Richard Wolfson
Richard Wolfson (25 April 1955 – 1 February 2005) was a British musician, performance artist, cameraman, and journalist. He is best known for his work on the concept album Kaddish created with Andy Saunders using the band name Towering Inferno.
Richard Wolfson
- Name
- Richard Wolfson
- Born
- 25 April 1955
- Birthplace
- Solihull, United Kingdom
- Died
- 1 February 2005
- Occupation
- Musician, Performance artist, Cameraman, Journalist
- Known for
- Kaddish concept album
- Education
- Solihull School
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Fields
- pop
- Languages
- English
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Richard Wolfson (25 April 1955 – 1 February 2005) was a British musician, performance artist, cameraman, and journalist. He is best known for his work on the concept album Kaddish created with Andy Saunders using the band name Towering Inferno.
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Richard Wolfson • Born — 25 April 1955 • Birthplace — Solihull, United Kingdom • Died — 1 February 2005 • Occupation — Musician, Performance artist, Cameraman, Journalist • Known for — Kaddish concept album • Education — Solihull School
Early life
Early life
Wolfson was born to an orthodox Jewish family in Solihull, United Kingdom, and was educated at Solihull School. In his early years, he learned piano and guitar.
Music career
Music career
At the age of 14, Wolfson formed Solstice, a folk band with Mark Chapman, heavily influenced by the work of the Incredible String Band. At 17, he formed the first of a succession of bands with Andy Saunders. Towering Inferno was conceived as a large-scale multimedia stage project, involving film and electronics. Wolfson and Saunders were impressed by the Hungarian poet Endre Szkárosi, and his cryptic poetry was a stimulus for their major work, the stage show and album Kaddish.
Kaddish concept album
Kaddish concept album
Kaddish was created over five years and is an extended reflection on the Jewish prayer of the same name, including references to the history and folklore of Central and Eastern Europe and to the Shoah (Holocaust). The music includes adaptations of Hungarian folk-songs, some of them sung by Márta Sebestyén and Szkárosi, Jewish chant, and the sound of the shofar, along with dramatic electronic sound-effects. The album was originally released in 1993 and received critical acclaim. Brian Eno called it 'the most frightening record I have ever heard'.
Journalism career
Journalism career
In addition to his work in music and performance art, Wolfson had a successful career as a journalist, writing on music and film for publications such as the Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times.
Death
Death
Richard Wolfson died from an aortic aneurysm on 1 February 2005.
Discography
• Kaddish by Towering Inferno, released by Island Records (1993).
Citations
References
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 27 September 2026.
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