Livia Gollancz 1920-2018

[Barbirollians]

As Once Was 4 told us on the Beethoven symphony thread Livia Gollancz died last Thursday at the age of 97 ( according to the Bookseller website) .

An extrardinary force in the publishing world when few women held positions of such responsibility and of course a very fine horn player. Have played that wonderful Dutton CD of the Bax Symphony No3 with the Halle and Barbirolli in which she plays the horn solo so atmospherically.

RIP .

[Once Was 4]

As Once Was 4 told us on the Beethoven symphony thread Livia Gollancz died last Thursday at the age of 97 ( according to the Bookseller website) .

An extrardinary force in the publishing world when few women held positions of such responsibility and of course a very fine horn player. Have played that wonderful Dutton CD of the Box Symphony No3 with the Halle and Barbirolli in which she plays the horn solo so atmospherically.

RIP .

What she did not say in the interview is that she subsequently played at the Royal Opera House (which she did not like) and at Sadlers Wells Opera (which she did like and spoke with great respect of its then conductor Michael Mudie). Here the 4th horn was the great Aubrey Brain at the sad end of his career but she said that he was always polite, never complained and kept himself to himself. She also returned to Manchester for a while and played 1st horn in the BBC Northern Orchestra whilst its usual 1st horn, Sydney Coulston, was in the USA with Beecham and the RPO.

What a career and what a great person!

[Richard Tarleton]

I met her in 1969 at a publishing party for a book by my ailing father, an edition of some Antarctic diaries. Unusual territory for Gollancz, possibly, the decision to publish had been taken by an editor who seemed to depart the scene at some point during the process, but it carried on regardless. Livia, bless her, hired the RRS Discovery (which was moored on the Thames at the time) for the do. She was delightful and very easy to talk to (I was at university at the time). I confess I knew nothing of her horn playing until Once Was 4's and Barbs's posts. I did read her father's memoir "Journey Towards Music", which is still available on Amazon.

[Hornspieler]

A very fine horn player and a pleasure to works with. I remember playing second horn to her in a performance at Worcester Somerville University in a stage performance of Cosi fan Tutti with Colin Davis at the helm and his wife April Cantello singing the principal role.

Olivia rattled off that tricky little horn solo with consumate ease.

Such a pity that she gave up playing to take over her father's publishing business.

A lovely person and a great example to other wind playing ladies.

HS

(I Got back to London too late to catch a train home and spent the night kipping on Colin's settee.).

RIP