John Barbirolli

Among the leading conductors of the mid-20th century, John Barbirolli was acclaimed for his interpretations of Vaughan Williams, Mahler, and the late Romantics generally. He spent many years as conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, building that group into a world-class ensemble. Barbirolli was born on December 2, 1899, in London. He was of Italian and French background and used the name Giovanni Barbirolli into young adulthood. As a child, he studied the violin and then cello, and he made his recording debut on the cello in 1911 and debuted as a performer a short t...