Leamington composer will not be forgotten

LEAMINGTON born composer Robert Simpson would have been 90 this year.

He died in 1997 but will not be forgotten in the town and on Friday June 17 a blue plaque will be put on the house in Rosefield Street where he was born.

Robert Simpson wrote eleven symphonies and fifteen string quartets, which for the second half of the twentieth century, remains an unusual achievement. His involvement with the Salvation Army helped him become well known in brass band circles, and he was prolific as a writer and producer on Radio 3.

He provided much pleasure to listeners with his programme The Innocent Ear, but he eventually resigned from the BBC, disillusioned with its policies.

His parents had been in the Salvation Army, so he also became well known in the brass band world. Simpson was equally prolific as a writer and as a celebrated producer on Radio 3, championing a range of composers from Haydn and Beethoven to Bruckner, Sibelius and Nielsen, who he almost single-handedly introduced into England.

On the day of the plaque unveiling a concert will be held at the Leamington Spa Centre at 7.30pm featuring the Coull String Quartet of Warwick University.

Philip Gallaway of the Coull Quartet said: “The Coull Quartet first met Robert Simpson in the late 70s, in his role as senior music producer for the BBC Radio 3, when they recorded music by Brahms and Rubbra.

“Shortly afterwards they were invited to illustrate some of Simpson’s public lectures on Beethoven’s chamber music and they also began to explore his own string quartets.

“Their relationship with the composer blossomed throughout the 80s and in 1984, the University of Warwick commissioned his tenth string quartet.

“They also gave the world premieres of the eleventh and twelfth quartets and his viola quintet, subsequently recording these works for Hyperion Records.

“The Coull Quartet regularly features Simpson’s quartets in its concert programmes, and his traditional yet highly distinctive voice has fascinated and impressed audiences and critics alike in the UK, Europe and America.”

For tickets visit the Spa Centre or call 334418.