James Lock
Encyclopedia
James Lock was a sound engineer who worked on recordings by many of the most celebrated and demanding figures in classical music. Most of his life he worked for Decca
. He said he had always wanted to work for them—he joined them in 1963 and stayed for nearly 40 years.
, South-East London
and educated at Canterbury
Technical College. On leaving school he was about to join the Royal Navy
but then changed his mind. He secured a traineeship at the International Broadcasting Company. After three years, he moved, in 1959, to Saga Records until he had to start National Service
. Afterwards, he wrote to Decca and was accepted.
One of his first jobs was in the team recording Solti's
Ring Cycle in Vienna
. He was closely involved in the development of Stereo
recording and made many highly regarded recordings, among them: Zubin Mehta
’s Turandot
with Joan Sutherland
, Pavarotti and the London Philharmonic Orchestra
and von Karajan’s La Boheme
(1972).
He said the essentials of a good recording, in order, were “the work, the performance and then the sound”. He was said to be able to judge a hall quickly just by clapping his hands. For this reason he was much in demand as a consultant for the renovation of concert halls. He also worked on one-off and outdoor venues, most famously the Three Tenors concert on the eve of the 1990 World Cup Final
which brought opera to the attention of many who had previously ignored it.
Winner of two Grammy Awards (one for Mahler's Ninth Symphony with Solti), James Lock's recordings always presented us with a lush and very pristine sound—atmospheric but, at the same time, with pinpoint instruments. In this way, he managed to get what every classical music sound engineer may have spent a [lifetime looking] after without getting it: a recording capable of capturing the venue's acoustics without losing the focus of the orchestra in different sections.
After leaving Decca in 1997, as a consequence of the amazing job he did in Caracalla, James Lock started a career as sound consultant for live amplified classical music performances and helped many outside venues to present symphonic music to the masses. In 2005, he helped the Portuguese Gulbenkian Orchestra with its summer outdoor performances.
Lock retired in 1999 but continued to work as a consultant. In June 2007, he joined the studio staff of Portuguese studio O Ganho do Som as resident engineer and consultant. In the summer of 2008, he started to write "The Other Side of the Microphone", an autobiography about his Decca years and the human experience of recording great musicians. He left us a recording legacy that is hard to follow.
In his spare time he was a keen gardener and competed in competitions. He was unmarried.
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. He said he had always wanted to work for them—he joined them in 1963 and stayed for nearly 40 years.
Biography
James Lock was born on June 23, 1939 in BromleyBromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
, South-East London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and educated at Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
Technical College. On leaving school he was about to join the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
but then changed his mind. He secured a traineeship at the International Broadcasting Company. After three years, he moved, in 1959, to Saga Records until he had to start National Service
National Service Act 1948
The National Service Act 1948 was an Act of Parliament which extended the British conscription of World War II into peacetime, in the form of National Service...
. Afterwards, he wrote to Decca and was accepted.
One of his first jobs was in the team recording Solti's
Solti
- Family names :* Krisztina Solti , a Hungarian high jumper* Sir Georg Solti , a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor* Valerie Pitts, Lady Solti, the widow of Sir Georg Solti- See also :...
Ring Cycle in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. He was closely involved in the development of Stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
recording and made many highly regarded recordings, among them: Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...
’s Turandot
Turandot
Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni.Though Puccini's first interest in the subject was based on his reading of Friedrich Schiller's adaptation of the play, his work is most nearly based on the earlier text Turandot...
with Joan Sutherland
Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s....
, Pavarotti and the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
and von Karajan’s La Boheme
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
(1972).
He said the essentials of a good recording, in order, were “the work, the performance and then the sound”. He was said to be able to judge a hall quickly just by clapping his hands. For this reason he was much in demand as a consultant for the renovation of concert halls. He also worked on one-off and outdoor venues, most famously the Three Tenors concert on the eve of the 1990 World Cup Final
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
which brought opera to the attention of many who had previously ignored it.
Winner of two Grammy Awards (one for Mahler's Ninth Symphony with Solti), James Lock's recordings always presented us with a lush and very pristine sound—atmospheric but, at the same time, with pinpoint instruments. In this way, he managed to get what every classical music sound engineer may have spent a [lifetime looking] after without getting it: a recording capable of capturing the venue's acoustics without losing the focus of the orchestra in different sections.
After leaving Decca in 1997, as a consequence of the amazing job he did in Caracalla, James Lock started a career as sound consultant for live amplified classical music performances and helped many outside venues to present symphonic music to the masses. In 2005, he helped the Portuguese Gulbenkian Orchestra with its summer outdoor performances.
Lock retired in 1999 but continued to work as a consultant. In June 2007, he joined the studio staff of Portuguese studio O Ganho do Som as resident engineer and consultant. In the summer of 2008, he started to write "The Other Side of the Microphone", an autobiography about his Decca years and the human experience of recording great musicians. He left us a recording legacy that is hard to follow.
In his spare time he was a keen gardener and competed in competitions. He was unmarried.