Kenneth Alwyn Wetherell
(28 July 1925 – 10 December 2020) was a British conductor, composer, and writer. Described by
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
as "one of the great British musical directors",
Alwyn was known for his many recordings, including with the
London Symphony Orchestra on
Decca's first stereophonic recording of Tchaikovsky's ''
1812 Overture
''The Year 1812, Solemn Overture'', Op. 49, popularly known as the ''1812 Overture'', is a concert overture in E major written in 1880 by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The piece commemorates Russia's successful defense against the ...
''. He was also known for his long association with
BBC Radio 2's orchestral live music programme ''
Friday Night is Music Night'', appearing for thirty years as a conductor and presenter, and for his contribution to British musical theatre as a prolific musical director in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a Fellow of the
Royal Academy of Music and married the actress Mary Law in 1960. His website and the first volume of his memoirs ''A Baton in the Ballet and Other Places'' were both published in 2015. The second volume ''Is Anyone Watching?'' was published in 2017.
Early life, wartime service and education
Alwyn was born Kenneth Alwyn Wetherell in
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...
, England,
[ and attended the John Ruskin Boys' Central School (now known as John Ruskin College).] After wartime service with the Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
, Alwyn joined the Royal Academy of Music (1947–1951), where he studied singing, viola and organ (with C. H. Trevor) and won the Manns Memorial Prize for conducting in 1952.[''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' edited by Stanley Sadie (first edition, 1980) and ''The Oxford Dictionary of Music'' (Oxford University Press, 6th edition, 2012)] He was the Sub-Professor of Organ and opera coach and founded the RAM Madrigal Choir. He did not use his surname during his career, and was instead credited as Kenneth Alwyn; this originated during his time at RAM, when he credited himself as such due to a rule which banned current students from performing professionally.[
After a period as a Colonial Officer working with Radio Malaya in Singapore and a post as conductor with the Royal Wellington Choral Union in ]Wellington
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
, New Zealand, in 1952, Alwyn returned to England.
Career
The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden
In 1952 Alwyn joined the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet (now known as the Birmingham Royal Ballet)[ as a conductor. In 1957, he moved to the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden,][ where he shared the rostrum with Malcolm Sargent, Ernest Ansermet, Arthur Bliss, William Walton, Hans Werner Henze and Benjamin Britten, from whom he took over Britten's original production of '' The Prince of the Pagodas''. It received its premiere on 1 January 1957. Alwyn also served as musical director of the Western Theatre Ballet (now known as the Scottish Ballet) from 1967 to 1969.][
]
Conducting tours
Alwyn toured extensively in Europe, North America, South Africa and the Far East.[ As principal conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in the 1960s, Alwyn conducted the first performance in Japan of Gustav Holst's '' The Planets'', and introduced other British works to Japanese audiences.
]
BBC radio and television career
In 1958, the BBC invited Alwyn to conduct the BBC Concert Orchestra, marking the beginning of a long association between Alwyn and the BBC as a conductor and presenter of programmes including ''Friday Night is Music Night''. Alwyn worked with all of the BBC's orchestras, serving as Associate conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra and, from 1969, as Principal conductor of the BBC Northern Ireland Orchestra (now known as the Ulster Orchestra).[ He also served on the BBC Music Advisory Committee.][
Alwyn presented the BBC TV series ''The Orchestra'', conducting the ]Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England.
The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...
. The series culminated in a performance of Benjamin Britten's '' Let's Make an Opera'' and was part of a pioneering educational movement, led by John Hosier, to teach music in schools through the medium of television. Alwyn also presented a BBC '' Omnibus'' documentary on the music of Tchaikovsky, directed by Sir John Drummond.
Alwyn's friendship with the comedian Dudley Moore led to a collaboration for Moore's final UK concert tour in March 1992.[ Alwyn conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra for a series of performances with Moore at the piano. These included a series of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, London, broadcast live on BBC Radio 4 and later released on CD under the title ''Live from an Aircraft Hangar'' (Martine Avenue Productions, Inc. 2001). Music from Moore's 1992 tour with Alwyn also featured in a BBC Radio 2 programme celebrating 60 years of the BBC Concert Orchestra, broadcast on 2 March 2012. Alwyn's friendship and stage performances with another popular British comic, Bob Monkhouse, are chronicled in Monkhouse's autobiography ''Crying with Laughter: My Life Story''.
]
Musical theatre
To mark the year of his 80th birthday, Alwyn was interviewed by Edward Seckerson for BBC Radio 3's programme ''Stage and Screen'', broadcast on 21 November 2005. The programme notes record that "Alwyn's career has encompassed many of the highlights of post-war British musical theatre".[ Working frequently with Gordon Langford as orchestrator, Alwyn served as musical director for the premieres of many Broadway and original British musicals, including the following productions:
* ''The Crooked Mile'' ( Cambridge Theatre, London, 1959) starring Millicent Martin and Elisabeth Welch
* '' The Most Happy Fella'' (]London Coliseum
The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, City of Westminster, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the Lond ...
, 1959) starring Inia Te Wiata, Helena Scott and Art Lund
* '' H.M.S. Pinafore'' ( Her Majesty's Theatre, 1962) directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie
* '' The Pirates of Penzance'' (Her Majesty's Theatre, 1962) directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie
* '' Half a Sixpence'' (Cambridge Theatre, London, 1963) starring Tommy Steele, Marti Webb and James Grout
* '' Camelot'' ( Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, 1964) starring Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey (born Zvi Mosheh Skikne; 1 October 192825 November 1973) was a Lithuanian-born British actor and film director. He was born to Lithuanian Jewish parents and emigrated to Union of South Africa, South Africa at an early age, before ...
and Elizabeth Larner
* '' Charlie Girl'' ( Adelphi Theatre, London, 1965) starring Derek Nimmo, Gerry Marsden and Anna Neagle
Dame Florence Marjorie Wilcox (''née'' Robertson; 20 October 1904 – 3 June 1986), known professionally as Anna Neagle, was an English stage and film actress, singer, and dancer.
She was a successful box-office draw in British cinema for 2 ...
* ''Jorrocks'' (New London Theatre
The Gillian Lynne Theatre (formerly the New London Theatre) is a West End theatre located on the corner of Drury Lane and Parker Street in Covent Garden in the London Borough of Camden. The Winter Garden Theatre occupied the site until 1965. On ...
, 1966) starring Joss Ackland
Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland (29 February 1928 – 19 November 2023) was an English actor who appeared in more than 130 film, radio and television roles. He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying ...
and Cheryl Kennedy
Alwyn made original cast recordings of all of the above shows and also made studio cast recordings (complete and/or highlights) of the following musicals:
* ''Oliver!
''Oliver!'' is a stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens.
It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before opening in the W ...
'' (1960) featuring Ian Carmichael
Ian Gillett Carmichael, (18 June 1920 – 5 February 2010) was an English actor who Ian Carmichael on stage, screen and radio, worked prolifically on stage, screen and radio in a career that spanned seventy years. Born in Kingston upon ...
* '' Bitter Sweet'' (1961) featuring Susan Hampshire and Adele Leigh
* '' Kismet'' (1961) featuring Elizabeth Harwood
* ''Guys and Dolls
''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...
'' (1962) featuring Adele Leigh
* ''West Side Story
''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents.
Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...
'' (1962) featuring Adele Leigh
* '' Carmen Jones'' (1962) featuring Grace Bumbry
Grace Melzia Bumbry (January 4, 1937 – May 7, 2023) was an American opera singer, considered one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation, who also ventured to soprano roles. She belonged to a pioneering generation of African-American c ...
and Elisabeth Welch
* ''Porgy and Bess
''Porgy and Bess'' ( ) is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play ''Porgy (play), ...
'' (1964) featuring Lawrence Winters and Isabelle Lucas
* '' Glamorous Night / Careless Rapture'' (1969, reissued 2005) featuring John Stoddart and Patricia Johnson
* ''Gilbert & Sullivan Overtures'' (1963, reissued 2005) with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
* ''Gilbert & Sullivan: Valerie Masterson and Robert Tear sing Gilbert & Sullivan'' (1983) with the Bournemouth Sinfonietta
* '' The Most Happy Fella'' (2007) featuring Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed ( ; born 9 October 1936) is an English actor. He is known for his distinctive bushy beard, booming voice, and exuberant personality and performances. He portrayed PC "Fancy" Smith in ''Z-Cars''; Augustus in the 1976 BBC television ...
* ''Carousel
A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...
'' (2007) featuring Mandy Patinkin
Mandel "Mandy" Bruce Patinkin (; born November 30, 1952) is an American actor and singer, known for his work in musical theatre, television, and film. As a critically acclaimed Broadway (theatre), Broadway performer he has collaborated with Step ...
Alwyn served as musical director for a production of the pantomime ''Dick Whittington
Richard Whittington ( March 1423) of the parish of St Michael Paternoster Royal,Will of Richard Whittington: " I leave to my executors named below the entire tenement in which I live in the parish of St. Michael Paternoster Royal, Londo/ ...
'' at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre in 1955 starring Peter O'Toole
Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golde ...
. In recognition of his contribution to the world of British musical theatre, Alwyn and the Alwyn Concert Orchestra were invited to perform at the memorial service for Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...
, which was held in Westminster Abbey on 28 March 1984 in the presence of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...
.
Orchestral recordings
Alwyn's orchestral recording career dates back to 1958, when he recorded Tchaikovsky's ''1812 Overture
''The Year 1812, Solemn Overture'', Op. 49, popularly known as the ''1812 Overture'', is a concert overture in E major written in 1880 by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The piece commemorates Russia's successful defense against the ...
'' for Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...
with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Band of the Grenadier Guards, which has been reviewed and critically acclaimed many times over the years in ''Gramophone'' magazine. and was chosen as one of its records of the year (1958 ''Gramophone Critics' Choice''). The recording famously featured slowed-down gunshots to mimic cannon fire. It has remained a mainstay of the classical catalogue and was re-issued by Decca in 2012. Other notable recordings include Lord Berners' '' Wedding Bouquet'' with the RTÉ Chamber Choir and Sinfonietta (1996 ''Gramophone Critics' Choice'').
Selected discography:
* Richard Addinsell: '' Warsaw Concerto'' / Hubert Bath: ''Cornish Rhapsody'' / Miklós Rózsa
Miklós Rózsa (; April 18, 1907 – July 27, 1995) was a Hungarian-American composer trained in Germany (1925–1931) and active in France (1931–1935), the United Kingdom (1935–1940), and the United States (1940–1995), with extensi ...
: ''Spellbound Concerto'' / Charles Williams: '' The Dream of Olwen'' / George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...
: ''Rhapsody in Blue
''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition for solo piano and jazz band by George Gershwin. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects and premiered in a concer ...
'' with Daniel Adni and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an English orchestra, founded in 1893 and originally based in Bournemouth. With a remit to serve the South and South West of England, the BSO is administratively based in the adjacent town of Poole, s ...
(EMI 1980, 1988, re-issued 2006)
* Paul Ben-Haim: Symphony No. 1 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England.
The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...
(CBS)
* Ben-Haim: Symphony No. 2, Op. 36 / Concerto for Strings, Op. 40 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Nimbus Records for Jerusalem Records/Stradivari Classics, recorded 1962 and 1967, released 1984)
* Lord Berners: '' Wedding Bouquet'' / ''Luna Park
Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park (Coney Island, 1903), Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Islan ...
'' / ''March
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...
'' with the RTÉ Chamber Choir and Sinfonietta (Marco Polo 1996)
* Jeremiah Clarke
Jeremiah Clarke (c. 1674 – 1 December 1707) was an English baroque composer and organist, best known for his ''Trumpet Voluntary,'' a popular piece often played at wedding ceremonies or commencement ceremonies.
Biography
The exact date of Cla ...
: ''Trumpet Voluntary'' with the Trumpeters of Kneller Hall, the Royal Military School and London Symphony Orchestra, recorded at the Opening Concert of the Aldeburgh Festival
The Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the town of Aldeburgh, Suffolk and is centred on Snape Maltings Concert Hall.
History of the Aldeburgh Festi ...
in 1953, at which Benjamin Britten and Imogen Holst also conducted works appearing on the same recording (Decca 1962, re-issued by Decca Eloquence)
* Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (15 August 18751 September 1912) was a British composer and conductor. He was particularly known for his three cantatas on the epic 1855 poem ''The Song of Hiawatha'' by American Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Coler ...
: '' Hiawatha's Wedding Feast'' with Anthony Rolfe Johnson, the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (EMI 1984 and 2005)
* Coleridge-Taylor: ''The Song of Hiawatha'' / ''Symphonic Variations on an African Air'' with Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel Jones (; born 9 November 1965), is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially primarily associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', '' Leporello'' and ''Don Giovanni,'' but he has subsequ ...
, Helen Field and the Welsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera (WNO) () is an opera company based in Cardiff, Wales. WNO gave its first performances in 1946. The company began as a mainly amateur body and transformed into an all-professional ensemble by 1973. In its early days, the ...
(Decca 1991, 1998 and 2002)
* George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...
: ''Rhapsody in Blue'' / ''An American in Paris'' / ''Piano Concerto in F'' with Malcolm Binns and the Sinfonia of London Orchestra (EMI 1966)
* Edvard Grieg
Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic music, Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwid ...
: ''Peer Gynt - Suite No. 1'' / Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano p ...
: ''Overtures'' with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and New Symphony Orchestra of London (re-issued by DECCA Eloquence 2012)
* Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: ''1812 Overture / Capriccio italien / Marche Slave / Swan Lake'' with the London Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra (Decca 1958, Decca Ace of Diamonds 1965, Decca 2008, Decca Eloquence 2012)
Film music recordings
Alwyn's recording of ''The Ladykillers: Music from Those Glorious Ealing Films'' with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia won the 1998 Gramophone Award
The Gramophone Classical Music Awards, launched in 1977, are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the classical record industry. The British awards are often viewed as equivalent to or surpassing the American Grammy ...
for Best Film Music Recording, and a selection of Richard Addinsell's film music entitled ''British Light Music'' with the BBC Concert Orchestra was chosen as a record of the year by ''Gramophone'' magazine (1995 ''Gramophone Critics' Choice''). A collection of main themes and excerpts from famous film scores, including ''The Last of the Mohicans
''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is an 1826 historical romance novel by James Fenimore Cooper. It is the second book of the '' Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinder'', ...
'', ''The English Patient
''The English Patient'' is a 1992 novel by Michael Ondaatje. The book follows four dissimilar people brought together at an Italian villa during the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign of the Second World War. The four main charact ...
'' and ''Sense and Sensibility
''Sense and Sensibility'' ( working title; ''Elinor and Marianne'') is the first novel by the English author Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was published anonymously: ''By A Lady'' appears on the title page where the author's name might h ...
'' was also selected as a recording of the year by the magazine in 1998. Alwyn's wide interest in film music of all genres has led him to re-record many popular film scores, including '' The Bride of Frankenstein'' for which he received particular acclaim: "Shaped by Kenneth Alwyn with an admirable feel for the music's full-blooded style, and graced with a tight, bright recording which gives the orchestra an authentic film studio sound, this could almost be the original film soundtrack in modern digital dressing."
Selected discography:
* Addinsell: ''British Light Music: Goodbye Mr Chips / A Tale of Two Cities
''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by English author Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long impr ...
/ Fire Over England / Tom Brown's Schooldays
''Tom Brown's School Days'' (sometimes written ''Tom Brown's Schooldays'', also published under the titles ''Tom Brown at Rugby'', ''School Days at Rugby'', and ''Tom Brown's School Days at Rugby'') is a novel by Thomas Hughes, published in 18 ...
/ The Prince and the Showgirl
''The Prince and the Showgirl'' (originally titled '' The Sleeping Prince'') is a 1957 British romantic comedy film starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier, who also served as director and producer. The screenplay written by Terence Rattig ...
/ Festival'' with the BBC Concert Orchestra (Marco Polo 1995)
* Addinsell: ''Music of Richard Addinsell including Warsaw Concerto'' with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia ( ASV 1997 and Decca 2010)
* Addinsell: ''Film Music'' with Peter Lawson and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia (ASV 1997)
* Auric and others: ''The Ladykillers: Music from Those Glorious Ealing Films'' with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia (Silva 1997)
* Bax and Arnold: ''Music for Films: Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...
/ Malta GC / The Sound Barrier: Rhapsody for Orchestra, Op.38'' with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (CNR 1989, re-released ASV 1993)
* Newman
Newman is a surname of Germanic Anglo-Saxon origins. Newman is the modern English form of the name used in Great Britain and among people of British ancestry around the world (as is 'Numan'), while Neumann (with variant spellings) is used in Ger ...
: ''Man of Galilee: The Essential Alfred Newman Film Music Collection'' (Silva America 2001)
* Rozsa: ''Ben-Hur Ben-Hur or Ben Hur may refer to:
Fiction
*'' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', an 1880 novel by American general and author Lew Wallace
** ''Ben-Hur'' (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in 1899
** ''Ben Hur'' (1907 film), a one-reel silent ...
: The Essential Miklos Rozsa'' with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Czech: ''Filharmonici města Prahy'') is a classical orchestra, predominantly composed of Czech classical, jazz and guest musicians.
The history of the orchestra goes back to the Film Symphony Orchest ...
(Silva Screen 1996, Silva America 2000)
* Morricone: ''Once Upon a Time: The Essential Ennio Morricone Film Music Collection'' (Silva America 2004)
* Schurmann and others: ''Horror!'' with the Westminster Philharmonic Orchestra (Silva Screen, 1996)
* Steiner: '' The Flame and the Arrow: Classic Film Music'' with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Silva Screen 1998)
* Steiner: ''Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to:
* Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell
* Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel
Gone with the Wind ...
: The Classic Max Steiner'' (Silva America 1994 and 2001)
* Steiner and others: ''Cinema Century'' (Silva Screen 1999)
* Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams ( ; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...
: ''Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...
'' / Bliss
BLISS is a system programming language developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) by W. A. Wulf, D. B. Russell, and A. N. Habermann around 1970. It was perhaps the best known system language until C debuted a few years later. Since then, C ...
: '' Conquest of the Air'' / Schurmann: '' Attack & Celebration'' / Easdale: '' The Red Shoes'' with the Philharmonia Orchestra
The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI Classics, EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Rich ...
(Silva America 1993)
* Waxman: '' The Bride of Frankenstein'' / '' The Invisible Ray'' with the Westminster Philharmonic Orchestra (Silva America 1993)
* Young
Young may refer to:
* Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents
* Youth, the time of life when one's age is low, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood
Music
* The Young, an America ...
: '' The Quiet Man'' with the Dublin Screen Orchestra (Silva Screen Records 1995)
* Various: ''Best of British Light Music'' with the BBC Concert Orchestra and others (Naxos 2007)
* Various: ''Cinema's Classic Romances'' with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Silva Classics 1998)
Compositions
Alwyn composed music and text for the BBC's Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...
tour of North America to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the battle in 1990. His compositions for the tour include ''Fighter Command 1940'', which is included on the album ''A Tribute to the Few'' (Polyphonic 1990) with the Massed Bands of the Royal Air Force. Said to reflect his own flying experience, it has been described as "a musical panorama of those days in march time". It has become a standard Royal Air Force ceremonial march and is played at the opening Royal Air Force Tours which commemorate anniversaries of the Battle of Britain. Alwyn maintained an interest in flying throughout his life, and was a flight instructor at Brighton City Airport
Brighton City Airport , also commonly known as Shoreham Airport, is located in Lancing, West Sussex, Lancing near Shoreham by Sea in West Sussex, England. It has a Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom), CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence tha ...
.[
Alwyn devised and conducted a gala concert in aid of ]Imperial Cancer Research Fund
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organisation. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and ...
(now a constituent charity of Cancer Research UK) for the 1993 ''St George's Day Festival'', for which he wrote much of the original music, featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Royal Artillery Band
The Royal Artillery Band was the first official, and permanent British military band (and former symphony orchestra) originating in 1557, but granted official status in 1762. Consisting of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments (and from ...
, St George's Singers, St George's Festival Choir and the Wells Cathedral Junior School Choir. Starring Peter Vaughan
Peter Ewart Ohm (4 April 1923 – 6 December 2016), known professionally as Peter Vaughan, was an English actor known for many supporting roles in British film and television productions. He also acted extensively on stage.
Vaughan played Gr ...
as St George, it was broadcast from the Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272.
Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
on BBC Radio 2.
Alwyn devised and conducted a BBC concert to commemorate the 50th anniversary of D-Day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
on 6 June 1994, for which he wrote a musical description of D-Day called ''Echoes'', introduced by Raymond Baxter. The BBC Concert Orchestra concert was broadcast live from Portsmouth and was subsequently released on CD as ''D-Day: The Fiftieth Anniversary Musical Tribute'' (Start 2010).
Alwyn's other compositions include ''Concert March: The Young Grenadier'' which he dedicated to HM The Queen. It was played by the Massed Bands of the Brigade of Guards at the Trooping of the Colour
Trooping the Colour is a ceremonial event performed every year on Horse Guards Parade in London, United Kingdom, by regiments of Household Division, to celebrate the official birthday of the British sovereign, though the event is not necessari ...
in 1991 and is included on the album ''The Music of the Grenadier Guards'' (SRC 2006). The title of the work refers to a famous photograph of a young Princess Elizabeth wearing a Grenadier Cap at the time when she became Colonel of the Regiment in 1942. Alwyn also composed a setting of Queen Elizabeth I's poem ''Youth and Cupid'' for a royal gala performance at the Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...
to commemorate HM The Queen's Silver Jubilee
Silver Jubilee marks a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, the 25th year of a monarch's reign or anything that has completed or is entering a 25-year mark.
Royal Silver Jubilees since 1750
Note: This ...
in June 1977.
He wrote the music and lyrics of a number of comic songs for singer Ian Wallace's album ''Wallace's New Zoo'', released in 1965, including ''The Gorilla'', (re-released as part of ''The Best of Ian Wallace'', EMI 1994) and he has written stories and poems for children. Alwyn also composed the song ''Liverpool'' for Gerry Marsden (later of Gerry and the Pacemakers
Gerry and the Pacemakers were an English beat group prominent in the 1960s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein and recorded by George Martin. Their early successes helped make ...
), released in 1968.
Alwyn composed the theme tune for the LWT series ''Affairs of the Heart'' (1974-1975), a set of adaptations of the stories of Henry James
Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...
, and he was also commissioned to write the music for the television adaptation of Sir John Mortimer
Sir John Clifford Mortimer (21 April 1923 – 16 January 2009) was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author. He is best known for short stories about a barrister named Horace Rumpole, adapted from episodes of the TV series '' R ...
's play '' A Choice of Kings'', which commemorated the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place appr ...
.
Promotion of the works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Alwyn said[''Anniversary concert will bring back fond memories'']
31 October 2012 '' Croydon Advertiser'' that his interest in Coleridge-Taylor's work began when his first dance band, 66 Squadron (Croydon) Air Training Corps, played ''Demande et Réponse'' in 1942. He later discovered that he had been christened at the same church where Coleridge-Taylor had been married and that they had attended the same school and had lived on the same street.[ Alwyn included ''Demande et Réponse'' in the first BBC concert to be broadcast from Fairfield Halls, Croydon, in 1962,][ and other works by Coleridge-Taylor often featured in his programmes as presenter and conductor of ''Friday Night Is Music Night''. In 1975, the centenary year of Coleridge-Taylor's birth, Alwyn broadcast from Fairfield Halls the first complete performance of Coleridge-Taylor's '']The Song of Hiawatha
''The Song of Hiawatha'' is an 1855 epic poem in trochaic tetrameter by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which features Native American characters. The epic relates the fictional adventures of an Ojibwe warrior named Hiawatha and the tragedy of his lo ...
'', Op.30 since Sir Malcolm Sargent had conducted the work at the Royal Albert Hall in the 1930s.[ In 1991, Alwyn recorded the entire ''Song'' trilogy with ]Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel Jones (; born 9 November 1965), is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially primarily associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', '' Leporello'' and ''Don Giovanni,'' but he has subsequ ...
and the Welsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera (WNO) () is an opera company based in Cardiff, Wales. WNO gave its first performances in 1946. The company began as a mainly amateur body and transformed into an all-professional ensemble by 1973. In its early days, the ...
.
In recognition of his long-standing work to bring the work of Coleridge-Taylor to greater prominence, Alwyn was invited in January 2013 to unveil a blue plaque at the composer's home in Croydon as the culmination of a year of events to commemorate the centenary of Coleridge-Taylor's death.
Personal life and death
Alwyn married actress Mary Elisabeth Law in 1960. They had two daughters.[ He died at his home in ]West Chiltington
West Chiltington is a village and civil parish in the Horsham (district), Horsham district of West Sussex, England. It lies on the Storrington to Broadford Bridge road, 2.6 miles (4.2 km) north of Storrington.
The parish covers an area of 1 ...
on 10 December 2020, at the age of 95.[ His widow, Mary, died on 15 April 2024, at the age of 91.]
References
External links
Kenneth Alwyn website
* Impulse Musi
Kenneth Alwyn , Distinguished Conductor, Musical Director of the Philomusica Orchestra, Principal Conductor of the Covent Garden Royal Ballet;, Writer, Presenter and Broadcaster with BBC Concert Orchestra for Friday Night is Music Night; Recording Artist with DECCA, ASV, Marco Polo, BBC
*
*
Kennth Alwyn
on ''Gramophone
A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...
''
* Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Networ
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Network
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alwyn, Kenneth
1925 births
2020 deaths
20th-century British conductors (music)
20th-century British male musicians
20th-century British composers
20th-century English composers
21st-century British conductors (music)
21st-century British male musicians
21st-century English composers
Academics of the Royal Academy of Music
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music
British male conductors (music)
English classical composers
English conductors (music)
English male classical composers
Composers from London
People from Croydon
People from West Chiltington
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
21st-century English memoirists