Obituary: Clarinetist & Record Producer Stewart Brown Dies, Aged 69

By Logan Martell

It has been announced that clarinetist and record producer Stewart Brown has passed away at the age of 69, following long-term health issues.

Born in 1955, Brown would go onto to become a professional clarinetist, playing primarily with the Royal Opera House. He founded the Testament Records reissue label in 1990, which has offered listeners the chance to experience rare recordings, such as their reissue of the Hollywood Quartet, as well as concertos of Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Bruch from violinist Ida Haendel. In 2000, they received a Gramophone Award for their reissue of the 1951 Bayreuth “Gotterdammerung” conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch.

“To think that Stewart Brown, one-time clarinettist, property entrepreneur, loving family man, generous friend to many and founder of the Testament CD label, has died at the all-too-young age of 69, is to ponder the passing of yet another serious game-player in the world of classical music recordings,” says Rob Cowan.

“So few of them are left now, people whose knowledge and experience of so-called ‘back catalogue’ reaches far enough into the mists of time to recognise – and revivify – long-lost treasures. Stewart was special in so many ways. A canny businessman with a conscience, copyright-wise, he’d befriend major critics and commentators regarding what best to reissue, then approach the relevant cd companies and musicians’ families to enquire about royalties due and the availability of original tapes/acetates (from what was EMI [now Warner Classics], RCA, radio tapes, etc). Stewart was scrupulously honest: where dues were owed, they were paid in full. Everything was upfront and because of that he won the respect not only of connoisseurs but of publishers, record labels and dealers, company executives and of course musicians who pounced on his releases – far too many to list in detail – as if they were manna from Heaven.”

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