I first started taking portraits of musicians almost by chance. I was in Buenos Aires and, one Sunday, I was invited to spend the day on a yacht on the river. Also invited was Peter Maxwell Davies, who was passing through on a Fires of London tour. Of course we were ‘old mates’ of the London new music world and we had a fine time together. I took a photo of him that, when I got home and processed, (oh the days before digital!) was especially good. On the off chance of selling it I took it to Boosey and Hawkes, his publishers, and there Sally Cavender, in charge of promotion bought it, and started commissioning me to photograph other composers.….Eventually we married….!
Sandor Vegh, I had the privilege of conducting the Beethoven Violin Concerto with Sandor in the very early days of Prussia Cove. I am happy to say we hit it off very well together, and he insisted I took over from another colleague in a different venue.
Anthony Payne, composer, and amongst other things, editor of Elgar's Third Symphony.
Malcolm Williamson, composer and Master of the Queen's Music (1975-2003).
George Benjamin, composer at a very young age. George must have been about 20 when I took this picture. George is a very good friend, apart from being a genius composer!
George Benjamin, perhaps five years after the previous photo.
George Benjamin, perhaps 15 years later.
Howard Skempton, outstanding British minimalist composer as a young man.
Peter Maxwell Davies, a colleague from my earliest days. This is one of my favourite photo portraits.
Jonny James was the juggler with the 'Fires of London'. This photo I took when we were on tour in Eastern Germany in the days of deepest communism.
Tamas Vasary, at the time I took this photo he was still an international pianist. Later he became a conductor. I love the brooding gaze. He made a very profound remark to me and my wife Sally. "The music profession is like a casino, your talent is your entry key, but it doesn't mean you will win at the tables".
Susan Bradshaw, I first met Susan as a composer, which profession she abandoned early on. An excellent pianist, friend of Richard Rodney Bennett, and, amongst many activities, translator of works written by Pierre Boulez.
Magdalena Kozena, singer with a voice to die for, and the wife of Sir Simon Rattle. I have never been able to catch her true beauty in a photo, alas!
Thomas Ades, I have had several photo sessions with Tom, and find it very difficult to do justice him. A towering genius.
Thomas Ades, my guess very young, possibly taken in the great library of Trinity College Cambridge when my daughter Mary sang his composition 'Life Story'.
Thomas Ades, as a very young man at his composition
Julian Anderson, Composer at a very early time. Not only a composer but one of the most knowledgeable musicians I know, and a brilliant musical analyst.
Julian Anderson, just a little older.
Julian Anderson as mature composer.
Jonathan Harvey, composer - genius. I am very proud of this image, and of having been a friend of his from the moment I first heard his composition Bahkti.
Nicholas Maw, composer. Nick was a close friend of ours and a 'bon vivere'.
Nicholas Maw, composer. Nick's profile has been eclipsed in recent years, but he deserves to be 'rediscovered'. There, that is a challenge for one of my younger colleagues!
Nicholas Maw, composer.
Peter Sculthorpe, Australian composer. Spent many happy hours with Peter whenever he visited the UK.
Michael Berkley and his first wife Deborah Rogers, with passing tribute to 'American Gothic' by Grant Wood!
Michael Berkeley at his farm in Wales.
Simon Rattle, as a young conductor at Glyndebourne
Simon Rattle, on his way to becoming my ideal conductor!
Kyung-Wha Chung, violinist sometime in 1970's. I think Kyung-Wha gave her first performance of the Elgar Violin Concerto with me and the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra (of which I was Musical Director from 1974 to1987). We bonded well, and I remember a very happy couple of Beethoven concertos with her later.
Colin Matthews, composer at the very start of his career.
Colin Matthews, composer as a handsom young man!
Colin Matthews, composer at his desk.
Colin Matthews, composer. A great friend and colleague, who, with his brother David, also a composer, has played an important role in my life.
Alexander (Sandy) Goehr, composer and Professor of Music at Cambridge University. Sandy's father played an immensely important part in my life. I first met Sandy when having a lesson with his father, and as a result visited Sandy in Manchester and met all the members of the Manchester Group (Birtwhistle, Maxwell Davies, Ogden etc). This was the beginning of really New Music in the UK by british musicians.
Alexander Goehr, composer outside his Cambridge house.
Carolin Widmann, violinist and close friend of my wife.
Carolin Widmann, without her violin, looking stunning!
Imogen Cooper, pianist. We first met when she was a very tender-aged competitor in a BBC Mozart Piano Concerto Competition. From there she has grown into one of the most formidably gifted British musicians of our time.
Peter Maxwell Davies, composer. Outside his house in Orkney. In our early years I had a close relationship with Max. Sadly this ended over contractual disagreements with his manager.
Yfrah Neaman, violinist. We worked together quite a lot whilst I was Principal Conductor of the BBC Welsh Orchestra (1965-1971). He lived round the corner from us in London, and his wife was our doctor for sometime.
Black and white portrait of a man with shoulder-length hair, wearing a turtleneck sweater, looking at the camera with a slight smile.
Malcolm Arnold, ex trumpet player, composer, and sometime difficult personality. Somehow I got on well with him, despite our wildly opposing musical views at the time.
Oliver Knussen, composer in a very relaxed mood.
David Matthews, composer and elder brother to Colin Matthews. Early days,
David Matthews, composer at his desk.
Jill Gomez, singer. A wonderful voice. We recorded a disc of Mahler songs and David Matthews 'Cantiga'.
Donald Mitchell, Mahler scholar and founder of Faber Music.
Paul Griffiths, one of the most perceptive writers on music of our time.
Philippa Davis, flautist supremo! Philippa was a mainstay in the 'Fires of London' ensemble.