He shaped the British musical landscape for almost 60 years. Born in 1934 in Accrington in the north of England, Harrison Birtwistle composed his first opera, Punch and Judy, in the late 1960s, for the Aldeburgh Festival. The legend says that the work would have scandalized the public by the violence of the plot and the music. The founder of the event, Benjamin Britten, would even have slipped away during the intermission. A first show revealing the composer’s work: dissonant, jagged music, without any compromise.
During his long career – which continued when he was over 80 – the composer was particularly inspired by his love of poetry and language, but also of myths. Among his greatest successes are, for example, Gawain and The Mask of Orpheus. His compositions – from chamber music to opera – have been performed by the greatest symphony orchestras.
In 1975 he was appointed musical director of the fledgling Royal National Theater in London, a position he held until 1983. Among his many honours, he was made a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 1986 , by France. The Royal Philharmonic Society paid tribute to him on Monday, saying his music had “shaken the earth”.
We pay tribute to a true musical colossus, the great Harrison Birtwistle, who has sadly died. A remarkable five-time RPS Award winner, his music shook the earth. There was strength and potency in every note he wrote. We will listen in awe to his works for decades to come. pic.twitter.com/ys6dZp5zEz
— Royal Philharmonic Society (@RoyalPhilSoc) April 18, 2022
The London Symphony Orchestra hailed “one of the greatest British composers”while the Daily Telegraph newspaper described it as “an avant-garde composer who became a great gentleman of British classical music”.
He died at his home in Mere, south-west England, his publisher, Boosey & Hawkesn, said in a statement posted on its website. The cause of his death was not specified.