Barry Tuckwell

In 1958 the great artist Barry Tuckwell blew into our lives when he married Ann’s cousin Sally Newton. This famous French-horn player is now a legend and he leaves many records of his genius for posterity. We became firm friends and still occasionally meet when he comes to England from his native Australia. We share a similar outlook on music and I treasure his confirmation of this when I played Godowsky’s ‘Alte Wien’ to him. This was the last time I played the piano before my hearing deteriorated to the point than I could no longer hear the piano as a piano but more like a xylophone and my two CDs recorded at the end of the nineties were now completely impossible for me to listen to.

Barry became chairman of thre LSO for several years before leaving to give more time to his solo playing. He occasionally spent a night with us and he once invited me to try and blow a note on his French-horn. I couldn’t make a sound!

We often went to London to hear him play and I remember the day he conducted the LSO in Elgar’s Enigma Variations and then coming on to the platform with hi French-horn and playing a Mozart Horn Concerto. A delightful reminiscence.

Barry Tuckwell

We had a pleasant visit from Barry Tuckwell a while ago. I shall post more details soon but here is a picture.