producer

His finesse as a pianist, his ear for languages and his understanding as a composer all primed Lawrance to become an outstanding accompanist, both at the piano and behind the microphone.

In his very readable memoires, Herbert Swan writes: I remember in particular Collingwood’s visit to our holiday resort in Finland, where we listened enraptured to his magnificent piano-playing for hours on end. He played and sang through most of Puccini’s operas, an considerable feat, since he knew all the parts!

These uncanny abilities incidentally led to his embodying of what became known as “Tonmeister”, which may explain his success in relating to musicians as varied as Edward Elgar and Beatrice Harrison, Pablo Casals or Adolf Busch. Among his most influential work must be his collaboration with Edward Elgar, from Beatrice Harrison’s recording of the Cello Concerto to his own rendering of “The Miniature Elgar”. Equally significant may be his production of Bach’s Cello Suites, for the first time ever played by Pablo Casals.