Raymond John Leppard (11 August 1927 – 22 October 2019) was a British-American conductor, harpsichordist, composer and editor. In the 1960s, he played a prime role in the rebirth of interest in Baroque music; in particular, he was one of the first major conductors to perform Baroque opera, reviving works by Claudio Monteverdi, Francesco Cavalli and Jean-Philippe Rameau. He conducted operas at major international opera houses and festivals, including the Glyndebourne Festival where he led the world premiere of Nicholas Maw's The Rising of the Moon, the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera House. He composed film scores such as Lord of the Flies and Alfred the Great.

Life and career

Leppard (pronounced LEPP-ard) was born in London and grew up in Bath,-->

His interest in early music prompted him to prepare several realisations of scores from the period. While musicologists considered his editions controversial, his performances were important for introducing early operatic masterpieces to the general public. In 1962, he prepared a performing score of Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea for a production at the Glyndebourne Festival. He conducted several of his realisations both in the theatre and in the recording studio.

See also

  • Monteverdi: Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (Raymond Leppard recording)
  • Rameau: Dardanus (Raymond Leppard recording)
  • Frederica von Stade: Monteverdi & Cavalli Arias (Raymond Leppard recording)

Further reading

  • Raymond Leppard on Music: An Anthology of Critical and Personal Writings Pro/Am Music Resources, 1993,

References

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  • Raymond Leppard interview, 8 January 1986
  • Raymond Leppard Schmidt Artists International
  • An interview with Raymond Leppard (sound recording) British Library 1992
  • Raymond Leppard (Conductor) Bach Cantatas Website 2006