Lyell Cresswell is a composer of contemporary classical music

Contemporary classical music

Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...

. He studied in Wellington, Toronto, Aberdeen and Utrecht. He moved to Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 in the 1970s and has lived and worked in Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

 since 1985. He received the APRA Silver Scroll for his contribution to New Zealand music in 1979 and he won the Ian Whyte Award for the orchestral work Salm in 1978. In 1979, 1981 and 1988 he received a recommendation by the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers. In 2002, Victoria University

Victoria University

Victoria University may refer to:* Victoria University, Australia, Melbourne, Australia* Victoria University of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh* University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada...

 of Wellington awarded him an honorary D. Mus degree and the inaugural Elgar Bursary.

Work

Cresswell has written music for orchestra, chamber ensembles, choir, voice and solo instruments. His works include several concertos. His concerto for accordion, Dragspil (Icelandic for "accordion"), was commissioned for the BBC Proms and premièred by James Crabb

James Crabb

James Crabb, is a classical accordion player.Scottish born James Crabb is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading ambassadors of the classical accordion. He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen with classical accordion pioneer Mogens Ellegaard and was awarded the Carl...

 and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is a broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow, Scotland. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation , it is the oldest full-time professional orchestra in Scotland...

 at the Royal Albert Hall

Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....

 as part of the 1995 season.

In 2001, the Scottish Arts Council

Scottish Arts Council

The Scottish Arts Council is a Scottish public body that distributes funding from the Scottish Government, and is the leading national organisation for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland...

 granted him the Creative Scotland Award and commissioned a work, in collaboration with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is Scotland's national chamber orchestra, based in Edinburgh. One of Scotland’s five National Performing Arts Companies, the SCO performs throughout Scotland, including annual tours of the Scottish Highlands and Islands and South of Scotland. The SCO appears...

, exploring the issues of exile and identity. His composition Shadows Without Sun combines elements of oratorio, opera, music theatre and cantata. It requires orchestra, singers, speaking voices and recorded voices. The work intertwines the story of exiles living in both Scotland and New Zealand with the story of Cassandra

Cassandra

In Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her beauty caused Apollo to grant her the gift of prophecy...

. The Money Man, 2010, was written in collaboration with librettist Ron Butlin with whom Cresswell regularly works.

Cresswell's music is recorded on the Naxos Records

Naxos Records

Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...

label.

Concertos

• Concertos for cello (commissioned for Musica Nova, Glasgow, 1984)
• Concerto for accordion, Dragspil (BBC Proms, 1995)
• Concerto for string quartet (commissioned by the City of Aberdeen, 1996)
• Concerto for trombone, Kaea (Scottish Chamber Orchestra, 1997)
• Concerto for violin and soprano (commissioned by the BBC, 2001)
• Concerto for chamber orchestra (SCO, 2002)

Other orchestral

• A Modern Ecstasy (1986)
• Voices of Ocean Winds (Radio New Zealand,1989)
• Ylur (St Magnus Festival,1991)