Mark-Anthony Turnage is a prolific English 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

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

. His initial musical studies were with Oliver Knussen

Oliver Knussen

Oliver Knussen CBE is a British composer and conductor.-Biography:Oliver Knussen was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, Stuart Knussen, was principal double bass of the London Symphony Orchestra. Oliver Knussen studied composition with John Lambert, between 1963 and 1969 and also received...

, John Lambert

John Lambert (composer)

-Biography:John Arthur Neil Lambert was born at Maidenhead. After obtaining a post at the Royal College of Music, he lived at Brighton for the rest of his life, where he shared a house with organist Timothy Bond. He died at Brighton, a victim of liver cancer....

, and later with Gunther Schuller

Gunther Schuller

Gunther Schuller is an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician.- Biography and works :...

. He also has been strongly influenced by jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

, in particular by the work of Miles Davis

Miles Davis

Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...

.

Turnage's music has a characteristic personal style, with strong rhythmic thrust, involved jazz harmonies, colourful orchestration with prominent use of percussion, and hints of various orchestrational sounds from Duke Ellington to 1970s TV detective series theme tunes. He enjoys the reputation of being one of the few modern classical composers who can write 'proper modern jazz'.

Turnage has composed numerous 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...

l and chamber

Chamber music

Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...

 works, and two widely-performed opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

s. Greek

Greek (opera)

Greek is an opera in two acts composed by Mark-Anthony Turnage to a libretto adapted by Turnage and Jonathan Moore from Steven Berkoff's 1980 verse play Greek. The play and the opera are a re-telling of Sophocles's Greek tragedy Oedipus the King with the setting changed to the East End of London in...

, first performed in 1988 at the Munich Biennale

Munich Biennale

The Munich Biennale is an opera festival in the city of Munich. The full German name is Internationales Festival für neues Musiktheater, literally: International Festival for New Music Theater. The biennial festival was created in 1988 by Hans Werner Henze and is held in even-numbered years over...

, is based on Steven Berkoff

Steven Berkoff

Steven Berkoff is an English actor, writer and director. Best known for his performance as General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy, he is typically cast in villanous roles, such as Lt...

's adaptation of Oedipus the King

Oedipus the King

Oedipus the King , also known by the Latin title Oedipus Rex, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed c. 429 BCE. It was the second of Sophocles's three Theban plays to be produced, but it comes first in the internal chronology, followed by Oedipus at Colonus and then Antigone...

. The Silver Tassie, first performed in 2000, is based on the play by Seán O'Casey

Seán O'Casey

Seán O'Casey was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.- Early life:...

. Other works include Three Screaming Popes (after the paintings by Francis Bacon) and Your Rockaby, a concerto

Concerto

A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...

 for saxophone

Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

 and orchestra, and a concerto for trombone and orchestra: "Yet Another Set To", dedicated to Christian Lindberg.

In 1990, the post of Radcliffe Composer in Association with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. The Orchestra's current chief executive, appointed in 1999, is Stephen Maddock...

 was created, and Turnage appointed. In 2006, Turnage was named a co-composer-in-residence of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...

, a position he held alongside Argentinian 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...

 Osvaldo Golijov

Osvaldo Golijov

Osvaldo Noé Golijov is a Grammy award–winning composer of classical music.-Biography:Osvaldo Golijov was born in and grew up in La Plata, Argentina, in a Jewish family that had emigrated to Argentina in the 1920s from Romania and Russia.Golijov has developed a rich musical language, the result of...

.

In Autumn 2005, he was appointed as 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...

's Research Fellow in Composition. In September 2006, he married the cellist Gabriella "Gabi" Swallow, for whom he wrote the 2010 piece for cello and percussion, GG.

Opera

Premiere	Title	Description	Libretto and source
17 Jun 1988, Munich Biennale Munich Biennale The Munich Biennale is an opera festival in the city of Munich. The full German name is Internationales Festival für neues Musiktheater, literally: International Festival for New Music Theater. The biennial festival was created in 1988 by Hans Werner Henze and is held in even-numbered years over...	Greek Greek (opera) Greek is an opera in two acts composed by Mark-Anthony Turnage to a libretto adapted by Turnage and Jonathan Moore from Steven Berkoff's 1980 verse play Greek. The play and the opera are a re-telling of Sophocles's Greek tragedy Oedipus the King with the setting changed to the East End of London in...	Opera in 2 acts, 90'	the composer and Jonathan Moore, after the play Greek (play) Greek is a play by Steven Berkoff.It was first performed at the Half Moon Theatre in London on 11 February 1980, in a production directed by the author. The cast was:*Eddy & Fortune-teller: Barry Philips*Dad & Manager of cafe: Matthew Scurfield...  by Steven Berkoff Steven Berkoff Steven Berkoff is an English actor, writer and director. Best known for his performance as General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy, he is typically cast in villanous roles, such as Lt...
16 Jun 1997, Aldeburgh Festival Aldeburgh Festival The Aldeburgh Festival is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on the main concert hall at Snape Maltings...	Twice Through the Heart Twice Through the Heart Twice Through the Heart is a musical work by the English composer Mark-Anthony Turnage, variously described as a dramatic scena, as a monodrama, as a song cycle, as a chamber opera or even as a "dramatic song-cycle-cum-scena"...	dramatic scena for mezzo-soprano and ensemble, 30'	Jackie Kay
16 Jun 1997, Aldeburgh Festival Aldeburgh Festival The Aldeburgh Festival is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on the main concert hall at Snape Maltings...	Country of the Blind	Chamber opera
16 Feb 2000, English National Opera English National Opera English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...	The Silver Tassie	Opera in four acts, 120'	Amanda Holden, after the play The Silver Tassie (play) The Silver Tassie is a four-act Expressionist play about the First World War, written between 1927 and 1928 by the Irish playwright Seán O'Casey. It was O'Casey's fourth play and attacks imperialist wars and the suffering that they cause. O'Casey described the play as "A generous handful of stones,...  by Seán O'Casey Seán O'Casey Seán O'Casey was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.- Early life:...
17 Feb 2011, 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... , London	Anna Nicole Anna Nicole Anna Nicole is an opera in 2 acts by Mark-Anthony Turnage to an English libretto by Richard Thomas. It premiered on 17 February 2011 at the Royal Opera House, London, directed by Richard Jones. The story is based on the life of Anna Nicole Smith. A recording of the opera was broadcast on BBC Four...	Opera in two acts, 120'	Richard Thomas Richard Thomas (musician) Richard Thomas is British a musician, writer, and comedy actor. He is best known for composing and scoring the award-winning Jerry Springer: The Opera with Stewart Lee. Thomas collected the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Score in 2004....

Orchestral

• Night Dances (1981), for offstage string quintet, solo instrumental group and orchestra
• Three Screaming Popes (1988–89)
• Some Days (1989), song cycle
  Song cycle
  A song cycle is a group of songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a single entity. As a rule, all of the songs are by the same composer and often use words from the same poet or lyricist. Unification can be achieved by a narrative or a persona common to the songs, or even, as in Schumann's...
  
   for mezzo-soprano and orchestra
• Momentum (1990–1991)
• Drowned Out (1992–1993)
• Your Rockaby (1992–93), for soprano saxophone and orchestra
• Dispelling the Fears (1994–1995), for two trumpets and orchestra
• Scorched (1996–2001), for jazz trio and orchestra
• Still Sleeping (1997)
• Evening Songs (1998)
• Silent Cities (1998)
• About Time (1999–2000), for ensemble and chamber orchestra of period instruments
• Another Set To (1999–2000), concerto
  Concerto
  A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
  
   for trombone and orchestra
• A Quick Blast (2000), for orchestral winds, brass and percussion
• Dark Crossing (2000), for chamber orchestra
• Etudes and Elegies (2000–2002)
• Four-Horned Fandango (2000), for four horns and orchestra
• On Opened Ground (2000–2001), concerto for viola and orchestra
• Uninterrupted Sorrow (2000–2001)
• Fractured Lines (2001), double concerto for two percussion and orchestra
• When I Woke (2001), for baritone and chamber orchestra
• A Quiet Life (2002), for string orchestra
• A Man Descending (2003), for tenor saxophone and chamber orchestra
• Riffs and Refrains (2003), concerto for clarinet and orchestra
• Scherzoid (2003–04)
• A Soothing Interlude (2004), for trombone and orchestra
• From the Wreckage (2004), concerto for trumpet and orchestra
• Yet Another Set To (2004), concerto for trombone and orchestra
• Ceres (2005)
• Hidden Love Song (2005), for soprano saxophone and chamber orchestra
• Juno (2005)
• Lullaby for Hans (2005), for string orchestra
• Three Asteroids (2005)
• The Torino Scale (2005)
• From All Sides (2005–06)
• A Prayer Out of Stillness (2007), concertante
  Sinfonia concertante
  Sinfonia concertante is a musical form that emerged during the Classical period of Western music. It is essentially a mixture of the symphony and the concerto genres: a concerto in that one or more soloists are on prominent display, and a symphony in that the soloists are nonetheless discernibly a...
  
   for double bass (doubling bass guitar
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  ) and string orchestra
• Chicago Remains (2007)
• Five Views of a Mouth (2007), concerto for flute and orchestra
• Mambo, Blues and Tarantella (2007), concerto for violin and orchestra
• Texan Tenebrae (2009)
• Hammered Out (2010)

Choral

• The Game Is Over (2001–2002), for S.A.T.B.
  SATB
  In music, SATB is an initialism for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, defining the voices required by a chorus or choir to perform a particular musical work...
  
   choir and orchestra
• A Relic of Memory (2003), for S.A.T.B. choir and orchestra
• Calmo (2003), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir and bells
• Two Fanfares and a Lament (2003), for S.A.T.B. choir and large ensemble
• Christmas Night (2006), for S.A.T.B. choir and piano
• Claremont Carol (2006), for upper-voice choir and piano or organ
• Miserere Nobis (2006), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir

Chamber

• On All Fours (1985), for chamber ensemble
• Release (1987), for soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, bass clarinet, trumpet, trombone, percussion, piano and double bass
• Kai (1989–1990), for cello solo and ensemble
• Three Farewells (1989–1990), for flute, bass clarinet, harp and string quartet
• Set To (1992–1993), for brass dectet
• This Silence (1992–1993), for clarinet, bassoon, horn and string quintet
• Blood on the Floor (1993–1996), for jazz quartet and large ensemble
• Barrie's Deviant Fantasy (1995), for string quartet and referee's whistles
• Bass Invention (1999–2000), for double bass solo and ensemble
• Cantilena (2001), for oboe quintet
• Snapshots (2002), for large ensemble
• Crying Out Loud (2003), for large ensemble
• A Short Procession (2003), for piano trio
• Eulogy (2003), for viola solo and small ensemble
• No Let Up (2003), for ensemble
• A Fast Stomp (2004), for piano trio
• A Few Serenades (2004), for cello and piano
• A Slow Pavane (2004–2005), for piano trio
• Bleak Moments (2005), for horn and string quartet
• Fanfare (from all sides) (2006), for brass ensemble
• Returning (2006), for string sextet
• Tango (2007), for ensemble
• Out of Black Dust (2007–08), for brass ensemble
• Four Chants (2008), for violin and piano
• Twisted Blues with Twisted Ballad (2008), for string quartet
• Grazioso! (2009), for small ensemble
• Five Processionals (2009), for clarinet, violin, cello and piano
• GG (2010), for cello and percussion
• Three for Two (2010), for piano quartet
• Amelia's March (2010), for small ensemble
• Silem (2010), for solo trumpet and big band
• Undance (2011), for ensemble

Vocal

• Lament for a Hanging Man (1983), for soprano and ensemble
• Some Days (1989), song cycle
  Song cycle
  A song cycle is a group of songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a single entity. As a rule, all of the songs are by the same composer and often use words from the same poet or lyricist. Unification can be achieved by a narrative or a persona common to the songs, or even, as in Schumann's...
  
   for mezzo-soprano and orchestra
• Greek Suite (1989), for mezzo-soprano, tenor soli and ensemble
• The Torn Fields (2000–2002), song cycle for baritone and large ensemble
• When I Woke (2001), song cycle for baritone and orchestra
• Two Baudelaire
  Charles Baudelaire
  Charles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
  
   Songs (2003–04), for soprano and ensemble
• About Water (2006), for solo jazz singer; soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass soli; solo instrumental septet and large ensemble
• A Constant Obsession (2007), song cycle for tenor and ensemble
• Bellamy (2008), for countertenor
  Countertenor
  A countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
  
   and singing harpist

Solo instrumental

• An Aria (with Dancing) (2004), for trumpet
• Ah, Quegli Occhi! (2006), for soprano saxophone
• Air with Variations (2007), for guitar
• Cradle Song (2009), for clarinet
• Leap (2010), for clarinet

Other

• Anthem by Peter Erskine
  Peter Erskine
  Peter Erskine is an American jazz drummer and composer. He has enjoyed a long and successful career as a session drummer, recording and touring with many famous jazz and rock artists, including Steely Dan and Weather Report...
  
  , ed. Turnage (1996), for jazz trio and chamber orchestra

External links

• Mark-Anthony Turnage at Schott Music Schott Music ltd.