My father, Richard Macnutt, who has died aged 88 from Parkinson’s disease, was an internationally renowned antiquarian music dealer and expert on Hector Berlioz and Felix Mendelssohn.
In 1958, at the age of 22, Richard attended a performance of The Trojans at Covent Garden; it was a pivotal moment in his life. Captivated by the experience, he returned to see the five-hour production again the following week, and so began a lifelong interest in opera, and especially Berlioz. He began to collect, including on an early visit to Paris with his friend and later collaborator Hugh Macdonald.
