Through the years great International artists have performed in the studios of All India Radio Kolkata. This is just a glimpse of a few of them.
Benjamin Britten
Born: November 22, 1913 ? Lowestoft, Suffolk, England Died: December 4, 1976
? Aldeburgh, England
The renowned English composer, who was also a gifted conductor and pianist,
Benjamin (Edward) Britten studied with Frank Bridge as a boy and in 1930 entered
the RCM. In 1934 he heard Wozzeck and planned to study with Berg, but opposition
at home stopped him.Stravinsky and Mahler were important influences, but
Britten's effortless technique gave his early music a high personal definition,
notably shown in orchestral works (Bridge Variations for strings, 1937; Piano
Concerto, 1938; Violin Concerto, 1939) and songs (Les illuminations, setting
Rimbaud for high voice and strings, 1939).In 1939 he left England for the USA,
with his lifelong companion Peter Pears; there he wrote his first opera, to
Auden's libretto (Paul Bunyan, 1941). In 1942 he returned and, partly stimulated
by Purcell, began to concentrate on settings of English verse (anthem Rejoice in
the Lamb and Serenade for tenor, horn and strings, both 1943). Many of these
dramatic works were written for the Aldeburgh Festival, as were many of the
instrumental and vocal works Britten produced for favoured performers. For
Rostropovich he wrote the Cello Symphony (1963) as well as a sonata and three
solo suites; for Pears there was the Hardy cycle Winter Words (1953) among many
other songs, and also a central part in the War Requiem (1961). His closing
masterpiece, however, was a return to the abstract in the String Quartet no.3
(1975).
Britten was appointed a Companion of Honour in 1952, to the Order of Merit in
1965, and was awarded a life peerage in 1976.
Peter Pears
Born: June 22, 1910 - Farnham, Surrey, England Died: April 3, 1986 -
Aldeburgh, England
Sir Peter Pears [full name: Peter Neville Luard Pears] was a famous tenor and
organist. Peter Pears was an organ scholar of Hertford College, Oxford. He then
studied singing at the Royal College of Music (1933-1934). In 1943 he joined
Sadler's Wells. In 1945 he joined the English Opera Group. He enjoyed great
success as a Lied and oratorio soloist, in particular as the Evangelist in
Bach?s Passions. He regularly sang at Covent Garden in London and was a guest
performer at the Scala in Milan, in Vienna, Z?rich, Munich, Rome and the USA. He
made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in October 1974 as
Aschenbach in Death in Venice. He was knighted in 1978.
Peter Pears was collaborator and companion of Benjamin Britten. Many of
Britten's works have parts specifically written for Pears, including Peter
Grimes. Pears was the co-librettist for A Midsummer Night's Dream. Britten first
met Pears in 1934, when Pears was a member of the BBC Singers. They did not
become strong friends until a friend of Pears, Peter Burra, died in an air
crash. Britten and Pears gave their first recital together in 1937, at Balliol
College, Oxford. The concert was part of a Spanish Civil War relief program.
Britten travelled with Pears to Europe and USA. Their return home was marked by
a performance of the Michelangelo Sonnets at Wigmore Hall. Its success led EMI
to record it, which marked Pears and Britten's first recording together.
Primarily known for his interpretations of Britten?s operas, he often sang the
title-roles at the premiere performances. Together with Britten Pears edited
ancient English vocal music. They were together for the 40 years until Benjamin
Britten died in 1976; Peter Pears died ten years later of a heart attack. He was
buried next to Benjamin Britten in their grave in Aldeburgh.
Benjamin Britten & Peter Pears
Peter Pears and Benjamin Britten were in Kolkata in the mid 1950s. They gave a concert performance in the city & also performed in the studios of All India Radio Kolkata during the period. Their performance was broadcast live and at the same time recorded on studio record.
Golden Gate Quartet
Pioneer Virginia gospel/pop quartet of the '30s and '40s. Calling their
innovative approach to sacred hymns "jubilee" singing, the Golden Gate Quartet,
propelled by Willie Johnson and William Langford, enjoyed massive acceptance far
outside the church. Their smooth Mills Brothers-influenced harmonies made the
Gates naturals for pop crossover success, and they began recording for Victor in
1937. National radio broadcasts and an appearance on John Hammond's 1938
"Spirituals to Swing" concert at Carnegie Hall made them coast-to-coast
favorites. By 1941 the Gates were recording for Columbia minus Langford, and
movie appearances were frequent: Star Spangled Rhythm, Hollywood Canteen, and
Hit Parade of 1943, to name a few. Some experiments with R&B material didn't pan
out during the late '40s, and Johnson defected to the Jubilaires in 1948. The
group emigrated to France in 1959; led by veteran bass singer Orlando Wilson,
the Golden Gate Quartet's vocal blend is as powerful as ever. During their
visit in Kolkata in 1950s they performed at All India Radio Kolkata. The
recording of that studio performance is in the archives of All India Radio
Kolkata.
Leontyne Price
Mary Violet Leontyne Price was born February 10, 1927, and raised in the colored
section of Laurel, Mississippi. Her mother, Kate, was a midwife, and her father,
James, worked in a sawmill. She was nurtured under the watchful eye of the
community, which extended even to her aunt's employers, The Chisholms, a family
who lived in a white, affluent section of town. Her musical talents were
encouraged, and her voice frequently was heard at area social events.
Price received a scholarship to attend Central State University, Wilberforce,
Ohio. She began as a music education major, but she completed her studies there
in voice. With the assistance of Paul Robeson and the school's administration,
in addition to the financial backing of the Chisholm family, Price next went to
Juilliard.
While attending Juilliard, she appeared in revivals of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess
and Four Saints in Three Acts, by Virgil Thomson. The Porgy and Bess cast toured
the United States and Europe with baritone William Warfield and Price singing
the title roles. The two singers married in 1952, but the pressures of their
separate careers eventually forced them to part. Price was engaged to sing the
lead for the National Broadcasting Company's production of Puccini's Tosca in
1955. There were strenuous objections, and some cancellations, from local
affiliates; nonetheless, her dramatic portrayal and vocal performance in this
historic broadcast were a critical success. Other televised operatic roles soon
followed. Then, in 1957, Price sang Verdi's Aida for the first time. She
identified strongly with the character, and her success led her to Vienna to
sing for conductor Herbert von Karajan and, in 1960, to the stage of La Scala.
In January, 1961, she debuted at the Metropolitan Opera as Leonora in Verdi's Il
Trovatore. Her performance was a success not only to the audience who witnessed
it, but to the New York critics as well. She was signed for additional roles
there and at other houses around the world. By the mid 1960's, her reputation
had grown to the extent that she was offered the lead in the Samuel Barber opera
commissioned especially for the opening of the Met's new facilities at Lincoln
Center. The opening performance of Antony and Cleopatra in 1966, though marred
by the extremes taken in costuming and staging, solidified Price's place as one
of the world's great divas. In the years that followed, Price's notoriety
allowed her the freedom to select roles she wanted, often taking rests between
runs. She increased the number of recitals in the 1970's and made several
operatic and concert recordings, earning 18 Grammy awards over the years. Price
retired from the opera stage at the Met in 1985 with her signature role, Aida.
The live telecast was viewed by millions.
Price has been described as a "lirico-spinto" soprano. Her rock-solid vocal
technique and purity and her dramatic flair have been combined to create a mix
suitable both for the opera and concert stage.
She performed in Air Kolkata Studio during her visit to Kolkata in the mid
1950s. A recording still exists made on AIR Studio record.
Anup Biswas
Anup Kumar Biswas was born in West Bengal, India. He has chosen to make his
home in the musical capital, London since 1974. He has given concerts throughout
Great Britain, including The Royal Albert Hall, St James' Palace, Lambeth
Palace, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall, St John's Smith
Square, Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral, House of Commons, the Foreign &
Commonwealth Office, Riverside Studios and Grays Inn (where, in addition to a
Vivaldi concerto, he played an Indian raga at the personal request of HRH the
Prince of Wales). He has appeared as a soloist playing the Dvorak Cello Concerto
with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to a capacity audience. In celebration of
the 300th Anniversary of J. S. Bach in 1985, Anup Biswas undertook a tour of
cathedrals, churches, and the Purcell Room, London playing the complete cycle of
Bach solo cello suites. The tour also included India and Sri Lanka, sponsored,
by the, Goethe Institute. He has successfully repeated a similar tour entitled
'BACH 2000' in the Autumn and Spring 2000/1 season. In 1994 Biswas established a
unique music school for poor and deprived children in Calcutta. The Mathieson
Music School is named after Biswas' guru, the late Rev. Theodore Mathieson who
ran an orphanage in Calcutta for fifty years. Biswas arranged, as part of a
cultural exchange programme, a major tour for the Mathieson Music School in the
UK and India in 1996 and 2000.
The Guadagnini Piano Trio, which Biswas formed, toured Asia under the aus-pices
of the Goethe Institute. The Hinckley Music Club and Anup Kumar Biswas
commissioned a piano trio from Naresh Sohal in celebration of his 50th birthday,
with funds provided by the Arts Council of Great Britain and East Midlands which
toured the UK in March/April 1990. The trio performed in Asia under the auspices
of the Goethe Institute, New Delhi. The Theatre Taliesin Wales commissioned
Biswas to compose music for their production of Tristan and Essylt in March
1986. The two and a half hour work was his first composition and was highly
praised by critics in both the local and national press. It was recorded for
Kaleidoscope by BBC Radio 4 the World Ser-vice, Harlech Television and BBC
Television, and has already been broadcast twice by BBC Radio Wales. He also
arranged the music for Hedda in India, a production of Hedda Gabler featuring
Jenny Seagrove.
He was commissioned on two occasions to write music for the Royal Gala
Performance of the Commonwealth Institute in 1987 and during the Centenary year
in May 1993 in which he also performed in the presence of HM Queen Elizabeth II
and the HRH Duke of Edinburgh. In February 1999 he performed again for Her
Majesty the Queen and HRH Duke of Edinburgh at the Commonwealth Institute,
London. He has performed his own compositions in Germany, Finland, Norway, India
and the UK . In 1992 Biswas appeared at the Royal Albert Hall performing his own
composition 'The Celebration' from the ballet "Ten Guineas Under the Banyan
Tree." He was commissioned to compose, perform and direct for a music theatre
production of 'At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers' by Salman Rushdie, which was
on tour in the UK in the Autumn of 1999. Recently he had a further commission to
compose and perform music for a documentary 'The Twins,' both these compositions
have been praised highly by the critics.
At the age of six he went to a mission school in Calcutta where his musical
talent was recognised and encouraged by the Rev. Theodore Mathieson. He started
playing the cello at the age of ten, and at sixteen made his concert debut
and recorded for All-India Radio Kolkata.
It was Canon Eric James, with the help of many Trusts in the UK which enabled
Anup Biswas to come to London in 1974 to study with Thomas Igloi at the, Royal
Academy of Music and Amaryllis Fleming at the Royal College of Music; he also
studied with Pierre Fournier in Geneva and with Jacqueline du Pre in London.
Anup Biswas has won many awards, including the Suggia Gift for Cello in three
successive years, and a Countess of Munster Scholarship. He attended master
classes with Lynn Harrell in London, with Ebarhart Finke in Berlin and with
Pierre Fournier in Geneva and with Einor Holms in Calcutta.
Biswas, regularly broadcasts on BBC TV, ITV, Channel 4 and various BBC Radio
stations, performs in London at the South Bank Centre, tours, all over the UK
and in Europe. Every year he returns to India to give Master classes for the
children at the Mathieson Music School. He has performed in all the major cities
in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan under the auspices of many
organisations including the British Council and the Max Mueller Bhavan and the
Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
Biswas's various festival appearances have included concerts at the Cleveland,
Teesdale, Belfast, Greenwich and Hereford Three Choirs Festivals, and he, has
taken Masterclasses at Dartington International Summer School.
Anup Biswas is the only solo cellist in the world who is equally at home
performing both European and Indian classical music. He studied Indian Classical
both Hindusthani system (North Indian classical) and the Carnatic system (South
Indian classical) music from Samir Dutta, Ustad Imrat Khan and various other
teachers in India. He has collaborated with many reputed classical Indian
musicians and dancers.
Whenever he is Kolkata he takes time off to record for All India Radio
Kolkata. Many of his recordings are preserved in the tape library of AIR
Kolkata.
Copyright © 2006 Ranjan Mitra, Kolkata.
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