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Robert Matthew-Walker (born 23 July 1939) is an English composer, writer, editor marketer and broadcaster, mainly involved in classical music.
Robert Matthew-Walker was born in Lewisham, London, and studied at Goldsmiths College, the University of London, the London College of Music, and the London College of Printing (now University of the Arts, London). After leaving the Army in 1962, following service at the Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre (JARIC), the War Office, and in North Africa, he studied composition privately with the French composer Darius Milhaud in Paris in 1962–63.
He was employed in the City as Company Secretary of Thom & Cook Ltd and founded the Tunnel Club rock venue in Greenwich in 1968. He joined CBS Records in 1970; three months later he was appointed head of their classical department in London. In 1974 he became Director of Marketing for CBS, succeeding Clive Selwood. During his time there 14 of the company's singles were in the Top 50 and 7 of CBS's albums in the Top 20 in the same week. He was later Director of Masterworks Marketing, Europe, for CBS in Paris.
In 1975, he joined RCA Records in London as Head of the Classical Department, where he was responsible for launching James Galway's career, and at one point, the company had three full-price classical albums in the Top 50 pop album charts at the same time.
He founded several specialist classical labels, including Phoenix Records, Trax Records, and AVM Classics – each of which has had at some point the number 1 best-selling classical album. Robert Matthew-Walker has produced over 130 albums, and won the Grand Prix du Disque of the Academie Charles Cros in 1980 for his recording of Brian Ferneyhough's Sonatas for String Quartet by the Berne String Quartet (the first recording of any of Ferneyhough's works), amongst several other recording awards for his work as a producer. He compiled the first two series of '100 Greatest Classics' for Filmtrax, and for Stylus 'The Pavarotti Collection' (reissued by Decca as 'The Essential Pavarotti') which sold over 600,000 copies and reached no. 8 in the pop album charts. He also appeared with the disco rapper Adamski on a dance single, 'Kraktali Daze'.
Robert Matthew-Walker was for many years a member of The Critics' Circle. From 1984 to 1988 he edited the magazine Music and Musicians , and between 1996 and 2008 the UK Grieg Society's journal The Grieg Companion (Vols 1–12). In April 2009, he became the editor of Musical Opinion and its sister-publication The Organ ; he is also a contributor to Classic Record Collector . [1] He has broadcast many times, and in 1980, he wrote and presented an eight-part History of Classical Recording for BBC Radio. He has published sixteen books, not all of them on musical subjects, and in total has sold half a million copies. He has also been a Fellow of the Atlantic Council of Great Britain.
As a composer, his substantial output includes six symphonies (1956-68), the Symphonic Variations for Orchestra (1955), concertos for flute, horn, oboe and cello, four string quartets and various violin and piano sonatas. Works such as Days To Remember: Three Pieces for Rock Band (1966) and the Meditation on the Death of Elvis Presley (1980) reveal his parallel interest in rock music. [2]
Elvis Aaron Presley, also known mononymously as Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Known as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Presley's energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, brought both great success and initial controversy.
Darius Milhaud was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and Brazilian music and make extensive use of polytonality. Milhaud is considered one of the key modernist composers. A renowned teacher, he taught many future jazz and classical composers, including Burt Bacharach, Dave Brubeck, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Iannis Xenakis among others.
"Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being given also to Presley. A newspaper article about the suicide of a lonely man who jumped from a hotel window inspired the song. Axton presented the song to Presley in November 1955 at a country music convention in Nashville. Presley recorded it on January 10, 1956, in a session with his band, the Blue Moon Boys, the guitarist Chet Atkins and the pianist Floyd Cramer. "Heartbreak Hotel" comprises an eight-bar blues progression, with heavy reverberation throughout the track, to imitate the character of Presley's Sun recordings.
"Million Dollar Quartet" is a recording of an impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash made on December 4, 1956, at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. An article about the session was published in the Memphis Press-Scimitar under the title "Million Dollar Quartet". The recording was first released in Europe in 1981 as The Million Dollar Quartet with 17 tracks. A few years later more tracks were discovered and released as The Complete Million Dollar Session. In 1990, the recordings were released in the United States as Elvis Presley: The Million Dollar Quartet. This session is considered a seminal moment in rock and roll.
Elvis Is Back! is the fourth studio album by American singer Elvis Presley, released on April 8, 1960 by RCA Victor. It was Presley's first album of new material since 1958's King Creole soundtrack, as well as his first to be recorded and released in stereophonic sound. The album marked Presley's return to music after his discharge from the U.S. Army.
Harum Scarum is the eleventh soundtrack album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3468, in November 1965. It is the soundtrack to the 1965 film of the same name starring Presley. It peaked at number eight on the Top LP's chart.
"We're Gonna Move" is a song by Elvis Presley. The song is credited to Elvis Presley and Vera Matson, the wife of Ken Darby, the principal writer, published by Elvis Presley Music. The song was featured in the 20th Century Fox movie Love Me Tender and was released as an RCA Victor EP in 1956.
"Crawfish" is a song written by Fred Wise (lyrics) and Ben Weisman (music) and recorded as a duet by the jazz singer Kitty White and Elvis Presley.
"It's a Matter of Time'" is a song written by Clive Westlake and recorded in 1972 by Elvis Presley.
"Just Pretend" is a 1970 song by Elvis Presley.
"Starting Today" is a 1961 song by Elvis Presley.
"Edge of Reality" is a song first recorded by Elvis Presley as part of the soundtrack for his 1968 motion picture Live a Little, Love a Little, released to cinemas on October 23.
"Fame and Fortune" is a 1960 song by Elvis Presley. It was written by Fred Wise (lyrics) and Ben Weisman (music) and published by Presley's company Gladys Music, Inc.
"Down in the Alley" is a song released as a single by The Clovers in 1957.
"First in Line" is a song by Elvis Presley from his second album Elvis. The song was written by Aaron Schroeder and Ben Weisman, the first song Weisman ever wrote for Presley.
"I Got a Feelin' in My Body" is a song by Elvis Presley from his 1974 album Good Times.
"You'll Think of Me" is a song by Elvis Presley from his 1969 double album From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis.
"They Remind Me Too Much of You" is a song written by Don Robertson and originally recorded by Elvis Presley for the 1963 MGM motion picture It Happened at the World's Fair. In January 1963, the song was released as an advanced single from the movie. "One Broken Heart for Sale" reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "They Remind Me Too Much of You" reached number 53.
"You Gotta Stop" is a song written by Bernie Baum, Bill Giant and Florence Kaye and originally recorded by Elvis Presley for the 1967 Paramount picture Easy Come, Easy Go. It was also featured on the soundtrack EP for the movie.
"The Love Machine" is a song written by Chuck Taylor, Fred Burch and Gerald Nelson and originally recorded by Elvis Presley for the 1967 Paramount picture Easy Come, Easy Go. It was also featured on the soundtrack EP for the movie.