Oliver Davies

[brendangcarroll]

I write to announce the passing of Oliver Davies, the distinguished pianist and musicologist who knew more about 'unsung composers' than anyone I have ever known. He died after a short battle with pancreatic cancer in the early hours of Thursday morning.

For those who did not know him, I give a short resume of his remakable career below:-

Oliver Davies studied at the Royal College of Music where he won the Tagore Gold Medal as outstanding student of his year and afterwards with Ilona Kabos and Esther Fisher.

A brilliant pianist, from 1971 he was piano professor at the RCM, where he also founded the Department of Portraits and Performance History. His performing career has covered a wide range of styles, from recitals and recordings on early keyboards to modern British premières. He made many broadcasts over the past 60 years, including at the Wigmore and Queen Elisabeth Halls, the Wallace Collection and the Austrian Cultural Forum.

In the field  of chamber music, he appeared with many distinguished artists including the flautists Sir James Galway and Michael Cox, and the clarinettists Colin Bradbury and Dame Thea King. He was also acting Curator of the Museum of Music History, a project he initiated in 2000. (www.momh.org.uk)

A particular interest in placing music in a historical context led to a long series of unique surveys of the musical histories of great British houses and to reconstructions of important historic concerts (for the Aldeburgh Festival and for the BBC), silent film scores (the NFT), melodramas (the Theatre Museum) and period balls (the National Gallery and the V&A).

Last year he release a CD with flautist James Dutton of rarely heard British music for flute and piano entitled The English Idyll for the Willowhayne label. The website states:

"This recording contains forgotten gems for Flute and Piano from the 20th Century in a huge variety of styles, which have never been commercially recorded, and includes two works for Solo Flute. All the composers and the performers were associated with the Royal College of Music, either as teachers or students.Better known names include Cecil Armstrong Gibbs and Leonard Salzedo with lesser known but by no means lesser composers including Stanley Bate, Norman Demuth, Sir George Henschel,Robin Milford, Cyril Rootham, Richard Walthew and John White. The recording also demonstrates the influence of the French school of flute playing in the 20th Century and these excellent and sensitive performances have been beautifully captured in the lovely acoustic of the Yehudi Menuhin Hall by Recording Engineer Tony Faulkner and Producer Mike Purton.

A recent review from 'Pan' Magazine, the journal of the British Flute Society says: 'This CD is recorded with clarity and a warm tone quality; the instruments are always well balanced and both performers play with impressive accuracy and conviction. I particularly enjoyed the sense of simplicity that comes across in this recording; thats not to say that the music is particularly easy, but one has the sense when listening that the music, and its interpretation, has been carefully considered and is presented in a clear, logical way, with appropriate expressivity, without giving in to overindulgence. These are two instinctive musicians who judge the pacing and expression of the music with sensitivity and intelligence. There are some real gems amongst the repertoire here which deserve to be better known with contemporary audiences; well worth exploring.' Carla Rees, British Flute Society "

[Martin Eastick]

I had known Oliver for well over 40 years and acknowledge his invaluable and willing assistance with many varied aspects of research into a multitude of musical subjects almost exclusively devoted to the many untrodden paths and byways of 19th century repertoire and its composers - many of whom have featured on this forum. His encyclopaedic knowledge and painstaking research into this period was second to none and his passing will be an incalculable loss to all concerned. Then, of course, there was his unique abilitiy as a pianist, where he brought his considerable knowledge of performance history to the fore. I was lucky enough many years ago to be invited by him to the RCM one Saturday afternoon, where he produced a large volume of piano duets by Carl Czerny - including the enormous Op10 C minor sonata - and then had the pleasure (or otherwise!) of trying to sightread through the lot, which at that time were totally unknown and yet to be recorded!

Nevertheless, this is indeed a sad loss for which the music world will be all the poorer.......