2016 classical necrology

[Ted Quanrud]

It's that time of year again when we look on the past 12 months and recall those who have died and have contributed to our enthusiasm for classical music. This is a much-pruned list from Wikipedia. Please feel free to add to it.


January 1: Gilbert Kaplan, American businessman and amateur conductor of the music of Gustav Mahler, 71
January 5 – Pierre Boulez, French composer and conductor, 90
January 25 - Denise Duval, French soprano, 94
January 29 – Aurèle Nicolet, Swiss flautist, 90
February 3 – Saulius Sondeckis, Lithuanian violinist & conductor, 87
February 4 - Ulf Söderblom, Finnish conductor, 85
February 14 – Steven Stucky, American composer, 66
February 15 - Louis Lane, American conductor, 92
March 5 – Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Austrian conductor & cellist, 86
March 8 – Sir George Martin, British recording producer, 90
March 14 – Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, British composer, 81
March 24 – Sir Peter Moores, British classical music philanthropist, 83
April 4 – Royston Nash, British conductor, 82
April 5 – Elsie Morison, Australian soprano, 91
April 6 – Jeremy Siepmann, American-born British pianist, teacher, writer and broadcaster, 74
April 12 – Alan Loveday, New Zealand-born British violinist, 88
April 18 – Brian Asawa, American opera singer, 49
April 24 – George Pieterson, Dutch orchestral clarinetist, 74
May 17 – Huguette Dreyfus, French harpsichordist, 87
Robert O'Hearn, American theatre and opera production designer, 94
June 4 – Phyllis Curtin, 94, American soprano.
June 11 – Alberto Remedios, British tenor, 81
June 18 – Peter Feuchtwanger, German-born pianist and piano pedagogue resident in the UK, 76
June 24 - Edoardo Müller, Italian conductor, 78
July 12 – Gregg Smith, American choral conductor and composer, 84
July 20 – André Isoir, French organist, 81
July 26 - Paul Robertson, British violinist, leader of the Medici String Quartet, 63
July 27 - Einojuhani Rautavaara, Finnish composer, 87
July 28 – Seth Carlin, American pianist and university professor, 71
August 4 – Patrice Munsel, American soprano, 91
August 14 – Neil Black, English oboist, 84
August 20 – Daniela Dessì, Italian soprano, 59
September 8 – Johan Botha, South African tenor, 51
October 2 - Sir Neville Marriner, British conductor and violinist, 92
October 7 – Anne Pashley, British opera singer & Olympic athlete, 81
October 8 – Peter Allen, Canadian-born American radio announcer and past host of the Metropolitan Opera radio transmissions, 96
November 6 – Zoltán Kocsis, Hungarian pianist, conductor and composer, 64
November 15 – Jules Eskin, American orchestral cellist, 85
November 26 – Russell Oberlin, American countertenor, 88
November 28 – Mark Taimanov, Russian pianist and chess grandmaster, 90
December 14 - Karel Husa, Czech-born American composer, 95
December 23 - Heinrich Schiff, Austrian cellist, 65

[Heck148]

<<April 4 – Royston Nash, British conductor, 82>>

I was saddened by the death of Royston Nash....I played for him for years, and he was a good friend and a fine conductor...
Royston had real charisma - he was very English, and had in aura of English nobility about him, but he was not at all snobby or aloof, tho a rather private man.
as a conductor - he always looked after his musicians, treated them with great respect, and protected their interests. it was great to have a champion as music director. of course, he spent many years in the orchestra pits in England, as a trumpeter, so he was well familiar with all of the usual musician gripes and complaints.
He also, quite remarkably, showed no superiority, or condescension towards his musicians, or his audience. He mixed quite readily with everyone, and had that remarkable, and endearing quality of remembering the smallest detail about people's situations or experiences...he made people feel that they mattered...
As a conductor, I loved playing for him - he always went for the big sound, the big picture. he sometimes let dynamics slide a bit too far in the forte direction...but he liked alot of sound...
his interpretations of English repertoire were most excellent - Elgar, Vaughan Williams - he just knew how it was supposed to go...
a fine, and very popular gentleman, and an excellent musician....he is missed by many.

[Lance]

I wonder if Royston Nash was any relation to Heddle Nash (Jr. & Sr.)/

[John F]

I think not - neither is mentioned in the other's biography and Nash is not an uncommon name.

[jserraglio]

Please feel free to add to it.

2017:
Georgette "Géori" Boué (16 October 1918–5 January 2017) (98) - French soprano

The great French soprano Geori Boué died at the age of 98. She began her career in Toulouse in 1936 and portrayed Mireille, Marguerite de Faust and a remarkable Louise, roles which were recorded. She recorded many 78s, most of them reissued, including a complete Faust and Tales of Hoffmann with Beecham and a number of 33 rpm sets including a complete Thais with her husband, the great baritone Roger Bourdin. She participated in numerous radio and television programs, some of which are available on the INA website. She finished her career in 1974 as the human voice in Besançon. She also sang at La Scala in Milan, the Bolshoi, and the Monnaie de Bruxelles....[machine translation from a notice in French on another board]

[John F]

Now there's a name out of the past! Outside of France, I suppose only record collectors of a certain age have heard of her. She died the day after Georges Prêtre - not a good year for French musicians. Thanks for posting the news.

[jserraglio]

2017:
Anton Nanut (13 September 1932–13 January 2017) (84) - Slovenian conductor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Nanut