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As a conductor, John Lanchbery was largely associated with ballet, though he also worked in so-called television opera and operetta. As a composer and arranger, he wrote music for films, television and radio, and fashioned new orchestral versions of famous ballets, including Les Sylphides, The Tales of Hoffmann, Don Quixote, and Giselle. He also adapted the scores of popular operettas to ballet, among them Die Fledermaus, Rosalinda, and The Merry Widow. Lanchbery may be best known today for his numerous ballet recordings, which include acclaimed performances of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. From the mid-twentieth century forward, Lanchbery served as music director for major ballet companies in England, the U.S., and Australia. When he appeared in the concert hall, he generally conducted ballet music or lighter scores like Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf. Many of his recordings are still available from EMI, DG, Decca, and Naxos.

John Lanchbery was born in London on May 15, 1923. He began violin lessons at eight. In his later teens he studied music at the Royal Academy of Music in London, not finishing until after military service in World War II. In the postwar era, Lanchbery worked for a music publisher as he concluded studies at the RAM.

His first important post came in 1948 as music director of the Metropolitan Ballet, a small company founded the year before that would disband in 1950. Lanchbery became music director of Sadlers Wells Theatre Ballet in 1951 and worked there with Kenneth MacMillan on several notable ballets: MacMillan's first effort, Somnambulism (1953; music by Stan Kenton), was orchestrated by Lanchbery and was a huge success.

Lanchbery probably achieved his greatest acclaim as principal conductor at the Royal Ballet (1959-1972), with whom he made many successful tours abroad. During his tenure, Lanchbery made numerous popular arrangements of well-known ballet scores, including Don Quixote, for a 1966 production danced by Rudolf Nureyev.

Lanchbery arranged music for the 1970 ballet movie Tales of Beatrix Potter. The score, like the film, achieved success as a recording in its several incarnations, among which is a 1998 EMI CD containing the original soundtrack. Lanchbery held two further music directorships: one at the Australian Ballet (1972-1977) and the other with the American Ballet Theater (1978-1981). After 1981 he freelanced as a conductor and from the 1970s spent much time in Australia, eventually becoming a citizen in 2002.

Conductor Richard Bonynge is a champion of the bel canto repertoire, receiving acclaim for his performances of Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini. Bonynge led major opera companies in his native Australia, North America, and throughout Europe, reviving many works after years of neglect. Together, he and Joan Sutherland recorded many of the works they championed, and their partnership is still celebrated.

Bonynge was born on September 29, 1930, in Epping, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. He began his studies at the New South Wales Conservatorium in Sydney as a piano student of Lindley Evans. At 14, Bonynge performed the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor, an impressive beginning to an even more magical career. He later continued his studies at the Royal College of Music in London with pianist Herbert Fryer. This institution frowned upon his desire to add conducting to his course load as, effectively, a second major area of study. Consequently, Bonynge forfeited his scholarship and continued his education privately. Also, having developed a serious interest in vocal technique, Bonynge began serving as accompanist to soprano Joan Sutherland. This relationship led to the couple's marriage in 1954, perhaps the most remarkable such professional union to date. It was at this point that the young musician transferred his attention to the research of the bel canto operatic repertoire.

His 1962 conducting debut was sudden: the conductor of the Saint Cecilia Orchestra in Rome canceled due to illness, and his replacement was struck by an automobile, leaving only Bonynge to take the podium. He began, still without formal training, to conduct Sutherland's performances, beginning with Gounod's Faust in Vancouver and Bellini's La Sonnambula in San Francisco, both in 1963. After his Covent Garden debut in 1964 with Bellini's I Puritani, Bonynge and his wife returned to Australia the next year, where he assumed the position of music director of the Sutherland-Williamson International Grand Opera Company. In 1966, Bonynge had his Metropolitan Opera debut with Sutherland performing the title role in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. As his reputation and career blossomed, the conductor enjoyed continued success when he was named artistic director of the Vancouver Opera, a position he held from 1974-1978. Concurrently, Bonynge acted as the music director of the Australian Opera from 1975-1986. In 1977, he was awarded the Commander of the British Empire. He was given the same honor in 1983 in his native Australia, and the French government gave him the rank of Commandeur de l'Ordre National de Mérite in 1989.

Bonynge advocated a revival of the bel canto ornamentation that had been customary during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This period was dear to Bonynge, who has carefully studied the operas of Bellini and Massenet, as well as French and Italian opera of the period, composing cadenzas used by many singers. One of the world's premier opera conductors, Bonynge has directed the masterpieces of the genre at the leading opera houses worldwide. His list of recorded operas is no less impressive and includes many works (including several 19th century ballet scores) previously not familiar to opera connoisseurs, such as those by Delibes, Graun, and Massenet. Many of these recordings feature Sutherland.

At Sutherland's final performances, Bonynge conducted in front of audiences in the U.S, Great Britain, and Australia. After she had left the stage for the last time, Bonynge continued his acclaimed career without pause. He remains one of opera's most significant figures and is an important supporter of Australian singers and of the young artists' program at the Australian Opera, established during his tenure as music director. With unquestionable devotion, Bonynge gives his full attention to the world of opera. He has said "I did not choose music, music chose me." One might observe, then, that opera chose a tireless and devoted champion. ~ David Brensilver & Keith Finke