I did not know, or indeed know of Dennis Marks before attending his memorial held at the 成人论坛 Radio Theatre last week. What I left with was a large and inspiring picture conveyed by his many friends and colleagues.
A large congregation paid their respects to the former Head of Music (1991-1993). One former colleague, Leslie Megahey, said in his welcome speech: "[He was] such a big man…with powerful convictions, big in intellect, big in editorial judgement and never afraid to act on his convictions."
Marks’ life was dedicated to classical music, sharing his passion for the genre with as many people as he could. His huge passion was equalled by his vast knowledge of the subject. Megahey went on to recall that: "we didn’t have the internet in the early 1980s … but we did have Dennis."
Marks’ 成人论坛 career started in 1970 as a researcher and assistant producer for 成人论坛TV Music and Arts. He had worked his way up to producer/director 成人论坛 Music and Arts Television when he caught the eye of former head of 成人论坛 TV Music and Arts, Humphrey Burton. Despite the circumstances, Burton was clearly thrilled to be sharing his recollections, in the Radio Theatre where Marks completed his first broadcast as studio manager in 1955 for Morning Service.
Burton talked of Marks’ with great respect, but was unafraid to touch on Dennis’ (minor) flaws. Chuckles of recognition amongst the audience followed: "In 1975, Marks stood out as something special. Obviously a genuine creative force… he could be maddeningly argumentative, not always a model of tact, but was cheerful gregarious and wickedly funny".
This humour was remarked upon throughout the tribute, and in a bid to avoid the event turning into a sombre affair two musical performances were given, including Schubert’s Du bist die Ruh, sung by renowned tenor Ian Bostridge, accompanied on the piano by Sebastian Wyebrew, and a contemporary jazz piece, Remembering Dennis written especially for the occasion.
Burton went on to recall how commissioning the world premiere of Prokofiev’s War and Peace in Leningrad needed all Dennis’ expertise: 'to balance all the rival priorities of creativity, logistics and co-funding,' prompting a senior executive in Radio to send him a long memo explaining why the project was absolutely impossible. Dennis read it, then very deliberately tore it up, and threw it in the bin… "War and Peace demonstrated if you really want to do something you can, whatever the odds – that could have been Dennis’ motto for his entire life, but certainly set the tone for his television years."
Dennis Marks spent seven years as Head of Music 成人论坛 TV. From 1986-93 he was responsible for all televised music and dance, including the Proms, broadcasts from the Royal Opera House, English National Opera and Glyndebourne. Alongside the more traditional output, Marks’ passion for living composers powered many documentaries at that time, as George Benjamin reflected, "at the helm of classical music at 成人论坛, the sheer number of programmes devoted to 20th century music, directed, produced or commissioned by him, virtually defies belief."
A picture continued to emerge like a photographic image in a dark room. Marks as a man of great passion, knowledge, conviction and will. But, as Dina Lashmore revealed, Marks was also a very caring man, who when working with young directors, "may have occasionally trodden on their sensibilities, but never on their dream."
It also presented Marks as very hospitable and keen on cooking, even if a little competitive. Lashmore remembers throwing in the towel on their light-hearted Middle Eastern cookery battle when she was invited to enjoy a dinner made up of dishes from Claudia Rodens’ recipe book, only to find Roden herself was one of the guests.
That kind of chutzpah, as collaborator Michael Frayn put it, seemed to be a big part of Marks’ character. Frayn witnessed it when Marks’ pitched the film they worked on together, Vienna: Mask of Gold, to two very different 成人论坛 controllers. "I watched in amazement as Dennis persuaded the very populist Bill Morton we were going to make a cheap and cheerful travelogue about Lipizzan horses and Johann Strauss, whilst convincing the very highbrow John Drummond it was going to be a profound study of Schoenberg and Webern."
Frayn met Marks in the early Seventies when they were introduced by the 成人论坛 to work on a documentary about Laurence Stern. "I was already middle-aged when I met the 24-year-old Dennis - large, clumsy with a full beard like an Old Testament prophet. Full of flattery and rudeness, enthusiasm and energy – he was very, very clever… As his age got tactfully closer to mine, it’s heart-breaking that he never quite caught up."
Dennis Marks went on to work as Director at English National Opera. He also took on the role of President at IMZ International Music Centre Vienna, and wrote a book about Joseph Roth.
It’s not possible to get every single detail crystal clear about a person in an hour, but good friends can create a wonderful portrait.