John Barbirolli

Sir John (Giovanni Battista ) Barbirolli ( born December 2, 1899 in London, † July 29, 1970 ) was a British conductor and cellist.

Barbirolli came from a musical family, his father and his uncle were violinists in London theater orchestras, which were also appeared at La Scala under Arturo Toscanini. From 1912 to 1917 he studied at the Royal Academy of Music.

As a young cellist he had some sound recordings, played in the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO ) and got there early the opportunity for a solo performance. In the 1920s he turned to conducting and founded a chamber orchestra.

In the 1930 Barbirolli made ​​many recordings with the LSO and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he accompanied concerts by leading solo artists such as Fritz Kreisler, Jascha Heifetz and Arthur Rubinstein.

In 1937 Barbirolli was committed as successor to Toscanini as conductor of the New York Philharmonic, and although his five seasons there were musically successful as sound recordings of that time, he was under continual bombardment of the New York press.

In 1942 Barbirolli was urged to renew his contract, however, would have to accept U.S. citizenship to continue his stay, to which he was not willing. At this time, however, reached him an invitation to take over as principal conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester.

The members of the Hallé Orchestra were simultaneously committed at this time to the half even with the BBC, and promised as Barbirolli, this double obligation was dissolved and reorganized the Barbirolli Orchestra.

Barbirolli conducted the orchestra followed for 25 years. At the same time he also conducted the BBC orchestra and other London orchestras in concerts and on recordings with EMI.

Barbirolli was in second marriage with the oboist Evelyn Rothwell (1911-2008) married.