Trevor Pinnock

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Trevor Pinnock in December 2006
Trevor Pinnock in December 2006

Trevor David Pinnock CBE (born December 16, 1946) is an English conductor and harpsichordist. He is best known for directing the period-performance orchestra The English Concert from the harpsichord for over 30 years in baroque and early classical music.

Contents

[edit] Biography and career

[edit] Early life

Trevor Pinnock was born in Canterbury, where his grandfather had run a Salvation Army band. His father is Kenneth Alfred Thomas Pinnock, a publisher, his mother, Joyce Edith, née Muggleton, was an amateur singer.[1][2] He is left-handed. He became a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral when he was 7, attending the choir school from 1956 to 1961 and later Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys.[3][1] After receiving instruction in piano and organ, he served as a church organist; by the time he was 15, he had begun to play the harpsichord.[2] At 19, he entered the Royal College of Music in London, where he held a Foundation Scholarship for organ and later studied harpsichord, winning the major prizes for performance on both instruments.[4][1] His teachers were Ralph Downes and Millicent Silver.[5] A strong early influence was Gustav Leonhardt, though he did not study with him.[4]

[edit] Directing from the harpsichord

As a harpsichordist, he toured Europe with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.[6] While a student at the RCM, he was told by the registrar, John Stainer, that it would be impossible to make a living as a harpsichordist.[4] To maximise his possibilities for work early on in his career, he included in his repertoire not only the regular baroque repertoire, but also modern harpsichord concertos including Roberto Gerhard's concerto for harpsichord, percussion and strings, Manuel de Falla's concerto for harpsichord, Frank Martin's Petite symphonie concertante for harp, harpsichord, piano and double string orchestra and Francis Poulenc's Concert Champêtre.[5][7]

He made his London debut at the Royal Festival Hall in 1966 with the Galliard Harpsichord Trio, which he co-founded with Stephen Preston, flute, and Anthony Pleeth, cello. At this stage, they were playing baroque music on modern instruments.[4] His solo harpsichord debut was in 1968 at the Purcell Room in London.[8] In November 1972 the Galliard Trio expanded to become The English Concert, an orchestra specialising in performances of baroque and early classical music on period instruments.[4][9] They initially started with seven people but soon grew in size. The decision to move to period performance was taken for a number of reasons:[10]

“ What I really had in mind was a journey of discovery into the unknown. Although I felt there were excellent interpretations of baroque music performed on modern instruments, I sensed that we'd come to the end of the road - and yet I knew that there were still discoveries to be made. I was thinking about the interesting experiments made by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Gustav Leonhardt, although I knew we'd have to experiment in our own way. It was a huge challenge; playing period instruments wasn't as easy as it is today, and finding out their secrets was a difficult process. Nowadays an extraordinarily high technical level has been achieved and the upcoming generations don't have any of the problems we pioneers faced. We cleared the way. ”

—Trevor Pinnock
Trevor Pinnock at the harpsichord
Trevor Pinnock at the harpsichord

Trevor Pinnock was at the forefront of the period performance movement and the revitalisation of the baroque repertoire; the reaction of Leonard Bernstein to his performances is typical: "In my opinion, the work of the conductor Trevor Pinnock in this area is particularly exciting - his performances of Bach and Handel make me jump out of my seat!"[11]

The English Concert's London debut was at the English Bach Festival in 1973.[12] In 1975, Pinnock played the harpsichord in the first ever performance of Rameau's last opera, Les Boréades, under John Eliot Gardiner.[13] He toured North America with The English Concert for the first time in 1983; he had earlier spent two periods as Artist in Residence at Washington University, St. Louis.[5] His debut at The Proms was in 1980; he later directed Handel's Solomon in 1986 and many other large-scale works with his orchestra.[6] They toured worldwide and made numerous recordings, Pinnock directing "with a characteristic energy and enthusiasm which are readily communicated to audiences."[12] The Choir of the English Concert was at first an ad-hoc group of singers assembled as needed, originally in 1983 for the first performance this century of Rameau's Acante et Céphise; it became a standing choir in the mid-1990s at the time they were performing Bach's Mass in B minor. This allowed the ensemble to regularly perform baroque operas, oratorios and other vocal works; a series of Bach's major choral works followed.[14][15]

He directed The English Concert, usually from the harpsichord or chamber organ,[16] for over 30 years, deciding, with the other orchestra members, to hand it over to violinist Andrew Manze in 2003.[10][17] He explained the decision as follows:[18]

“ There are other things I want to develop — or rather come back to. Having done The English Concert for 18–20 weeks per year, and guest conducting the rest of the time, I'd sacrificed playing the harpsichord rather more than I wanted to. I had to make a decision to move forward: there were certain solo projects I wanted to do, and I wanted to make the decision now rather than wait until after I am 60 and it's too late to do half of them. [...] There's a wealth of keyboard repertoire I want to revisit. I especially want to go back to the rich English repertoire such as Tomkins, Byrd, Bull and Gibbons. ”

—Trevor Pinnock

[edit] New conducting projects

He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1988 conducting Handel's opera Giulio Cesare, the same year he made his debut at the Salzburg Festival with Handel's Messiah.[1][6] In 1989 he founded The Classical Band in New York, signing an 18-disc recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon before the ensemble's first rehearsal.[19] He led the group in performances of the classical repertoire from Haydn to Mendelssohn on period instruments, including playing as fortepiano soloist.[20] After a disappointing series of concerts, he resigned in 1990 and was succeeded by Bruno Weil.[21]

From 1991-1996 he was artistic director and principal conductor of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, a group he had first directed in 1985.[22] He subsequently served as its artistic advisor during the 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 seasons, including a tour of the USA with the performance and recording of Beethoven's 1st and 5th piano concertos with Grigory Sokolov as soloist.[23]

He conducted Opera Australia and Michael Chance in Handel's Rinaldo at the Sydney Opera House in 2005.[24] He also played William Babell's virtuoso harpsichord transcriptions with some of the arias (which Babell claimed were of Handel's actual improvisations).[25] He is to return to conduct Handel's Orlando.[26]

With the European Brandenburg Ensemble, a baroque orchestra founded by him to mark his 60th birthday, he is touring Europe, Asia and America in 2007. Founded to perform Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, they are playing a wide variety of the core baroque repertoire.[27][28][29][30]

[edit] Guest conducting

He has appeared frequently as a guest conductor with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Boston, Birmingham, San Francisco and Detroit symphony orchestras, the Saint Paul, Los Angeles and Mito[31] chamber orchestras, the Freiburger Barockorchester, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra,[32] Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, and at the Tanglewood, Mostly Mozart and Salzburg festivals.[12] He is a regular guest conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, and principal guest conductor of the Royal Academy of Music's Baroque Orchestra and Chorus.[33][26]

[edit] Recent years

Trevor Pinnock directs the European Brandenburg Ensemble
Trevor Pinnock directs the European Brandenburg Ensemble

In 2004 he commissioned modern harpsichord music by English composer John Webb: Surge (2004), "is built up over an implacable rhythmic repeat-figure. Though neither is explicitly tonal, each skilfully avoids the merely percussive effect that the harpsichord's complex overtones can all too easily impart to more densely dissonant music." He has also played the same composer's Ebb (2000), which "comprises a spasmodic discourse against a manic background of descending scale patterns like a kind of out-of-kilter change-ringing."[34]

Trevor Pinnock and Maxim Vengerov toured together in 2000, with Vengerov taking up the baroque violin for the first time and Pinnock taking up the modern grand piano. These concerts consisted of a first half of harpsichord and baroque violin, followed by a 2nd half of piano and modern violin.[35][36]

Today he divides his time between performing as a harpsichordist and conducting both modern- and period-instrument orchestras.[37]

His next recording project will be the Bach flute sonatas together with Emmanuel Pahud.

[edit] Degrees and honours

From the Royal College of Music: ARCM Hons (organ) 1965, FRCM 1996. From the Royal Academy of Music: Hon. FRAM 1988.[8]

He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Ottawa (D. University) in 1993,[38] The University of Kent (DMus) in 1995,[39] and the University of Sheffield (DMus) in 2005.[40] He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 1992 and an Officier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1998.[1]

[edit] Recordings

Each original release is listed. Years are those of recording.[41]

[edit] Solo harpsichord

  • J. S. Bach: toccatas 910 & 912, prelude and fugue in A minor BWV 894, fantasia in C minor BWV 906, chromatic fantasia and fugue BWV 903 (1978)
  • J. S. Bach: toccatas 911, 913-916 (1977)
  • J. S. Bach: Partitas for harpsichord BWV 825-830 (1985)
  • J. S. Bach: Partitas for harpsichord BWV 825-830, Hänssler Classics (1998-1999)
  • J. S. Bach: Goldberg Variations BWV 988 (1980)
  • J. S. Bach: Italian Concerto BWV 971, concerto after Vivaldi (op.3 no.9) BWV 972 and French Overture BWV 831 (1979)
  • J. S. Bach: French suite no.5 BWV 816, English suite no.3 BWV 808, chromatic fantasia and fugue BWV 903 and preludes and fugues BWV 846, 876, 881 from The Well-Tempered Clavier (1992)
  • Handel: harpsichord suites and chaconne HWV 434, 441, 436, 438, 435
  • Rameau: Complete harpsichord works, CRD records
  • Rameau: Les Cyclopes (Suites in A minor and E minor), Avie records (2005)
  • Scarlatti: Sonatas Kk. 46, 87, 95, 99, 124, 201, 204a, 490, 491, 492, 513, 520, 521; CRD
  • Scarlatti: Sonatas Kk. 460, 461, 478, 479, 502, 516, 517, 518, 519, 529, 544, 545, 546, 547 (1986)
  • Gibbons: The Woods so Wild (Vanguard 72021)

[edit] Harpsichord concertos

[edit] Chamber music

[edit] Orchestral works with The English Concert

Trevor Pinnock generally directs while playing harpsichord continuo. Recordings on Archiv Produktion unless otherwise indicated.[54]

  • Christmas Concertos [65] (1988)
  • Pachelbel: Canon and Gigue [66] (1990)
  • A Grand Concert of Musick: English Baroque Concertos [67] (1979)
  • Christmas in Rome: Vivaldi: Gloria; Corelli: Christmas Concerto; A. Scarlatti: O di Betlemme altera povertà (on video and CD) (1992)
  • Opera Arias by Mozart, Haydn and Gluck (Anne-Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano) (1995)
  • Oboe Concertos: C. P. E. Bach, Wq.165; Lebrun, no.1; Mozart, K.314. (Paul Goodwin, oboe) (1990)

[edit] Conducting

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c d e “PINNOCK, Trevor David”, Debrett's People of Today, Debrett's Peerage Ltd., April 2007, ISBN 1870520262, <http://www.knowuk.co.uk/> 
  2. ^ a b Cosic, Miriam (2005-07-21). Born to the baroque. The Australian. Retrieved on 14 April 2007.
  3. ^ Of Choristers, ancient and modern: Canterbury
  4. ^ a b c d e Owen Norris, David (2001). Trevor Pinnock: direct, blazing simplicity. Gramophone. Retrieved on 14 April 2007.
  5. ^ a b c Noted in the biography in the liner notes of his recording 16th Century English Keyboard Music, CRD records.
  6. ^ a b c “PINNOCK, Trevor”, Hutchinson Encyclopedia of Britain, Helicon Publishing, March 2005, ISBN 1859862756, <http://www.knowuk.co.uk/> 
  7. ^ Richmond, Jonathan (1991-12-03), “Sparkling performance of wotty Poulenc by Pinnock”, The Tech 111 (55), <http://www-tech.mit.edu/V111/N55/bso.55a.html>  - He performed and recorded the Concert Champêtre in 1991.
  8. ^ a b “PINNOCK, Trevor”, Who's Who, A & C Black, January 2007, ISBN 0713675276, <http://www.knowuk.co.uk/> 
  9. ^ The Academy of Ancient Music was founded by fellow English harpsichordist-conductor Christopher Hogwood at around the same time.
  10. ^ a b Marceau, Guy (2004-09-09), “Trevor Pinnock - Autumn Thoughts”, La Scena Musicale 10 (1), <http://www.scena.org/lsm/sm10-1/Trevor-Pinnock-en.htm>  "When the members of the English Concert were looking for a new conductor and artistic director, they decided on Andrew Manze, and I think they made a good choice. But it was their decision."
  11. ^ Cott, Jonathan (2003-04-01), Back to a Shadow in the Night: Music Journalism and Writings: 1968-2001 (1st ed.), Hal Leonard, ISBN 0634035967  p.207
  12. ^ a b c Pratt, George. Pinnock, Trevor. Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy. Retrieved on 1 May 2007.
  13. ^ Rameau recording liner notes
  14. ^ englishconcert.co.uk: The Choir of The English Concert
  15. ^ Argent, Mark (2005-10-25). Interview : The English Concert. Goldberg Magazine. Retrieved on 28 April 2007.
  16. ^ "Trevor’s preference was always to direct from the keyboard. He regarded the conductor as an essentially 19th century invention." - Felix Warnock, see above
  17. ^ Jeal, Erica (2003-07-08). English Concert/Pinnock. The Guardian. Retrieved on 14 April 2007. - Review of his final performance directing The English Concert, at which he was joined by fellow harpsichord-conductor Ton Koopman in some of Bach's harpsichord concertos
  18. ^ Vickers, David (February 2002). Passing the (Authentic 18th-Century) Torch: Andrew Manze Succeeds Trevor Pinnock as Director of The English Concert. andante. Retrieved on 15 April 2007.
  19. ^ Kozinn, Allan (1990-04-17). Review/Music; 2 Nights, 2 Ensembles And Much Mozart. The New York Times. Retrieved on 14 April 2007. “The Classical Band was born last year with the music world equivalent of a silver spoon.”
  20. ^ Henahan, Donal (1989-05-12). Review/Concert; Pinnock and New Ensemble Play Mozart as He Heard It. The New York Times. Retrieved on 14 April 2007. - A review of The Classical Band's debut.
  21. ^ Rothstein, Edward (1991-08-10). Review/Music; Authenticity: No More a Goal in Itself. The New York Times. Retrieved on 14 April 2007. - A review discussing Pinnock's resignation. Despite this failure, The English Concert went on to record the complete Mozart symphonies and other classical repertoire.
  22. ^ World Concert Artist Directory: Trevor Pinnock
  23. ^ Mazey, Steven (1996-07-16). Russian pianist enjoys harmonious relationship with NAC. Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved on 14 April 2007. - Discussion of the recording of the Beethoven piano concertos, which has not been released.
  24. ^ Trevor Pinnock discusses Handel's Rinaldo with Andrew Ford
  25. ^ A sound clip of part of the aria 'Vò far guerra' in which Pinnock's harpsichord playing can be heard
  26. ^ a b Trevor Pinnock - European Brandenburg Ensemble website
  27. ^ Church, Michael (2006-12-14). Happy Bach day to you, Mr Pinnock. The Independent. Retrieved on 27 April 2007.
  28. ^ Cheah, Jason (2006-04-22). Baroque balm. The Star (Malaysia). Retrieved on 27 April 2007.
  29. ^ His agent's information page for the EBE project
  30. ^ Church, Michael (2006-12-14). Happy Bach day to you, Mr Pinnock. The Independent. Retrieved on 27 April 2007.
  31. ^ An interview about conducting the Mito Chamber Orchestra
  32. ^ A review of a programme entitled 'Fathers and Son', in 2004
  33. ^ Bach's Mass in B minor: Friday 22 June 2007 - at the Spitalfields Festival
  34. ^ Quotes from: Northcott, Bayan (2005-02-23). Trevor Pinnock, Wigmore Hall, London. The Independent. Retrieved on 14 April 2007.
  35. ^ Sidgwick, John (2000-03-29). Maxim Vengerov: Baroque Violinist. Culturekiosque Klassiknet. Retrieved on 26 April 2007.
  36. ^ Service, Tom (2000-02-16). Baroque adventure. The Guardian. Retrieved on 26 April 2007.
  37. ^ Askonas Holt: Trevor Pinnock. His agent's webpage
  38. ^ University of Ottawa honorary doctorates
  39. ^ University of Kent honorary graduates 1990-99
  40. ^ Degree ceremony at Sheffield University
  41. ^ Sources for this list are the notes to each recording
  42. ^ Byrd: Watkins Ale, Lavolta, Lady Morley, Rowland, Carman's Whis; Anon: My Lady Carey's Dompe; Tallis: O Ye Tender Babes; Gibbons: The Woods So Wild, Mask: The Fairest Nymph, Lord Salisbury his pavan and galliard; Bull: The King's Hunt, My Grief, My Self; Dowland: Lachrymae and Galliard; Randall: 'Can She Excuse'; Farnaby: Muscadin, Loath to Depart; Tomkins: Barafostus' Dream
  43. ^ Anon: The Grange; Gibbs: Lord Monck's March; Anon: Gerard's Mistress; Locke: Suite No.4 in D major; Purcell: A New Irish Tune (Lillibullero); Draghi: Ground (Socca Pur); Purcell - Suite No.2 in G minor; Blow: [Mortlack's Ground]; Greene: Overture in D major; Arne - Sonata No.6 in G; Nares - Lesson No.2 in D major; Paradies - Sonata No.6 in A major
  44. ^ Anon: My Lady Wynkfylds Rownde; Byrd: The Queenes Alman, The Bells; Handel: Suite no.5 in E major HWV 430; Croft: Suite no.3 in C minor; Arne: Sonata no.3 in G major; J. C. Bach: Sonata in C minor op.5 no.6
  45. ^ Handel: Air and Variations 'The Harmonious Blacksmith'; Fischer: Passacaglia in D minor; Couperin: Les Baricades Mysterieuses; Bach: Italian Concerto in F major; Rameau: Gavotte avec 6 Doubles; Scarlatti: Sonatas in E major K. 380 and 381; Fiocco: Adagio in G major; Daquin: Le Coucou; Balbastre: La Suzanne
  46. ^ Walter Leigh recording - at lyrita.co.uk
  47. ^ For the Concert champêtre, Pinnock played a rare triple manual harpsichord, disposition 16' 8' 8' 4' 2', lute stop, 2 buff stops, 2 couplers, by Robert Goble & Son, Oxford (picture) after H. A. Hass, Hamburg, 1740. The original is apparently in the collection of Rafael Puyana.
  48. ^ Quintets: op.22 no.1, op.11 no.1, op.11 no.6
  49. ^ Op.1 nos.1, 3, 7, 9, 11, 12; op.2 nos.4, 6, 9, 12.
  50. ^ For 2 violins: op.5 no.2, op.5 no.4, HWV 393, op.2 no.3; for violin and flute: op.2 no.1; for violin: op.1 no.3.
  51. ^ Anon.: Divisions on the 'Barafostus Dream'; Alfonso Ferrabosco: Pieces for the lyra-viol; Orlando Gibbons: Fantasia for organ; Christopher Simpson: Prelude and Divisions in E minor; William Corkine: The Punckes Delight, Coranto I, Coranto II, Walsingham; John Bull: Coranto; Anon.: The King's Morisk; John Bull: The Duchess of Brunswick's Toy; Tobias Hume: Musical Humors: Touch me lightly, Harke, harke, A Souldiers Resolution; John Bull: My Jewel; Christopher Simpson: Divisions in B flat
  52. ^ The Punckes Delight
  53. ^ Only released on vinyl LP
  54. ^ Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert recorded with CRD from 1974 to 1978, Archiv from 1978 to 1995, and Avie in 2001
  55. ^ Concerto à 8 for trumpet, 2 oboes, strings and continuo FWV L:D1, concerto for bassoon, 2 oboes, strings and continuo FWV L:c2, orchestral suite for violin, oboe, 2 flutes, bassoon, strings and continuo FWV K:g2, concerto for chalumeau, 2 oboes, bassoon, strings and continuo FWV L:B1, concerto for 2 trumpets, 2 horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, strings and continuo FWV L:D14
  56. ^ Pinnock plays the organ concerto movement of Handel's concerto grosso op.3 no.6
  57. ^ Pinnock plays the organ concerto movements of Saul's act I sinfonia and act II sinfonia: Wedding Symphony
  58. ^ Why Pinnock wasn't the organ soloist in the Handel organ concertos recordings
  59. ^ Trevor Pinnock also wrote the preface to this book on the oratorio: Barber, David W. (1994). Getting a Handel on Messiah, illustrated by Dave Donald, Sound And Vision Publishing Ltd, Canada. ISBN 0920151175. 
  60. ^ Details of the Tamerlano DVD
  61. ^ Service in B-flat, Z.230; Te Deum & Jubilate in D, Z.232; Evening Service in G minor, Z.231; O God, thou has cast us out, Z.36; O Lord God of Hosts, Z.37; Remember not, Lord, our offences, Z.50; Lord, how long wilt thou be angry, Z.25; O God, thou art my God, Z.35; Man that is born of a woman, Z.27; Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts, Z.58c; Jehovah, quam multi sunt hostes mei, Z.135; My heart is inditing, Z.30; O sing unto the Lord, Z.44; My beloved spake, Z.28; They that go down to the sea in ships, Z.57; Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem, Z.46.
  62. ^ Concerto for strings RV 156; concerto for oboe RV 449 (op.8 no.12); concerto for bassoon RV 485; concerto for strings RV 166; concerto for violin, 2 recorders and 2 oboes 'per l'orchestra di Dresda' RV 577; concerto for recorder RV 444; concerto for 2 violins and 2 cellos RV 575.
  63. ^ Concerto alla rustica RV 151; concerto for oboe and violin RV 548; concerto con molti stromenti RV 558; concerto for oboe RV 461; concerto for 2 violins RV 516; concerto for 2 mandolins RV 532.
  64. ^ Concerto for strings RV 159; concerto for violin 'l'amoroso' RV 271; concerto for bassoon RV 484; concerto for flute RV 436; concerto for viola d'amore and lute RV 540; concerto for oboe and bassoon RV 545.
  65. ^ Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Noëls sur les instruments H.531, 534; Johann Melchior Molter: concerto pastorale in G major; Vivaldi: concerto for 2 trumpets RV 537; Giuseppe Sammartini: Pastorale in G major from op.5 no.6; Telemann: concerto polonois in G major; Handel: concerto a due cori no.3 HWV 332; Corelli: Christmas concerto, op.6 no.8.
  66. ^ Johann Pachelbel: Canon & Gigue; Handel: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba; Vivaldi: sinfonia for strings RV 149; Purcell: Chacony Z.730; Tomaso Albinoni: concerto a cinque op.9 no.2; Charles Avison: concerto grosso no.9 after Domenico Scarlatti.
  67. ^ John Stanley: Concerto for strings, op.2 no.3; Thomas Arne: Harpsichord concerto no.5; William Boyce: Symphony op.2 no.1; Francesco Geminiani: concerto grosso after Corelli's op.5 no.12 (variations on 'la folia'); Pieter Hellendaal: concerto op.3 no.4; Charles Avison: concerto grosso no.9 after Domenico Scarlatti.
  68. ^ Details of the Linda Bouchard recording
  69. ^ Song list for Sacred Songs, PBS Great Performances website

[edit] External links


Persondata
NAME Pinnock, Trevor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Harpsichordist and conductor
DATE OF BIRTH 1946-12-16
PLACE OF BIRTH Canterbury, England
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH