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, Birtwistle talks about some of his non-musical inspirations, from the paintings of Paul Klee to the films of Quentin Tarantino or the written words of Lorine Niedecker. He reveals how time, and the instruments for measuring time, have inspired many of his compositions, most notably in the fiendish piano work, Harrison鈥檚 Clocks, and he talks about why he enjoyed the furore over Panic, his notorious orchestral work performed at the 1995 Last Night of the Proms.

Nine Settings of Lorine Niedecker (There鈥檚 A Better Shine; How The White Gulls; My Life; Sleep鈥檚 Dream)
Amy Freston, soprano
Adrian Brendel, cello

Earth Dances
大象传媒 Symphony Orchestra
P茅ter E枚tv枚s, cond.

Harrison鈥檚 Clocks (Clock 2; Clock 5)
Nicolas Hodges, piano

Panic
John Harle, saxophone
Paul Clarvis, drum kit
大象传媒 Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Davis, cond.

Producer: Iain Chambers