Robert Bignell
Dutch-born violinist and conductor (b. 8 January 1863 [N.S.][1] in the Hague; d. 13 September 1919 in Altona, Hamburg), born Robbert Wilhelmus Bignell.
Bignell spent most of his life in Hamburg (he resided in the nearby town of Altona, now a suburb of the Hanseatic city), playing first in the orchestra set up in Hamburg by Julius Laube, and eventually becoming leader of the Philharmonic Society's orchestra. It was as a member of the former ensemble that Bignell took part in a concert organized by Laube on 6/18 January 1888 in honour of Tchaikovsky, who had come to Hamburg as part of his first tour of Germany as a conductor of his own works. Bignell went to Russia with the rest of Laube's orchestra when the latter, thanks to Tchaikovsky's endorsement, was engaged to perform at the famous concerts at Pavlovsk every summer from 1888 to 1891.
Correspondence with Tchaikovsky
One letter from Tchaikovsky to Robert Bignell has survived, dating from 1890, and has been translated into English on this website:
- Letter 3999a – 8/20 January 1890, from Moscow.
One letter from Bignell to the composer, dated 26 December 1888/7 January 1889, is preserved in the Tchaikovsky State Memorial Musical Museum-Reserve at Klin (a4, No. 263).
External Links
Notes and References
- ↑ Some sources give his year of birth as 1834 or 1852.
