Carlos Antonio Pini Order of the British Empire, OBE (15 April 1902 – 1 January 1989) was a cello, cellist, known as a soloist, orchestral section leader and chamber musician. He was principal cellist of five major British orchestras between 1932 and 1976, and a teacher at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Life and career

Pini was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of a Scottish mother and an Argentine father. The family was musical; Pini's younger brother Eugene achieved success as the leader of a tango band popular in the 1930s and 1940s."Anthony Pini – All round gifted British cellist", ''The Times'', 4 January 1989, p. 12 When Pini was ten he moved with his mother to Glasgow. He was educated there, and then joined a local orchestra, playing under Landon Ronald. He moved to London, playing in the Queen's Hall Light Orchestra. In 1926 he made the first of many broadcasts for the BBC, in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart's String Quartet No. 17 (Mozart), String Quartet, K 458."Broadcasting", ''The Times'', 27 August 926, p. 8 In 1932 Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham invited Pini to lead the cello section of his new London Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1939 Pini moved to the BBC Symphony Orchestra and in 1943 he joined the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.Forbes, Watson and Margaret Campbell
"Pini, Anthony"
Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, accessed 29 May 2013 When Beecham set up the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1947 he again invited Pini to be his principal cellist. Pini remained in the position for the rest of Beecham's life. In 1964 he took his final orchestral post, leading the cellos in the orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, retiring in 1976. Pini was a member of several chamber ensembles during his career, including the Antonio Brosa, Brosa and Philharmonia Quartet, Philharmonia string quartets. ''Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' rates the Philharmonia recordings of Franz Schubert, Schubert's String Quartet No. 14 (Schubert), ''Death and the Maiden'' and Mozart's String Quartet No. 17 (Mozart), ''Hunt'' quartets as classics, and similarly rates Pini's recordings of Edward Elgar, Elgar's Cello Concerto (Elgar), Cello Concerto (with the London Philharmonic and Eduard van Beinum) and Ludwig van Beethoven, Beethoven's Piano Trio, Op. 97 (Beethoven), ''Archduke'' Trio with Solomon (pianist), Solomon and Henry Holst. In later years Pini taught at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where, in the words of ''The Times'', "he passed on the classical virtues of his discreet but distinct style". His own instrument was a Giovanni Grancino, Grancino cello of 1696. Pini was awarded the Order of the British Empire, OBE in 1976. His son Carl became a well-known violinist, and led the Philharmonia Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra in the 1970s. Pini died at the age of 86 on New Year's Day 1989, in Barcombe, East Sussex.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pini, Anthony 1902 births 1989 deaths English classical cellists Argentine emigrants to the United Kingdom Officers of the Order of the British Empire Academics of the Royal College of Music Academics of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama People from Buenos Aires Argentine people of Scottish descent 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century English musicians People from Barcombe 20th-century cellists