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Music

Conductor Neville Marriner dies at 92

Timothy Jones
October 2, 2016

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields has announced that its founder, Neville Marriner, died in the night of October 2. His many recordings with the orchestra became a touchstone for musical quality.

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Sir Neville Marriner
Image: icartists.co.uk

In a statement on its website on Sunday, The Academy of St Martin in the Fields said it was "deeply saddened to announce the death" of the conductor, who died on the night of October 2 aged 92.

In addition to founding the Academy, the British-born conductor was the first music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He also directed the Minnesota Orchestra in the United States. He was the principal conductor of the Stuttgart Radio Orchestra in Germany and conducted other orchestras around the world in a guest capacity.

He leaves behind a large recorded legacy encompassing works from the Baroque era up to the 20th century, as well as opera. Among his most noted recordings are that of the Cello Symphony by Benjamin Britten and the Cello Concerto by Sir William Walton, with cellist Julian Lloyd Webber as soloist.

He received a number of honors for his work, including a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1979.

Marriner began his career as a violinist, and studied both at the Royal College of Music in London and the Paris Conservatoire. The Academy of St Martin in the Fields began as informal rehearsals with friends, with the ensemble giving its first performance in the London church that gave it its name in 1959.

He directed the orchestra from its foundation up to 2011, when US violinist Joshua Bell took over the position.