Sir Neville Marriner's 90th birthday concert
The great English conductor celebrates his 90th birthday at London's Royal Festival Hall with Joshua Bell, Murray Perahia and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the orchestra Sir Neville founded. You can hear the performance in full on Friday 4 April at 8pm in the Full Works Concert.
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1. An extraordinary concert
Classical music lovers were out in force at London's Royal Festival Hall on 1 April 2014 for the 90th birthday gala concert for the great British conductor, Sir Neville Marriner. 'For most 90-year-olds, it would be enough to attend a concert, let alone conduct it,' said Kenneth Sillito, a former leader of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Photo: Mark Allan
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2. Early rehearsals
Preparations began a day early with rehearsals at the Henry Wood Hall in Trinity Church Square, London. Here Sir Neville discusses some finer points of Mozart's Piano Concerto No.20 with pianist Murray Perahia, ahead of the following evening's performance.
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3. Mozart in rehearsal
Pianist Murray Perahia, a longtime associate of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, rehearses Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 with the orchestra conducted by Sir Neville Marriner at Henry Wood Hall, London on 31 March 2014, ahead of Sir Neville's 90th birthday concert the following night.
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4. Rehearsals in the Royal Festival Hall
Conductor Sir Neville Marriner and pianist Murray Perahia, with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, move their rehearsal onto the stage of the Royal Festival Hall, in the shadow of its magnificent, newly-restored organ. Photo: Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
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5. Joshua Bell rehearses Saint-Saens
Sir Neville Marriner observes as the American violinist Joshua Bell rehearses the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields at the Royal Festival Hall in Saint-Saëns’s Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. Sir Neville founded the ensemble in 1958. Photo: Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
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6. Marriner, Perahia and Bell
Three star performers meet at the rehearsals in London's Royal Festival Hall ahead of Sir Neville Marriner's 90th Birthday Concert on 1 April, 2014. From left to right: Sir Neville Marriner, Murray Perahia and Joshua Bell. Photo: Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
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7. Joshua Bell opens the concert
Violinist Joshua Bell - Sir Neville Marriner's successor as Music Director of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields - opened the concert with a superb performance of Saint-Saëns’s Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. Photo: Mark Allan
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8. Joshua Bell thanks the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Joshua Bell shows his appreciation to the musicians of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the ensemble that Sir Neville Marriner founded in 1958, at the 90th Birthday Concert for Sir Neville, 1 April 2014 at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Photo: Mark Allan
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9. Ovation from the audience
Joshua Bell and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields receive warm applause at the 90th Birthday Concert for Sir Neville Marriner at the Royal Festival Hall. Photo: Mark Allan
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10. Murray Perahia plays Mozart
Murray Perahia plays Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner at the conductor's 90th birthday concert, 1 April 2014. Photo: Mark Allan
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11. Sir Neville Marriner conducts Elgar's Enigma Variations
Sir Neville Marriner returned to the podium after the interval to give a stylish and energetic reading of Elgar's Enigma Variations, that belied the conductor's 90 years. Photo: Mark Allan
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12. Rapturous applause
Sir Neville Marriner brings the players of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields to their feet at the end of a magnificent performance of Elgar's Enigma Variations, at the conductor's 90th birthday concert, Royal Festival Hall, London, 1 April 2014. Photo: Mark Allan
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13. A bow of gratitude
Sir Neville Marriner acknowledges the standing ovation from the Royal Festival Hall audience at his 90th birthday concert. Photo: Mark Allan
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14. Happy Birthday, Sir Neville!
Kenneth Sillito, the leader of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in the performance of Elgar's Enigma Variations serenades Sir Neville Marriner with a special 90th birthday tribute. Photo: Mark Allan
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15. Thunderous reception
Sir Neville Marriner returns to the Royal Festival Hall stage to thunderous ovation. He was celebrating his forthcoming 90th birthday in a special gala concert with the ensemble he founded, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Photo: Mark Allan
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16. The stars celebrate
Joshua Bell, Sir Neville Marriner and Murray Perahia celebrate the conductor's birthday after the concert at London's Royal Festival Hall. Photo: Mark Allan
