The 60's and 70's Era - A Fact File of the L.S.S.O.
As we all know, the Leicestershire County School of Music was founded in 1948.
This booklet, however, concentrates entirely on the 1960's and 1970's up to and including 1976, the year of Eric Pinkett's retirement. The L.S.S.O. really started to make a name for itself in the early 1960's with its performances under Boult, Weldon, Arnold and Schwarz but Eric's most inspired decision, without any shadow of doubt, was when
he asked Sir Michael Tippett to become the orchestra's patron in 1964. The late 1960's and early 1970's were exciting times in the history of the orchestra: highly prestigious overseas tours, appearances at major music festivals, regular broadcasts on radio and television and a series of commercial gramophone recordings for Pye (1967), Argo (1970), Unicorn (1972) and CBS (1974). Over the years the orchestra's repertoire also included a number of specially commissioned works by composers such as Tippett, Kelly, Mathias, Milner, Dillon, Baumann, Chappell and Ridout.
The information contained in this booklet has been sourced from the archives
of the Leicester Mercury and the County School of Music along with the diaries
and scrapbooks of many former members of the L.S.S.O. Thanks are due to all
the players who have made contributions. Hopefully, this souvenir of the Year 2000 Reunion is a comprehensive and reasonably accurate record of - to quote from a letter I recently received from Jack Richards -
"an era unrivalled in musical education".
John Whitmore, 1999
YEARS : 1960 to 1964
Leaders : Brecon Carter, John Stein, Ray Richardson,
Marion Turner, Rolf Wilson
Tours : Norway - 1960, Sweden - 1961, Holland - 1962,
Denmark - 1963, Northern Ireland - 1964
Radio & T.V. : BBC Northern Ireland radio broadcast and T.V. interviews
Concerts : De Montfort Hall with George Weldon ( October 1960 )
Longslade School with Douglas Cameron ( March 1961 )
Burton Town Hall with Stanford Robinson ( April 1961 )
De Montfort Hall with Sir Adrian Boult ( January 1962 )
De Montfort Hall with Sir Malcolm Arnold ( January 1963 )
De Montfort Hall with Rudolf Schwarz ( May 1964 )
Soloists : Evelyn Rothwell ( oboe ) Marion Turner and Rolf Wilson ( violin )
Jean Hammond ( soprano ) Helen Attfield ( contralto )
Denis Matthews and Martin Richardson ( piano )
Nigel Pinkett ( cello ) Christine Whitfield ( flute )
YEAR : 1965 Leader : Susan Whetstone
Easter Course : Corsham with Sir Michael Tippett
Overseas Tour : Germany ( Berlin, Viersen, Monchengladbach )
Television : Tempo with Sir Michael Tippett : Rehearsals at Corsham
for the 1965 Festival
Concerts : De Montfort Hall with Tippett; Civic Centre, Dunstable;
Stadtfunk Radio, Berlin; Jesus Christus Kirche, Berlin;
Festhalle, Viersen; Rugby School;
Ernst Reuter Saal, Reinickendorf.
Conductors : Sir Michael Tippett and Herbert Baumann
Soloists : Rolf Wilson ( violin ) Margaret Whiteley ( timpani )
YEAR : 1966 Leader : Susan Whetstone
Easter Course : Keswick
Overseas Tour : Belgium ( Brussels, Bruges ) in January
Germany ( Dusseldorf, Krefeld, Aachen ) in July
Television: Flemish T. V.
Concerts : De Montfort Hall with Tippett; Carlisle Cathedral;
Rheinhallen, Dusseldorf with Del Mar;
Neues Kurhaus, Aachen; Theatre Royal de Mons;
Robert Schumann Saal, Dusseldorf with Del Mar and Kelly;
Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels with Tippett.
Conductors : Sir Michael Tippett, Norman Del Mar and Bryan Kelly
Soloists : Anthony Mott and Frank Wibaut ( piano ) Helen Attfield ( contralto ) David Pugsley ( clarinet ) Christine Whitfield ( flute ) Susan Whetstone, David Matthews, Russell Gilbert and Kathryn Evatt ( violin )
YEAR : 1967 Leader : Susan Whetstone
Easter Course : Castletown, Isle of Man with Bryan Kelly
Overseas Tour : Denmark ( Copenhagen, Odense ) and Germany ( Gelsenkirchen )
Radio : Danish Radio, Copenhagen
Television : Come Here Often with Cliff Morgan : The Pye recording session
Records : Tippett / Ridout / Mathias / Arnold for Pye
Concerts : De Montfort Hall with Kelly, Mathias and Ridout; Leicester University;
De Montfort Hall with Del Mar and Tippett; Civic Centre, Corby;
Fairfield Hall, Croydon with Del Mar and Tippett;
Villa Marina, Douglas, Isle of Man; Town Hall, Odense;
Roskilde Cathedral, Denmark; Hans Sachs Haus, Gelsenkirchen.
Conductors : Norman Del Mar, Sir Michael Tippett, Alan Ridout, William Mathias, Anthony Milner, Bryan Kelly and Oivin Fjelstad ( rehearsal only )
Soloists : Norma Fisher, Nichola Gebolys and Malcolm Williamson ( piano )
Russell Gilbert and Susan Whetstone ( violin )
Phillipa Elloway ( oboe ) David Pugsley ( clarinet )
YEAR : 1968 Leader : David Matthews
Easter Course : Chippenham with Sir Michael Tippett, Trevor Williams and Ambrose Gauntlett
Overseas Tour : Austria ( Linz, Salzburg, Vienna, Eisenstadt ) and Germany ( Munich)
Radio : Bavarian Radio, Munich; Austrian Radio, Vienna
Television : Music International with Sir Michael Tippett : Candide,
Enigma Variations and Suite in D at Longslade
Sounds Exciting with Robin Ray : Dead in Tune
How it is : Candide at Lime Grove Studios
Film : Music! with Sir Michael Tippett : Ritual Dances at Chippenham
Concerts : Civic Centre, Corby; Rugby School; De Montfort Hall with Pinkett;
Leicester Cathedral; The Guildhall, London with Tippett;
Fairfield Hall, Croydon with Del Mar; Haydnsaal, Eisenstadt with Del Mar;
Mozarteum, Salzburg with Del Mar; Musikvereinsaal, Vienna with Del Mar.
Conductors : Norman Del Mar, Sir Michael Tippett and Herbert Chappell
Soloists : Nichola Gebolys ( piano ) David Matthews ( violin ) Phillipa Elloway ( oboe )
YEAR : 1969 Leader : Andrea Sharpe
Easter Course : Cirencester with Sir Michael Tippett, Norman Del Mar,
Bryan Kelly, Gareth Morris and Marion Turner
Overseas Tour : Germany ( Berlin, Gelsenkirchen, Hanover, Cologne )
Radio : BBC : Glinka, Butterworth and Hamilton from De Montfort
BBC : Tippett Suite in D from Pye record; RIAS Berlin
Television : Music Now : Putnam's Camp and Interlude II from Cirencester
Concerts : De Montfort Hall with Pinkett; Loughborough Festival with Del Mar;
Bath Festival with Tippett; Hans Sachs Haus, Gelsenkirchen with Tippett;
Royal Festival Hall, London ; Theater am Aegi, Hanover with Tippett;
Philharmonie, Berlin with Tippett.
Conductors : Sir Michael Tippett, Norman Del Mar,
Roy Slack and Bernard Keefe ( rehearsal only )
Soloists : Richard Rodney Bennett and Richard Fairhead ( piano )
Helen Attfield ( contralto ) James Watson ( trumpet )
Anne Smith ( cor anglais ) Marion Turner ( violin ) Nicola Swann ( oboe )
YEAR : 1970 Leader : Robert Heard
Easter Course : Oxford with Sir Michael Tippett, Sir Arthur Bliss, Bryan Kelly,
Frank Wibaut, William Glock, Fred Woods and Herbert Chappell
Overseas Tour : Germany ( Munster, Herford, Ludinghausen )
Radio : BBC : Bliss, Ives, Tippett and Gershwin from Cheltenham
BBC : Arnold Divertimento from Pye record
Television : Midlands Today : Sir Arthur Bliss at Oxford
Records: Dead in Tune for Argo; Bliss / Tippett / Previn for Argo
Concerts : De Montfort Hall with Pinkett; Peterborough Festival;
Cheltenham Festival with Bliss and Tippett; Long Eaton Festival;
Loughborough University with Bliss; Stadt Theater, Munster.
Conductors : Sir Michael Tippett, Sir Arthur Bliss, Bryan Kelly,
Herbert Chappell and Andre Previn
Soloists : Andrea Sharpe, Eleanor Cooke and Robert Heard ( violin )
Vanessa Hood ( oboe ) Kathryn Marcer ( soprano )
Frank Wibaut, Richard Fairhead and Stephen Whittaker ( piano )
Karl - Jurgen Kemmelmeyer and Nigel Allcoat ( organ )
YEAR : 1971 Leader : Robert Heard
Easter Course : Douglas, Isle of Man with Sir Arthur Bliss, Stanford Robinson,
Alexander Goehr and Russell Gilbert
Overseas Tour : Switzerland ( Lugano, Neuchatel, Tramelan, Geneva )
Radio : BBC : Bliss Introduction and Allegro on 'Record Review'
BBC : Der Jasager from Longslade; Swiss Radio
Television: Italian TV with Sir Michal Tippett : Interlude II and Epilogue
Concerts : De Montfort Hall with Del Mar and Pinkett; De Montfort Hall with Pinkett;
Harrogate Festival with Del Mar and Tippett; Schools Pageant : For'ard; Isle of Man Festival with Goehr and Robinson;
Grand Theater, Geneva; Grande Salle, Saint - Maurice.
Conductors : Sir Michael Tippett, Norman Del Mar, Alexander Goehr
and Stanford Robinson
Soloists : Russell Gilbert ( violin ) Timothy Mason ( cello )
Moura Lympany and Stephen Whittaker ( piano )
Robert Heard, Sybil Olive, Graham Pyatt and Eleanor Cooke ( violin ) Sybil Michelow ( soprano ) Benjamin Luxon ( baritone )
YEAR : 1972 Leader : Robert Heard
Easter Course : London with Eli Goran, Gareth Morris, Sir Michael Tippett,
Laszlo Heltay, Russell Burgess and Marios Papadopoulos
Overseas Tour : France ( Le Havre, Evreux, Rouen, Dieppe )
Television : Aquarius with Humphrey Burton : The Unicorn recording session
Records : Havergal Brian Symphonies for Unicorn
Concerts : Bath Festival with Heltay and Tippett; Loughborough University;
De Montfort Hall with Heltay and Pinkett; Wavedon Festival;
Nottingham Festival with Pinkett and Burgess;
Gymnase de Coubertin, Le Havre; Municipal Theatre, Evreux.
Conductors : Laszlo Heltay, Sir Michael Tippett, James Loughran,
Peter White and Russell Burgess
Soloists : Marios Papadopoulos ( piano ) Eleanor Cooke ( violin )
Sue Phipps ( flute ) Ann Bennett ( clarinet )
Kathryn Marcer ( soprano ) Anne Mason ( contralto )
Alan Woodhouse ( bass ) David Rendall ( tenor )
Michael Rippon ( baritone ) Heather Williams ( oboe )
YEAR : 1973 Leader : Graham Pyatt
Easter Course : Douglas, Isle of Man with Havelock Nelson
Overseas Tour : France ( Autun, Paris )
Radio : BBC : Brian Symphony No. 10 from Unicorn record
Television : Omnibus ' The Other L.S.O.' with Andre Previn
Concerts : Royal Festival Hall with Heltay; De Montfort Hall with Heltay;
All Saints Church, Hove with Heltay; Spa Grand Hall, Scarborough;
Loughborough College with Segal; Villa Marina, Douglas, Isle of Man;
Europa Cantat 5, Autun Cathedral.
Conductors : Andre Previn, Laszlo Heltay, Havelock Nelson,
Willi Gohl and Uri Segal
Soloists : Kyung Wha Chung, Patrice Fontanarosa, Eleanor Cooke,
Simon Scott and Yan Pascal Tortelier ( violin ) Stuart Holland ( tenor )
John Ogdon, Moura Lympany, Clive Woods,
Marlene Fleet and Philip Fowke ( piano )
YEAR : 1974 Leader : Graham Pyatt
Easter Course : Brighton
Overseas Tour : France ( Vaison la Romain, Marseilles, Perpignan )
Records : Havergal Brian Symphony 22, Psalm 23 and Suite No. 5 for CBS
Concerts : Bath Festival with Vogel; Dance Mosaic, Haymarket Theatre;
De Montfort Hall with Pinkett; De Montfort Hall with Handford;
Loughborough University; Hereford Cathedral;
Heart of Mary Church, Hillingdon;
Cour Musee, Blandin.
Conductors : Maurice Handford, Laszlo Heltay and Dan Vogel
Soloists : Peter Frankl, Philip Fowke and Moura Lympany ( piano )
Alfredo Campoli, Graham Pyatt,
Deborah Lanch and Philip Hirschorn ( violin )
Nicholas Thompson ( cornet )
YEAR : 1975 Leader : Linda Horn
Easter Course : Quorn
Overseas Tour : France ( Autun, Paris )
Television : Girl in a Broken Mirror with Sir Arthur Bliss
The Big Time with Esther Rantzen
Concerts : Dance Mosaic, Haymarket Theatre;
De Montfort Hall with Pinkett;
Loughborough Town Hall with Heltay;
Loughborough University with Myung Whun Chung;
St. Pancras Assembly Rooms with Handford;
Autun Cathedral; Chateaux de Sceaux, Paris.
Conductors : Pierre Cao, Laszlo Heltay, Myung Whun Chung, Kenneth Platts,
Bryan Kelly, Maurice Handford and Willi Gohl
Soloists : Myung Whun Chung, Radu Lupu and Jane Lambert ( piano )
Evelyn Barbirolli ( oboe ) Timothy Mason ( cello )
Martin Milner, Josephine Vos and Eleanor Cooke ( violin )
YEAR : 1976 Leader : Anne Lanch
Easter Course : Germany ( Saarbrucken )
Overseas Tour : France ( Bazas, Libourne, Bordeaux )
Television : Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Radio : BBC : Europa Cantat 6 from De Montfort
Concerts : De Montfort Hall with Pinkett and Tippett;
De Montfort Hall with Pinkett; De Montfort Hall with Del Mar;
Dance Mosaic, Haymarket Theatre;
De Montfort Hall with Louis Devos, Dan Olof Stenlund,
Stephane Caillet and Phillipe Caillard;
De Montfort Hall with Avner Itai, Douglas Young and Willi Gohl;
Kings Lynn Festival; State Theatre, Saarbrucken;
Bazas Cathedral; St. Ferdinand Church, Libourne.
Conductors : Sir Michael Tippett, Norman Del Mar, Louis Devos, Dan Olof Stenlund,
Stephane Caillet, Phillipe Caillard, Avner Itai, Douglas Young and Willi Gohl
Soloists : Philip Fowke and Martin Pacey ( piano ) Peter White ( organ )
Richard Baker ( narrator ) Rolf Wilson and Robert Heard ( violin )
Nigel Pinkett ( cello ) Joan Clamp ( oboe ) John Price ( bassoon )
James Watson ( trumpet ) David Pugsley ( recorder )
Elizabeth Cox ( soprano ) David Jarmy ( tenor ) Michael Hardy ( baritone )