Christopher Finzi
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Christopher "Kiffer" Finzi (born 1934) is a British orchestral conductor.
He is the son of composer Gerald Finzi. Like his father, the younger Finzi became a pacifist; he refused to do his National Service, and was briefly imprisoned. After his father's death in 1956, he helped his mother, Joy Finzi, to establish the Finzi Trust and sustain Gerald Finzi's reputation. Their lifestyle was bohemian, living in a rambling and remote farmhouse.
Christopher Finzi married Hilary du Pré, a flautist, and they raised four children in the family's farmhouse. Her sister, the cellist Jacqueline du Pré, was part of the household during the 1970s. His wife's memoirs and the film Hilary and Jackie have dramatised his love affair (apparently consented to by his wife) with that sister-in-law. Clare Finzi, daughter of Hilary and Kiffer, criticised this version of events, commenting on the distress she had personally suffered as a result of the affair. Kiffer himself admitted that it was not against his will that he slept with Jackie.
From 1971 to 1997, Finzi was resident conductor of the North Wiltshire Orchestra. He remains particularly well-known as an interpreter of his father's music.
[edit] References
- Hilary du Pré and Piers du Pré (1998). Hilary and Jackie (formerly A Genius in the family). Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-43271-1.