Neville Marriner died today aged 92.
I can’t begin to count the innumerable hours of sheer musical joy this man and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields have given me over the years with their recordings of Handel, Pergolesi, Vivaldi et al.
RIP Sir Neville.
“And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest…”
“The King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and He shall reign Forever and Ever!”
RIP
I have so damn many recordings of his, and fond memories of quite a few live concerts. St. Martin-in-the-Fields won’t be the same without him. R.I.P.
I never saw him live, but I heard live performances on the radio, and enjoyed them hugely. And I have a ton of his recordings. (Okay, not literally a ton…but over forty pounds!) I loved the gentleness, the delicacy of his touch. He wasn’t the sort of conductor who’d do the 1812 Overture, but, rather, say, Mendelssohn’s “Midsummer’s Night Dream.” The effect was always intimate and very gentle.
Whether his recordings are good or not, “The Acadamy-of-St-Martin-In-the-Fields” is such a precious name I could never get past it. You have to admit, it’s a bit much.
There’s a history behind the name, of course. When he was setting it up, one of his colleagues pointed out that the area where they were meeting once hosted meetings of “academies” or societies of people interested in different arts and sciences, and since they were meeting in (and getting practical support from) St Martin’s, the vicar (never one to miss a trick) said “Don’t forget the church!”.
And I believe there’s a story about a radio presenter who introduced one of their recordings as “The Academy of YouKnowWhere directed by YouKnowWho”.
I’m going to be there (London) in just a few days. All the more reason to stop by.
No, I don’t have to admit anything. St Martin in the Fields is a real church in London. Here’s the story:
Their *Messiah *is my very favorite…
Never been to Trafalgar Square?
And it’s “The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields”.
I was lucky enough to get to visit London as a teenager, and spent a lot of the visit in the Trafalgar Square area (seeing the two major museums there, the lions, and so on). That church was offering free concerts most afternoons in those days–not Sir Neville, but good music always, and I attended many, both on that visit and on subsequent visits. So the name “Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields” never seemed the least bit precious or affected to me.
In any case, Sir Neville: a life well-lived. Thanks for all the music!
Don’t have to admit anything. It’s a real church. I’ve been in it. And it’s spelled “acadEmy.”
And “whether his recordings are good or not…”? :dubious: