Kenneth Alwyn

Kenneth Alwyn (born Kenneth Alwyn Wetherell) (28 July 1925 – 10 December 2020) was a British conductor, composer, and writer. Described by BBC Radio 3 as "one of the great British musical directors", Alwyn was known for his many recordings, including with the London Symphony Orchestra on Decca's first stereophonic recording of Tchaikovsky's ''1812 Overture''. He was also known for his long association with BBC Radio 2's orchestral live music programme '' Friday Night is Music Night'', appearing for thirty years as a conductor and presenter, and for his contribution to British musical theatre as a prolific musical director in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music and married the actress Mary Law in 1960. His website and the first volume of his memoirs ''A Baton in the Ballet and Other Places'' were both published in 2015. The second volume ''Is Anyone Watching?'' was published in 2017. A Book of Remembrance was opened on his website in December 2020.

Early life, wartime service and education

Alwyn was born in Croydon, England, and attended the John Ruskin Boys' Central School (now known as John Ruskin College). After wartime service with the Royal Air Force, Alwyn joined the Royal Academy of Music (1947–1951), where he studied singing, viola and organ (with C. H. Trevor) and won the Manns Memorial Prize for conducting in 1952.''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' edited by Stanley Sadie (first edition, 1980) and ''The Oxford Dictionary of Music'' (Oxford University Press, 6th edition, 2012) He was the Sub-Professor of Organ and opera coach and founded the RAM Madrigal Choir.

After a period as a Colonial Officer working with Radio Malaya in Singapore and a post as conductor with the Royal Wellington Choral Union in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1952, Alwyn returned to England.

The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden

In 1952 Alwyn joined the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet (now known as the Birmingham Royal Ballet) as a conductor. In 1957, he moved to the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where he shared the rostrum with Malcolm Sargent, Ernest Ansermet, Arthur Bliss, William Walton, Hans Werner Henze and Benjamin Britten, from whom he took over Britten's original production of ''The Prince of the Pagodas''. It received its premiere on 1 January 1957. Alwyn also served as musical director of the Western Theatre Ballet (now known as the Scottish Ballet) from 1967 to 1969.

Conducting tours

Alwyn toured extensively in Europe, North America, South Africa and the Far East. As principal conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in the 1960s, Alwyn conducted the first performance in Japan of Gustav Holst's ''The Planets'', and introduced other British works to Japanese audiences.

BBC radio and television career

In 1958, the BBC invited Alwyn to conduct the BBC Concert Orchestra, marking the beginning of a long association between Alwyn and the BBC as a conductor and presenter of programmes including ''Friday Night is Music Night''. Alwyn worked with all of the BBC's orchestras, serving as Associate conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra and, from 1969, as Principal conductor of the BBC Northern Ireland Orchestra (now known as the Ulster Orchestra). He also served on the BBC Music Advisory Committee.

Alwyn presented the BBC TV series ''The Orchestra'', conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The series culminated in a performance of Benjamin Britten's ''Let's Make an Opera'' and was part of a pioneering educational movement, led by John Hosier, to teach music in schools through the medium of television. Alwyn also presented a BBC '' Omnibus'' documentary on the music of Tchaikovsky, directed by Sir John Drummond.

Alwyn's friendship with the comedian Dudley Moore led to a collaboration for Moore's final UK concert tour in March 1992. Alwyn conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra for a series of performances with Moore at the piano. These included a series of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, London, broadcast live on BBC Radio 4 and later released on CD under the title ''Live from an Aircraft Hangar'' (Martine Avenue Productions, Inc. 2001). Music from Moore's 1992 tour with Alwyn also featured in a BBC Radio 2 programme celebrating 60 years of the BBC Concert Orchestra, broadcast on 2 March 2012. Alwyn's friendship and stage performances with another popular British comic, Bob Monkhouse, are chronicled in Monkhouse's autobiography ''Crying with Laughter: My Life Story''.

Musical theatre

To mark the year of his 80th birthday, Alwyn was interviewed by Edward Seckerson for BBC Radio 3's programme ''Stage and Screen'', broadcast on 21 November 2005. The programme notes record that "Alwyn's career has encompassed many of the highlights of post-war British musical theatre". Working frequently with Gordon Langford

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