George Benjamin (composer)

George Benjamin (born 31 January 1960, London, England) is a British composer of classical music. He is also a conductor, pianist and teacher.

Benjamin attended Westminster School and then studied with Olivier Messiaen at the Paris Conservatoire during the second half of the 1970s. Messiaen was reported to have described Benjamin as his favourite pupil. [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,,1956703,00.html Angelique Chrisafis, "British composer's 20-year opera quest ends with Paris premiere". "The Guardian", 25 November 2006.] ]

He then read music at King's College, Cambridge, studying under Alexander Goehr, and emerged in his early twenties as a mature and confident voice. His orchestral piece "Ringed by the Flat Horizon" (written for the Cambridge University Musical Society and premiered in Cambridge under the baton of Mark Elder on 5 March 1980) was performed at The Proms that August, while he was still a student, making him the youngest composer ever to have had music performed at the Proms.

Since the 1980s he has fulfilled a number of large commissions, including "Sudden Time" (for orchestra), "Three Inventions" (for chamber orchestra) and "Antara" (for ensemble and electronics, realised at IRCAM and the first composition ever published using the Sibelius notation program).

In 1993, Benjamin curated the first 'Meltdown' music festival in London. In the 2002-2003 concert season, the London Symphony Orchestra gave a season-long festival of concerts which he curated, called "By George!" [ [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/story/0,,794831,00.html George Benjamin, "My heroes and I". "The Guardian", 20 September 2002.] ] .

Benjamin taught composition at the Royal College of Music, London, before he succeeded Sir Harrison Birtwistle as Henry Purcell Professor of Composition at King's College London in January 2001. He lives in London and regularly conducts the London Sinfonietta. Benjamin has been a teacher and mentor to such younger composers as Luke Bedford. [ [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/story/0,,1404819,00.html Tom Service, 'I'm inspired by Stockhausen, Xenakis ... and Seinfeld'. "The Guardian", 4 February 2005.] ]

Benjamin's oeuvre been described as exhibiting "consummate craftsmanship" coloured by "a love of rich and unusually coloured sonorities". [cite web|url=http://www.compositiontoday.com/articles/benjamin.asp|publisher=CompositionToday|title=George Benjamin article and review of works|author=Gavin Thomas|accessdate=2008-02-27]

Selected Works

Orchestral

*"Altitude", 1977
*"Ringed by the Flat Horizon", 1979-80
*"At First Light", 1982
*"Fanfare for Aquarius", 1983
*"Antara", 1985-87
*"Sudden Time", 1989-93 [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/02/arts/music/02robe.html?scp=1&sq=&st=nyt Bernard Holland, "Tick, Tock or Maybe Tock, Tick" (review of Carnegie Hall premiere). "The New York Times", 2 April 2007] ]
*"Three Inventions for Chamber Orchestra", 1993-95
*"Palimpsest I", 1998-99
*"Palimpsest II", 2004-05
*"Dance Figures", 2004 [ [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/critic/review/0,,1830073,00.html Tom Service, "BBCSO/Robertson" (review of 2006 Prom 14). "The Guardian", 26 July 2006.] ]

Chamber Music

*Sonata for Violin and Piano, 1976-77
*Octet, ( for flute (+ piccolo), clarinet, violin, viola, cello, double bass, celesta, percussion), 1978
*"Flight", flute, 1979
*"Viola, Viola", duo for 2 violas (1996)

Vocal & Choral

*"Jubilation" (vocalise), 1996
*"A Mind of Winter" (text by Wallace Stevens), 1981
*"Upon Silence" (text by William Butler Yeats), 1991
*"Into the Little Hill" , 2006 (opera) [ [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/critic/review/0,,1956815,00.html Andrew Clements, "Into the Little Hill" (review of Opéra Bastille, Paris production). "The Guardian", 25 November 2006.] ]

Piano

*Sonata for Piano, 1977-78
*"Sortilèges", 1981
*Three Studies, 1982-85
*"Shadowlines", 2001

References

External links

* [http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/humanities/music/staff/benjamin.html George Benjamin's page at King's College London]
* [http://www.fabermusic.co.uk/serverside/composers/Details.asp?ID=BENJAMIN,%20GEORGE Page on the website of Faber Music, Benjamin's publisher, with biography, catalogue of works and details of forthcoming performances]
* [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,2018705,00.html George Benjamin, "In the realm of the senses" (article on György Ligeti). "The Guardian", 23 February 2007.]
* [http://www.bellperc.com/pages/repertoire.php?composer=31 Benjamin's Percussion Repertoire] , from Bell Percussion's Composer Repertoire resource