Violinist - composer Desmond Bradley (1934 – 1992) was born in Melbourne. His talent as a child was unprecedented and he became a national sensation during the 1940s. His many performances across Australia during his early years held the nation captivated. The press followed his progress, with one article from 1949 hailing “the most promising young instrumentalist Australia has yet produced” (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/69134749).
Following his pupillage with George Enescu, whose influence was substantial, Bradley’s European debuts in his late teens marked the start of a rich and diverse career in the world of music, taking him from the concert stage as soloist, concertmaster, performer and conductor of his own compositions, to television and light entertainment, the studios of Abbey Road and popular music recordings by artists such as The Beatles and Sir Elton John.
Throughout his career, Bradley’s virtuosity invited numerous associations with Paganini. Having publicly performed all 24 Caprices on multiple occasions, he went on to record the Caprices (EMI CFP 40062, 1973) and featured in the 1976 UK television documentary series Musical Triangles, presented by Sir Tim Rice, appearing as a ‘modern day’ Paganini exponent. In 1981, his forthcoming 150th Anniversary Paganini recital at the Old Ship Assembly Rooms in Brighton was the opening topic in a biographical article published in The Strad in the May 1981 issue. He is among the virtuosos interviewed in the celebrated book series The Way They Play (ISBN 0-87666-799-X).
During the 1960s, Bradley began composing alongside his activities as a violinist. By the mid 1970s composing had become an important part of his artistic output. He is the only known 20th Century violinist / composer to have premiered his own violin concerto with a leading orchestra at a major concert venue. This performance was with The Philharmonia Orchestra (known as The New Philharmonia at that time) at The Royal Festival Hall, London, under Sir Adrian Boult in 1973.