George Hurst was acknowledged widely in the national press and in online forums, following his death on 15th September, 2012. This included recognition in publications from Ireland, where he had served as Principal Conductor of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, and from Scotland — his birthplace having been Edinburgh, he was also Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra during the 1980s.
We provide links below to any material still available online. It is intended to obtain permission to reproduce those obituaries which are not. There is a further link to the BBC Radio 4 Obituary programme, ‘Last Word’, which featured George Hurst on 21st September 2012.
Aside from providing some emphasis on George’s role as a significant teacher of conducting, common threads also include his eclectic repertoire, his technical accomplishment, his insightful interpretations and the distinctive sound quality he was able to draw from the orchestras he conducted. Despite having been a figure at the centre of British musical life during the mid-to-late Twentieth Century, and a familiar name to listeners of the BBC Third Programme during the 1960s, George is frequently described retrospectively as having been much underrated as a performer.
Audio Obituary
