Sir Roger recalled his memories on his website:
“I was delighted to be able to work with them [Bournemouth Sinfonietta] regularly. From London I used to park at Waterloo and have a nice tea and bacon/mustard sandwich on the train to Poole. Later I would drive from Inkpen over the hill and down through Romsey; a pleasant drive.
We played Poole, Plymouth, Bodmin, Penzance, all over the West Country […] This was the first modern orchestra that I persuaded to play with Pure Tone, and they got quite used to it.”
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s Chief Conductor Mark Wigglesworth reflects on Sir Roger’s impact:
“Roger Norrington was a beacon for conductors when he started and taught us the value of sincerely looking at what the score actually said. It’s easy now to look back and take slightly for granted what he achieved, but we should not under estimate the courage he must have had to make those choices and to meet head on the resistance his radical approach initially received. His recordings were always a must for me whenever I studied a piece. And I still listen to his versions as they act as a kind of musical conscience for my own decision making. I met him a couple of times, and he was always very generous. He took conducting seriously enough to be able to be make fun of it sometimes and he will be much missed. Yet his legacy of making sure we always give the composer’s instructions our full attention remains as strong as ever.”