# Happy Birthday sir john!



## Pip (Aug 16, 2013)

On this day, 2nd December 1899 , Sir john Barbirolli was born.
One of the greatest conductors of the 20th century and one who I was lucky enough to have seen a dozen times or more.
To quote Wolfgang Stresemann, general manager of the Berlin Philharmonic, of which Barbirolli conducted almost 70 concerts in his last decade alone, "Barbirolli was not a specialist. He was an heroic interpreter of heroic music.
He always plumbed the inner depths, and the all embracing humanity of his musicianship was somehow imparted in an almost overwhelming manner to all the people with whom he came in contact"
The Berlin Morgenpost, on the announcement of his death summed it up with "The hearts of the philharmonic and of the Berlin public beat for him". quite a statement considering that 1970 was already 15 years into Karajan's tenure as chief of the BPO.

Does anyone else remember him?


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