Barry Griffiths, conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and gifted solo violinist obituary

Barry Griffiths, who has passed away at the age of 81, was the leader of several British orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic, which he conducted from 1975 to 1988; he was also an excellent soloist, giving glorious accounts of Elgar’s Violin Concerto, the Meditation from Massenet’s opera Thas and Vaughan William’s The Lark Ascending, which he recorded in 1987 with the RPO and Andr Previn.

He arrived at the RPO shortly after the start of Antal Dortis ‘three-year reign as chief conductor and it was often up to him to calm the Hungarian maestros’ boisterous outbursts. Yuri Temirkanov was the conductor he most enjoyed working with, the pair formed a close friendship based on a shared belief in how music should be played, which is evident in their glittering stories about Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.

Griffiths was very loyal to the RPO, and colleagues noted that in addition to Christmas and family holidays, mostly in Devon, he was always there. Not long after he started, he was offered some lucrative film work, but he said to the session fixer, I have a job as the leader of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, why would I want to work for you? He was never asked again.

Barry Warwick Dominic Griffiths was born in Birmingham on May 20, 1939, the only child of Frank Griffiths, a butcher, and his wife Margaret (ne Johnson). Both were amateur musicians and from an early age Barry was encouraged to play the piano and violin, ending up as leader of his local youth orchestra.

After graduating from Manchester College of Music, he worked as a freelancer with the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra before joining their second violins in 1964. He led the orchestras’ table tennis team and was appointed leader in 1972.

Three years later, his recording with them of Strausss Ein Heldenleben conducted by Kurt Sanderling was heard by the RPO, who invited him to London. After 13 years he switched to the orchestra of the English National Opera. Mark Elder, the music director at the time, recalled his arrival as absolutely groundbreaking in taking the orchestra to the next level in terms of their feelings about themselves.

Griffiths retired in 2004, but continued to coach student orchestras, most notably the Lydian Orchestra in South East England. Although he is respected for treating his youngsters like professional musicians, he can be acerbic about their timekeeping.

He was also a skilled pianist and on orchestral tours he could be found on his way to the piano in the hotel bar, entertaining his colleagues over a glass of red wine. Where alcohol was not allowed, it would come from a teapot. When there was no piano, he played poker until the wee hours, but never missed the orchestra bus the next morning. He invariably returned with a new hat and collected a collection including a Mexican sombrero and a Turkish fez.

Andrew Klee, the current leader of the RPO, recalled that the only time Griffiths was late for a rehearsal was when he showed up for a provincial engagement only to find there was no reserved parking space. When he protested that he was the leader of the RPO, the parking attendant replied, Well, I’m the leader of this parking lot and you don’t park here.

Griffiths, who had been raised as an Anglican, converted to Rome in 1998 and said that, just as he appreciated strong leadership in an orchestra, he also appreciated it in the Church. He laughed heartily and infectiously, and a week before he died, he was plotting to escape from the hospital by helicopter and winch. He was appointed OBE in 1992.

In 1964 he married Angela Caldwell, whom he met in a student string quartet when she played the violin and the viola. She survives him with eight children, who form their own ensemble.

Barry Griffiths, born May 20, 1939, died September 17, 2020