Robert King (conductor)
Encyclopedia
Robert King is an English conductor and harpsichord
ist. As a youth, he was a member of the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge
. He read music at the University of Cambridge
, and there founded the period instrument orchestra The King's Consort
.
King was artistic director of The King's Consort from 1980 until 2007, and resumed this position in 2009; during this period he made over 70 recordings for Hyperion Records
.
King has worked as a conductor with orchestras in Europe and North America. He also worked as artistic director of the ION Festival in Nuremberg
. He has contributed to the film music of Pirates of the Caribbean
, Shrek 2
, Kingdom of Heaven
, and The Da Vinci Code
.
King was convicted of indecent assault in 2007, and sentenced to three years and nine months in prison. He was released in 2009 and has now resumed his role as Music Director of The King's Consort
.
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
ist. As a youth, he was a member of the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge
Choir of St John's College, Cambridge
The Choir of St John's College, Cambridge, is a collegiate choir of the English cathedral tradition. Though early records are obscure, it is known that its origins can be traced to the original foundation of the College in 1511. As well as daily singing of the liturgy in the college Chapel, it...
. He read music at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, and there founded the period instrument orchestra The King's Consort
The King's Consort
The King's Consort is a prominent British period music orchestra founded in 1980 by the English conductor and harpsichordist Robert King . The ensemble has an associated choral group, Choir of The King's Consort. Together, they have made over 90 recordings, largely on the Hyperion label, and sold...
.
King was artistic director of The King's Consort from 1980 until 2007, and resumed this position in 2009; during this period he made over 70 recordings for Hyperion Records
Hyperion Records
Hyperion Records is an independent British classical record label.-History:The company was named after Hyperion, one of the Titans of Greek mythology. It was founded by George Edward Perry, widely known as "Ted", in 1980. Early LP releases included rarely recorded 20th century British music by...
.
King has worked as a conductor with orchestras in Europe and North America. He also worked as artistic director of the ION Festival in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
. He has contributed to the film music of Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)
Pirates of the Caribbean is a series of fantasy-adventure films directed by Gore Verbinski and Rob Marshall , written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
, Shrek 2
Shrek 2
Shrek 2 is a 2004 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film, produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon. It is the second installment in the Shrek film series and the sequel to 2001's Shrek...
, Kingdom of Heaven
Kingdom of Heaven (film)
Kingdom of Heaven is a 2005 epic action film directed by Ridley Scott and written by William Monahan. It stars Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Marton Csokas, Brendan Gleeson, Kevin McKidd, Alexander Siddig, Ghassan Massoud, Edward Norton, Jon Finch, Michael Sheen and Liam...
, and The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code (film)
The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 American mystery thriller film directed by Ron Howard. The screenplay was written by Akiva Goldsman and based on Dan Brown's worldwide bestselling 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code...
.
King was convicted of indecent assault in 2007, and sentenced to three years and nine months in prison. He was released in 2009 and has now resumed his role as Music Director of The King's Consort
The King's Consort
The King's Consort is a prominent British period music orchestra founded in 1980 by the English conductor and harpsichordist Robert King . The ensemble has an associated choral group, Choir of The King's Consort. Together, they have made over 90 recordings, largely on the Hyperion label, and sold...
.
Published works
- Henry Purcell - "A greater musical genius England never had", Thames & Hudson, 1995