- Benedict Mason
Benedict Mason, born on
23 February 1954 , is a Britishcomposer . He was educated at King's College Cambridge and took a degree in film-making at theRoyal College of Art . He did not turn to composition until his early 30s, but rapidly attracted attention from the European new music scene. His early works are decidedly postmodern in inclination, with considerable use of stylistic irony (some commentators have noted in these works a similarity to the music ofMauricio Kagel ). Mason then developed an interest inpolyrhythm ic music, and in works such as his Double Concerto one can hear a strong stylistic affinity to the later works ofGyorgy Ligeti . More recent works have concentrated on the spatial dimension of music, such as in his Music for European Concert Halls series, and sometimes have come very close to installation art.Mason has composed in many genres, and his
soccer opera "Playing Away", with a libretto byHoward Brenton , was commissioned by the Munich Biennale and premièred in 1994 byOpera North . However, little of his music has been recorded as yet, though recordings of the orchestral piece "Lighthouses of England and Wales" and a collection including the Double Concerto, FirstString Quartet and the song-cycle "Self-Referential Songs and Realistic Virelais" both attracted very positive critical attention.External links
* [http://www.benedictmason.com/index.htm Mason's web-site]
* [http://www.straebel.de/praxis/text/t-mason_e.htm Article by Volker Straebel on Mason's music]
* [http://www.ensemble-modern.com/php/konzertkritiken.php?L=e&suchID=153&first=0 Interview (2004)]
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