Oliver Knussen
Encyclopedia
Oliver Knussen CBE is a British
composer
and conductor
.
, 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 encouragement from Benjamin Britten
. He spent several summers studying with Gunther Schuller
at Tanglewood
in Massachusetts and in Boston. He later became the Head of Contemporary Music Activities at Tanglewood between 1986 and 1993.
He was married to Sue Knussen, a US
-born producer and director of music programmes for BBC
television and for the UK
's Channel 4
– for which she made Leaving Home, an introduction to 20th Century music presented by Simon Rattle
in a series of seven one-hour programmes, which won the 1996 BAFTA
award for Best Arts Series. She ran the Los Angeles Philharmonic
's education department in the late 1990s. Oliver and Sue Knussen had a daughter, Sonya, who is a mezzo-soprano.
Sue Knussen died of a blood infection in London in 2003. The Sue Knussen Composers Fund (previously, the Sue Knussen Commissioning Fund) "honours her memory and professional legacy...and...commissions works from emerging composers to be performed by contemporary music ensembles worldwide."
Knussen lives in Snape, Suffolk
, Benjamin Britten's base during one of his most creative periods.
Snape Maltings
concert hall is the home of the Aldeburgh Festival.
programme about his father's work with the London Symphony Orchestra
that prompted the commissioning for his first symphony (1966–1967). Aged 15, Knussen stepped in to conduct his symphony's première at the Royal Festival Hall
, London, on 7 April 1968 after István Kertész fell ill. After that debut, Daniel Barenboim
asked him to conduct the work's first two movements in New York a week later. In this work and his Concerto for Orchestra (1968–1970), he had quickly and fluently absorbed the influences of modernist composers Britten
and Berg
as well as many mid-century (largely American) symphonists, whilst displaying an unusual flair for pacing and orchestration. It was as early as the Second Symphony (1970–1971), in the words of Julian Anderson
, that "Knussen's compositional personality abruptly appeared, fully formed".
Knussen has been Principal Guest Conductor of The Hague
's Het Residentie Orkest (Residentie Orchestra) between 1992 and 1996, the Aldeburgh Festival
's co-Artistic Director between 1983 and 1998 and the London Sinfonietta
's Music Director between 1998 and 2002 – and is now that ensemble's Conductor Laureate.
Since September 2006, Knussen has been Artist-in-Association to the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
, and since 2009 to the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
His major works from the 1980s are his two "child
ren's opera
s", Where the Wild Things Are
and Higglety Pigglety Pop!, both libretti
by Maurice Sendak
– and based on Sendak's own eponymous children's books. Where the Wild Things Are received its New York premiere by New York City Opera
in November 1987 and the company will revive the work in concert in April 2011.
Knussen wrote his Songs for Sue, a setting of four poems for soprano and 15-piece ensemble, as a memorial tribute to his late wife, and the music received its world première in Chicago in 2006. "...I knew there were a number of Dickinson poems addressed to her sister, Sue, so one week I read all 1,700 poems of Emily Dickinson...and I copied out about 35 of them by hand, Knussen told Tom Service in London's The Guardian
"I have no idea where the notes for this piece come from...It seemed to want to be written...I wasn't sure whether it...ought to be let out at all...because I didn't want it to be a self-indulgent thing. But actually it's very restrained. It's not a huge work - about 13 minutes - but it's a big piece emotionally."
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...
and 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...
.
Biography
Oliver Knussen was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, 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...
. His father, Stuart Knussen, was principal double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
of 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:...
. Oliver Knussen studied composition with John Lambert
John Lambert
John Lambert may refer to:*John Lambert , English Protestant martyred during the reign of Henry VIII*John Lambert , Parliamentary general in the English Civil War...
, between 1963 and 1969 and also received encouragement from Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
. He spent several summers studying with Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller is an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician.- Biography and works :...
at Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
in Massachusetts and in Boston. He later became the Head of Contemporary Music Activities at Tanglewood between 1986 and 1993.
He was married to Sue Knussen, a US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born producer and director of music programmes for BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television and for the UK
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...
's Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
– for which she made Leaving Home, an introduction to 20th Century music presented by Simon Rattle
Simon Rattle
Sir Simon Denis Rattle, CBE is an English conductor. He rose to international prominence as conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and since 2002 has been principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic ....
in a series of seven one-hour programmes, which won the 1996 BAFTA
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
award for Best Arts Series. She ran the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
's education department in the late 1990s. Oliver and Sue Knussen had a daughter, Sonya, who is a mezzo-soprano.
Sue Knussen died of a blood infection in London in 2003. The Sue Knussen Composers Fund (previously, the Sue Knussen Commissioning Fund) "honours her memory and professional legacy...and...commissions works from emerging composers to be performed by contemporary music ensembles worldwide."
Knussen lives in Snape, Suffolk
Snape, Suffolk
Snape is a small village in the English county of Suffolk, on the River Alde close to Aldeburgh. It has about 600 inhabitants. Snape is now best known for Snape Maltings, no longer in commercial use, but converted into a tourist centre together with a concert hall that hosts the major part of the...
, Benjamin Britten's base during one of his most creative periods.
Snape Maltings
Snape Maltings
Snape Maltings is part of Snape, Suffolk, U.K., best known for its concert hall, which is one of the main sites of the annual Aldeburgh Festival....
concert hall is the home of the Aldeburgh Festival.
Musical life
Oliver Knussen began composing at about the age of six – but it was an ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
programme about his father's work with 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:...
that prompted the commissioning for his first symphony (1966–1967). Aged 15, Knussen stepped in to conduct his symphony's première at the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
, London, on 7 April 1968 after István Kertész fell ill. After that debut, Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim, KBE is an Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings....
asked him to conduct the work's first two movements in New York a week later. In this work and his Concerto for Orchestra (1968–1970), he had quickly and fluently absorbed the influences of modernist composers Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
and Berg
Alban Berg
Alban Maria Johannes Berg was an Austrian composer. He was a member of the Second Viennese School with Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, and produced compositions that combined Mahlerian Romanticism with a personal adaptation of Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique.-Early life:Berg was born in...
as well as many mid-century (largely American) symphonists, whilst displaying an unusual flair for pacing and orchestration. It was as early as the Second Symphony (1970–1971), in the words of Julian Anderson
Julian Anderson
Julian Anderson is a British composer and teacher of composition.-Biography:Anderson studied at Westminster School, then with John Lambert at the Royal College of Music, with Alexander Goehr at Cambridge University, privately with Tristan Murail in Paris, and on courses given by Olivier Messiaen,...
, that "Knussen's compositional personality abruptly appeared, fully formed".
Knussen has been Principal Guest Conductor of The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
's Het Residentie Orkest (Residentie Orchestra) between 1992 and 1996, the 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...
's co-Artistic Director between 1983 and 1998 and the London Sinfonietta
London Sinfonietta
The London Sinfonietta is an English chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble specialises in contemporary music and works across a wide range of genres, performing modern classics alongside world premieres, and includes music by electronica artists as well as folk and...
's Music Director between 1998 and 2002 – and is now that ensemble's Conductor Laureate.
Since September 2006, Knussen has been Artist-in-Association to the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group is a chamber orchestra based in Birmingham, England. BCMG specialises in the performance of new and contemporary music. BCMG performs regularly at the CBSO Centre and Symphony Hall in Birmingham...
, and since 2009 to the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
His major works from the 1980s are his two "child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren's 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", Where the Wild Things Are
Where the Wild Things Are (opera)
Where the Wild Things Are is a 'fantasy' opera in one act by Oliver Knussen, his Opus 20, to a libretto by Maurice Sendak, based on Sendak's own children's book of the same title...
and Higglety Pigglety Pop!, both libretti
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:...
– and based on Sendak's own eponymous children's books. Where the Wild Things Are received its New York premiere by New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
in November 1987 and the company will revive the work in concert in April 2011.
Knussen wrote his Songs for Sue, a setting of four poems for soprano and 15-piece ensemble, as a memorial tribute to his late wife, and the music received its world première in Chicago in 2006. "...I knew there were a number of Dickinson poems addressed to her sister, Sue, so one week I read all 1,700 poems of Emily Dickinson...and I copied out about 35 of them by hand, Knussen told Tom Service in London's The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
"I have no idea where the notes for this piece come from...It seemed to want to be written...I wasn't sure whether it...ought to be let out at all...because I didn't want it to be a self-indulgent thing. But actually it's very restrained. It's not a huge work - about 13 minutes - but it's a big piece emotionally."
Compositions
Oliver Knussen's works include the following:- Processionals, Op. 2 (1968/78), for chamber ensemble
- Masks, Op. 3 (1969), for solo flute & glass chimes 'ad lib.'
- Symphony in One Movement, Op. 5 (1969/2002), for orchestra
- Hums and Songs of Winnie-the-Pooh, Op. 6 (1970/83), for soprano solo, flute, cor Anglais, clarinet, percussion & cello
- Three Little Fantasies, Op. 6a (1970/83), for wind quintet
- Second Symphony, Op. 7 (1970–71), for high soprano & chamber orchestra [Winner: Margaret Grant Prize, Tanglewood]
- Choral, Op. 8 (1970–72), for wind, percussion & double basses
- Rosary Songs, Op. 9 (1972), for soprano solo, clarinet, piano & viola
- Océan de Terre, Op. 10 (1972-73/76), for soprano & chamber ensemble
- Music for a Puppet Court (after John Lloyd), Op. 11 (1973/83), "puzzle pieces" for two chamber orchestras
- Trumpets, Op. 12 (1975), for soprano & three clarinets
- Ophelia Dances, Op. 13 (1975), for flute, cor Anglais, clarinet, horn, piano, celesta & string trio [Koussevitzky centennial commission]
- Autumnal, Op. 14 (1976–77), for violin & piano
- Cantata Op. 15 (1977), for oboe & string trio
- Sonya's Lullaby Op. 16 (1978–79), for piano solo
- Coursing, Op. 17 (1979), for large chamber ensemble
- Third Symphony, Op. 18 (1973–79), for orchestra
- Frammenti da Chiara, Op.19a (1975/86), for two antiphonal 'a cappella' female choirs
- Where the Wild Things AreWhere the Wild Things Are (opera)Where the Wild Things Are is a 'fantasy' opera in one act by Oliver Knussen, his Opus 20, to a libretto by Maurice Sendak, based on Sendak's own children's book of the same title...
, Op. 20 (1979–83), fantasy opera, libretto by Maurice SendakMaurice SendakMaurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:... - Songs and a Sea Interlude, Op. 20a (1979–81), for soprano & orchestra
- The Wild Rumpus, Op. 20b (1983), for orchestra
- Higglety Pigglety Pop!, Op. 21 (1984–85, revised 1999), fantasy opera, libretto by Maurice SendakMaurice SendakMaurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:...
- Fanfares for Tanglewood (1986), for thirteen brass & three groups of percussion
- The Way to Castle Yonder, Op. 21a (1988–90), for orchestra
- Flourish with Fireworks, Op. 22 (1988 revised 1993), for orchestra
- Four Late Poems and an Epigram of RilkeRainer Maria RilkeRené Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke , better known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was a Bohemian–Austrian poet. He is considered one of the most significant poets in the German language...
, Op. 23 (1988), soprano solo - Variations, Op. 24 (1989), for piano solo
- Secret Psalm (1990), for violin solo
- WhitmanWalt WhitmanWalter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
Settings, Op. 25 (1991), for soprano & piano - WhitmanWalt WhitmanWalter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
Settings, Op. 25a (1992), for soprano & orchestra - Songs without Voices, Op. 26 (1991–92), for flute, cor Anglais, clarinet, horn, piano & string trio
- Elegiac Arabesques (in memory of Andrzej PanufnikAndrzej PanufnikSir Andrzej Panufnik was a Polish composer, pianist, conductor and pedagogue. He became established as one of the leading Polish composers, and as a conductor he was instrumental in the re-establishment of the Warsaw Philharmonic orchestra after World War II...
), Op. 26a (1991), for cor Anglais and clarinet - Two Organa, Op. 27 (1994), for large chamber ensemble
- Horn Concerto, Op. 28 (1994), for horn solo & orchestra
- "...upon one note" (fantasia after Purcell) (1995), for clarinet, piano & string trio
- Prayer Bell Sketch (in memory of Tōru TakemitsuToru Takemitsuwas a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu possessed consummate skill in the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre...
), Op. 29 (1997), for piano solo - Eccentric Melody (for Elliott Carter'sElliott CarterElliott Cook Carter, Jr. is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer born and living in New York City. He studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris in the 1930s, and then returned to the United States. After a neoclassical phase, he went on to write atonal, rhythmically complex music...
90th birthday) (1998), for cello solo - Violin Concerto, Op. 30 (2002), for violin solo & orchestra
- Ophelia's Last Dance, Op. 32 (2004/2009-10), for piano solo
- Requiem: Songs for Sue, Op. 33 (2005-6), for soprano & chamber ensemble