A Monday (4/14) story at WQXR reports that English conductor Neville Marriner is celebrating his 90th birthday on April 15. “One of the famous tidbits about him is that he is the most recorded conductor in history. He has made more than 300 recordings, by some estimates…. Marriner is particularly associated with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, an orchestra that he founded in 1958 and took to the recording studio sometimes on a weekly basis during the 1960s and ’70s.… According to one famous story, the Academy recorded the Mozart horn concertos twice in the one week, with different soloists and for different labels…. It is Mozart that has been a Marriner calling card, so much so that when filmmaker Milos Forman was directing his 1984 film ‘Amadeus,’ he turned to the ASMIF for its soundtrack…. Marriner is known these days for his genial, self-deprecating manner. He also remains remarkably active. He’ll be conducting several concerts with the ASMIF in London and in Germany this spring. In an e-mail, his wife, Molly Marriner, said that the conductor will be grateful when his birthday is over so he can concentrate on his tennis game.”
Posted April 15, 2014
