John Warnaby (1942-2007) : A tribute by Marc Bridle

 

It is with great sadness that Seen and Heard announces the death of John Warnaby. He died on 11 January at the age of 65 after a short battle with cancer.

 

A contributor to Seen and Heard since its foundation, his focus was on contemporary music, and there were few writers anywhere who brought such breadth of knowledge and such enthusiasm to the subject. His writings were distinguished by the authority of experience – he attended all the major festivals, almost every year. His reviews from Huddersfield, the Wittener Tage, the Münchener Bienalle and Donaueschingen, along with his annual visit to the Scottish festivals on Orkney and Mull were keenly anticipated. His interviews with Brian Ferneyhough and the 95^th birthday appreciation he wrote for Elliot Carter were models of their kind.

 

He did not write exclusively for anyone and apart from Seen and Heard his reviews for Tempo and Musical Opinion, as well as his substantial critical legacy in Europe, and especially Germany, helped establish his reputation as one of the leading critics of his day. One sensed from reading a John Warnaby review that he knew not only the music but the composers and unlike many writers he was never afraid to admit that something was new to him. With John Warnaby, one felt that self-discovery, hearing something new from an hitherto unknown composer was as important as hearing, what to him, became very familiar music.

 

In this sense, his contribution to the critical writings about Peter Maxwell Davies must be seen as one of his most long-lasting achievements. Apart from countless reviews of Maxwell Davies’ concerts and recordings, he also wrote a luminous entry in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians on the composer, something which supplements his own PhD on the composer which was completed in 1990 – The Music of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies based on the Writings of George Mackay Brown. He was also a notable authority on the music of Luigi Nono, contributing both a piece to Seen and Heard and the Cambridge University Journals on the composer on what would have been Nono’s 80^th birthday had he lived to that age.

 

Below is a selection of John Warnaby’s reviews and articles published in Seen and Heard. His early death robs us all of a very fine critic.

 

Marc Bridle

 

Elliott Carter at 95: Link

Brian Ferneyhough and 'Shadowtime' : Link

Luigi Nono: Link

The Tenth Münchener Biennale 2006 : Link

Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik 2006: Link

 

30th St. Magnus Festival, Orkney 2006: Link

Donaueschinger Musiktage 2005: Link