Elliott Carter
1908 - 2012
Snapshot
"One of America's most distinguished creative artists in any field" (Aaron Copland) * Intricate, mercurial work often mirrored human interactions and relationships * Late career creative burst yielded an outpouring of major orchestral scores, along with numerous chamber works, in a style marked by transparency and clarity of texture, with a new directness of formal design * Music championed by leading conductors including Boulez, Barenboim, Knussen, Dohnányi, Levine, Gielen, Holliger and Morlot * His many awards include official recognition from the governments of France, Germany, Italy, and the U.S. * Awarded two Pulitzer Prizes (String Quartet No. 2, 1960; String Quartet No. 3, 1973)
Works by Elliott Carter include:
Triple Duo (1983) for chamber ensemble
Symphonia for orchestra: Partita (1993), Adagio Tenebroso (1994), Allegro Scorrevole (1996)
What Next? (1999) opera in one act
Flute Concerto (2008) for flute and ensemble
Looking Ahead:
Dialogues II premiered by Gustavo Dudamel, pianist Daniel Barenboim and the Orchestra of La Scala in Milan on October 25, 2012, and reprised by the Berlin Staatkespelle at the Philharmonie on November 15 with Zubin Mehta and Barenboim. Instances, for chamber orchestra, will be premiered by the Seattle Symphony and conductor Ludovic Morlot, February 7–10, 2013.
Video: View a series of interviews with Elliott Carter talking about his life and music.
Dialogues II premiered by Gustavo Dudamel, pianist Daniel Barenboim and the Orchestra of La Scala in Milan on October 25, 2012, and reprised by the Berlin Staatkespelle at the Philharmonie on November 15 with Zubin Mehta and Barenboim. Instances, for chamber orchestra, will be premiered by the Seattle Symphony and conductor Ludovic Morlot, February 7–10, 2013.
Video: View a series of interviews with Elliott Carter talking about his life and music.
"There is often wit and humour to be heard in [Carter's] work; anger in some of the earlier big pieces; increasing lyricism and beauty in the compositions of the recent decades. He is America's great musical poet." — Andrew Porter, Musical America
“[Carter’s music is] often suffused with quiet delight, as if the Moderns’ great crisis of subjectivity might, and should, be looked on as an opportunity rather than an occasion for terrible doubt.” — Guy Dammann, Times Literary Supplement
“[Carter’s music is] often suffused with quiet delight, as if the Moderns’ great crisis of subjectivity might, and should, be looked on as an opportunity rather than an occasion for terrible doubt.” — Guy Dammann, Times Literary Supplement
Mailing List
Sign up for news updates and offers via email
SIGN UP
WAR & PEACE
As we approach the centenary of the First World War (1914-18), explore music suitable for commemorative features.
EXPLORE WAR & PEACE