George Benjamin (composer)
Encyclopedia
George William John Benjamin, CBE
(born 31 January 1960, London
, England) is a British
composer
of classical music. He is also a conductor
, pianist
and teacher
.
Benjamin attended Westminster School
and then studied with Olivier Messiaen
at the Paris Conservatoire during the second half of the 1970s. Messiaen was reported to have described Benjamin as his favourite pupil.
He then read music at King's College, Cambridge
, studying under Alexander Goehr
, and emerged in his early twenties as a mature and confident voice. His orchestral piece Ringed by the Flat Horizon (written for the Cambridge University Musical Society and premiered in Cambridge
under the baton of Mark Elder
on 5 March 1980) was performed at The Proms
that August, while he was still a student, making him the youngest living composer ever to have had music performed at the Proms.
Since the 1980s he has fulfilled a number of large commissions, including Sudden Time (for orchestra
), Three Inventions (for chamber orchestra) and Antara (for ensemble and electronics, realised at IRCAM
and the first composition ever published using the Sibelius notation program
).
In 1993, Benjamin curated the first Meltdown
music festival in London. In 1992-1994, he helped Yvonne Loriod
complete her husband Olivier Messiaen
's last work, Concert à quatre
.
Benjamin taught composition at the Royal College of Music
, London, for sixteen years, where he became the first Prince Consort Professor of Composition before he succeeded Sir Harrison Birtwistle
as Henry Purcell
Professor of Composition at King's College London
in January 2001.
In the 2002-2003 concert season, the London Symphony Orchestra
gave a season-long festival of concerts which he curated, called "By George!".
His first operatic work 'Into The Little Hill', a collaboration with playwright Martin Crimp, was premiered at the Festival d'Automne in Paris in 2006 and has toured widely on both sides of the Atlantic. It received its London premiere at the Royal Opera House
in February 2009.
His Duet for piano and orchestra, was commissioned by Roche for the 2008 Lucerne Festival
, where he was Composer-in-Residence, and was premiered there by Pierre-Laurent Aimard
and the Cleveland Orchestra
under Franz Welser-Moest.
He will serve as Music Director
of the 2010 Ojai Music Festival
in California
.
His current project is an opera, Written on Skin, to a libretto by Martin Crimp
(with whom he collaborated on Into the Little Hill), commissioned by the Aix-en-Provence Festival
, where it will première in July 2012, with subsequent performances at Covent Garden, La Scala, Netherlands Opera, Bavarian State Opera
, Wiener Festwochen and in Toulouse
at the Théâtre du Capitole
.
Benjamin's oeuvre been described as exhibiting "consummate craftsmanship" coloured by "a love of rich and unusually coloured sonorities".
Benjamin has been a teacher and mentor to such younger composers as Luke Bedford
and Dai Fujikura.
As a conductor he regularly appears with some of the world's leading ensembles and orchestras, amongst them the London Sinfonietta, Ensemble Modern, the Cleveland and Concertgebouw orchestras, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie. In 1999 he made his operatic debut conducting Pelléas et Mélisande
at la Monnaie, Brussels and he has conducted numerous world premieres, important works by Wolfgang Rihm, Unsuk Chin, Grisey and Ligeti.
Benjamin was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours. He is a Chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et Lettres and a member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, and was awarded the Deutsche Symphonie Orchester's first ever Schoenberg prize for composition in 2002.
and Heinz Holliger
, orchestrated part of one of Olivier Messiaen
's final works Concert à quatre
, in 1994.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 31 January 1960, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of classical music. He is also a conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
.
Benjamin attended Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
and then studied with Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
at the Paris Conservatoire during the second half of the 1970s. Messiaen was reported to have described Benjamin as his favourite pupil.
He then read music at King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
, studying under Alexander Goehr
Alexander Goehr
Alexander Goehr is an English composer and academic.Goehr was born in Berlin in 1932, the son of the conductor and Schoenberg pupil Walter Goehr. In his early twenties he emerged as a central figure in the Manchester School of post-war British composers. In 1955–56 he joined Oliver Messiaen's...
, and emerged in his early twenties as a mature and confident voice. His orchestral piece Ringed by the Flat Horizon (written for the Cambridge University Musical Society and premiered in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
under the baton of Mark Elder
Mark Elder
Sir Mark Philip Elder, CBE is a British conductor. He is the music director of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, England.-Biography:Elder was born in Hexham, Northumberland, England, the son of a dentist...
on 5 March 1980) was performed at The Proms
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
that August, while he was still a student, making him the youngest living composer ever to have had music performed at the Proms.
Since the 1980s he has fulfilled a number of large commissions, including Sudden Time (for orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
), Three Inventions (for chamber orchestra) and Antara (for ensemble and electronics, realised at IRCAM
IRCAM
IRCAM is a European institute for science about music and sound and avant garde electro-acoustical art music. It is situated next to, and is organizationally linked with, the Centre Pompidou in Paris...
and the first composition ever published using the Sibelius notation program
Sibelius notation program
Sibelius is a scorewriter program, created by Sibelius Software for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, and RISC OS. It is used by composers, arrangers, performers, music publishers, teachers and students, particularly for writing classical, jazz, band, vocal, film and television music...
).
In 1993, Benjamin curated the first Meltdown
Meltdown (festival)
Meltdown is an annual, English festival, held in London, featuring a mix of music, art, performance and film. Meltdown is held in June at Southbank Centre, the arts complex covering and including the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and The Hayward...
music festival in London. In 1992-1994, he helped Yvonne Loriod
Yvonne Loriod
Yvonne Loriod was a French pianist, teacher, and composer, and the second wife of composer Olivier Messiaen. Her sister was the Ondes Martenot player Jeanne Loriod.-Life:...
complete her husband Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
's last work, Concert à quatre
Concert à quatre
Concert à quatre is one of the final works of the French composer Olivier Messiaen.Written between 1990 and 1991, Messiaen originally intended the piece to have five movements. However, work on another large-scale piece, Éclairs sur l'au-delà…, prevented him from completing it before his death...
.
Benjamin taught composition at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
, London, for sixteen years, where he became the first Prince Consort Professor of Composition before he succeeded Sir Harrison Birtwistle
Harrison Birtwistle
Sir Harrison Paul Birtwistle CH is a British contemporary composer.-Life:Birtwistle was born in Accrington, a mill town in Lancashire some 20 miles north of Manchester. His interest in music was encouraged by his mother, who bought him a clarinet when he was seven, and arranged for him to have...
as Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell – 21 November 1695), was an English organist and Baroque composer of secular and sacred music. Although Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, his legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music...
Professor of Composition at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
in January 2001.
In the 2002-2003 concert season, the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
gave a season-long festival of concerts which he curated, called "By George!".
His first operatic work 'Into The Little Hill', a collaboration with playwright Martin Crimp, was premiered at the Festival d'Automne in Paris in 2006 and has toured widely on both sides of the Atlantic. It received its London premiere at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in February 2009.
His Duet for piano and orchestra, was commissioned by Roche for the 2008 Lucerne Festival
Lucerne Festival
- History :The festival was founded in 1938 with a series of concerts in the gardens of Wagner's villa conducted by Arturo Toscanini, who had formed an orchestra with members of different orchestras and soloists for the concert...
, where he was Composer-in-Residence, and was premiered there by Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Pierre-Laurent Aimard is a French pianist. He was born in Lyon, where he entered the conservatory. Later he studied with Yvonne Loriod and with Maria Curcio....
and the Cleveland Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
under Franz Welser-Moest.
He will serve as Music Director
Ojai Music Festival: Music Directors
This is a complete list of Music Directors of the Ojai Music Festival, shown both alphabetically and chronologically- A-E :*John Adams: 1993*Pierre-Laurent Aimard: 2007*Leif Ove Andsnes: 2012*Emanuel Ax: 1997*George Benjamin: 2010...
of the 2010 Ojai Music Festival
Ojai Music Festival
The Ojai Music Festival is an annual classical music festival in the United States. Held in Ojai, California for four days every June, the festival presents music, symposia, and educational programs emphasizing adventurous, eclectic, and challenging music, principally by contemporary composers...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
His current project is an opera, Written on Skin, to a libretto by Martin Crimp
Martin Crimp
Martin Andrew Crimp is a British playwright.Sometimes described as a practitioner of the "in-yer-face" school of contemporary British drama, Crimp though rejects the label...
(with whom he collaborated on Into the Little Hill), commissioned by the Aix-en-Provence Festival
Aix-en-Provence Festival
The festival international d'art lyrique is an annual international music festival which takes place each summer in Aix-en-Provence, principally in the month of July. Devoted mainly to opera, it also includes concerts of orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo instrumental music.-Establishment:The...
, where it will première in July 2012, with subsequent performances at Covent Garden, La Scala, Netherlands Opera, Bavarian State Opera
Bavarian State Opera
The Bavarian State Opera is an opera company based in Munich, Germany.Its orchestra is the Bavarian State Orchestra.- History:The opera company which was founded under Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy has been in existence since 1653...
, Wiener Festwochen and in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
at the Théâtre du Capitole
Théâtre du Capitole
The Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse is an opera house and ballet company located within the main administration buildings, the Capitole, of the city of Toulouse in south-west France....
.
Benjamin's oeuvre been described as exhibiting "consummate craftsmanship" coloured by "a love of rich and unusually coloured sonorities".
Benjamin has been a teacher and mentor to such younger composers as Luke Bedford
Luke Bedford
Luke Bedford is a British composer.He was educated at St Crispin's School in Wokingham. He studied composition with Edwin Roxburgh and Simon Bainbridge at the Royal College of Music, and won the Mendelssohn Scholarship in 2000. This was followed by post-graduate study with Simon Bainbridge at the...
and Dai Fujikura.
As a conductor he regularly appears with some of the world's leading ensembles and orchestras, amongst them the London Sinfonietta, Ensemble Modern, the Cleveland and Concertgebouw orchestras, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie. In 1999 he made his operatic debut conducting Pelléas et Mélisande
Pelléas et Mélisande (opera)
Pelléas et Mélisande is an opera in five acts with music by Claude Debussy. The French libretto was adapted from Maurice Maeterlinck's Symbolist play Pelléas et Mélisande...
at la Monnaie, Brussels and he has conducted numerous world premieres, important works by Wolfgang Rihm, Unsuk Chin, Grisey and Ligeti.
Benjamin was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours. He is a Chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et Lettres and a member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, and was awarded the Deutsche Symphonie Orchester's first ever Schoenberg prize for composition in 2002.
Orchestral
- Altitude, 1977
- Ringed by the Flat Horizon, 1979–80
- At First Light, 1982
- Fanfare for Aquarius, 1983
- Antara, 1985–87
- Sudden Time, 1989-93
- Three Inventions for Chamber Orchestra, 1993–95
- Palimpsest I, 1998–99
- Palimpsest II, 2002
- Dance Figures, 2004
- Duet for piano and orchestra, 2008
Chamber music
- Sonata for Violin and Piano, 1976–77
- Octet, ( for flute (+ piccolo), clarinet, violin, viola, cello, double bass, celesta, percussion), 1978
- Flight, flute, 1979
- Viola, Viola, duo for 2 violas (1996)
Vocal & Choral
- Jubilation (vocalise), 1996
- A Mind of Winter (text by Wallace StevensWallace StevensWallace Stevens was an American Modernist poet. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, educated at Harvard and then New York Law School, and spent most of his life working as a lawyer for the Hartford insurance company in Connecticut.His best-known poems include "Anecdote of the Jar",...
), 1981 - Upon Silence (text by William Butler YeatsWilliam Butler YeatsWilliam Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
), 1991 - Into the Little Hill , 2006 (opera)
Piano
- Sonata for Piano, 1977–78
- Sortilèges, 1981
- Three Studies, 1982–85
- Shadowlines, 2001
- Piano Figures, 2006
- Two or Four, 2010
Other
Benjamin, in conjunction with Yvonne LoriodYvonne Loriod
Yvonne Loriod was a French pianist, teacher, and composer, and the second wife of composer Olivier Messiaen. Her sister was the Ondes Martenot player Jeanne Loriod.-Life:...
and Heinz Holliger
Heinz Holliger
Heinz Holliger Heinz Holliger Heinz Holliger (born 21 May 1939 is a Swiss oboist, composer and conductor.-Biography:He was born in Langenthal, Switzerland, and began his musical education at the conservatories of Bern and Basel. He studied composition with Sándor Veress and Pierre Boulez...
, orchestrated part of one of Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
's final works Concert à quatre
Concert à quatre
Concert à quatre is one of the final works of the French composer Olivier Messiaen.Written between 1990 and 1991, Messiaen originally intended the piece to have five movements. However, work on another large-scale piece, Éclairs sur l'au-delà…, prevented him from completing it before his death...
, in 1994.
External links
- George Benjamin's page at King's College London
- Page on the website of Faber Music, Benjamin's publisher, with biography, catalogue of works and details of forthcoming performances
- http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,2018705,00.htmlGeorge Benjamin, "In the realm of the senses" (article on György LigetiGyörgy LigetiGyörgy Sándor Ligeti was a composer of contemporary classical music. Born in a Hungarian Jewish family in Transylvania, Romania, he briefly lived in Hungary before becoming an Austrian citizen.-Early life:...
). The Guardian, 23 February 2007.] - Education project on collection "Piano Figures" – George Benjamin explains his work in short films