Harrison Birtwistle

b. 1934

Snapshot

Harrison Birtwistle is one of the leading European figures in contemporary music * Works combine modernist aesthetic with mythic power and emotional impact * Inspiration from contemporary art and the rituals of classical mythology and pre-history * Orchestral works of recent decades include Panic composed for the Last Night of the BBC Proms, The Shadow of Night commissioned by the Cleveland Orchestra and Concerto for Violin and Orchestra written for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Christian Tetzlaff * Stageworks include The Last Supper for Glyndebourne, The Minotaur for The Royal Opera, The Io Passion and The Corridor * Noted Birtwistle conductors include Boulez, Howarth, Eötvös, Knussen, Rattle, Dohnányi, Barenboim and Pappano * Winner of 1986 Grawemeyer Award and 1995 Siemens Prize * CD recordings on Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Teldec, Etcetera, NMC, Black Box and CPO * The Minotaur is available on DVD from Opus Arte

Works by Harrison Birtwistle include:
Pulse Shadows (1989-96) for soprano, chamber ensemble and string quartet
Theseus Game (2002) for large ensemble and two conductors
The Minotaur (2005-07) Opera in 13 scenes

Looking Ahead: featured composer at Composium in Tokyo (May) and Salzburg Festival (Aug) including Japanese and Austrian premieres of Concerto for Violin and Orchestra; world premiere of new song cycle Songs from the Same Earth at Aldeburgh Festival (13 Jun); new recordings planned of songs and chamber music on ECM and choral music on Signum; 80th birthday in 2014 including series at the Barbican in London (May 2014)

"A great original ... one of the most gifted composers of his generation." — The Times