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: world premiere of Fantasia upon all the Notes by Nash Ensemble at Wigmore Hall (13 Mar); UK premiere of In Broken Images by London Sinfonietta and David Atherton (24 May); new recording by Arditti Quartet on Aeon label, including Tree of Strings (Mar); 80th birthday in 2014
"A great original ... one of the most gifted composers of his generation." — The Times
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