Thea King (1925-2007) was a celebrated figure in the world of English clarinetists, known for her roles as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player, accompanist, and teacher. She championed British music while also highlighting early 19th-century clarinet compositions, leaving a rich legacy through her extensive recordings for Hyperion, showcasing her warm and rounded tone.
Born on December 26, 1925, in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, King initially played the piano. Her journey to the clarinet began during World War II when the BBC Symphony Orchestra was evacuated to Bedford. While attending Bedford High School, she befriended Elizabeth Thurston, the daughter of the orchestra’s principal clarinetist, Frederick ‘Jack’ Thurston. Encouraged by her friend, King took up the clarinet after being offered a simple system instrument to help start a wind section in the school orchestra.
King studied under Ralph Clarke, the BBC SO’s second clarinetist, and soon competed with a performance of Brahms’s F minor Clarinet Sonata, judged by Herbert Howells, whose Rhapsodic Quintet she would later record.
In 1943, King entered the Royal College of Music, London, on a scholarship, primarily as a pianist with clarinet as a secondary focus. With characteristic modesty, she later remarked, “When I left the Royal College, I was no good at either instrument – an absolute dogsbody.” While studying clarinet with Thurston, she accompanied fellow students, including Gervase de Peyer and Colin Davis, learning the repertoire from the keyboard.
After the war, opportunities for women in music increased, and in 1950, King became co-principal of the Sadler’s Wells Orchestra. She fondly recalled socializing with Charles Mackerras, who was transitioning from oboist to conductor, as they rehearsed clarinet parts together.
In addition to her work at Sadler’s Wells, King succeeded de Peyer as principal clarinetist with Harry Blech’s London Mozart Players in 1955 and held the principal position with the English Chamber Orchestra from 1964 to 1999. A founder member of the Portia Wind Ensemble, she later joined the Melos Ensemble from 1974 to 1993. King taught at the RCM for 26 years before moving to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, mentoring notable students such as Colin Bradbury, David Campbell, Michael Collins, and Richard Hosford.
A strong advocate for British composers, she premiered several works written for her, including Frankel’s Clarinet Quintet, Maconchy’s Fantasia, Jacob’s Mini Concerto, and Howard Blake’s Clarinet Concerto. She also premiered Arnold Cooke’s Clarinet Sonata and John Ireland’s Sextet, which had remained unheard for 62 years.
King’s first Hyperion recording featured Finzi’s Clarinet Concerto, written for Thurston, alongside Stanford’s work. This recording, made in 1979, marked the launch of Hyperion and was later praised in Gramophone as a superb account worthy of any collection.
A charming anecdote accompanies this recording: Hyperion’s founder, Ted Perry, convinced King to release it by sending her a mock-up cover featuring a painting of cows, tapping into her love for the animals. Subsequently, every one of her Hyperion recordings featured a cow on the cover.
King’s discography with Hyperion is extensive, highlighting her support for British music and early clarinet concertos. She was among the first to perform Mozart’s works on the basset clarinet, with her 1985 recording becoming one of Hyperion’s bestsellers. Her interpretations of concertos by Crusell, Spohr, Weber, and Tausch are also notable, alongside her sublime recordings of Brahms’s late clarinet works. The recent acquisition of Hyperion by Universal Music has made her recordings accessible to a new audience of clarinet enthusiasts.
In her later years, King returned to the piano, performing in a centenary concert for Frederick Thurston in 2001. She also recorded the Brahms F minor Sonata, playing both the clarinet and piano parts for BBC Radio 3.
King passed away in 2007 and was appointed DBE in 2001, becoming the first wind player to receive this honor.
