Hugh Wood (1932-2021)

We have lost another composer close to the heart of NMC. His tautly constructed, powerfully expressive music is featured on 3 major discs, covering music written between 1965 and 2006. His first orchestral work, Scenes from Comus, was paired with his 1982 Symphony, both recorded in 1999. The First Violin Concerto and Cello Concerto were one of our early ‘Ancora’ CDs - originally recorded in 1978 and re-released in 2003. More recently we were very happy to be able to record a significant disc of his vocal works with a star cast, which included the song cycle Wild Cyclamen.

Hugh was always a pleasure to meet, his warm personality hiding a formidable intellect. He will be much missed, especially by those he taught over a long career which began at Morley College and concluded with more than 20 years at the University of Cambridge.

Colin Matthews