Douglas Boyd picks up Mackerras Proms Baton
Posted on July 22, 2010
The BBC Proms has announced that Manchester Camerata’s Music Director Douglas Boyd will replace the late Sir Charles Mackerras to conduct the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s prom on Thursday 29 July.
| The late night prom – featuring Dvorak’s Serenade in D minor for winds, cello and double bass, opus 44, and Mozart’s Gran Partita serenade – is one of two which would have been conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras who died last week at the age of 84.
Douglas Boyd played oboe for Mackerras when he conducted Brahms’s First Symphony with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. “Sir Charles had a huge influence on a whole generation of musicians and his death was met by great sadness. I am so honoured to be asked to take over the Prom that he was going to conduct. The programme is one that I was brought up with, first as an oboist with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and as a conductor with Camerata. Performing at the Proms with Manchester Camerata has been incredibly exciting and I am delighted to go back to what is probably the greatest music festival in the world.” Douglas Boyd has worked with the SCO before and has previously conducted twice at the Proms. He is currently Music Director of Manchester Camerata – the 2010/11 Season will be his tenth and last with the ensemble. He’s also Chief Conductor of the Musikkollegium Winterthur, Principal Guest Conductor of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of City of London Sinfonia. |
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This coming Sunday’s prom at the Royal Albert Hall will be dedicated to the great conductor. The baton will now be wielded by Vassily Sinaisky. Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance in E minor, opus 72 number 2, will replace a Strauss waltz in honour of Sir Charles’s championing of Czech music.
Read the news on the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Website
Tom Service in the Guardian previews the Proms tributes
BBC News reports Tribute Concert