Composer Sir Harrison Birtwistle dies aged 87
Sir Harrison Birtwistle, recognised as one of Britain's greatest contemporary composers, has died at age 87, his publisher has confirmed.
His publisher, Boosey & Hawkers, announced with "deep sadness" that he died on Monday at his home in Mere, Wiltshire. No cause of death was given.
It a tribute to Sir Harrison, it said he "is internationally regarded as one of the most striking and individual composers in classical contemporary music in the past half-century".
Birtwistle’s compositions, which ranged from chamber pieces to large-scale opera, were given prominent performances in venues including the Royal Opera House, the English National Opera, the Deutsche Staatsoper in Berlin, the BBC Proms in London and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Among his many compositions, he is best known for The Triumph Of Time and his operas including The Mask Of Orpheus, Gawain and The Minotaur.
Martyn Brabbins, music director of the English National Opera, said Birtwistle “was a much-loved collaborator and mentor whose work has inspired generations of musicians.”
Leading musical institutions paid tribute to the composer including the Royal Philharmonic Society who said his “music shook the earth”.
It wrote on Twitter: “We pay tribute to a true musical colossus, the great Harrison Birtwistle, who has sadly died.
“A remarkable five-time RPS Award winner, his music shook the earth. There was force and potency in every note he wrote. We will listen in awe to his works for decades to come.”
The London Symphony Orchestra also paid their respects, saying: “Sad news to hear today that one of the greatest British composers, Harrison Birtwistle, has died.
“Our thoughts to his family and friends, and all his musical family too.”
He is survived by his three sons, Adam, Silas and Toby, and six grandchildren Cecil, Alix, Abel, Mimi, Rory and Margot, said the publisher.
His unapologetically challenging work sometimes tried the patience of listeners, but the composer was unperturbed.
“The question of accessibility,” Birtwistle once said, “is not my problem.”
“I have an idea. I express it as clearly as I can. Criticism is someone else’s problem,” he added.
Sir Harrison was born in Accrington, Lancashire, in 1934 and studied clarinet and composition at the Royal Manchester College of Music.
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In 1960, he sold his clarinets to devote his efforts to composition and travelled to Princeton University in the US as a Harkness Fellow where he completed the opera Punch And Judy.
This work, together with Verses For Ensembles and The Triumph Of Time, established Sir Harrison as a leading voice in British music.
The music of Sir Harrison has attracted international conductors and been featured in major festivals and concert series in Europe, the USA and Japan.
In 1975, he became musical director of the newly established Royal National Theatre in London, a post he held until 1983.
Sir Harrison received many honours during his lifetime including a knighthood in 1988 and he was made Companion of Honour in 2001.