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Trevor Pinnock

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Trevor Pinnock is a British harpsichordist and conductor, born in 1946 in Canterbury. As a boy he sang in the choir of Canterbury Cathedral, became a church organist and began playing harpsichord at fifteen. At the Royal College of Music he studied organ and harpsichord. One model was Gustav Leonhardt, although he did not study with him. In 1966 he made his London debut with the Galliard Harpsichord Trio, which at that time still played Baroque music on modern instruments.

Music and breakthrough

In November 1972 that trio became The English Concert, an orchestra that plays Baroque and Classical music on period instruments. Pinnock felt that performances on modern instruments had reached an endpoint and wanted to embark on a voyage of discovery. He was one of the pioneers of the historically informed performance movement. In 1975 he played harpsichord in the first-ever performance of Rameau's last opera, Les Boréades. For more than thirty years he led the orchestra, usually from the harpsichord or organ, until he handed over the direction to the violinist Andrew Manze in 2003. He made many recordings with the group, including works by Bach and Handel.

Influence

In addition he founded The Classical Band in New York in 1989 and from 1991 to 1996 was music director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. As a guest conductor he appeared before the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Wiener Philharmoniker, among others. His recording of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos with the European Brandenburg Ensemble won a Gramophone Award. Pinnock showed how lively Baroque music sounds when it comes from the instruments of its own time.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a Brandenburg Concerto by Bach in Pinnock's performance and notice the sound of the harpsichord among the strings. How does that differ from a modern symphony orchestra?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists