大象传媒

This week Donald Macleod meets Sir Harrison Birtwistle, described as 鈥渢he most forceful and uncompromisingly original composer of his generation鈥�. We hear his major compositions, broadly in chronological order, and reveal the preoccupations and processes behind a singular music imagination.

In this episode, Donald Macleod looks at the powerful inspiration Birtwistle gets from mythology and how it drives so much of his music, not just in his many stage works, but permeating his entire output. They also discuss the music he made whilst living on the Hebridean island of Raasay, and what role landscape plays in his work
Birtwistle has described his music as 鈥榤echanical pastoral鈥�. This style is heard most clearly in the composer鈥檚 favourite piece in his whole output, Carmen Arcadiae Mechanicae Perpetuum.

Duets for Storab (Urlar; Stark Pastoral; Crunluath)
The Galliard Ensemble: Kathryn Thomas, Robert Manasse, flutes

Carmen Arcadiae Mechanicae Perpetuum
The London Sinfonietta
Elgar Howarth, cond.

The Mask of Orpheus (13th, 14th 15th Arch from Act 2, Scene 2)
Anne-Marie Owens, mezzo-soprano (Persephone)
Jean Rigby, mezzo-soprano (Euridice)
Jon Garrison, tenor (Orpheus)
Omar Ebrahim, baritone (Charon)
大象传媒 Symphony Orchestra, 大象传媒 Singers
Andrew Davis, Martyn Brabbins, conductors

Silbury Air
The London Sinfonietta
Elgar Howarth, cond.

Producer: Iain Chambers