Kenneth Alwyn Wetherell (28 July 1925 – 10 December 2020) was a British conductor, composer, and writer. Described by BBC Radio 3 as "one of the great British musical directors", Alwyn was known for his many recordings, including with the London Symphony Orchestra on Decca's first stereophonic recording of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. He was also known for his long association with BBC Radio 2's orchestral live music programme Friday Night is Music Night, appearing for thirty years as a conductor and presenter, and for his contribution to British musical theatre as a prolific musical director in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a Fellow of the Royal Academy of MusicAppointed as a Fellow in 2000. A list of all current holders of this honour ('FRAM') may be requested through the Royal Academy of Music and married the actress Mary Law in 1960. His website and the first volume of his memoirs A Baton in the Ballet and Other Places were both published in 2015. The second volume Is Anyone Watching? was published in 2017.Is Anyone Watching? Available on Amazon or through Alwyn's website links accessed 14 December 2020
Early life, wartime service and education
Alwyn was born Kenneth Alwyn Wetherell in Croydon, England, and attended the John Ruskin Boys' Central School (now known as John Ruskin College). After wartime service with the Royal Air Force, Alwyn joined the Royal Academy of Music (1947–1951), where he studied singing, viola and organ (with C. H. Trevor) and won the Manns Memorial Prize for conducting in 1952.The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians edited by Stanley Sadie (first edition, 1980) and The Oxford Dictionary of Music (Oxford University Press, 6th edition, 2012)Plaques commemorating prizewinners are held by the Museum of the Royal Academy of Musicapollo.ram.ac.uk He was the Sub-Professor of Organ and opera coach and founded the RAM Madrigal Choir. He did not use his surname during his career, and was instead credited as Kenneth Alwyn; this originated during his time at RAM, when he credited himself as such due to a rule which banned current students from performing professionally.
After a period as a Colonial Officer working with Radio Malaya in Singapore and a post as conductor with the Royal Wellington Choral Union in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1952,From the sleeve notes to Grieg: Peer Gynt - Suite No. 1, DECCA Eloquence 2012 Alwyn returned to England. Career
The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden
In 1952 Alwyn joined the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet (now known as the Birmingham Royal Ballet) as a conductor. In 1957, he moved to the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where he shared the rostrum with Malcolm Sargent, Ernest Ansermet, Arthur Bliss, William Walton, Hans Werner Henze and Benjamin Britten, from whom he took over Britten's original production of The Prince of the Pagodas. It received its premiere on 1 January 1957. Alwyn also served as musical director of the Western Theatre Ballet (now known as the Scottish Ballet) from 1967 to 1969.
Conducting tours
Alwyn toured extensively in Europe, North America, South Africa and the Far East. As principal conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in the 1960s, Alwyn conducted the first performance in Japan of Gustav Holst's The Planets, and introduced other British works to Japanese audiences.
BBC radio and television career
In 1958, the BBC invited Alwyn to conduct the BBC Concert Orchestra, marking the beginning of a long association between Alwyn and the BBC as a conductor and presenter of programmes including Friday Night is Music Night. Alwyn worked with all of the BBC's orchestras, serving as Associate conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra and, from 1969, as Principal conductor of the BBC Northern Ireland Orchestra (now known as the Ulster Orchestra). He also served on the BBC Music Advisory Committee.
Alwyn presented the BBC TV series The Orchestra, conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The series culminated in a performance of Benjamin Britten's Let's Make an Opera and was part of a pioneering educational movement, led by John Hosier, to teach music in schools through the medium of television. Alwyn also presented a BBC Omnibus documentary on the music of Tchaikovsky, directed by Sir John Drummond.
Alwyn's friendship with the comedian Dudley Moore led to a collaboration for Moore's final UK concert tour in March 1992. Alwyn conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra for a series of performances with Moore at the piano. These included a series of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, London, broadcast live on BBC Radio 4 and later released on CD under the title Live from an Aircraft Hangar (Martine Avenue Productions, Inc. 2001). Music from Moore's 1992 tour with Alwyn also featured in a BBC Radio 2 programme celebrating 60 years of the BBC Concert Orchestra, broadcast on 2 March 2012. Alwyn's friendship and stage performances with another popular British comic, Bob Monkhouse, are chronicled in Monkhouse's autobiography Crying with Laughter: My Life Story.Crying with Laughter: My Life Story by Bob Monkhouse published by Arrow Books (1994). References to working with Alwyn appear on pages 63, 148 and 149.
Musical theatre
To mark the year of his 80th birthday, Alwyn was interviewed by Edward Seckerson for BBC Radio 3's programme Stage and Screen, broadcast on 21 November 2005. The programme notes record that "Alwyn's career has encompassed many of the highlights of post-war British musical theatre". Working frequently with Gordon Langford as orchestrator, Alwyn served as musical director for the premieres of many Broadway and original British musicals, including the following productions:All production dates and cast information appearing in this article can be verified in Vivyan Ellacott's book London Musicals, published online www.overthefootlights.co.uk, accessed 14 December 2020
The Crooked Mile (Cambridge Theatre, London, 1959) starring Millicent Martin and Elisabeth Welch The Most Happy Fella (London Coliseum, 1959) starring Inia Te Wiata, Helena Scott and Art LundCast recording of The Most Happy Fella (HMV 1960) was reviewed in Gramophone magazine (August 1960, page 137) H.M.S. Pinafore (Her Majesty's Theatre, 1962) directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie The Pirates of Penzance (Her Majesty's Theatre, 1962) directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie Half a Sixpence (Cambridge Theatre, London, 1963) starring Tommy Steele, Marti Webb and James Grout Camelot (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, 1964) starring Laurence Harvey and Elizabeth Larner Charlie Girl (Adelphi Theatre, London, 1965) starring Derek Nimmo, Gerry Marsden and Anna Neagle Jorrocks (New London Theatre, 1966) starring Joss Ackland and Cheryl Kennedy
Alwyn made original cast recordings of all of the above shows and also made studio cast recordings (complete and/or highlights) of the following musicals:
Oliver! (1960) featuring Ian Carmichael Bitter Sweet (1961) featuring Susan Hampshire and Adele Leigh Kismet (1961) featuring Elizabeth Harwood Guys and Dolls (1962) featuring Adele Leigh West Side Story (1962) featuring Adele Leigh Carmen Jones (1962) featuring Grace Bumbry and Elisabeth WelchStudio cast recording of Carmen Jones (World Record Club 1962) was reviewed in Gramophone magazine (January 1963, page 365; July 1973, page 248) Porgy and Bess (1964) featuring Lawrence Winters and Isabelle Lucas Glamorous Night / Careless Rapture (1969, reissued 2005) featuring John Stoddart and Patricia JohnsonReissue reviewed in Gramophone magazine (January 2006, page 81) Gilbert & Sullivan Overtures (1963, reissued 2005) with the Royal Philharmonic OrchestraReviewed in Gramophone magazine (August 1970, page 339; March 1978, page 1627) Gilbert & Sullivan: Valerie Masterson and Robert Tear sing Gilbert & Sullivan (1983) with the Bournemouth SinfoniettaReviewed in Gramophone magazine (May 1983, page 70; July 1989, page 240; November 1993, page 185) The Most Happy Fella (2007) featuring Brian Blessed Carousel (2007) featuring Mandy Patinkin
Alwyn served as musical director for a production of the pantomime Dick Whittington at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre in 1955 starring Peter O'Toole. In recognition of his contribution to the world of British musical theatre, Alwyn and the Alwyn Concert Orchestra were invited to perform at the memorial service for Noël Coward, which was held in Westminster Abbey on 28 March 1984 in the presence of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
Orchestral recordings
Alwyn's orchestral recording career dates back to 1958, when he recorded Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture for Decca Records with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Band of the Grenadier Guards, which has been reviewed and critically acclaimed many times over the years in Gramophone magazine.Reviewed and discussed in Gramophone magazine (October 1958, page 200; July 1965, page 72; November 1966, page 264; May 1970, page 1767; January 1971, page 1224; April 1971, page 1637; August 1971, page 349; October 1973, page 770; November 1974, page 973; August 2012, page 90, September 2012, pages 22-23) and was chosen as one of its records of the year (1958 Gramophone Critics' Choice).Chosen by Malcolm MacDonald as one of his six recordings of the year for the 1958 Gramophone Critics' Choice annual review (December 1958) The recording famously featured slowed-down gunshots to mimic cannon fire.The recording technique was discussed in Gramophone magazine (April 1971, page 1637) It has remained a mainstay of the classical catalogue and was re-issued by Decca in 2012. Other notable recordings include Lord Berners' Wedding Bouquet with the RTÉ Chamber Choir and Sinfonietta (1996 Gramophone Critics' Choice).Reviewed in Gramophone magazine (July 1996, page 47) and chosen by Peter Dickinson as one of his five recordings of the year for the 1996 Gramophone Critics' Choice annual review (December 1996)
Selected discography:
Richard Addinsell: Warsaw Concerto / Hubert Bath: Cornish Rhapsody / Miklós Rózsa: Spellbound Concerto / Charles Williams: The Dream of Olwen / George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue with Daniel Adni and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (EMI 1980, 1988, re-issued 2006)Reviewed in Gramophone magazine (May 1980, page 1718) Paul Ben-Haim: Symphony No. 1 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (CBS) Ben-Haim: Symphony No. 2, Op. 36 / Concerto for Strings, Op. 40 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Nimbus Records for Jerusalem Records/Stradivari Classics, recorded 1962 and 1967, released 1984)Reviewed in Gramophone magazine (May 1984, page 28) Lord Berners: Wedding Bouquet / Luna Park / March with the RTÉ Chamber Choir and Sinfonietta (Marco Polo 1996) Jeremiah Clarke: Trumpet Voluntary with the Trumpeters of Kneller Hall, the Royal Military School and London Symphony Orchestra, recorded at the Opening Concert of the Aldeburgh Festival in 1953, at which Benjamin Britten and Imogen Holst also conducted works appearing on the same recording (Decca 1962, re-issued by Decca Eloquence) Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Hiawatha's Wedding Feast with Anthony Rolfe Johnson, the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (EMI 1984 and 2005)Reviewed in Gramophone magazine (December 1984, page 741; February 1985, page 1019) Coleridge-Taylor: The Song of Hiawatha / Symphonic Variations on an African Air with Bryn Terfel, Helen Field and the Welsh National Opera (Decca 1991, 1998 and 2002)An interview with Alwyn about the making of this recording and a review appeared in Gramophone magazine (September 1991, pages 34 and 110). The recording was also reviewed in a later edition of the same periodical (October 1991, page 70) George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue / An American in Paris / Piano Concerto in F with Malcolm Binns and the Sinfonia of London Orchestra (EMI 1966)Reviewed in Gramophone magazine (September 1969, page 387; October 1971, page 630; June 1974, page 116)