【古殿唱片音樂故事】作曲家芬齊(Gerald Finzi,1901-1956)、鋼琴家卡汀(Peter Katin,1930-2015)與英國LYRITA唱片
古殿殿主
這是一張1977年的英國LYRITA唱片（SRCS.92），收錄英國作曲家傑洛德·芬齊(Gerald Finzi,1901-1956)的三部作品：單簧管協奏曲、《大幻想曲與觸技曲》、《牧歌》。其中單簧管協奏曲於1949年首演，直到這張唱片才有了第一個錄音。
唱片封面很簡單：米黃色的條紋紙，中央一個橢圓畫框，框裡是芬齊年輕時的黑色剪影，拍於1920年代。
這張唱片背後有三個人值得記住：單簧管家約翰·登曼(John Denman)，鋼琴家彼德·卡汀(Peter Katin,1930-2015)，以及名字沒有出現在唱片上、卻讓這張唱片得以存在的LYRITA創辦人理查·伊特(Richard Itter,1928-2014)。
一位住在果園裡保存東西的作曲家
封底解說的作者是英國音樂學者黛安娜·麥克維(Diana McVeagh,1926-2025)。她沒有從作品分析說起，而是從芬齊的家說起：
一棟蓋在漢普郡丘陵高處的房子，一個花園，一片果園。芬齊在果園裡種的，是一批瀕臨絕種的古老蘋果品種；他用同樣的熱情，把被遺忘的詩人放進他的英國文學藏書，把英國早期音樂的古譜一份一份整理出來。
第二次世界大戰初期，所有音樂活動都停了。芬齊找來附近的業餘弦樂手，在家對面的教堂開音樂會，後來成了「紐伯里弦樂團」。他每週帶排練，為年輕作曲家的新作演出，卻拒絕讓這個樂團演奏自己的作品。
一個一生都在替別人保存東西的人，最不擅長的，就是替自己做這件事。
一首等了二十八年的單簧管協奏曲
單簧管協奏曲是三合唱團音樂節的委託作品，1949年9月9日在赫里福首演，獨奏者是弗雷德里克·瑟斯頓(Frederick Thurston,1901-1953)，芬齊親自指揮。瑟斯頓與芬齊同年出生，卻在1953年就過世了；三年後，芬齊也走了。英國《留聲機》雜誌的專文說，如果瑟斯頓活得久一點，他一定會錄下這首曲子。
他沒有機會。這首協奏曲的第一個錄音，就是這張唱片上登曼與新愛樂管弦樂團、弗农·韓德利(Vernon Handley,1930-2008)的版本。從首演到錄音，等了二十八年。《留聲機》還提到一組錄音時的照片：登曼與韓德利在錄音，芬齊的遺孀喬伊·芬齊(Joy Finzi,1907-1991)在一旁看著。
唱片封底與標籤上都印著一行字：與芬齊信託基金合作錄音。
一位作曲家的妻子，在丈夫過世二十一年之後，第一次聽到他的協奏曲被記錄進磁帶裡。這一刻對她來說有什麼樣的意義？當第三樂章那個迴旋曲主題，麥克維說它一定是二十世紀最歡樂的旋律之一。
從節日音樂廳到錄音室：卡汀的二十多年
第二面的《大幻想曲與觸技曲》，是一首慢慢長成的曲子。初稿寫於1927至28年，當時只是一段鋼琴獨奏；芬齊的老師說它放不進鋼琴協奏曲，只能當賦格前面的幻想曲。芬齊把它放了二十五年，直到1953年再加上完整的管弦樂團，完成這首曲子。
封底解說記下了它最早的兩次演出：1953年12月9日在紐伯里，由芬齊的朋友約翰·羅素(John Russell)彈鋼琴，芬齊親自指揮；1954年7月8日在倫敦節日音樂廳，羅素改當指揮，鋼琴家是彼德·卡汀，那年卡汀二十三歲。
二十多年後，當年在倫敦彈這首新作的年輕人，也為它首次錄製了唱片。MusicWeb International的評論者喜歡這個錄音喜歡到說「無可超越」，並說卡汀與韓德利為這部作品立下了「黃金標準」；對同一面的《牧歌》，他說聽起來像拉威爾的慢樂章。
在「古殿」之前寫的兩篇關於卡汀的文章裡，我們認識了一位「選擇安靜」的鋼琴家：他不參加比賽，不經營名氣，在日本握一個手就答應為菅野沖彦錄音。他說過，他不演奏自己無法認同的音樂；他也說過，希望自己被記得的，是做出了超越潮流的音樂。
這張唱片對卡汀來說也十分符合他的個性。芬齊在他的時代不是潮流；到了1970年代，他更是一位已經過世二十年、被認為「保守」的英國作曲家。一位從不彈自己不相信的音樂的鋼琴家，二十幾年後還在彈這首曲子，這本身就是一個答案。
聽聽看：開頭的鋼琴獨奏 麥克維認為，這段很長的鋼琴獨奏，是芬齊對巴赫(Johann Sebastian Bach,1685-1750)大型即興作品的個人回應，特別是《半音階幻想曲》。而卡汀在他的第一張DECCA鋼琴獨奏唱片（1959年）裡，開場彈的正是巴赫《半音階幻想曲與賦格》，1987年又重錄了一次。聽這段獨奏時，你聽到的是芬齊在向巴赫說話，也是一位拿巴赫開場的鋼琴家在回答。
LYRITA：英國作曲家、英國演奏家、英國唱片錄音師、英國母帶製作中心
這張唱片能存在，靠的是那個名字沒有出現在唱片上的人。
封底最下方印著一個地址：白釐漢郡伯納姆。這不是哪家大唱片公司的總部，而是商人與唱片收藏家伊特的家。1959年，他創辦了LYRITA RECORDED EDITION，以郵購訂閱的方式發行唱片。當時英國唱片界由HMV與DECCA主導，兩家都面向國際市場，二十世紀中期的英國作曲家在它們的目錄裡幾乎沒有位置。伊特只做一件事：由英國音樂家演奏英國作曲家的音樂。整個目錄裡，唯一一張非英國音樂的唱片，是巴西鋼琴曲。
芬齊是LYRITA最早錄音的作曲家之一。這張唱片封底右下角，列出了LYRITA當時已經發行的三張芬齊唱片；兩年後，韓德利又為LYRITA錄下芬齊大提琴協奏曲的第一個錄音，獨奏者是年輕的馬友友(Yo-Yo Ma,1955-)，那也是他的第一個商業錄音。
伊特自己不喜歡站在台前，但他做了一個關鍵的決定：花重金請DECCA提供錄音技術、製造與發行服務。一個人的唱片公司，就這樣用上了DECCA的製作人與錄音師，包括傳奇錄音師肯尼斯·威金斯(Kenneth Wilkinson,1912-2004)。不過這是DECCA提供的技術合作，唱片上從不標示錄音師等詳細資料，這張也不例外；但它的錄音品質，與DECCA自家唱片的最高水準是同一個等級。他經營了三十二年，2012年成立信託基金接手，讓這些錄音轉成CD繼續問世；他自己生前錄下的約四百五十張BBC廣播金屬片與八百盤開盤帶，如今也全數交由信託基金保存整理。
這張唱片，從頭到尾都是英國的。英國作曲家的作品，英國音樂家的演奏，由英國DECCA的錄音團隊錄音、製作與發行；翻到唱片內圈，還刻著「NIMBUS」字樣。NIMBUS是另一家英國公司，位於英格蘭與威爾斯交界的懷亞斯通莊園(Wyastone Leys)，1977年起在莊園裡刻片與壓製黑膠，品質很快建立名聲；1984年，它開設了英國第一座CD工廠，並自行研發雷射母帶製作系統，成為世界級的錄音母帶製作中心。多年後，接手LYRITA的，也正是這家公司。英國作曲家、英國演奏家、英國唱片錄音師、英國母帶製作中心，這張唱片本身就是伊特那個念頭最完整的樣子：英國的音樂，由英國人自己留下來。
一位在果園裡種下瀕臨絕種蘋果樹的作曲家，遇上一位在自己家裡為被忽略的英國音樂建唱片庫的收藏家。這張唱片，是兩個「保存者」的相遇。
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[Gudian Record Stories]Composer Gerald Finzi (1901–1956), Pianist Peter Katin (1930–2015), and Britain’s Lyrita Recorded Edition
A 1977 British Pressing of Quiet Devotion
Resting on my table is a 1977 British LP on the Lyrita label (SRCS.92), gathering three works by English composer Gerald Finzi (1901–1956): the Clarinet Concerto, the Grand Fantasia and Toccata, and the Eclogue. The Clarinet Concerto had received its world premiere back in 1949, yet had to wait until this very disc for its first commercial recording.
The cover design is understated: cream-colored laid paper framing a central oval cameo, inside which sits a black silhouette of Finzi as a young man, captured in the 1920s.
Three men behind this record deserve to be remembered: clarinetist John Denman, pianist Peter Katin (1930–2015), and a figure whose name appears nowhere on the sleeve, yet without whom the recording would never have existed—Lyrita founder Richard Itter (1928–2014).
A Composer Who Preserved Things in an Orchard
The rear sleeve notes were contributed by English musicologist Diana McVeagh (1926–2025). Rather than opening with formal musical analysis, she begins with Finzi’s home:
A house perched high on the Hampshire downs, surrounded by a garden and an orchard. In that orchard, Finzi cultivated rare, endangered varieties of antique English apples; with that same quiet devotion, he rescued forgotten poets for his library of English literature and painstakingly edited early 18th-century British orchestral manuscripts one score at a time.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, public concert life ground to a halt. Finzi gathered local amateur string players to give concerts in the parish church opposite his home, an ensemble that evolved into the Newbury String Players. He led their weekly rehearsals and championed new scores by emerging young composers, yet steadfastly refused to allow the orchestra to program his own music.
A man who spent his entire life preserving the creations of others was least adept at doing the same for himself.
A Clarinet Concerto That Waited Twenty-Eight Years
Commissioned for the Three Choirs Festival, Finzi’s Clarinet Concerto premiered in Hereford Cathedral on September 9, 1949, with soloist Frederick Thurston (1901–1953) and the composer conducting. Born in the same year as Finzi, Thurston passed away prematurely in 1953; three years later, Finzi followed him. A feature in Gramophone observed that had Thurston lived a little longer, he would inevitably have committed the concerto to disc.
He never had the chance. The world premiere recording of the concerto is this very performance by John Denman with the New Philharmonia Orchestra under Vernon Handley (1930–2008). Twenty-eight years had elapsed between premiere and first recording. Gramophone also recalled session photographs showing Denman and Handley at work in the studio while Finzi’s widow, Joy Finzi (1907–1991), looked on quietly.
Printed on both the back cover and the record label is a single line: Recorded in association with the Finzi Trust.
A composer’s widow, twenty-one years after her husband’s death, hearing his concerto committed to tape for the first time. What must that moment have meant to her as the third movement’s rondo theme unfolded—a melody McVeagh described as surely one of the happiest tunes written in the twentieth century?
From the Royal Festival Hall to the Studio: Katin’s Two-Decade Journey
On Side Two, the Grand Fantasia and Toccata represents a score that matured slowly over decades. Initially drafted between 1927 and 1928 as a solo piano piece, it was set aside after Finzi’s composition teacher advised that it could not fit inside a traditional piano concerto, suggesting it serve instead as an introductory fantasia to a fugue. Finzi let the manuscript rest for twenty-five years before adding full orchestral scoring in 1953.
The sleeve notes document its earliest performances: premiered on December 9, 1953, in Newbury with Finzi’s friend John Russell at the piano and the composer on the podium; then performed on July 8, 1954, at London’s Royal Festival Hall with Russell taking the baton and twenty-three-year-old Peter Katin as soloist.
More than two decades later, the young pianist who had championed that new score in London returned to set down its premiere recording. A reviewer for MusicWeb International praised the performance as "unsurpassable," declaring that Katin and Handley had established the "gold standard" for the work, while noting that the companion Eclogue sounded akin to a slow movement by Ravel.
In two previous Ancient Palace essays on Katin, we encountered a pianist who "chose silence": he avoided international competitions, shunned publicity campaigns, and agreed to record for Okihiko Sugano in Japan on the strength of a single handshake. He once remarked that he refused to play music he could not believe in, expressing the hope that he might be remembered for music-making that transcended passing fashion.
This record fits Katin’s character entirely. Finzi was never fashionable in his own lifetime; by the 1970s, twenty years after his death, he was widely dismissed as a conservative English pastoralist. That a pianist who refused to play anything outside his convictions returned to this score more than twenty years after its premiere is an eloquent statement in itself.
Listen closely to the opening solo. McVeagh regarded this extended unaccompanied piano introduction as Finzi’s personal response to J. S. Bach’s (1685–1750) large-scale improvisatory keyboard works, specifically the Chromatic Fantasia. Tellingly, Katin had opened his very first Decca solo recital LP in 1959 with Bach’s Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue, returning to record it again in 1987. Listening to those opening bars, one hears Finzi conversing with Bach—answered by a pianist who made Bach his own lifelong point of departure.
Lyrita: British Composer, British Performers, British Engineers, British Mastering
This recording owes its existence to the man whose name never appears on the sleeve.
At the very bottom of the back cover sits an address: Burnham, Buckinghamshire. This was not the corporate headquarters of a major record company, but the private residence of businessman and record collector Richard Itter. In 1959, he founded Lyrita Recorded Edition, initially operating via mail-order subscription. At the time, the British recording industry was dominated by HMV and Decca, both oriented toward the international market, leaving mid-twentieth-century British composers largely absent from their catalogs. Itter dedicated himself to a single mission: recording British music performed by British artists. Across the entire Lyrita catalog, the sole exception to British repertoire was a solitary disc of Brazilian piano music.
Finzi was among the earliest composers championed by Lyrita. In the lower-right corner of the sleeve, the label lists three Finzi LPs already in its catalog; two years later, Handley recorded the world premiere of Finzi’s Cello Concerto for Lyrita, featuring a young soloist named Yo-Yo Ma (b. 1955)—his very first commercial recording.
Averse to personal publicity, Itter made one decisive business choice: he paid handsomely to contract Decca’s engineering teams, manufacturing plants, and distribution network. A one-man independent label thus gained access to Decca’s top producers and balance engineers, including the legendary Kenneth Wilkinson (1912–2004). Because this operated as an external technical service provided by Decca, individual engineers were never credited on Lyrita sleeves—this issue included—yet the resulting sonic fidelity matched Decca’s finest house productions. Itter ran the label for thirty-two years before establishing a charitable trust in 2012 to oversee its transition onto compact disc; his personal archive of roughly 450 BBC broadcast transcription discs and 800 open-reel tapes was likewise entrusted to the foundation for preservation.
Every link in the production chain of this record was British. Music by a British composer, performed by British artists, tracked and produced by British Decca’s engineering team—and examine the inner run-out dead wax, and you will find the stamped inscription: NIMBUS. Located at Wyastone Leys on the English-Welsh border, Nimbus began cutting lacquers and pressing vinyl on-site in 1977, rapidly earning a reputation for audiophile pressing quality. In 1984, it opened the United Kingdom’s first compact disc manufacturing plant and developed its own proprietary laser mastering system, becoming a world-class mastering center—and decades later, it was Nimbus that assumed stewardship of the Lyrita catalog. British composer, British performers, British engineers, British mastering house: the physical artifact is the complete realization of Itter’s vision—British music preserved by British hands.
A composer planting endangered apple trees in a country orchard, meeting a collector building a recorded sanctuary for neglected British music inside his own home. This record is the meeting point of two preservers.