composer

Lawrance’s first opus was a violin sonata, performed at the Guildhall in 1906. Further works of his were premiered at Oxford, where programmes of 1909 -1912 show his involvement in student musical life and his favourite repertoire. His affinity for Russian music took him to St Petersburg in 1912, where he fitted effortlessly into the scene as a composer. His award-winning Poème Symphonique was premiered in Russia in May 1917 – he would happily have stayed, but his wife’s family (the ‘Sugar Kings’) were far too rich to survive the Bolsheviks. His piano works were published in Russia; back in London he wrote songs and saved up arias for his two operas, ‘Macbeth’ (1934) and ‘Death of Tintagiles’ (1955).