James Clarke (composer)

James Clarke (born 15 October 1957) is an English composer sometimes associated with the New Complexity school.

Background

Clarke was born in London, on 15 October 1957.

Education

According to fellow English composer and music scholar Christopher Fox, in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', "After studying at Southampton University and City University, London, larkewas awarded a Finnish Government Scholarship to study composition with Usko Meriläinen in Helsinki." Christopher Fox, "James Clarke", ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', n.d., as qtd. in James Clarke
"Biography"
, ''jamesclarke.org'', 2007, accessed 10 May 2008.

Career

In 1979, with his colleague Richard Emsley, Clarke co-founded the new music ensemble, Suoraan, "a small band of outstanding specialist performers" based in London "which dedicatedly promoted the music of, centrally, Iannis Xenakis but also younger British and European composers such as Michael Finnissy and James Dillon."Richard Emsley
official website, accessed 10 May 2008. Yet, as Christopher Fox points out, "for much of his career larke'swork has attracted most attention beyond the British Isles, including significant performances at the International Gaudeamus Music Week and the ISCM World Music Days."

Fox relates further:

According to his official biography, Clarke has been "a visiting professor at universities in various countries, including Azerbaijan, where he was appointed an honorary Professor of Music at the Baku Music Academy; Russia, at the Moscow Conservatoire and Sweden, at the University of Malmö."James Clarke
"Biography"
''jamesclarke.org'', 2007, accessed 10 May 2008. In addition, he "has led composition courses at the Time of Music Festival in Viitasaari, Finland, where he was featured composer in 2000, and at the Festival junger Künstler Bayreuth." He was also "a featured composer at the 2004 Ars Musica festival in Brussels, where ten works were performed in the largest survey of Clarke’s music to date 007"

Works

;"Over ninety works for symphony orchestra, ensembles, voices or solo musicians", including:

*"String Quartet" (2003), written for the Arditti Quartet, commissioned jointly by the Huddersfield Festival and Ars Musica, Brussels
*"Final Dance" (2003), written for Klangforum Wien, commissioned by Southwest German Radio for the Donaueschinger Musiktage;
*"Landschaft mit Glockenturm II" (2003), for seventeen European and Chinese instruments, commissioned by the Viennese organisation Asian Culture Link.James Clarke
"Worklist"
''jamesclarke.org'', 2007, accessed 10 May 2008.

;Collaboration with Harold Pinter commissioned by the BBC:

*''Voices'' (2005), "a large-scale work for nine actors, solo musicians and orchestra, with a text specially written by Harold Pinter," first broadcast on BBC Radio 3, in honor of Pinter's 75th birthday, on 10 October 2005.Alice Jones
"Voices: Text: Harold Pinter; Music: James Clarke"
''The Independent'', 7 October 2005, rpt. in ''jamesclarke.org'', accessed 10 May 2008."World Premiere of Pinter's Dramatic Work on BBC Radio 3"
''BBC
...