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John Manduell

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Sir John ManduellCBE(2 March 1928 – 25 October 2017) was the founding principal of theRoyal Northern College of Musicfrom 1973 to 1996[1]and the director of theCheltenham Music Festival.[2]He also founded theEuropean Opera Centre.[3]

Early life and education

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Manduell was born in Johannesburg, son of Matthewman Donald Manduell, of Cumbrian origin, a "leading headmaster" atJeppe High School for Boyswho had been a Major in theRoyal Field Artilleryduring theFirst World Warand was awarded theMilitary CrossandCroix de Guerre,and Theodora (née Tharp), a physiotherapist and "inveterate lacrosse enthusiast". The Manduells were long-established farmers atWigton,Cumbria.[4]

At the age of ten his family returned to England. He was educated at theHaileyburyindependent school near Hertford, then in Strasbourg, and at his father's alma mater,Jesus College, Cambridge,[5]where he read Modern Languages. He then joined theRoyal Academy of Music,where his composition teachers wereWilliam AlwynandSir Lennox Berkeley.[6][7][8]

Career

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From 1956, Manduell worked at theBBCas a producer in London, and from 1961 as Head of Music for the Midlands and East Anglia. In 1964 he inaugurated the all-day Music Programme, which later evolved intoBBC Radio 3.He stayed at the BBC until 1968.[6]He became Cheltenham Festival’s first Programme Director from 1969 until 1994. He was then appointed as the first Director of Music at theUniversity of Lancaster,before accepting an invitation to become Founding Principal of the Royal Northern College of Music in 1971, a post he held until his retirement in 1996.[9]

He held many other offices, including as programme director of the Cheltenham Music Festival for a quarter of a century (1969–1994), and as first chairman of the European Opera Centre in Liverpool from 1997. Manduell received the CBE in 1982 and was knighted in 1989. A memoir,No Bartok Before Breakfast,was published in 2016.[10]

Manduell lived with his wife, the pianistRenna Kellaway(1934-2024), inBentham,where he died, aged 89, in October 2017.[11]Renna Kellaway kept up her links with the area as Artistic Director of the Lake District Summer Music Festival.

Commissions and tributes

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In his various roles Manduell actively encouraged and promoted the work of young composers. Some 250 works were presented as a result of commissions by Manduell.[12]Works dedicated to or commissioned by him include Lennox Berkeley'sAntiphon(dedicated to Manduell, and performed in Cheltenham on multiple occasions from 1973), the 1983Elegy and Scherzo Alla Marciafor strings byGordon CrosseandAnother Dream Carouselfor string orchestra byAnthony Glibert.[13]

In 2015, the Gradi Ensemble - Claire Bradshaw (mezzo-soprano), Henry Herford (baritone), Craig Ogden (guitar),John Turner(recorder), Renna Kellaway (piano) - with The New Ensemble and Nossek String Quartet, issuedThe Music of John Manduell.[14]In 2020 Divine Art issued the CDSongs for Sir Johnas a tribute featuring works by 16 composers from different generations.[15]A second volume,The Fabulous Sir Johnfollowed in 2022, including further tribute pieces and a sequence of works by Manduell.[16]

In 2023, a bronze head and shoulders sculpture of Manduell was commissioned from sculptorHazel Reevesand will be revealed on the 21 June 2024 ahead of a concert featuring the RNCM Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Choir, under the direction of conductor David Hill MBE.[17]

Compositions

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As a composer Manduell wrote mostly chamber and orchestral works. Early pieces include theBelloc Variationsfor piano and orchestra, performed by soloist Renna Kellaway (his future wife), and theTrois Chansons de la Renaissance,which have been recorded.[16]There is a Viola Concerto from 1964 and a set of symphonic variations,Diversions(1969), for chamber orchestra.[18]His String Quartet (1970), the solo clarinet workPrayers from the Ark(1978, first performed byJack Brymer) and the Double Concerto (for soloDi-zi&Erhu,strings and percussion) were commissioned by the Cardiff Festival. ‘'Vistas’', a large form orchestral work, was commissioned by theHalle OrchestraandKent Naganoand premiered in 1997.[19]His string octetRondo for Nine(2005) has been recorded by the Manchester Chamber Ensemble, conducted by Richard Howarth.[13]

References

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  1. ^"Sir John Manduell CBE: 1928 - 2017 - Royal Northern College of Music".Retrieved9 November2017.
  2. ^"Sir John Manduell CBE 1928-2017 - Cheltenham Festivals".Cheltenham Festivals.Retrieved9 November2017.
  3. ^"European Opera Centre - leadership".europeanoperacentre(in French).Retrieved30 January2024.
  4. ^No Bartók Before Breakfast- A Musician's Memoir, John Manduell, Arc Publications, 2016, pp. 13, 14
  5. ^The Cambridge University Calendar, Cambridge University Press, 1896, p. 706
  6. ^ab"Sir John Manduell – obituary".Telegraph.co.uk.26 October 2017.Retrieved9 November2017.
  7. ^"Sir John Manduell".
  8. ^"Life story: Matthewman Donald Manduell | Lives of the First World War".
  9. ^"Obituary: Sir John Manduell".The Westmorland Gazette.2 November 2017.Retrieved9 November2017.
  10. ^Arc Publications
  11. ^'Friends bid farewell to Sir John Manduell',inThe Westmorland Gazette,10 November, 2017
  12. ^"Sir John Manduell".Thetimes.co.uk.6 November 2017.Retrieved9 November2017.
  13. ^ab'Antiphon - A Tribute to John Manduell', Dutton Epoch CDLX7207 (2008)
  14. ^Prima Facie PFCD027 (2015)
  15. ^Divine Art DDA25210 (2020), reviewed atMusicWeb International
  16. ^abDivine Art DDA25235 (2022)
  17. ^"RNCM Founding Principal to be honoured with sculpture".4barsrest.20 February 2024.Retrieved29 February2024.
  18. ^'Sir John Manduell (1928–2017)', an obituary by Kenneth Shenton
  19. ^Biography and catalogue, Wise Music
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