Sir Neville Marriner
Rivaled only by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Neville Marriner was one of the most important of the early figures who spearheaded the reawakening of modern interest in Baroque and early Classical music. In the 1950s, he founded Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the first British early music ensemble to find a large international audience. Marriner has since become one of the most popular conductors in the world, acclaimed for his interpretations of composers from Bach to Britten.
Marriner was first taught the violin as a child, by his father, and attended the Royal College of Music, beginning at age thirteen. Wounded during World War II, he met future collaborator Thurston Dart during his hospitalization. In 1948 he became professor at the Royal Academy of Music. As well as joining the Martin String Quartet as second violin, he formed a violin-and-harpsichord duet with Dart, and their performances led to the formation of the Jacobean Ensemble, an early music group that recorded the Purcell trio sonatas in 1950. Around this time, he began studying conducting with Pierre Monteux at Monteux's school in Maine. Marriner's reputation in general music circles also grew; in 1956 he was appointed principal second violin with the London Symphony Orchestra.
A turning point came in 1959, when Marriner was asked to supply music for the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, in London's Trafalgar Square. Marriner formed a chamber orchestra which he named the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. The group's work attracted the attention of the Decca imprint L'Oiseau Lyre, which recorded its performance of Couperin's Les Nations. Favorable reviews and unexpectedly robust sales of this recording led to more recordings for L'Oiseau Lyre and its sister label Argo, and by the end of the 1970s the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields had become the best-selling chamber orchestra in recorded music's history. The group expanded from 13 players to twenty or more, and performed Classical symphonic works and 20th century British music as well as Baroque material. The sound of Marriner's Academy recordings is crisp, with an extremely bright sound, using period performance standards with modern instruments. Marriner's name remains closely associated with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and the group now has more than 300 recordings to its credit. These include the soundtrack for the 1984 film Amadeus, for which Marriner selected, arranged, and directed works of Salieri and Pergolesi, in addition to Mozart.
In 1969 Marriner he organized the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and he later took this orchestra on a tour of Europe. Additionally, he served as a guest conductor with leading U.S. orchestras, and in England held an appointment as conductor of the Northern Sinfonia, based in Newcastle. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he spent most of his time in the U.S., primarily as music director and conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra. After being knighted in 1985, Marriner went back to Europe, conducting of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1986-1989. He continued to conduct around the world, including at the Opéra de Lyon, and to record. In 2014, at the age of 90, he became the oldest conductor to lead a Proms concert to date.
His conducting was known for its vitality and brightness, as well as precise ensemble technique, a reflection of his violinist days. In a 1991 interview he said of his style: "I was never a potentate swinging a scepter, but was always in a dialogue with my musicians."
© TiVo
Similar artists
-
Respighi: Ancient Airs & Dances; The Birds; La boutique fantasque
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 31 Dec 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of the Academy
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 3 Nov 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach, J.S.: The Art of Fugue; A Musical Offering
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Magnificat, BWV 243 - Vivaldi: Gloria, RV 589
Sir Neville Marriner, Hermann Max
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Warner Classics on 25 Nov 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Complete Symphonies
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Josef Krips
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvorák / Grieg / Tchaikovsky: String Serenades
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart Double Piano Concertos
Lucas Jussen, Arthur Jussen, Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classical - Released by Universal Music, a division of Universal International Music BV on 9 Oct 2015
Gramophone Editor's Choice16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Academy in Concert
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 5 Sep 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik etc.
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 3 Mar 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pachelbel: Canon - Albinoni: Adagio - Bach: Air on G String - Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik - Fauré: Pavane - Handel: Hallelujah from the Messiah & Other Classical Hits
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 3 Nov 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rossini: Complete Overtures
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1980
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Peer Gynt
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 30 Apr 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Barber: Adagio For Strings / Copland: Quiet City / Ives: Symphony No.3, etc.
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Violin & Wind Concertos
Henryk Szeryng, Aurèle Nicolet, Heinz Holliger, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: The Great Piano Concertos, Vol.1
Alfred Brendel, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Orchestral Music - Boyce, W. / Purcell, H. / Mozart, L. / Beethoven, L. Van / Hummel, J.N. / Adam, A.
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Reinhold Friedrich, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Lajos Lences, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by CapriccioNR on 1 Jan 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gounod: The 2 Symphonies; Faust Ballet Music
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Antonín Dvořák: Serenades from Bohemia
Czech Nonet, Ivan Klansky, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Chamber Music - Released by Praga Digitals on 1 Feb 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas With The Academy
Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Philips on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rodrigo: Concerto Madrigal/Concierto Andaluz
Pepe Romero, Angel Romero, Los Romeros, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1982
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Concerti Grossi Op.3 & Op.6
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1968
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo