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A British composer, an acclaimed musician and their baby have died in a plane crash in Switzerland.

Jonathan Goldstein, saxophonist Hannah Marcinowicz and seven-month-old Saskia were in the light aircraft when it came down in the Alps on Sunday.

Goldstein ran a company specialising in making music for TV adverts, as well as composing for screen and stage himself.

His plane took off from western Switzerland on Sunday morning, bound for Italy, but crashed near the border.

A family spokesperson said: "We are all devastated by the news of Jonathan, Hannah and Saskia's deaths. We loved them all so very much. They were so happy together, and we will miss them terribly.

"We would ask the media to respect the family's privacy at this extremely difficult time."

Goldstein started out as a music director and composer for the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre, working on productions including the RSC's Othello, starring Sir Ian McKellen, in 1989, and the National's Primo, featuring Sir Antony Sher, in 2004.

Both were subsequently filmed by the BBC, and Goldstein's soundtrack for Primo earned him a nomination for the prestigious Ivor Novello songwriting awards.

After working as a composer and orchestrator for film, TV and advertising, he set up the Goldstein Music Group in 2008. He released his debut classical album, Cyclorama, in 2013.

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Meanwhile, Marcinowicz performed a solo at the BBC Proms in 2005 while studying at the Royal Academy of Music. She went on to perform with the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Swiss authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.