Julian Anderson

Julian Anderson (born April 6, 1967 in London) is a British composer.

Biography

Anderson studied at Westminster School, with John Lambert at the Royal College of Music, with Alexander Goehr at Cambridge University, with Tristan Murail and on courses in composition by Olivier Messiaen, Per Nørgård and Gyorgy Ligeti

From 2000 to 2004 he was Head of Composition at the Royal College of Music, and from 2001-5 he was Composer-in-Association of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. From 2004 through 2007, he served as Fanny P. Mason Professor of Music at Harvard University, and is currently Daniel Lewis Fellowship Composer with the Cleveland Orchestra. Since 2002, he has also been artistic director of the 'Music of Today' concert series run by the Philharmonia Orchestra in London.

Anderson's publisher 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. [ [http://www.fabermusic.com/serverside/composers/Details.asp?ID=Anderson,%20Julian&View=biog&Section=composers Julian Anderson at Faber Music] ] "

These influences, combined with elements of modernism, spectral music and electronics go to make up what Gramophone have called the "composer's vivid, transfixing sound worlds" [ [http://www.gramophone.co.uk/awardstemplate.asp?id=980&award_year=2007 Gramophone Awards 2007] ] .

His first orchestral piece, "Diptych", was completed in 1990, and achieved great success Khorovod from 1994 and Alhambra Fantasy (2000), both composed for the London Sinfonietta, the latter work having been performed by the Ensemble InterContemporain, the Asko Ensemble,and the Ensemble Modern under Oliver Knussen.

His first work written for the CBSO, "Imagin'd Corners", premiered in 2002 was descrived by the Telegraph as "(seething) with 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". [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2002/03/14/bmgeof14.xml "Clarion call to joyfulness". "Telegraph", 14 March 2002.] ] . A year later, his Symphony, composed for the CBSO and their chief conductor Sakari Oramo. This won the British Association of Composers and Songwriters Award for the Best New Orchestral Piece of 2004.

More recently, Anderson has also written a large amount of unaccompanied choral music, including "Sing Unto the Lord" (written for Westminster Cathedral), "I Saw Eternity" (2003, first performed by the London Philharmonic Choir) and the "Four American Choruses" (2001-4) composed for the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus and their conductor Simon Halsey, who gave the first UK performance of them in 2005.

Anderson has also used live electronics in his large-scale "Book of Hours" for 20 players and live electronics, composed for the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group who gave the first performance in February 2005 with Oliver Knussen. His most recent purely orchestral piece, Eden, was first heard at the 2005 Cheltenham International Music Festival, played by the CBSO under Martyn Brabbins, and is an exploration of the non-tempered tuning of the harmonic series. This pre-occupation 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 Chorus and Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Andrew Davis.

"Alhambra Fantasy", a recording of several or his orchestral pieces conducted by Oliver Knussen won the 2007 Gramophone Best of Category (Contemporary) AwardHis music is published by Faber Music.

elected works

* "Diptych" (1990) for orchestra,
* "Khorovod" (1994)
* "Poetry Nearing Silence" (1997) a commission from the Nash Ensemble.
* "The Crazed Moon" (1997)
* "The Stations of the Sun" (1998)
* "Alhambra Fantasy" (2000)
* "The Bird Sings with its Fingers"(2001) four choreographic sketches for chamber orchestra
* "Four American Choruses" (2001-2004)
* "Imagin’d Corners" (2002) for five horns and orchestra
* "Symphony", (2004)
* "I saw Eternity" (2003) for unaccompanied chorus
* "Eden", (2005).
* "Book of Hours" (2005), for ensemble and electronics
* "Heaven is Shy of Earth", 2006, for mezzo-Soprano chorus and orchestra

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 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)"

References

External links

* [http://www.fabermusic.com/serverside/composers/Details.asp?ID=Anderson,%20Julian&View=biog&Section=composers Biography on Faber Music web site]
* [http://www.bellperc.com/pages/repertoire.php?composer=25 Anderson's Percussion Repertoire] , from Bell Percussion's Composer Repertoire resource]