Frederick Riddle
Frederick Craig Riddle OBE (20 April 1912 – 5 February 1995) was a British violist. He was considered to be in the line from Lionel Tertis and William Primrose, through to the violists of today such as Lawrence Power.[1]
Early life and career
Frederick Riddle was born in Liverpool in 1912. He studied at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London from 1928 to 1933. He had a solo career while playing with the London Symphony Orchestra from 1933 to 1938. In 1938, was appointed principal viola with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He was a professor of the RCM from 1948 onwards. In 1953, he succeeded Harry Danks as principal violist of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.[2] In that same year he was selected by Sir Adrian Boult to play in the orchestra for the Coronation of Elizabeth II.[3]
Riddle was distinguished as a chamber music player and a concerto soloist. He made the first recording of William Walton's Viola Concerto, on 6 December 1937,[4] with the composer conducting.[5] He was recommended for this recording by Lionel Tertis. He made some revisions to the concerto, with Walton's approval.[6] Although Walton conducted the work many times with leading soloists such as Tertis and William Primrose, the interpretation he liked above all others was Riddle's.[7] He also performed the work in concert under Beecham.[2]
Personal life and death
Riddle was married twice, and had three daughters. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1980.[5] His first wife was soprano, conductor, and voice teacher Audrey Langford.[8] In 1946, he married soprano singer Helen Clare.[9]
He died in Newport on the Isle of Wight in 1995, aged 82. He was survived by Clare, his second wife, who died in 2018, at the age of 101.[9]
Premieres
Works that Frederick Riddle premiered included:
- Malcolm Arnold's Viola Sonata, in the 1940s.[10]
- Arthur Benjamin's Viola Concerto, in 1949, with the Hallé Orchestra under Sir John Barbirolli.[11]
- Concerto for Viola (arranged from the works of G. F. Handel by John Barbirolli). Cheltenham, June 1949. Hallé Orchestra, cond. John Barbirolli.[12]
- Elizabeth Lutyens's Viola Concerto, Op.15, in 1950 at the Promenade Concerts, with the BBCSO and John Hollingsworth conducting.[13]
- Giorgio Federico Ghedini's Viola Concerto, in 1953, with Beecham conducting.[2]
- Martin Dalby's Viola concerto, written for Riddle. First performance at BBC Proms, 1974. BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Norman Del Mar.[14]
- Justin Connolly's Anima for viola and orchestra, in 1975, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Charles Groves[15]
- Howard Blake's Prelude for Solo Viola, Op. 402, in 1980[16]
Appearances and recordings
He appeared in such works as:
- Berlioz: Harold en Italie (recorded with Beecham[4] and Hermann Scherchen[17])
- Delius: Serenade from incidental music to James Elroy Flecker's Hassan (recorded with Beecham)
- E.J. Moeran: Trio for Strings in G major, R. 59 (recorded with Jean Pougnet, violin; and Anthony Pini, 2nd viola)
- Mozart: Duo for Violin and Viola No. 1 in G major, K 423 (recorded with Szymon Goldberg)
- Mozart: Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano in E flat, K 498 ("Kegelstatt Trio") (recorded with Reginald Kell and Louis Kentner)[4]
- Rubbra: Viola Concerto in A, Op. 75 (with Beecham)[2]
- Richard Strauss: Don Quixote (recorded with John Kennedy, RPO, Beecham conducting)[18]
- Vaughan Williams: Flos Campi (with the Bournemouth Sinfonietta and Bournemouth Sinfonietta Chorus, under Norman Del Mar)[4]
- Vaughan Williams: Suite for Viola[19]
Sources
- Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed, 1954, Vol. VII, p. 160
- Music Web International
References
- ↑ "BBC Music Magazine". Archived from the original on 16 May 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 Alan Denson (25 February 1995). "Obituary: Frederick Riddle". The Independent.
- ↑ "Coronation Music". The Musical Times. 94 (1325): 305–307. July 1953. doi:10.2307/933633. JSTOR 933633.
- 1 2 3 4 "ArkivMusik". Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
- 1 2 Answers.com
- ↑ williamwalton.net Archived 2010-06-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ The Walton Viola Concerto: A Synthesis Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Elizabeth Forbes (30 August 1994). "Obituary: Audrey Langford". The Independent.
- 1 2 "Helen Clare, singer – obituary". The Telegraph. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ↑ "Naxos". Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
- ↑ "British Music – Concerts by the Hallé Orchestra – Cheltenham Festival". The Scotsman. 1 July 1949. p. 4.
- ↑ "Repertoire database. Performance: 091CHE/1/4. Concerto for Viola & Strings". halle.co.uk. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
- ↑ "The World of Music". The Stage. 14 September 1950. p. 12.
- ↑ "A style gone with the wind". Daily Express. 9 September 1974. p. 12.
- ↑ "Royal Philharmonic Orchestra". Illustrated London News. 1 March 1975. p. 12.
- ↑ howardblake.com
- ↑ "clsassicalcdreview". Archived from the original on 21 November 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
- ↑ somm recordings
- ↑ Classical.net
- 1912 births
- 1995 deaths
- Alumni of the Royal College of Music
- British classical violists
- Musicians from Liverpool
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- Players of the London Symphony Orchestra
- Players of the London Philharmonic Orchestra
- Players of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- 20th-century British classical musicians
- 20th-century British musicians