Mr. Willcocks was the most important figure in English choral music at the time, and, liking what he saw, he made some calls on Mr. Rutter’s behalf. Before Mr. Rutter’s student days were up, the carol was published and recorded by EMI. “By the standards of Mendelssohn, I was hardly a prodigy,” Mr. Rutter said, “but I’d made the transition from aspiring composer to functioning one.”He continued: “And all thanks to David Willcocks, who was a great enabler. Photo“When you write for choirs, you’re writing, generally, for amateurs,” Mr. Rutter said. “You can add Ravel to that,” said Mr. Rutter, who can be disarmingly robust in self-analysis.

Source: New York Times December 16, 2017 23:26 UTC