I could not find a photo of Mr Pruslin, but as he wrote the libretto for Birtwistle’s Punch and Judy, I have used a still from that, and a complete staged performance of the opera from Berlin is included here.
“Music: Harrison BIRTWISTLE; text: Stephen PRUSLIN; conductor: Chris MOULDS; stage director: Derek GIMPEL; set and costumes: Christoph ERNST. A production of the DEUTSCHE STAATSOPER BERLIN. Punch – Richard SUART; Judy / Fortune Teller – Annika SCHLICHT; Choregos / Jack Ketch – Maximilan KRUMMEN; Pretty Polly / Witch – Hannah HERFURTNER; Doctor – Jonathan WINELL; Lawyer – Terry COOK. Staatskapelle Berlin.” Undated performance.
Sad news. A good friend during my earliest days in recording. My first day in my first job after leaving university was to record sessions of Schoenberg with the Fires of London in Wigmore Hall, with S.P. at the piano. Fearless, and always completely prepared. Good cook too!
Stephen was my uncle. A wonderful man. A photo can be found at an archive of the old Peter Maxwell Davies “MaxOpus” website here: http://web.archive.org/web/20070610035938/www.maxopus.com/people/pruslin.htm
His libretto for Harrison Birtwistle’s ‘Punch and Judy was described by W.H. Auden as one of the most outstanding and original opera texts of the century. Can’t say fairer than that!