A knighthood for my neighbour
NewsThe standout promotion in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List today is our neighbourhood pianist.
Arise, Sir Stephen Hough!
Also on HM’s gift list are the orchestra activist Chi-Chi Nwanoku (CBE), and Harry Bicket (OBE).
Two Arts Council suits get an upgrade: It’s a CBE for Darren Henley, chief executive of Arts Council England, and an OBE for Nick Capaldi, chief executive of Arts Council Wales (until 2021)
And a very well deserved MBE for Julia Desbruslais who, when the London Mozart Players might have gone under some six years ago, stepped up from the cello section to take on the role of Executive Director and has done a sterling job.
Far from the only British orchestra that would benefit from being managed by players.
Yes, well deserved, but this post is about Stephen Gough being Knighted!!
Stephen Hough’s K is indeed more than exceedingly well deserved. But SD also mentions gongs for performers Nwanoku and Bicket, plus “suits” Henley and Capaldi, but didn’t mention one of the most deserved of all – someone who has managed to mix continuing as fine performer with (by becoming an extremely successful “suit”) turning around the fortunes of an ailing orchestra. Julia Desbruslais has, behind the scenes, done a huge amount for British orchestral music, and her modest honour is thoroughly earned.
Stephen Hough I should say, not Gough.
Oh, that’s just fantastic news. I’ve known him a long time from the North, and he’s done so much for British music, and not just playing the piano. Delighted!
Well deserved, but I expect he got it for reasons other than that of being your neighbour, Norman.
No cynical “All shall have prizes” headline?
Bravo, Stephen. A truly well-earned gong.
Congrats to the amazing Sir Stephen Hough!
Hough’s is long overdue … ever since, decades ago, he recorded those excruciatingly difficult Hummel concertos!
Nor is Scharwenka a stroll in the park!
Congratulations, Sir Stephen!
You took the words right out of my mouth (or out of my fingers perhaps). He described them as shark’s teeth.
Strange you left out Elizabeth Llewellyn who was also honoured.
Congratulations Sir Stephen! A greatly deserved honour.
Congratulations to Sir Stephen. Richly deserved.
I can’t resist this question: was Solomon Cutner never honored by the queen? How did they possibly overlook him?
Remember that in those days the Honours system was not as totally corrupted and discredited as it is now. It’s not the sovereign who gets to make most of the choices, it’s the PM of the day. The current one stuffs his cronies into the House of Lords, buys the silence of potentially dangerous critics like the Collector of Pet Tarantulas, and hands out gongs to all those who do his bidding rather than recognising true excellence. The paltry way in which the Scottish Olympic curling team were rewarded for their gold medal is symptomatic of the political tensions between Westminster and Edinburgh. Numerous people who deserved to be recognised over the years have not been, and I don’t just mean people like Alan Bennett who have chosen to decline honours, while one mediocrity after another, one political hack after another, one bootlicking satrap after another have been showered with meaningless references to a British Empire that never even exists today. Make of that what you will.
Yes he was truly one of the Greatest
How can he be overlooked
A great person that he was
That brought so much joy into this world
Petros Linardos : something to remember is that quite a significant number of people are offered honours, but decline them , and Solomon, who was a very private person, may have been one of them
Solomon was awarded a CBE if I remember correctly. Stephen had bagged a CBE I believe.
Is there a blue plaque on any of the places Solomon lived? Always meant to find out, and if not mount a campaign to right a possible wrong.
Well deserved. Sir Stephen is one of the few who are considered “intellectuals” in the classical music world who actually deserve the adjective. He’s a truly insightful and knowledgeable mind at the keyboard.
‘Sir Stephen is one of the few who are considered “intellectuals” in the classical music world who actually deserve the adjective.’
Well deserved Stephen but he needs a better accolade.
The definition of an intellectual in Classical music is a performer that can spell the name of the composer they are playing.
That really is total nonsense. I am surprised that such obviously ridiculous pig-ignorant garbage was not ‘strangled at birth’, that is ‘moderated out’ before ‘publication’.
Since we’re nit picking: that should be “who can spell.”
It’s unsurprising perhaps that BBC News just listed footballers and pop stars with no mention of this significant (to readers here) artist.
PS What about his chum Isserlis!?
I was thinking about SI too. Surely he is as desrving
Huzzah ! Fantastic news. Congratulations to Sir Stephen.
Congratulations Sir Stephen. A brilliant pianist & multi talented individual. A Renaissance man in the true sense of the word