Evelyn, Lady Barbirolli OBE (24 January 1911, Wallingford-on-Thames, Berkshire - 25 January 2008) was an English oboist, and wife of the conductor Sir John Barbirolli.
She was born Evelyn Rothwell, and was always known professionally by that name until after she was widowed, when she became known as Evelyn Barbirolli. She rose to fame at a time when there were very few women in orchestras except for harpists. [1]
Early years
Evelyn Rothwell was born the daughter of a tea dealer in the City of London. Her mother was related to Charles Reade, a Victorian novelist. She did not take up the oboe until she was 17 when she started to learn at her school, Downe House, near Newbury. Her father was not supportive of her studying music, but her mother encouraged her to enter the Royal College of Music. She studied the oboe there with Léon Goossens. She also learned the piano as a second instrument as well as playing the cello and timpani. Benjamin Britten, who was nearly three years younger than Evelyn, was also a student there and he got her to play through some of his compositions for oboe.
She started her professional career by deputising for Leon Goossens in the Drury Lane Orchestra. She was soon appointed second oboe with the Royal Opera House touring company which was conducted by John Barbirolli. Barbirolli was already married, although his marriage was not to last. Barbirolli was then made conductor of the Scottish Orchestra (now called the Royal Scottish National Orchestra).
He appointed Evelyn as first oboe in the orchestra. He arranged several works for oboe and orchestra for her, including a concerto by Handel. Several of these can be heard on recordings they made. Vaughan Williams was particularly pleased with their recording of his oboe concerto. Several composers dedicated works to her, including Arnold Cooke, Stephen Dodgson, Arthur Benjamin, Edmund Rubbra and Elizabeth Maconchy. Henry Wood made her first oboist in the New Queen’s Hall Orchestra.
Years of marriage
Evelyn married Barbirolli in 1939, after he had divorced his first wife. By this time Barbirolli was conductor of the New York Philharmonic where he had succeeded Arturo Toscanini in 1936. Barbirolli and Evelyn lived in New York until 1943, when they returned to England so that Barbirolli could take over the conductorship of the Hallé Orchestra, based in Manchester. Evelyn occasionally played in the orchestra, although she kept her appearances there to a minimum in order to avoid charges of nepotism. When the Hallé Orchestra performed in Salzburg in 1948 she was the soloist in the first performance of Mozart’s Oboe Concerto, K. 314, a work which at that time was only known in the version arranged for flute and orchestra.
In Manchester, Evelyn devoted herself to helping Barbirolli. She was his secretary and chauffeured him everywhere. She was always present at rehearsals and her husband relied on her advice on matters of balance as she listened in the auditorium. As Barbirolli’s health deteriorated she hardly played her oboe but devoted her time to him. She travelled with him to America when he became conductor of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. During his last years Barbirolli’s former manager reportedly caused them severe financial problems. [2]
After Barbirolli’s death
After her husband's death in 1970 Evelyn started to play her oboe again. She taught at the Royal Academy of Music where she was affectionately known as “Lady B”. She frequently appeared as adjudicator at music festivals. She wrote books about the oboe: Oboe Technique and the 3-volume Oboist’s Companion as well as an autobiography Living with Glorious John. She was made an OBE in 1984. She died the day after her 97th birthday.
External references
External Links
|
