Julian Anderson (born 6 April 1967) is a British composer and teacher of composition.

Biography

Anderson was born in London. He studied at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

, then with

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 ...

at 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 ...

, with

Alexander Goehr Peter Alexander Goehr (; born 10 August 1932) is an English composer and academic. Goehr was born in Berlin in 1932, the son of the conductor and composer Walter Goehr, a pupil of Arnold Schoenberg. In his early twenties he emerged as a centra ...

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, privately with

Tristan Murail Tristan Murail (born 11 March 1947) is a French composer associated with the "spectral" technique of composition. Among his compositions is the large orchestral work ''Gondwana''. Early life and studies Murail was born in Le Havre, France. His fa ...

in Paris, and on courses given by

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century. His m ...

Per Nørgård Per Nørgård (; born 13 July 1932) is a Danish composer and music theorist. Though his style has varied considerably throughout his career, his music has often included repeatedly evolving melodies—such as the infinity series—in the vein o ...

and

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde composers in the latter half of the twentieth century ...

. From 2000 to 2004 he was Head of Composition at the

, and from 2004 to 2007 Fanny P. Mason Professor of Music at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

. He is currently Professor of Composition and Composer in Residence at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

. He was Composer-in-Association with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra from 2001 to 2005 and Daniel R. Lewis Fellowship Composer with the

Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Se ...

from 2005 to 2007. From 2002 to the end of the 2010–11 concert season, he was artistic director of the 'Music of Today' concert series run by the

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, ...

in London. From 2013 to 2016 he was Composer in Residence with

Wigmore Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadi ...

. Anderson was appointed

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) in the

2021 New Year Honours The 2021 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

for services to music.

Music

Anderson's former publisher, Faber Music, describes his music as:

... characterised by a fresh use of melody, vivid contrasts of texture and lively rhythmic impetus. He has a continuing interest in the music of traditional cultures from outside the Western concert tradition. He has a special love for the folk music of Eastern Europe–especially of the Lithuanian, Polish and Romanian traditions–and has also been much influenced by the modality of Indian ragas.

These influences combine with elements of

modernism Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

spectral music Spectral music uses the acoustic properties of sound – or sound spectra – as a basis for composition. Definition Defined in technical language, spectral music is an acoustic musical practice where compositional decisions are often informe ...

and

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electro ...

to make up what ''Gramophone'' has called "the composer's vivid, transfixing sound worlds". Anderson's first orchestral piece, ''Diptych'', was completed in 1990, and achieved great success, as did

Khorovod The khorovod or horovod ( rus, хорово́д, p=xərɐˈvot, uk, хоровод, translit=khorovod or uk, коло, translit=kolo, label=none, be, карагод , bg, хоро, pl, korowód) is an East Slavic and pagan art form and on ...

(completed in 1994) and ''Alhambra Fantasy'' (2000), both composed for the

London Sinfonietta The London Sinfonietta is an English contemporary chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble has headquarters at Kings Place and is Resident Orchestra at the Southbank Centre. Since its inaugural concert in 1968—giv ...

. The latter work has been performed by the Ensemble InterContemporain, the

Asko Ensemble Asko or ASKO may refer to: * Asko (name), a male given name common in Finland and Estonia * Askø, a Danish island * Asko Cylinda or Asko Appliances AB, a Swedish company producing household appliances * AskoSchönberg, a Dutch chamber orchestra ...

and the

Ensemble Modern Ensemble Modern is an international ensemble dedicated to performing and promoting the music of modern composers. Formed in 1980, the group is based in Frankfurt, Germany, and made up variously of about twenty members from numerous countries. Hi ...

, often under the direction of

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 ...

, who was, until his death in 2018, a regular collaborator and advocate for Anderson's music. His first work written for the

CBSO The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. It is the resident orchestra at Symphony Hall: a B:Music Venue in Birmingham, which has been its principal performance venue since 1991. Its a ...

, ''Imagin'd Corners'', premiered in 2002, was described by the ''Daily Telegraph'' as "seeth ngwith variety of texture, dynamics and colour, from the atmospheric stillness of the opening to the high density and tumult as the piece reaches its final climax. This is a fine score, full of optimism and real creative drive." A year later, ''Symphony'' was composed for the

and their chief conductor

Sakari Oramo Sakari is a given name, and may refer to: * Sakari Kukko (born 1953), Finnish saxophonist and flutist * Sakari Kuosmanen (born 1956), Finnish singer and actor * Sakari Oramo (born 1965), Finnish conductor * Sakari Pinomäki, Finnish mechanical and ...

. In the last decade, Anderson has written a large amount of unaccompanied

choral A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...

music, including ''O Sing Unto the Lord'' for Westminster Cathedral, ''I Saw Eternity'' (2003, first performed by the London Philharmonic Choir) and the ''Four American Choruses'' (2001-4, for the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus and their conductor

Simon Halsey Simon Halsey, CBE (born 8 March 1958) is an English choral conductor. He is the chorus director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus ( CBSO Chorus), a position he has held since 1983, and has been chorus director of the London Symphony Cho ...

, who gave their first UK performance in 2005). While appearing simpler in style than his instrumental music, these pieces are often related to the larger works, both technically (for example 'At the Fountain', the last of the ''Four American Choruses'', has the same melodic and harmonic basis as a passage from ''Alhambra Fantasy'') and aesthetically (the American poet

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

is a recurring presence, as are themes of non-denominational spirituality or a secularised Christianity). Anderson has also used both live and pre-recorded electronics in his large-scale ''

Book of Hours The book of hours is a Christian devotional book used to pray the canonical hours. The use of a book of hours was especially popular in the Middle Ages and as a result, they are the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscri ...

'' for 20 players and electronics, composed for the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, who gave the first performance in February 2005 with

. His third and final full orchestral work composed for Birmingham forces, ''Eden'', was first heard at the 2005 Cheltenham International Music Festival, played by the

under

Martyn Brabbins Martyn Charles Brabbins (born 13 August 1959) is a British conductor. The fourth of five children in his family, he learned to play the euphonium, and then the trombone during his youth at Towcester Studio Brass Band. He later studied compositi ...

, and is an exploration of the non-tempered tuning of the harmonic series. This preoccupation with fusing tempered modality and non-tempered resonance is continued in his largest work to date, ''Heaven is Shy of Earth'', an oratorio for mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra lasting nearly 35 minutes, commissioned by the BBC for the 2006 Promenade Concerts, where it was premiered by singer Angelika Kirchschlager and the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. A new version of that work, expanded through the addition of a new (third) movement, 'Gloria (with Bird)', was premiered at the

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhib ...

on 26 November 2010 with

Susan Bickley Susan Bickley is a British mezzo-soprano singer who performs in opera, Baroque and contemporary classical music. Personal life and education Susan Rochford Bickley was born into a Welsh family in Liverpool, England. Her father was a primary sc ...

as the soloist. Further choral-orchestral works came in the shape of ''Alleluia'' for chorus and orchestra, composed for the reopening of the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-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, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I li ...

("The London Philharmonic Choir, with nowhere to hide in such a revealing acoustic, maintained pitch admirably and delivered a virtuoso cadenza of animated susurration"), and the shorter ''Harmony'', commissioned as the opening work for the 2013 season of the BBC Proms. In between these came ''Fantasias'', a 25-minute orchestral work premiered by the Cleveland Orchestra in November 2009 displaying a new interest in multi-movement structures, and ''The Discovery of Heaven'', commissioned and premiered as part of Anderson's composer residency 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 ...

; the latter two works feature on a recent portrait disc of the composer by the same orchestra. An earlier portrait disc, ''Alhambra Fantasy'', featuring five of Anderson's orchestral and ensemble pieces conducted by

, won the 2007 ''

Gramophone A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

'' Best of Category (Contemporary)

Award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An awar ...

, from a shortlist which also included the NMC disc ''Book of Hours''. (Both CDs were released in 2006, and were the first two commercially available discs entirely devoted to Anderson's work.) In May 2014 Anderson's first opera, ''Thebans'', received its world premiere at

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) 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. ENO's productions are sung in English ...

, conducted by Edward Gardner. Playwright Frank McGuinness wrote the three-act libretto based on Sophocles' three Theban plays: ''Oedipus the King'', ''Oedipus at Colonus'' and ''Antigone''. Pierre Audi, Artistic Director of the De Nederlandse Opera, directed the co-production between English National Opera and Theater Bonn.

Works

Dramatic * ''Towards Poetry'', ballet (1999; extended version for dance pf ''Poetry Nearing Silence'' (1997)) * ''The Comedy of Change'', ballet, chamber ensemble (2009), commissioned by

Ballet Rambert Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it exerted a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingd ...

* ''Thebans'' (2010–14), for

Orchestral * ''Diptych'' (1988–90) * ''Tye's Cry'', string orchestra (1995) * ''Past Hymns'', string orchestra (1996) * ''The Crazed Moon'' (1996–97) * ''The Stations of the Sun'' (1997–98) * ''Alhambra Fantasy'', chamber orchestra (1998–2000) * ''The Bird Sings with its Fingers'', four choreographic sketches for chamber orchestra (2000) * ''Imagin’d Corners'', five horns and orchestra (2001–02) * Symphony No. 1 (2002–03) * ''Eden'' (2004–05) * ''Fantasias'' (2007–09) * ''The Discovery of Heaven'' (2011) *''In lieblicher Bläue'', solo violin and orchestra (2014–15) *''Incantesimi'' (2015–16) * ''The Imaginary Museum'', concerto for piano and orchestra (2016–17) * ''Litanies'', solo cello and orchestra (2018–19) * Symphony No. 2 ''Prague Panoramas'' (2019–21) Chamber Music * String Quartet No. 1 ''Light Music'' (1984–85) * ''Ring Dance'', two violins/cellos (1987) * ''Scherzo (with Trains)'', four clarinets (1993) * ''Khorovod'', chamber ensemble (1988–94, rev. 1995) * ''Tiramisù'', chamber ensemble (1993–94, rev. 1995) * ''The Bearded Lady'', oboe/clarinet and piano (1994) * ''The Colour of Pomegranates'', alto flute and piano (1994) * ''Bach Machine'', chamber ensemble (1997) * ''Poetry Nearing Silence'', chamber ensemble (1996–97) (also as ballet ''Towards Poetry'') * ''Book of Hours'', ensemble and electronics (2002–04) * ''Transferable Resistance'', brass ensemble (2010) * String Quartet No. 2 ''300 Weihnachtslieder'' (2014) *''Van Gogh Blue'', chamber ensemble (2015) * String Quartet No. 3 ''Hana no hanataba'' (2017–18) * ''Fanfare SC-GH'', two trumpets (2018) Instrumental Piano: * Piano Études Nos. 1–4 (1995–99) * ''Somewhere near Cluj'', solo piano (1998) * ''Quasi una passacaglia'', solo piano (2002) * ''Steps'', solo piano (2003) * ''Old Bells'', solo piano (2004) * ''Sensation'', solo piano (2015–16) * ''Capriccio'', solo piano (2017) Other: * ''Prayer'', solo viola (2009) * ''Another Prayer'', solo violin (2012) * ''Catalan Peasant with Guitar'', solo guitar (2015) * ''Mime'', solo clarinet (2020) Vocal * ''Seadrift'', soprano and chamber ensemble (1988–93) * ''I'm nobody, who are you?'', tenor, violin and piano (1995) * ''Shir Hashirim'', soprano and orchestra (2001) * ''Lucretius'', soprano and percussion (2008) * ''Tombeau'', soprano and piano trio (2017) Choral * ''SING'', unaccompanied chorus (1981–82, rev. 2019) * ''O Sing Unto the Lord'', SATB chorus (1999) * ''Four American Choruses'', mixed voices (2002–2003) * ''I Saw Eternity'', unaccompanied chorus (2003) * ''My Beloved Spake'', SATB chorus and organ (2006) * ''Heaven is Shy of Earth'', mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra (2005–06, rev. 2009–10) * ''Alleluia'', choir and orchestra (2007) * ''Bell Mass'', choir and organ (2010) * ''Harmony'', choir and orchestra (2013) * ''Magnificat'', unaccompanied chorus (2016) * ''Nunc dimittis'', unaccompanied chorus (2016–17) * ''Evening canticles'', choir and organ (2018) * ''Exiles'', soprano, choir and orchestra (2021) Anderson's music is published by

Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were fo ...

. Works written before 2014 are published by

Faber Music Faber Music is a British sheet music publisher best known for contemporary classical music. It also publishes music tutor books, and in 2005 acquired popular music publisher International Music Publications. Faber Music has close relations to ...

Awards

* 1993 Royal Philharmonic Society's Young Composer Prize * 2001 South Bank Show Award for the Best New Dance Work for ''The Bird Sings with its Fingers'' * 2004 British Composer Award for ''Symphony'' * 2006 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for Large-Scale Composition for ''Book of Hours'' * 2007 Best of Category (Contemporary) Gramophone Award Winner for the recording ''Alhambra Fantasy'' (BBC Sinfonietta / Oliver Knussen) * 2011 British Composer Awards for ''Fantasias'' and ''Bell Mass'' * 2013 South Bank Show Award for ''The Discovery of Heaven'' and for education work with the London Philharmonic Orchestra * 2015

British Composer Awards The Ivors Academy (formerly the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy exists to support, protect, and campaign for the interests ...

for ''Thebans'' and ''String Quartet No. 2'' * 2016 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for Chamber-Scale Composition for ''Van Gogh Blue'' * 2017 BBC Music Magazine Premiere Award for ''In lieblicher Bläue'' and ''Alleluia'' (LPO Label) * 2023 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for ''Litanies''

References

External links

Profile on Schott Music websiteProfile on Faber Music websiteFaculty page at Guildhall School of Music and Drama
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Julian David English classical composers 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers 1967 births Living people People educated at Westminster School, London Pupils of Alexander Goehr Alumni of the Royal College of Music Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Academics of the Royal College of Music Harvard University faculty English male classical composers 20th-century English composers 21st-century British composers 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century British male musicians Commanders of the Order of the British Empire