Sean Lewis – a true gentleman of music

MEMORIAL TRIBUTE BY LARS ANDERS TOMTER

Sean Lewis passed away on Thursday, March 26.

I received the news after coming out of the concert hall in Odense, where Mozart’s Requiem was on the program. This time, it was for Sean. As can happen after a long illness, his death came both expected and sudden. Sean had just been discharged from the hospital after a few days of treatment and was picked up by his son Sebastian. In that moment, it must have felt uplifting, hopeful. Sean’s thoughts were no doubt also with his daughter Victoria, who at that very time was soloist in Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa in Stockholm. As he was leaving the hospital, he was struck by a sudden attack, and abruptly, it was over. The brain cancer had been discovered five years earlier, and from the very beginning it was clear that this was the beginning of the end, though the timeframe was very open, it could last from ten days to ten years. As it turned out, it was more or less halfway between the extremes of that prognosis.

Sean and I worked together in music for many years, in the recording studio, where his main profession lay, as a producer. Being a producer of classical recordings is an unusual line of work, and each person does it in their own way, and quite a few of them are English. Sean’s way bore a distinctly British stamp of nobility: razor-sharp listening for detail, a clear overview of the whole. Critical and perfectionistic when it came to the technical side, but full of enthusiasm for what was inspired. Possessed of a natural authority, yet also with a disarming sense of humor and ease.

Above all: a true gentleman.

Love for the music was Sean’s innermost core. He wanted to share the beauty of music with as many people as possible; it was a matter of deep importance to him that music is for everyone. This was a fundamental motivation in the festival work Sean and I shared: first for several decades in Risør, where Sean was responsible for the audio recording of the concerts, and later he joined me from the very beginning of Fjord Classics as festival director. We divided the work between us; the road truly took shape as we walked it, and we never knew what awaited us around the next corner.

In these last months, fully aware of what lay ahead for himself, he has, to a remarkable degree, continued to look forward on behalf of the festival rather than look back and sum up what has been. He has eagerly taken part in planning concerts, repertoire, and invited musicians. But as he said: «Such a pity I will hardly get to experience this festival myself».Heartbreaking for me, but strikingly unsentimental on his part.

What is clear is that the best way we can honor Sean is to continue developing Fjord Classics in the spirit and with the passion that he always invested in it. Sean will be remembered with great respect and warmth by the Norwegian and international music community, for his passion, his professionalism, and his generosity.

I remember a close friend, a stimulating mind, a passionate force at work.

A gentleman of music.

Lars Anders Tomter

Artistic Director