Menuhin gets blue

Menuhin gets blue

News

norman lebrecht

June 29, 2023

The house where Yehudi Menuhin lived at 65 Chester Square will receive a blue plaque next week.

Speakers will include:
Prof William Whyte, St John’s College, Oxford & Chair of Blue Plaques Panel
Ben Gudgeon, Headmaster of the Yehudi Menuhin School
Rabbi Alexandra Wright
Jeremy Menuhin
Boris Kucharsky, Violinist & Principal Teacher at the Yehudi Menuhin School
Tasmin Little, Musician, Broadcaster & Co-president of the Yehudi Menuhin school
Unveiling by Julian Lloyd Webber, Solo Cellist & Music Educator

Comments

  • Larry says:

    Perhaps you can explain to us Yanks the significance of a blue plaque. I assume it means some sort of historic building?

  • Christopher Clift says:

    Given the earlier article about 22 former students of the Menuhin school raising complaints about sexual misconduct there, how long before the blue plaque is removed from his former residence?

    • Simon Scott says:

      @ Christopher Clift.
      There can be no doubt that a lot of untoward things have gone on in those places. However, in this instance, did Yehudi know? If I am reliably informed he only visited his school about twice a year. Also, this was before these atrocities came into the open. For example, was Maurice Gendron a predator or merely a toughie teacher?

  • Bob says:

    ‘Principal teacher’? The position doesn’t exist… Talk about ‘self-appointed professors’… These people need to get over themselves and have a long look in the mirror.

    As a former student there, I find the recently reported legal action interesting – it’s not just about sexual abuse, it’s a whole culture of competition, setting kids up against each other, that damaged lots of these people. The lawyers comments yesterday described it very well.

    The school should have been sensitive to the timing of this. It’s the Mickey Mouse titles (indicative of a guy still intent on showing off and destroying other people) that are the giveaway here. The real world has modernised away from the Soviet era competition (that has wrecked so much damage). The school should be making even more effort to show it has too.

  • Simon Scott says:

    Nathan Milstein also lived on Chester Square. Did he get a blue plaque….?????

  • Jean-Michel Molkhou says:

    Introduced by my friend Bruno Monsaigeon, I visited Lord Menuhin in this house for an interview in February 1996 and spent a wondeful afternoon with him . Great memory

  • Joel Kemelhor says:

    Is it pertinent to cite these lyrics from THE BEGGAR’S OPERA: “What Gudgeons are we Men ! / Ev’ry Woman’s easy Prey.”
    (Air XLV)

  • Nick2 says:

    I recall one year arriving at Heathrow with 8 hours till my connecting flight. I wanted to catch the exhibition “Handel and the Castrati” at the Handel House. So I cleared Immigration, took the Paddington Express and then a taxi to Brook Street. Asking the driver to stop outside Handel’s House I paid the fare and was walking to the door when I heard the driver shout “Oy! Wrong ‘ouse. You want next door.” It was in fact the correct house but the driver assumed I wanted the house with a similar blue plaque. That had once been Jimi Hendrix’ residence!

  • Robin Del Mar says:

    Norman Del Mar was refused a blue plaque as “ not being important enough “.

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