Harrison Birtwistle, one of Britain’s leading composers of contemporary music, has died aged 87, his publisher announced on Monday.
Birtwistle, born in 1934 in Accrington, in the north of England, he composed his first opera, ‘Punch and Judy’, in the late 1960s. Among his greatest hits are ‘Gawain’ and ‘Le Masque d’ ‘Orpheus”.
During his long career, which he continued when he was over 80, his work – from chamber music to opera – was performed by the greatest symphony orchestras.
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.
In 1975 he was appointed musical director of the fledgling Royal National Theater in London, a position he held until 1983.
While unanimously recognized as groundbreaking, his uncompromising, dissonant style has also at times divided critics and audiences alike.
The Royal Philharmonic Society paid tribute to him on Monday, saying his music had “shaken the earth”.
The London Symphony Orchestra hailed him “one of Britain’s greatest composers”, while the Daily Telegraph newspaper described him as “an avant-garde composer who has become a great gentleman of British classical music”.