Sir Jeffrey Tate

[semloh]

Although perhaps not associated with UCs, we should note the death of Sir Jeffrey Tate overnight. His achievements are a testament to his strength  of character, overcoming a lifelong infirmity. As many on UC will know, he was, in turn, conductor of the ROHCG, ECO and Hamburg SO, and he will be sadly missed.

[eschiss1]

His list of recordings and broadcasts includes maybe a fair amount of moderately out-of-the-way stuff (not all of it post-1915, though his recording of Sir Arnold Bax's 3 pieces for small orchestra probably fits in with UC), actually, if one counts (I would) Wagner's Columbus Overture for example. (Though unlike other conductors, he did conduct quite a lot of English and German modern in addition to the classics- doesn't bother me, but yes, while associated with unknown composers/music, not associated with Unknown Composers in _our_ sense...)

[adriano]

I remember him very well in 1991 when I had the pleasure of assisting for about 6 weeks in a production of Strauss's "Intermezzo" at the Geneva Grand Théâtre. Besides being in charge of conducting piano reherasals on Jeffrey's "bad days" I was also a prompt (all singer's cues were to be given!) and a separate répétiteur of those difficult spoken passages. The production had the great - and unforgettable - Inga Nielsen in the title role. Jeffrey was a detail fanatic, he could improve this (not all too great) score with a lot of color and wit. The famous Skat scene in the second act became a nightmare for us all, since the stage director was a real Bavarian, a renowned theatre director and a Skat fanatic himself. He was the only crew member condidering this opera a masterwork... Oskar Hillebrand was the baritone and Herbert Lippert the tenor. The famous Ernst Gutstein (another Skat fanatic) got the part of the Justizrat - at that time he was 67 years old...
After one rehearsal I showed Jeffrey the score of Respighi's "La primavera", which I was studying at that time in view of my Marco Polo recording. He looked trough a few pages and said that I was totally crazy - such a thing he never would conduct.

[Alan Howe]

Very interesting. His Elgar symphonies are wonderfully ripe and romantic in feel.

[adriano]

Although the singers are, in my opinion, not all that ideal, Tate's recording of "Hänsel und Gretel" is one of the best!

[alberto]

I had the luck to hear Jeffrey Tate conducting in my city around 40 times in the span of twenty years.
Mostly it was mainstream repertoire. But not always . He often conducted works relatively unsung for the country (for example much Elgar: Symphony n.1, Falstaff, Cockaigne, Introduction and Allegro, the Cello and the Violin Concerto). Or relatively unsung in relation to the composer: for instance R.Strauss' Four Interludes from Intermezzo; Tchaicovskj The Tempest.
He even conducted Butterworth's A Shropshire Lad.
Next week he should have conducted in my city again Elgar's Violin Concerto (with Vilde Frang).