Endymion, formerly Endymion Ensemble, is an English chamber music ensemble, founded in 1979 and dedicated to contemporary classical music.

History

One of the founding members was John Whitfield who often conducted the group. Players have included pianist

Michael Dussek Michael Dussek (born February 24, 1958) is an English pianist specialising in chamber music and song accompaniment. Education Dussek was educated at St John's College School, Cambridge and Radley College, where his piano teacher was Hugo Langri ...

, oboists Melinda Maxwell and Quentin Poole, clarinetist Mark van de Wiel, hornist Stephen Stirling and double bass player Chi-chi Nwanoku. Whitfield conducted the ensemble in recordings dedicated to works by specific composers, including in 1988 ''Dumbarton Oaks'', works by

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

, in 1989 ''Lichtbogen'' by Kaija Saariaho and other works by Finnish composers, and in 1995 ''Phaedra/Les Illuminations'', music by

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

. In a series at the Southbank named Composer Choice, they have performed concerts dedicated to contemporary composers such as

Michael Berkeley Michael Fitzhardinge Berkeley, Baron Berkeley of Knighton, (born 29 May 1948) is an English composer, broadcaster on music and member of the House of Lords. Early life Berkeley is the eldest of the three sons of Elizabeth Freda (née Bernstein ...

, Harrison Birtwistle, Gavin Bryars, Peter Maxwell Davies, Oliver Knussen, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Judith Weir and

John Woolrich John Woolrich ( ; born 1954 in Cirencester) is an English composer. Biography Woolrich has founded a group (the Composers Ensemble), a festival (Hoxton New Music Days), and has been composer in association with the Orchestra of St John's and th ...

. Composer

Jonathan Dove Jonathan Dove (born 18 July 1959) is an English composer of opera, choral works, plays, films, and orchestral and chamber music. He has arranged a number of operas for English Touring Opera and the City of Birmingham Touring Opera (now Birmin ...

chose Mozart's Serenade for winds, K. 375. Stravinsky's ''

Pastorale Pastorale refers to something of a pastoral nature in music, whether in form or in mood. In Baroque music, a pastorale is a movement of a melody in thirds over a drone bass, recalling the Christmas music of ''pifferari'', players of the traditi ...

'' in the version for soprano and wind quartet, and his own ''Figures in the Garden'', among others. In 2004, Endymion recorded works for wind ensemble by

Graham Waterhouse Graham Waterhouse (born 2 November 1962) is an English composer and cellist who specializes in chamber music. He has composed a cello concerto, ''Three Pieces for Solo Cello'' and ''Variations for Cello Solo'' for his own instrument, and string ...

, including '' Mouvements d'Harmonie'', on a CD Portrait featuring also chamber music for strings played by the English Chamber Orchestra. A review noted "All these pieces are superbly played by all concerned". In 2011, players performed at the Mahler Centenary Conference chamber music, including Mahler's Piano Quartet in the context of the ''Menuetto'' from his Third Symphony, Erich Korngold's Piano Trio, Op. 1, Shostakovitch's Piano Trio No. 1 and Alfred Schnittke's Piano Quartet (after Mahler). The ensemble often performs with the BBC Singers, conducted by David Hill. In 2013, they recorded for example Steve Reich's '' The Desert Music'' at Milton Court, London. They performed the work again at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

on 13 August 2014 at the

Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named 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 Hal ...

. Tim Ashley wrote in

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

: "The work requires vast resources of accuracy and stamina from its performers, all of whom rose superbly to its challenges."

References

External links

Endymion
Official website *

Fanfare A fanfare (or fanfarade or flourish) is a short musical flourish which is typically played by trumpets, French horns or other brass instruments, often accompanied by percussion. It is a "brief improvised introduction to an instrumental perfo ...

1979 establishments in England Chamber music groups Contemporary classical music ensembles English classical music groups Musical groups established in 1979 {{authority control