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Felix Aprahamian
The Daily Telegraph/UK
(Filed: 20/01/2005)
Felix Aprahamian, who has died aged 90, was a self-taught musical
polyglot who became known to a wide public through his thoughtful,
erudite and sparkling criticism.
He was a specialist in the organ repertoire, reportedly owning the
largest private collection of work for the instrument, and a champion
of French music. But above all he was an enthusiast who would travel
far and wide to hear little-known talent, even when he was not
required to write a review.
As a teenager, he visited Delius at Grez-sur-Loing, and on the same
trip sat alongside the elderly Widor in the organ loft. He never
parted company froma musician without first collecting an autograph,
and kept extensive and exquisitely crafted diaries narrating his
musical encounters. They were all impeccably filed, as was his
extensive correspondence with, among others, Messiaen.
Aprahamian became secretary of the Organ Music Society in 1931, at the
age of 17, and during the Second World War worked as concert director
for the London Philharmonic. In 1948, he was appointed deputy music
critic to Ernest Newman at the Sunday Times, which for the next 41
years was his mouthpiece, his writing bringing unfailing pleasure to
his readers. He became an unofficial assistant to Sir Thomas Beecham
(who was much taken with Aprahamian's knowledge of Delius), organised
concerts for the Free French in London and worked for United Music,
largely promoting French composers.
Aprahamian invariably added a splash of colour to the newspaper
office, returning from a Saturday night concert in his black opera
cloak with its scarlet satin lining, his white tie and monocle to
write up his review for the late edition. His neatly trimmed goatee
beard never had a hair out of place, andhis waistline was never far
from generous. For many years he chose to stand at the BBC Proms
concerts rather than occupy a seat.
In 1976 Aprahamian was one of the first people in the country to
invest in a set of headphones with a battery-operated radio hidden in
the band over the head. He purchased it in Japan for £19, and was
thrilled by the clear definition - and not just from the BBC. "I've
even picked up news of disturbances in this very road and nudes in the
telephone box in Duke's Avenue," he said when interviewed at home at
Muswell Hill about overhearing police messages. On occasions he would
point out to visitors a tree across the street from his front door
where Poulenc, suddenly caught short, had once answered a call of
nature.
Felix Aprahamian was born in London on June 5 1914, the son of an
Armenian carpet dealer. At the age of five he moved with his parents
to the house where he was to live for the rest of his life. He
attended Tollington High School, but was all too easily distracted by
music; his only other formal educationwas at a working men's
college. He took organ lessons locally, becoming a master of the
instrument and counting among his friends another outstanding
organist, William Lloyd Webber, father of Andrew and Julian.
His father used his contacts to find his son work in the City, but in
vain; Felix spent much of his time at concerts. In 1944 he was
instrumental in organising the first performance of Tippett's Child of
Our Time.
Aprahamian was a tireless translator, writer and editor, producing
programme notes that were always widely appreciated. He edited several
books, including two anthologies of Ernest Newman's writings (1956 and
1958) and a collection of weekly appreciations from the Listener
(1967). His reviews for Gramophone were widely read, but he struggled
to meet his deadlines and was dropped after 11 years.
His career on the Sunday Times ended after the paper printed his
review of a concert conducted by Gennadi Rozhdestvensky when the
conductor had, in fact, been too unwell to attend. Not that failing to
attend a concert had always been a problem: his first review (for the
Daily Express) was, he admitted, of an event he had missed.
Aprahamian championed younger musicians, and was always happy to sit
on juries and be a member of a panel selecting and encouraging
performers starting out on their careers. On one occasion in 1957 he
helped to judge a competition for members of the public to try their
hand as music critics, with prizes of 25 and 10 guineas offered by
Harold Holt Ltd.
Among his numerous other interests, he led the campaign to save the
Alexandra Palace organ, was a fearsome gourmet and regularly tended
his exquisite Japanese floodlit garden. He was an ardent Proustian and
kept a magnificentdisplay of tropical fish.
Asked a direct question, he would generally proffer a direct answer.
Questioned once about whether the music of Peter Maxwell-Davies and
Harrison Birtwistle would last, he replied, to the approval of Bernard
Levin: "Frankly, no." He turned down the offer of an OBE in 1987, but
in 1996 accepted the appointment of Officer de l'Ordre des Arts et des
Lettres for his promotion of French culture. His 80th birthday was
marked in 1994 by a concert of predominantlyFrench music given at a
packed Wigmore Hall by the Nash Ensemble. On that occasion he was
presented with a portrait of himself by the artist June Mendoza.
Latterly he was president of the Delius Society, and was delighted
when a work by the composer was chosen by the Tyneside Metro system to
be played over its public address system as a deterrent to vandals.
Felix Aprahamian died on January 15. He was unmarried.
The Daily Telegraph/UK
(Filed: 20/01/2005)
Felix Aprahamian, who has died aged 90, was a self-taught musical
polyglot who became known to a wide public through his thoughtful,
erudite and sparkling criticism.
He was a specialist in the organ repertoire, reportedly owning the
largest private collection of work for the instrument, and a champion
of French music. But above all he was an enthusiast who would travel
far and wide to hear little-known talent, even when he was not
required to write a review.
As a teenager, he visited Delius at Grez-sur-Loing, and on the same
trip sat alongside the elderly Widor in the organ loft. He never
parted company froma musician without first collecting an autograph,
and kept extensive and exquisitely crafted diaries narrating his
musical encounters. They were all impeccably filed, as was his
extensive correspondence with, among others, Messiaen.
Aprahamian became secretary of the Organ Music Society in 1931, at the
age of 17, and during the Second World War worked as concert director
for the London Philharmonic. In 1948, he was appointed deputy music
critic to Ernest Newman at the Sunday Times, which for the next 41
years was his mouthpiece, his writing bringing unfailing pleasure to
his readers. He became an unofficial assistant to Sir Thomas Beecham
(who was much taken with Aprahamian's knowledge of Delius), organised
concerts for the Free French in London and worked for United Music,
largely promoting French composers.
Aprahamian invariably added a splash of colour to the newspaper
office, returning from a Saturday night concert in his black opera
cloak with its scarlet satin lining, his white tie and monocle to
write up his review for the late edition. His neatly trimmed goatee
beard never had a hair out of place, andhis waistline was never far
from generous. For many years he chose to stand at the BBC Proms
concerts rather than occupy a seat.
In 1976 Aprahamian was one of the first people in the country to
invest in a set of headphones with a battery-operated radio hidden in
the band over the head. He purchased it in Japan for £19, and was
thrilled by the clear definition - and not just from the BBC. "I've
even picked up news of disturbances in this very road and nudes in the
telephone box in Duke's Avenue," he said when interviewed at home at
Muswell Hill about overhearing police messages. On occasions he would
point out to visitors a tree across the street from his front door
where Poulenc, suddenly caught short, had once answered a call of
nature.
Felix Aprahamian was born in London on June 5 1914, the son of an
Armenian carpet dealer. At the age of five he moved with his parents
to the house where he was to live for the rest of his life. He
attended Tollington High School, but was all too easily distracted by
music; his only other formal educationwas at a working men's
college. He took organ lessons locally, becoming a master of the
instrument and counting among his friends another outstanding
organist, William Lloyd Webber, father of Andrew and Julian.
His father used his contacts to find his son work in the City, but in
vain; Felix spent much of his time at concerts. In 1944 he was
instrumental in organising the first performance of Tippett's Child of
Our Time.
Aprahamian was a tireless translator, writer and editor, producing
programme notes that were always widely appreciated. He edited several
books, including two anthologies of Ernest Newman's writings (1956 and
1958) and a collection of weekly appreciations from the Listener
(1967). His reviews for Gramophone were widely read, but he struggled
to meet his deadlines and was dropped after 11 years.
His career on the Sunday Times ended after the paper printed his
review of a concert conducted by Gennadi Rozhdestvensky when the
conductor had, in fact, been too unwell to attend. Not that failing to
attend a concert had always been a problem: his first review (for the
Daily Express) was, he admitted, of an event he had missed.
Aprahamian championed younger musicians, and was always happy to sit
on juries and be a member of a panel selecting and encouraging
performers starting out on their careers. On one occasion in 1957 he
helped to judge a competition for members of the public to try their
hand as music critics, with prizes of 25 and 10 guineas offered by
Harold Holt Ltd.
Among his numerous other interests, he led the campaign to save the
Alexandra Palace organ, was a fearsome gourmet and regularly tended
his exquisite Japanese floodlit garden. He was an ardent Proustian and
kept a magnificentdisplay of tropical fish.
Asked a direct question, he would generally proffer a direct answer.
Questioned once about whether the music of Peter Maxwell-Davies and
Harrison Birtwistle would last, he replied, to the approval of Bernard
Levin: "Frankly, no." He turned down the offer of an OBE in 1987, but
in 1996 accepted the appointment of Officer de l'Ordre des Arts et des
Lettres for his promotion of French culture. His 80th birthday was
marked in 1994 by a concert of predominantlyFrench music given at a
packed Wigmore Hall by the Nash Ensemble. On that occasion he was
presented with a portrait of himself by the artist June Mendoza.
Latterly he was president of the Delius Society, and was delighted
when a work by the composer was chosen by the Tyneside Metro system to
be played over its public address system as a deterrent to vandals.
Felix Aprahamian died on January 15. He was unmarried.