Barry Griffiths, 81, leader of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and gifted solo violinist

[Michael Rhodes]

_.Barry Griffiths, who has died aged 81, was the leader of several British orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic, which he led from 1975 to 1988; he was also an outstanding soloist, giving glorious accounts of Elgar’s Violin Concerto, the Meditation from Massenet’s opera Thaïs and Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending, recording the latter in 1987 with the RPO and André Previn....Devoted to the RPO and never late for a rehearsal, he also played the piano, enjoyed a game of poker and collected hats on his travels

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_. As the leader of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Barry Griffiths delivered world-class performances from the concert platform with a meticulous authority. Yet when he left the stage, usually with a standing ovation ringing in his ears, he was equally at home entertaining his fellow musicians on the piano in the bar, convivially bashing out the hits of the day well into the night.

“He never failed to join the post-concert celebrations,” recalled the viola player Andrew Sippings, who played under him for many years [writes the Times]