Christopher Finzi
Encyclopedia
Christopher "Kiffer" Finzi (born 1934) is a British orchestral conductor.

He is the son of composer Gerald Finzi
Gerald Finzi
Gerald Raphael Finzi was a British composer. Finzi is best known as a song-writer, but also wrote in other genres...

. Like his father, the younger Finzi became a pacifist
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...

; he refused to do his National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...

, and was briefly imprisoned. After his father's death in 1956, he helped his mother, Joy Finzi
Joy Finzi
Joy Finzi was an artist and founder of the Finzi Trust, a foundation named for her deceased husband, composer Gerald Finzi....

, to establish the Finzi Trust
Finzi Trust
The Finzi Trust was founded in 1969 and seeks to further the music, ideals and work of Gerald Finzi. It has assisted individuals and organisations in a variety of ways and has initiated many projects reflecting the Trust's policy of encouraging young artists and composers.Recording projects have...

 and sustain Gerald Finzi's reputation. Their lifestyle was bohemian, living in a remote farmhouse.

Marriage

Christopher Finzi married Hilary du Pré
Hilary du Pré
Hilary du Pré is a British flautist and memoirist best known for her co-authorship of the book A Genius in the Family and contributions to the film Hilary and Jackie, both of which relate the family story around her sister, cellist Jacqueline du Pré.Du Pré is married to conductor Christopher...

, a flautist
Flautist
A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...

, in 1961, and they reared their four children in the family's home built by Finzi's parents, the composer Gerald Finzi and his wife Joy an artist, at Ashmansworth near Newbury, England. DuPré's younger sister, the cellist Jacqueline du Pré
Jacqueline du Pré
Jacqueline Mary du Pré OBE was a British cellist. She is particularly associated with Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor; her interpretation has been described as "definitive" and "legendary." Her career was cut short by multiple sclerosis, which forced her to stop performing at 28 and led to her...

, was part of the household during the 1970s, and memoir A Genius in the Family, written with her brother Piers, created a storm of controversy when it was revealed that Finzi had had an affair with his sister-in-law. The book later became the film Hilary and Jackie.

Background

Christopher Finzi was the elder of two sons. Both he and his younger brother Nigel (1936–2010) attended Bedales in Hampshire, an antidote to the harsh Victorian public school mentality, where they were exposed to a liberal education and intellectual freedom much in line with their parents' own progressive outlook on the world. Christopher Finzi attended the Royal Academy of Music and embarked on a career as a freelance cellist and became the conductor of the Newbury String Players after the death of his father who had founded the orchestra. He eventually turned his attention from music to farming, first establishing a poultry business at Ashmansworth. He and his wife operated a health food shop in Newbury.

He made several recordings in his capacity as a conductor, including a performance of Gerald Finzi's Dies Natalis and music by Robin Milford
Robin Milford
Robin Milford was an English composer.- Biography :Milford was born in Oxford, son of Sir Humphrey Milford, publisher with Oxford University Press. He attended Rugby School from 1916 where his musical talent for the piano, flute and theory was recognised, and studied at the Royal College of Music...

 and Edmund Rubbra
Edmund Rubbra
Edmund Rubbra was a British composer. He composed both instrumental and vocal works for soloists, chamber groups and full choruses and orchestras. He was greatly esteemed by fellow musicians and was at the peak of his fame in the mid-20th century. The most famous of his pieces are his eleven...

.

Conducting

From 1971 to 1997, Finzi was resident conductor of the North Wiltshire Orchestra. He remains particularly well known as an interpreter of his father's music.
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