Christopher Finzi

Christopher Finzi

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 remote farmhouse.

Contents

Marriage

Christopher Finzi married Hilary du Pré, a flautist, in 1961, and they reared their four children in the family's home built by Finzi's parents, the composer Gerald Finzi and his wife Joy an artist, at Ashmansworth near Newbury, England. DuPré's younger sister, the cellist Jacqueline du Pré, was part of the household during the 1970s, and memoir A Genius in the Family, written with her brother Piers, created a storm of controversy when it was revealed that Finzi had had an affair with his sister-in-law. The book later became the film Hilary and Jackie.

Background

Christopher Finzi was the elder of two sons. Both he and his younger brother Nigel (1936–2010) attended Bedales in Hampshire, an antidote to the harsh Victorian public school mentality, where they were exposed to a liberal education and intellectual freedom much in line with their parents' own progressive outlook on the world.[1] Christopher Finzi attended the Royal Academy of Music and embarked on a career as a freelance cellist and became the conductor of the Newbury String Players after the death of his father who had founded the orchestra. He eventually turned his attention from music to farming, first establishing a poultry business at Ashmansworth. He and his wife operated a health food shop in Newbury.

He made several recordings in his capacity as a conductor, including a performance of Gerald Finzi's Dies Natalis and music by Robin Milford and Edmund Rubbra.

Conducting

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.

References

  1. ^ Diana McVeagh - Gerald Finzi: His Life and Music, The Boydell Press, 2005
  • Hilary du Pré and Piers du Pré (1998). Hilary and Jackie (formerly A Genius in the family). Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-43271-1. 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Finzi — may refer to: *the prominent Jewish Italian Finzi family [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=150 letter=F] *Aldo Finzi (1891 1944), Italian politician *Felice Finzi (1847 1872), Italian Assyriologist… …   Wikipedia

  • FINZI — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Patronyme Finzi est un nom de famille notamment porté par : Aldo Finzi (1878 1934) : mathématicien italien. Aldo Finzi (1891 1944) :… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Finzi — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Patronyme Finzi est un nom de famille notamment porté par : Aldo Finzi (1878 1934) : mathématicien italien. Aldo Finzi (1891 1944) :… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Christopher Bunting — For the British comic writer, see Chris Bunting. Christopher Bunting (August 8, 1924 July 28, 2005) was an internationally renowned English cellist.Elder son of Sheldon Bunting MBE. Born London 8.8.1924. He was educated at Westminster School. MBE …   Wikipedia

  • Gerald Finzi — Gerald Raphael Finzi (Londres, 14 de julio de 1901 Oxford, 27 de septiembre de 1956), fue un compositor británico de la primera mitad del siglo XX, continuador de la gran tradición inglesa que encarnaron Elgar, Parry, Stanford y Vaughan Williams …   Wikipedia Español

  • Gerald Finzi — Gerald Raphael Finzi (July 14, 1901 ndash; September 27, 1956) was a British composer, whose popularity has increased considerably in the years since his death. Life Born in London, son of John Abraham (Jack) Finzi (of Italian Jewish descent) and …   Wikipedia

  • Gerald Finzi — Gerald Raphael Finzi (* 14. Juli 1901 in London; † 27. September 1956 in Oxford) war ein englischer Komponist. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 1.1 1901 1918: Kindheit und Jugend 1.2 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Joy Finzi — (March 3, 1907 June 14, 1991) was an artist and founder of the Finzi Trust, a foundation named for her deceased husband, composer Gerald Finzi.She was born Joyce Black in Hampstead, London. She studied music and art, and married Finzi in 1933.… …   Wikipedia

  • Robin Milford — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Robin Milford Robin Milford (Oxford, 22 de enero de 1903 Lyme Regis, 29 de diciembre de 1959) fue un compositor británico …   Wikipedia Español

  • Dies natalis — (Latin: Natal Day or Day of Birth ) is a composition by Gerald Finzi for solo soprano or tenor and string orchestra. Contents 1 History 2 Movements 3 Texts of sung movements 3.1 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”