麻豆社

鈥淢y job as a conductor is to be really useful, to set up something so that they feel free to play as well as they can.鈥�

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Sir Colin Davis, who died this week aged 85, has been an intrinsic part of British musical life since he first picked up a baton as a 鈥渞aw young man鈥� in the 1940s. He was praised for his performances of Mozart, Stravinsky and Sibelius, he fiercely championed Berlioz and the music of his close friend Michael Tippett, and was renowned for his tireless work ethic. From the 麻豆社 archives we hear Sir Colin talk about the many orchestras he conducted, his impressions of the LSO when they first met, and how he won over the Royal Opera House. He talks about setting out to change his life aged 35 and why he rejected the notion of the maestro.

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Suzy Klein also talks to Head of Music at the Royal Opera House, David Syrus, principal clarinettist of the London Symphony Orchestra Andrew Marriner, and tenor Ian Bostridge about their experiences of working with Sir Colin.

Acclaimed Iranian-American Mahan Esfahani was the first harpsichordist to be named a 麻豆社 New Generation Artist and in 2011 gave the first solo harpsichord recital in the 116-year history of the 麻豆社 Proms. He鈥檚 currently preparing for a London recital in which he鈥檒l play Ligeti, Bach and Byrd on two different harpsichords including a 1970s instrument made by the firm of Robert Goble & Son which was designed specifically for modern music.

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At the Goble factory in Oxford Mahan talks to Suzy Klein about how the harpsichord has developed in recent decades along with people鈥檚 perception of it, and considers what may lie ahead for the future of the instrument.

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