Harrison Birtwistle

Donald Macleod talks to Sir Harrison Birtwistle about his life, inspiration and music.

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

To begin, we’ll hear about, Birtwistle’s daily working life, and about his early years among what became known as the Manchester school of composers. The premiere of his first opera Punch and Judy at Aldeburgh was infamous - much of the audience – including its commissioner Benjamin Britten – walked out at the interval. Next, we’ll hear about Birtwistle’s time in America and his friendship with Morton Feldman. They discuss some of his non-musical inspirations too: the power of mythology, the paintings of Paul Klee and the films of Quentin Tarantino. Birtwistle reveals how time, and the instruments for measuring time, have inspired many of his compositions, and how a lifelong fascination with moths inspired a new work meditating on loss.

Music featured: Oockooing Bird Refrains and Choruses Punch and Judy (The Resolve; Passion Aria; Adding Song) Tragoedia Dinah and Nick’s Love Song Trio Chronometer The Triumph of Time Duets for Storab (Urlar; Stark Pastoral; Crunluath) Carmen Arcadiae Mechanicae Perpetuum The Mask of Orpheus (13th, 14th 15th Arch from Act 2, Scene 2) Silbury Air Nine Settings of Lorine Niedecker (There’s A Better Shine; How The White Gulls; My Life; Sleep’s Dream) Earth Dances Harrison’s Clocks (Clock 2; Clock 5) Panic Virelai (Sus une fontayne) The Minotaur (Part Two) The Moth Requiem In Broken Images Duet for Eight Strings

Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Iain Chambers for BBC Wales

For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Harrison Birtwistle https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0009r3h

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z