Charles Groves

Sir Charles Barnard Groves CBE (born March 10, 1915 in London , † June 20, 1992 ibid) was a British conductor .

Groves was a choirboy at St Paul's Cathedral and then studied piano and organ at the Royal College of Music . In 1938 he took up a position as choirmaster at the BBC , became conductor of the BBC Revue Orchestra in 1943 and was from 1944 to 1951 conductor of the BBC Northern Orchestra, later the BBC Philharmonic . In 1951 he became conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra . In 1961 he moved to the Welsh National Opera and from 1963 was musical director of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra , from 1967 combined with the position of Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra . From 1978 to 1979 he directed the English National Opera , after which he worked as a guest conductor in and outside the UK.

Groves was particularly committed to the work of British composers, but also took works by German, French and Russian composers into the program (which numerous recordings are evidence of). He was the first British conductor to conduct a complete cycle of Gustav Mahler's symphonies . In 1968 he became Commander of the Order of the British Empire , 1973 Knight Bachelor .

literature

• Arthur Jacobs, Bernard Keeffe:  Groves, Sir Charles (Barnard). In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).

Web links

• Robert Cummings: Charles Groves at Allmusic (English)