Gervase de Peyer
Gervase de Peyer had no trouble launching himself into cyberspace when the Internet era began, despite the fact that by then he had already been performing almost half a century. No slouch at self-promotion, he set up a lavish website where it is claimed that he is "the world's most recorded clarinetist." He certainly has created a vast discography, as diverse as it is extensive, and receiving praise way beyond his own cyber-hype. It is hard to conceive of a classical music collection that lacks his recordings and a case could be made that his work with the Melos Ensemble for EMI between 1960 and 1973 could constitute a reasonable start to a classical collection in itself.
He was born into a musical family of Swiss descent. The only real break in his dedication to the clarinet came during 1944 and 1945, when he performed British national service. In the late 1940s he began to work professionally with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Thomas Beecham and the Philharmonia Orchestra under such conductors as Herbert von Karajan, Guido Cantelli, and Otto Klemperer. He was engaged as principal clarinetist with the English Chamber Orchestra, the London Chamber Orchestra and the London Mozart Players, his repertoire including Finzi, Busoni, Nielsen, Seiber, Weber, and Mozart. In 1949 he was supported by The Arts Council of Great Britain on national solo tours, improving the climate for establishing the Melos Ensemble. This group comprised some dozen players including pianist Viola Tunnard, and was dedicated to performing the often neglected repertoire for extended chamber groups. Melos became closely involved with the contemporary composers of the day, especially Benjamin Britten, but this was just one aspect of the group's extensive activity.
In 1956, the music director of the London Symphony Orchestra selected Gervase de Peyer as his principal clarinetist, an appointment that lasted for 17 years and helped de Peyer acquire a formidable reputation throughout Britain and Europe. In 1964 de Peyer gave the London premiere of Francis Poulenc's Clarinet Sonata. Both Paul Hindemith and Aaron Copland, conducting their own clarinet concertos, chose him as soloist for their tours. De Peyer also toured extensively, performing many other standard concertos, and, with the Philharmonia Orchestra under the direction of Pierre Boulez, recorded Debussy's Rhapsody for saxophone and orchestra. This project was released on Columbia Records. He was a founding member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York City. He toured the United States and appeared several times on the Live from Lincoln Center national television series with this group.
De Peyer has premiered many compositions as a soloist, usually working in close collaboration with the composers. This includes concertos by Arnold Cooke, Berthold Goldschmidt, Joseph Horovitz, Alun Hoddinott, William Mathias, Edwin Roxburgh, and Thea Musgrave's so-called Peripatetic Concerto, in which the soloist is required to move around among various sections of the orchestra during performances. In 1992 he founded the Melos Sinfonia of Washington which follows in the tradition of the Melos Ensemble.
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Beethoven: Clarinet Trio, Op. 11 "Gassenhauer" - Brahms: Clarinet Trio, Op. 114
Jacqueline du Pré, Gervase de Peyer, Daniel Barenboim
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 3 Jun 2022
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Clarinet Quintet K.581 / Brahms: Clarinet Quintet In B Minor, Op. 115
Gervase de Peyer, Karl Leister, Amadeus Quartet
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas, Op. 120
Gervase de Peyer, Daniel Barenboim
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 3 Sep 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: Clarinet Concerto No. 2 - Spohr: Clarinet Concerto No. 1 (Stereo Version)
Gervase de Peyer, Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: Clarinet Concerto No. 2 In E Flat, Op. 74 - Spohr: Clarinet Concerto No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 26
Gervase de Peyer, London Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Past Classics on 4 Dec 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites, Nos. 1 & 2 - Spohr: Clarinet Concerto No. 1 - Weber: Clarinet Concerto No. 2
London Symphony Orchestra, Gervase de Peyer, Øivin Fjelstad, Sir Colin Davis
Classical - Released by Jube Classic on 4 Nov 2016
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas . Beethoven: Clarinet Trio
Jacqueline du Pré, Gervase de Peyer, Daniel Barenboim
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 2 Jun 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bartók: Contrasts - Milhuad: Suite, Op. 157b - Khachaturian: Clarinet Trio - Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op. 34
Gervase de Peyer, Emanuel Hurwitz, Lamar Crowson, Melos Ensemble
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 17 Sep 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, Op. 11 "Gassenhauer"
Jacqueline du Pré, Gervase de Peyer, Daniel Barenboim
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Œuvres pour clarinette et piano
Gervase de Peyer, Gwenneth Pryor
Chamber Music - Released by Chandos on 1 Feb 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart, Weber, Spohr : Clarinet Concertos
Gervase de Peyer, London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
French Music For Clarinet & Piano
Gervase de Peyer, Gwenneth Pryor
Chamber Music - Released by Chandos on 1 May 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ireland: Sextet, Trios, Sonatas for Clarinet, Violin and Cello)
Yfrah Neaman, Melos Ensemble, André Navarra, Gervase de Peyer, Julian Lloyd Webber, Eric Parkin
Chamber Music - Released by Lyrita on 1 Jun 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Clarinet Concerto; Bassoon Concerto
Gervase de Peyer, Henri Helaerts, London Symphony Orchestra, Anthony Collins
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1954
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spohr: Octet; Clarinet Concerto No. 1; Nonet
Gervase de Peyer, London Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Octet, Fine Arts Quartet, New York Wind Quintet, Sir Colin Davis
Classical - Released by Musical Concepts on 21 Jul 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Musique de Chambre
Lydia Mordkovitch, Gervase de Peyer, Karine Georgian, Ian Brown, Gwenneth Pryor
Chamber Music - Released by Chandos on 1 Jul 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart; Concert in A Major for Clarinet and Orchestra, K. 622
Gervase de Peyer, London Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by PROFOUND on 12 Mar 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sonates pour clarinette & piano
Gervase de Peyer, Gwenneth Pryor
Chamber Music - Released by Chandos on 1 Nov 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Clarinet Quintet; Adagio & Rondo KV 617; Kegelstatt Trio
Amadeus Quartet, Ensemble Wien-Berlin, James Levine, Gervase de Peyer
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert, Weber & Schumann: Works for Piano and Clarinet
Gervase de Peyer, Gwenneth Pryor
Chamber Music - Released by Chandos on 1 Feb 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2
Gervase de Peyer, Gwenneth Pryor
Classical - Released by Chandos on 1 Nov 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo