Mark-Anthony Turnage CBE (born 10 June 1960) is a British

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" al ...

Biography

Turnage was born in

Corringham, Essex Corringham is a town and former civil parish in Essex, England, located directly next to the town of Stanford-le-Hope, about east of London and south of Basildon. Corringham lies on a hill overlooking the Thames between Canvey Island and Ti ...

. He began composing at age nine and at fourteen began studying at the junior section of the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including perform ...

. His initial musical studies were with

Oliver Knussen Stuart Oliver Knussen (12 June 1952 – 8 July 2018) was a British composer and conductor. Early life Oliver Knussen was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, Stuart Knussen, was principal double bass of the London Symphony Orchestra, and a ...

John Lambert John Lambert may refer to: * John Lambert (martyr) (died 1538), English Protestant martyred during the reign of Henry VIII *John Lambert (general) (1619–1684), Parliamentary general in the English Civil War * John Lambert of Creg Clare (''fl.'' c ...

, and later with

Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City ...

. He also has been strongly influenced by

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, in particular by the work of

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

, and has composed works featuring jazz performers, including

John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in th ...

Peter Erskine Peter Erskine (born June 5, 1954) is an American jazz drummer who was a member of the jazz fusion groups Weather Report and Steps Ahead. Early life and education Erskine was born in Somers Point, New Jersey, U.S. He began playing the dru ...

, John Patitucci, and

Joe Lovano Joseph Salvatore Lovano (born December 29, 1952)"Joe Lovano." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 13. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 1994. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, May 5, 2017. is an American jazz saxophonist, alto clarin ...

. Turnage has composed numerous

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

l and

chamber Chamber or the chamber may refer to: In government and organizations *Chamber of commerce, an organization of business owners to promote commercial interests *Legislative chamber, in politics *Debate chamber, the space or room that houses deliber ...

works, and three full-length

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

s. ''

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

'', composed with the encouragement of

Hans Werner Henze Hans Werner Henze (1 July 1926 – 27 October 2012) was a German composer. His large oeuvre of works is extremely varied in style, having been influenced by serialism, atonality, Stravinsky, Italian music, Arabic music and jazz, as well as ...

and first performed in 1988 at the

Munich Biennale The Munich Biennale (german: Münchener Biennale) is a contemporary opera and music theatre festival in the city of Munich. The full German name is ''Internationales Festival für neues Musiktheater'', literally: International Festival for New Musi ...

, is based on

Steven Berkoff Steven Berkoff (born Leslie Steven Berks; 3 August 1937) is an English actor, author, playwright, theatre practitioner and theatre director. As a theatre maker he is recognised for staging work with a heightened performance style eponymously ...

's adaptation of ''

Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...

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

Seán O'Casey Seán O'Casey ( ga, Seán Ó Cathasaigh ; born John Casey; 30 March 1880 – 18 September 1964) was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes. ...

. ''

Anna Nicole ''Anna Nicole'' is an English opera in 2 acts and 16 scenes, with music by Mark-Anthony Turnage to an English libretto by Richard Thomas. Based on the life of American model Anna Nicole Smith, the opera received its première on 17 February 201 ...

'', with a libretto by Richard Thomas and first performed in 2011, relates the rise and fall of Playboy model and media celebrity Anna-Nicole Smith. His opera for family audiences, Coraline, is based on the dark fantasy novel by

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gra ...

, and was staged by The Royal Opera at the Barbican Theatre in 2018. His operas have been performed around the world including notably by New York City Opera (2013), Opernhaus Zurich (2019), Theater Dortmund (2013), Theater Freiburg (2018) and the Opera de Lille (2018). Other works include ''Three Screaming Popes'' (after the paintings by

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

), '' Your Rockaby'' (a

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typ ...

for

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

and orchestra), ''Yet Another Set To'' (a concerto for trombone and orchestra, dedicated to

Christian Lindberg Christian Lindberg (born 15 February 1958) is a Swedish trombonist, conductor and composer, Biography Early life and career Lindberg was born in Danderyd. As a youth, he learned to play the trumpet, and subsequently began to learn the trombon ...

), and ''From the Wreckage'' (a concerto for trumpet and orchestra, written for

Håkan Hardenberger Ulf Håkan Hardenberger (born 27 October 1961 in Malmö) is a Swedish trumpeter. Taking up the trumpet at the age of eight under the guidance of hometown teacher Bo Nilsson, Hardenberger pursued further studies at the Paris Conservatoire, with ...

). ''Blood on the Floor'' (1993–1996), for jazz quartet and large ensemble, contains nine sections with a shared theme of drug addiction, the section titled "Elegy for Andy" being a lament for the loss of his brother in a drug-related death. More recent Turnage scores have included the orchestral work ''Remembering'', conducted by

Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British-German conductor. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principa ...

in 2017 with the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

and Berlin Philharmonic; double violin concerto ''Shadow Walker'' for soloists Vadim Repin and Daniel Hope, performed by the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra in 2018; and ''Testament'' (2018), his setting of Ukrainian texts for soprano and orchestra. He has composed song cycles for a number of celebrated singers including Sarah Connolly, Gerald Finley and

Allan Clayton Allan James Clayton (1981) is a British tenor singer. Clayton was a chorister at Worcester Cathedral and a choral scholar in the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge. He was a BBC New Generation Artist from 2007-09 and winner of the Royal Phi ...

. Turnage’s work ''Blood on the Floor'' was choreographed by

Wayne McGregor Wayne McGregor, CBE (born 12 March 1970) is a multi award-winning British choreographer and director. He is the Artistic Director of Studio Wayne McGregor and Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet. McGregor was appointed Commander of t ...

for Paris Opera Ballet in 2011 and in the same year he composed the score for Undance, collaborating with McGregor and visual artist

Mark Wallinger Mark Wallinger (born 25 May 1959) is a British artist. Having previously been nominated for the Turner Prize in 1995, he won in 2007 for his installation ''State Britain''. His work ''Ecce Homo'' (1999–2000) was the first piece to occupy the ...

. In 2012 ''Trespass'', a ballet choreographed by

Christopher Wheeldon Christopher Peter Wheeldon OBE (born 22 March 1973) is an English international choreographer of contemporary ballet. Life and career Born in Yeovil, Somerset, to an engineer and a physical therapist, Wheeldon began training to be a ballet da ...

and Alistair Marriott with score by Turnage, was first performed by The Royal Ballet. In 2017 he composed the score for Strapless, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon for The Royal Ballet. Other choreographers that have made ballets to Turnage’s works include

Heinz Spoerli Heinz Spoerli (born 8 July 1940) is a Swiss dance maker, internationally known. After a long career as a ballet dancer and company director, he is now widely considered to be one of the foremost European choreographers of his time. Early life and ...

(Zurich Ballet 2007 and Staatsballet Berlin 2012),

Ashley Page Ashley Page OBE (born August 1956) is a British former ballet dancer, choreographer and was artistic director of Scottish Ballet for ten years. Ashley Page was born in Rochester, Kent in August 1956. Page trained the Royal Ballet School, and join ...

(Rambert Dance Company 2013), Jorma Elo (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago 2007) and Gregor Zollig (Tanztheater Bielefeld 2006). Turnage was the first Radcliffe Composer in Association with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra from 1989 until 1993 and between 2000 and 2003 was the

BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...

's first Associate Composer. He was Composer in Residence with the

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symp ...

from 2005 until 2010. Between 2006 and 2010, Turnage was a co-composer-in-residence of the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenu ...

, a position he held alongside Argentinian

Osvaldo Golijov. In Autumn 2005, he was appointed the

's Research Fellow in Composition. In 2015 he was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) for his services to music. His partner is the director Rachael Hewer.

Works

Opera

Ballet

*''From All Sides'' (2005–06) *''L'Anatomie De La Sensation'' (2011) *''Undance'' (2011) *''Trespass'' (2012) *''Strapless'' (2016 revised 2017)

Orchestral

*'' Night Dances'' (1981), for offstage string quintet, solo instrumental group and orchestra *''Three Screaming Popes'' (1988–89) *''Some Days'' (1989),

song cycle A song cycle (german: Liederkreis or Liederzyklus) is a group, or cycle, of individually complete songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rare ...

for mezzo-soprano and orchestra *''Momentum'' (1990–1991) *''Drowned Out'' (1992–1993) *'' Your Rockaby'' (1992–93), for soprano saxophone and orchestra *'' Dispelling the Fears'' (1993–1994, rev. 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),

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 (; also called ''symphonie concertante'') is an orchestral work, normally in several movements, in which one or more solo instruments contrast with the full orchestra.Collins: ''Encyclopedia of Music'', William Collins Sons & C ...

for double bass (doubling

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

) 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) *''Cello Concerto'' (2010) *''Speranza'' (2011–12) *''Canon Fever'' (2012), premiered at the opening night of the 2012

BBC 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 ...

. * ''Frieze'' (2013) BBC co-commission with the Royal Philharmonic Society and the New York Philharmonic * ''Erskine'' (2013), concerto for drum set and orchestra * ''Passchendaele'' (2013) * ''Piano Concerto'' (2013) * ''Dialogue'' (2014), for violin and cello soloists, strings, percussion, harp and piano * ''Håkan'' (2014), for trumpet and orchestra * ''Martland Memorial'' (2014–15), for percussion and orchestra * ''Remembering'' (2016), for orchestra * ''Shadow Walker'' (2017), double concerto for two violins and orchestra * ''Symphonic Movements'' (2017), for orchestra * ''Towards Alba'' (2017-18), for horn and orchestra * ''Time Flies'' (2019), for orchestra * ''Go For It'' (2019), for orchestra * ''Last Song for Olly'' (reduced version) (2018 arr.2020), reduced version for orchestra * ''Up for Grabs'' (2020), for jazz trio and orchestra * ''Cortege for Bernard Haitink'' (2021), for orchestra

Choral

*''The Game Is Over'' (2001–2002), for S.A.T.B. 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 *''At Sixes and Sevens'' (2012), for soprano and baritone soloists, youth chorus and chamber orchestra *''Hibiki'' (2014), for two solo voices, children's chorus and orchestra (world premiere: Tokyo, 11 December 2016; European premiere: London, BBC Proms, 14 August 2017) * ''Sing out loud'' (2017), two Welsh part songs for a cappella male chorus

Chamber

*''On All Fours'' (1985), for chamber ensemble *''Sarabande'' (1986), for soprano saxophone and piano *''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 * ''Three Trios'' (2003-05), for piano trio * ''Carnac'' (2004), for Bb Clarinet and piano * ''A Few Serenades'' (2004), for cello and piano *''A Slow Pavane'' (2004–2005), for piano trio *''A Fast Stomp'' (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 * ''Hilary's Hoedown'' (2009) encore for violin 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 *''Johnston'' (2011), for two cellos *''Falling Apart'' (2012), for clarinet and piano *''Contusion'' (2013), for string quartet *''Run Riot'' (2013), for saxophone quartet *''Power Play'' (2014), for viola and piano * ''Maya'' (2014), for solo cello and chamber orchestra *''Duetti d’Amore'' (2015), for violin and cello *''Shroud'' (2016), for string quartet *''Seven Pint-Sized Pieces'' (2016), for violin and piano *''Prussian Blue'' (2016), Quintet for piano, violin, viola, cello and double bass *''Winter’s Edge'' (2016), for string quartet *''Cleethorpes Chorale'' (2017), for solo violin and piano *''Massarosa'' (2018), for bassoon quintet *''Nocturne'' (2018), for trumpet and strings *''Romanian Rhapsody'' (2018), for solo violin and ensemble *''Lament'' (2018-19), for solo violin and string orchestra *''A Furious Fanfare'' (2019), for trumpet, horn, trombone and percussion *''Chorale'' (2020), for flute, bass clarinet, viola and cello *''Split Apart'' (2020), for string quartet *''Uli'' (2021), for eight players

Vocal

*''Lament for a Hanging Man'' (1983), for soprano and ensemble *''Some Days'' (1989),

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 Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticism inherited fro ...

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 A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist ...

and singing harpist *''In The Bleak Mid-Winter'' (arr. 2010) arranged for voice, harp, cello and double bass *''Testament'' (2017), cantata for solo soprano and orchestra *''Refugee'' (2018), for tenor and chamber orchestra *''Black Milk'' (2019), for jazz singer and sixteen players *''Owl Songs'' (2019), for soprano and eight players *''Without Ceremony'' (2019), for baritone and piano *''Of Nature’s Light'' (2020), song cycle for mezzo-soprano and piano *''Silenced'' (2020), for tenor and piano *''Songs of Sleep and Regret'' (2020), for mezzo soprano and piano

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 *''Milo'' (2009), for solo cello *''Leap'' (2010), for clarinet *''Four Meditations'' (2018), for solo harp * ''On Marylebone Road'' (2019) for solo piano

Other

*''Anthem'' by

, ed. Turnage (1996), for jazz trio and chamber orchestra * On the CD ''Music to Hear'' (Black Box, BBM 1065, 2001): ** ''Two Memorials'' (1997–2001) ** ''An Invention on "Solitude"'' (1997–98, rev. 1999) ** ''Sleep On'' (1992) ** ''Cortège for Chris'' (1997) ** ''Two Elegies Framing a Shout'' (1994) ** ''Three Farewells'' (1990) ** ''Tune for Toru'' (1995–1999)

References

External links

Mark-Anthony Turnage
at Boosey & Hawkes (publisher) *
Mark-Anthony Turnage
introduction to his music, by Anthony Burton
Mark-Anthony Turnage
at Schott Music Ltd.
Mark-Anthony Turnage
biography on CDMC {{DEFAULTSORT:Turnage, Mark-Anthony 1960 births Living people 20th-century classical composers 20th-century English composers 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century classical composers 21st-century English composers 21st-century British male musicians British ballet composers English classical composers English male classical composers English opera composers Male opera composers Academics of the Royal College of Music Deutsche Grammophon artists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People from Corringham, Essex