he became the conductor of the choir Süddeutscher Madrigalchor (South German Madrigal Chorus). He also conducted the choir of the Bach-Verein Köln (de) from 1969 until 1973. In 1968 he was appointed Professor for choral conducting at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart, in 1973 he was elected Rektor (president), serving until 1982. He also directed the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele (de) until 2004. He was Generalintendant (General Manager) of the Staatstheater Stuttgart from 1985 to 1992. For EMI, Gönnenwein recorded many of Bach's sacred works, including the St Matthew Passion, as well as Haydn's oratorios and Mozart's Requiem. Gönnenwein died on 26 July 2015 at the age of 82

                                         WIKIPEDIA                         

VIDEO: "Final Chorus" from Matthäus-Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach Süddeutscher Madrigalchor

 

Lynn Anderson, singer of 'Rose Garden,' dies in Nashville

Lynn Anderson, whose 'Rose Garden' album was one of the best-selling country LPs of all time, has died at 67. Lynn Rene Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was a multi-award-winning American country music singer known for a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, most notably her 1970 country-pop, worldwide megahit "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden". Anderson's crossover appeal and regular exposure on national television helped her to become one of the most popular and successful country singers of the 1970s. WIKIPEDIA

Van Alexander, Composer, arranger and studio conductor Dies at 100

Van Alexander (born Alexander Van Vliet Feldman, May 2, 1915 – July 19, 2015) was an American bandleader, arranger and composer. Alexander led bands and arranged from high school, and studied composition in college. He landed a job selling arrangements to Chick Webb in the middle of the 1930s. One of these, "A-Tisket, A-Tasket", became a hit for Webb and Ella Fitzgerald, and subsequently became one of her signature tunes. Alexander later arranged other nursery rhymes for jazz performance, such as "Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?" and "Got a Pebble in My Shoe" The composer and arranger, whose adaptation of a nursery rhyme became Ella Fitzgerald’s breakout hit, also wrote for movies and television. He arranged and conducted for variety shows starring Mickey Rooney, Gordon MacRae, Dean Martin and James Stewart. Additionally, he was involved in recording sessions with Kay Starr, Dakota Staton, Paul Whiteman, Benny Goodman, Dinah Shore, Doris Day and Peggy Lee. Alexander won several Emmy Awards for his television scores, and was presented with the Henry Mancini Award for Lifetime achievement from ASCAP.

WIKIPEDIA...|...NYTimes Obit

VIDEO: Here are a few excerpts from a two hour in-depth interview with the distinguished film & television composer and arranger: Van Alexander for the Film Music Foundation. Here he discusses working with Chick Webb, Ella Fitzgerald & Dean Martin.

Ivan Moravec (9 November 1930 ‒ 27 July 2015)

The Czech pianist Ivan Moravec has died at the age of 84. Moravec began piano lessons at age seven, continuing his studies at Prague Conservatory and Prague Academy of the Arts. In 1957, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli invited Moravec to attend his masterclasses in Arezzo. He made his first recording with the Connoisseur Society in 1962, and his New York debut two years later, appearing with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra. The success of this concert placed Moravec in the international spotlight, launching his career.

                   WIKIPEDIA                               

VIDEO: Masterful Czech pianist Ivan Moravec recording Chopin, discusses his recording philosophy and his deep understanding of the piano as an instrument. Includes rare footage of his artistry. 

Theodore Bikel, created the role of Baron von Trapp in the original Broadway production of “The Sound of Music” Dies at 91

NYTimes Obit
 Theodore Meir Bikel (May 2, 1924 – July 21, 2015) was an Austrian-American Jewish actor, folk singer, musician, and composer. He made his film debut in The African Queen (1951) and was nominated for an Academy Award for his supporting role as Sheriff Max Muller in The Defiant Ones (1958). Bikel is President of the Associated Actors and Artistes of America and was president of Actors' Equity in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Partners for Progressive Israel,where he also lectures. His autobiography, Theo, first published in 1995, has been reprinted and updated three times. On Broadway he originated the role of Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music in 1959, for which he received his second Tony nomination. Bikel did not like his role in The Sound of Music because his ability to sing was limited in the play, and he did not like to perform repeatedly the same role of the Captain. The song "Edelweiss" was created spontaneously, during the final try-outs off-Broadway, when it was realized that Bikel, an experienced folk singer, acting as Captain von Trapp, had no song of his own. Later, many people in theatre audiences claimed they remembered hearing "Edelweiss" as a traditional folk song.

                                 WIKIPEDIA                                     

ETTORE STRATTA Conductor, arranger, recording producer

Mr. Stratta conducted and produced albums devoted to symphonic adaptations of different musical forms, including “Symphonic Tango” and “Symphonic Boleros.” His “Symphonic Elvis” was recorded, appropriately, by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in 1996. Stratta has recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Fantasy Strings, among other groups, and showed no signs of slowing down following the turn of the millennium. Ettore Stratta, who produced records by stars like Barbra Streisand and Tony Bennett and conducted symphonic arrangements of everything from bossa nova to the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, died on July 9, 2015 in Manhattan. He was 82.

                              NYTimes Bio                                  

Jon Vickers, Opera Star Known for His Raw Power and Intensity, Dies at 88

NYTimes Obit 

Jonathan Stewart Vickers, CC (October 29, 1926 – July 10, 2015), known professionally as Jon Vickers, was a Canadian heldentenor. Born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, he was the sixth in a family of eight children. In 1950, he was awarded a scholarship to study opera at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. In 1957 Vickers joined London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden company. In 1960 he joined the Metropolitan Opera. He became world famous for a wide range of German, French and Italian roles. Vickers' huge, powerful voice and solid technique met the demands of many French, German and Italian roles. He was also highly regarded for his powerful stage presence and thoughtful characterizations. In 1968 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. Vickers received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts, in 1998.

           WIKIPEDIA                                   



VIDEO: Jon Vickers - 'Vesti la giubba' (Karajan) 

James Holesovsky, 72 cellist

He was one of Philadelphia's ultimate behind-the-scenes musicians... James Holesovsky, 72, died Saturday, June 27, 2015. Passed after an extended illness, was a cellist who could have had the personal glory to which many aspire. Instead, through his personal musical standards and networking skills, he helped maintain the quality of classical music in Philadelphia. Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/arts

James Horner, Film Composer for 'Titanic' and 'Braveheart,' Dies in Plane Crash

Hollywood Reporter WIKIPEDIA VIDEO: The music of James Horner

James Roy Horner (August 14, 1953 – June 22, 2015) was an American composer, conductor and orchestrator of film scores. He was known for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for frequent use of Celtic musical elements. Horner was an accomplished concert hall composer before he moved into writing film scores. His first major film score was for the 1979 film The Lady in Red, but did not establish himself as a mainstream composer until he worked on the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Horner's score for Titanic is the best selling orchestral film soundtrack of all time while Titanic and Avatar, both directed by James Cameron, are the two highest-grossing films of all time. Horner collaborated on multiple projects with directors Jean-Jacques Annaud, Mel Gibson, Walter Hill, Ron Howard and Joe Johnston. Horner composed music for over 100 films, and won two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, three Satellite Awards, three Saturn Awards and was nominated for three British Academy Film Awards.

Gunther Schuller, Composer Who Synthesized Classical and Jazz, Dies at 89

NYTimes Obit

 Gunther Schuller (November 22, 1925 – June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician.

    WIKIPEDIA     

Ronald Wilford, Manager of Legendary Maestros, Dies at 87

Ronald A. Wilford, a spotlight-shunning manager who became one of the most powerful figures in classical music in the second half of the 20th century....

NYTimes Obit

COLUMBIA ARTISTS MANAGEMENT, INC

James Last, 86

His numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and the United Kingdom. His composition "Happy Heart" became an international success in interpretations by Andy Williams and Petula Clark. According to British Hit Singles & Albums (2006), he is reported to have sold over 100 million albums worldwide. Last's trademark sound employed big band arrangements of well-known tunes with a jaunty dance beat, often heavy on bass and brass

Official website...|... NYTimes

VIDEO: James Last, his orchestra & singers perform live at the BBC TV Studios, London on 15th October 1976.

 

Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015)

Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s, a term he invented with the name of an album. Coleman's timbre was easily recognized: his keening, crying sound drew heavily on blues music. His album Sound Grammar received the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for music. WIKIPEDIA


NYTimes Obit VIDEO: Ornette Coleman Sextet - Free Jazz 

Voice of The MET, Margaret Juntwait (March 18, 1957 – June 3, 2015) was an American radio broadcaster

Ms. Juntwait, who became the Met’s third radio host in 2004, hosting 229 Saturday radio broadcasts, also presided over 898 broadcasts on the Met’s satellite-radio channel.
  NYTimes Obit
 Margaret Juntwait (March 18, 1957 – June 3, 2015) was an American radio broadcaster, and the voice of the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. She debuted in this position on December 11, 2004, replacing Peter Allen upon his retirement after twenty-nine years. WIKIPEDIA


VIDEO: Maestro Fabio Luisi, in conversaon with Margaret Juntwait, May 7, 2013