Raymond Cohen

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Raymond Hyam[1] Cohen (27 July 1919 – London, 28 January 2011) was an English classical violinist.

Biography

Early life and education

Born in

Hallé Orchestra as their youngest ever member. At age 19, he played the Bach, Mendelssohn and Brahms concertos with the Hallé in one evening.[3]

Career

Cohen spent two summers leading an orchestra in Blackpool, where he gained experience playing music ranging from The White Horse Inn to Beethoven symphonies and appearing twice a week as soloist. With the war looming, and while still at college, Cohen appeared as soloist in concerts and broadcasts throughout the North of England.

Cohen spent six years in the Royal Corps of Signals Band, playing the clarinet but still practising the violin, learning new repertoire, and even playing single movements of a violin concerto (Mendelssohn's) with the band. By the time he was demobilised, he had a repertoire of nearly 40 violin concertos. While still in uniform, he won the first Carl Flesch International Violin Competition in 1945.[3] This brought him to the notice of the musical world and soon led to concerts and recitals all over Britain and Europe.

By this time, Cohen had settled in London, and alongside his solo career, was in demand as a chamber music player, orchestral leader and teacher. He was a professor at the Royal College of Music. He was leader of the Goldsborough Orchestra (later to become the English Chamber Orchestra), the Haydn, the New Symphony and the Pro Arte Orchestras,[4] and also guest-led most of the UK's leading chamber orchestras as well as the Philharmonia, the London Symphony and BBC Symphony Orchestras. In 1959, Sir Thomas Beecham appointed Cohen leader of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a post Cohen held for six years. One of the highlights of that period was his 1960 appearance as soloist at the Royal Festival Hall (RFH) with the RPO and Beecham in the Goldmark violin concerto, in what proved to be Beecham's final concert at the RFH.[3]

Following his term as RPO leader, Cohen continued a career as a soloist and increased his work in chamber music.

Athens Festival), the first artist to appear on British television playing a violin concerto (the Mendelssohn),[3] and the first performance on video in England of Vivaldi's Four Seasons
.

Marriage and children

In 1953, Cohen married the pianist Anthya Rael. She had come from her native South Africa to study with the pianist and teacher Ilona Kabos. They had two children: Gillian, a violinist, and Robert, a cellist. Raymond and Robert gave duo recitals and appeared together in the Brahms Double concerto. Anthya joined her husband and son to form the Cohen Trio.[2] In 1993, the family was featured in a BBC radio programme called "The Musical World of Raymond Cohen". His widow and children survive him.

Discography

  • Raymond Cohen and Anthya Rael
Beethoven
Ten Sonatas for Violin and Piano Op.12,23,24,30,47,96
Meridian Records
  • Dvořák
Four Romantic Pieces
CRD Records
  • The Cohen Trio
Dvorak
The Complete Piano Trios Op21,26,65,90
CRD Records
  • Camille Saint-Saëns
Introduction et rondo capriccioso, Op.28
(Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / René Leibowitz)
-on youtube-

References

  1. ^ His middle name has alternately been given as 'Hyam' (Telegraph obituary) or 'Hyman' (Independent obituary).
  2. ^ a b "Raymond Cohen". Telegraph. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d Anne Inglis (22 March 2011). "Raymond Cohen obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  4. ^ a b Kenneth Shenton (28 April 2011). "Raymond Cohen: Violin virtuoso celebrated for his rich tone and sensitive interpretations". The Independent. Retrieved 19 January 2015.

Sources

  • Violinists of Today by Donald Brooke Copyright 1948 Published by Rockliff London
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