大象传媒

Donald Macleod talks to the composer about his passions for social justice and visual art, and they discuss his vocal work tackling the subject of domestic violence.

Mark-Anthony Turnage is a man with a reputation for shaking up the world of British classical music - a composer with a distinctive and rebellious creative voice. His work vividly fuses influences of jazz, soul and contemporary pop with music that remains boldly and defiantly avant-garde. It鈥檚 music that packs a punch, yet whose visceral impact accompanies a deep lyricism and emotion. Over four decades, Turnage鈥檚 work has tackled social commentary: domestic violence, drug abuse, and the refugee crisis. But he鈥檚 also a composer with a subversive streak, with an opera exploring the life of former Playboy model Anna-Nicole Smith, and orchestral pieces inspired by his beloved Arsenal football club and pop superstar Beyonc茅.

Turnage鈥檚 music is often inspired by issues in the contemporary the world: today, he talks to Donald Macleod about his dramatic scena 鈥淭wice Through The Heart鈥�, to words by the Scottish poet Jackie Kay, which addresses the trauma of domestic abuse from a woman鈥檚 perspective. They also discuss the composer鈥檚 deep love of visual art, as we hear a work inspired by the 鈥淧ope鈥� paintings of Francis Bacon.

Set To
Brass Partout

Three Screaming Popes
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle, conductor

Twice Through the Heart (Part Two)
Sarah Connolly, mezzo-soprano
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Marin Alsop, conductor

Your Rockaby (excerpt)
Martin Robertson, saxophone
大象传媒 Symphony Orchestra
Sir Andrew Davis, conductor

True life stories (Tune for Toru)
Ian Brown, piano