Off to London to hear a re-discovered masterpiece.

I listened to BBC Radio 4 this morning as a fascinating story was told involving a lot of people important and dear to me. Next Saturday, July 4 ,I will be sitting in Saint Paul's Knightsbridge, listening to Guirne Creith's Violin Concerto, and trying to take in the amazing history behind this performance. While a student at the RAM in London in 1959, I lived for a year in the home of Baroness Van Zuylen, a pianist, singer, and all around fine musician. She had two sons, Robin and Jeremy, and they were a few years younger than me.Robin was busy with his first job, and Jeremy was at Stowe during the week, but often home on weekends. Altho known to me as Guirne Van Zuylen, she also had various other names that became apparent over the years...Gladys Cohen, Guirne Hunter-Coddington, Guirne Creith, Guirne Van Zuylen, and lastly Guirne Siddons(?). There was indeed a lot of mystery about her, and portions of her life were not discussed, or just veiled over.I think, as a young musician with a vivid imagination, that none of this bothered me at the time, as I already knew enough about the world of creativity to allow for many personality types, and Guirne was endlessly fascinating! Mr. Hunter-Coddington was the father of her two sons, but they were divorced after a few years. Although Guirne never told me she was a composer, she did talk alot about the art of orchestration, and I just surmised that she must have written some works. There was a bookcase in an unused room, and while looking for something Guirne had sent me in search of, I noticed a bundle of music manuscripts on the bottom shelf. I just assumed they were some of her work, but I never actually looked at them closely.

About two years ago, I re-established contact with the family, after a silence of almost 45 years. Amazingly enough, my email arrived almost to the day of what would have been her 100th birthday, although she passed away in the mid-1990's. In her honor, her sons had established a website, telling what they knew of her life's story, and inviting friends and contacts to share their memories. Shortly there came the unusual news that a manuscript of a violin concerto by Guirne Creith had been discovered in a second hand piano shop that was going out of business. In a box marked "all contents 2 pounds" was the manuscript. It was purchased by an individual, curious enough to search for information until he was led to her son, Robin Hunter-Coddington. Robin verified her handwriting, at the same time hardly believing what he was looking at. He began his own search for information, never having known that his mother composed anything. Through research at the RAM and BBC, he finally learned that she had won important prizes while a student, and had written several ballets, piano sonatas, songs and orchestral works. Robin's hard work has resulted in this first performance since the 1930's, which will be presented by the Kensington Orchestra.

The work has already been recorded in a splendid performance by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, produced by Epoch Records. For most in the audience, this will be their initial introduction to Guirne Creith. More ...after the concert.