George Weldon

{{Short description|English conductor (1908–1963)}} {{about|the English conductor|other uses|George Weldon (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}} {{Use British English|date=July 2012}} '''George Anthony Thomas Weldon'''<ref> King-Smith, p. 79</ref> (5 June 1908 – 17 August 1963) was an English conductor.

==Biography== Born in Chichester, Sussex, Weldon was the son of Major F H Weldon of the Sherwood Foresters.<ref name=times>"Mr. George Weldon", ''The Times'', 9 August 1963, p. 2</ref> He was educated at Sherborne School and the Royal College of Music. He studied conducting with Malcolm Sargent<ref> Halstead, [https://books.google.com/books?id=CGWyOhGfjUEC&q=%22george+weldon%22&pg=PA15 p. 15]</ref> and Aylmer Buesst.<ref>[http://www.naxos.com/person/George_Weldon/30350.htm Naxos]</ref> Weldon gained experience conducting regional orchestras in Newbury, Tunbridge Wells and Hastings.<ref name=mt>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/949241 Obituary, ''The Musical Times''], Vol. 104, No. 1448 (October 1963), p. 731</ref>

In 1943, at 36 years of age, he became the conductor of the City of Birmingham Orchestra in succession to Leslie Heward. He was dismissed in 1950, following unsubstantiated rumours that he was having an affair with Ruth Gipps, choirmaster of the Birmingham orchestra's chorus.<ref> Halstead, [https://books.google.com/books?id=CGWyOhGfjUEC&q=weldon&pg=PA151 p. 151]</ref> It was announced that Weldon would be replaced by Rudolf Schwarz; according to Gipps, Weldon resigned before he could be dismissed.<ref> Halstead, [https://books.google.com/books?id=CGWyOhGfjUEC&q=weldon&pg=PA32 p. 32]</ref>

In 1952 Weldon became assistant to Sir John Barbirolli at the Hallé Orchestra and remained in that position until his death. Supporting Barbirolli he conducted many of the more challenging new works introduced at the Cheltenham Music Festival. In 1955 and 1956 he also conducted the Sadler's Wells Ballet.<ref name=times/> While in Manchester, Weldon took charge of the Hallé summer seasons of promenade concerts, and many industrial concerts around the north of England. He frequently conducted in London and abroad, made broadcasts and - with the support of Walter Legge - many records.<ref>Chislett W A. Notes ''to British Concert Pops''. EMI LP, 30123, 1970.</ref><ref name=g>'[https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/george-weldon-conducts-british-music George Weldon conducts British music]', review of Dutton Labs CDCLP4002 in ''Gramophone'', July 1997</ref>

==Personal life and death== Weldon became well known for his love of sports cars and was an Aston Martin owner and enthusiast. In 1961 was one of the first buyers of a Jaguar E-Type.<ref name=times/> His Birmingham address was 41 Portland Road, Edgbaston.<ref>''Who's Who in Music'' (First Post War Edition, 1949-50), p. 251</ref> From the 1950s he occupied the first floor flat at 37 St. John’s Wood Road in London.<ref>'[https://www.stjohnswoodmemories.org.uk/content/arts/music-musicians/george_at_weldon_1908_-_1963 George A.T. Weldon 1908-1963]', St John's Wood Memories</ref> Suffering from increasing ill-health (asthma and angina), Weldon nevertheless embarked on a conducting tour of South Africa in the Summer of 1963. He was found dead in his bed on the morning of 17 August at the West Country Hotel, Cape Town. ''The Cape Argus'' for Monday August 19th stated that the cause of his death ‘was officially established as heart failure’.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090411090730/http://www.georgeweldon.co.uk/ ''George Weldon: A Life of Music and Very Fast Cars'' (2007), by Margery Law & Jean Powrie]</ref>

==Recordings== Weldon made a series of recordings for the Columbia, EMI and Pye record labels. His stereophonic recording of Tchaikovsky's ''The Sleeping Beauty'' with the Philharmonia Orchestra has been reissued on CD.<ref>Originally Classics for Pleasure CFP 133 (1958), reissued on CD as [https://www.discogs.com/release/12867874-Tchaikovsky-Philharmonia-Orchestra-George-Weldon-The-Sleeping-Beauty-Complete-Ballet-Op-66 CD-CFPD 4458 in 1990, Discogs]</ref> Elgar was one of his favourite composers.<ref name=mt/><ref>''[https://somm-recordings.com/recording/george-weldon-conducts-edward-elgar/ George Weldon Conducts Edward Elgar]'', SOMM CD 073 (2008)</ref> Numerous other recordings by Weldon are also available.<ref>'[https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/Nov13/Weldon_Birmingham_HRCD00027.htm George Weldon & the CBO Historic Recordings]', ''MusicWeb International'', 2013</ref>

==Notes== {{Reflist}}

==References== *{{cite book | last=Halstead | first=Jill | title=Ruth Gipps: Anti-modernism, Nationalism, and Difference in English Music | location=Burlington, VT | publisher=Ashgate | year=2006 | isbn=978-0-7546-0178-4 }} *{{cite book |last=King-Smith|first=Beresford|year=1995|title=Crescendo! 75 years of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra|location=London|publisher=Methuen|isbn=978-0413697400}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090411090730/http://www.georgeweldon.co.uk/ ''George Weldon: A Life of Music and Very Fast Cars'' (2007), Margery Law & Jean Powrie] * [https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/george-weldon-19081963-275790/search/actor:pannett-juliet-kathleen-19112005/page/2/view_as/grid Portrait of George Weldon] by Juliet Pannett (1956), Royal Academy of Music * [http://www.rtwcs.org.uk/archive/90plus.pdf Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society archive. 1942-3] * Richard Bratby. ''[https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2019/Dec/Forward_CBSO_book.htm Forward: 100 Years of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra]'' (2019)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weldon, George}} Category:1908 births Category:1963 deaths Category:English male conductors (music) Category:Musicians from Chichester Category:People educated at Sherborne School Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Music Category:20th-century English conductors (music) Category:20th-century English male musicians Category:Principal conductors of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra