fbpx
Wikipedia

Matthew Curtis (composer)

December 18, 2023

Matthew Curtis (born 1959 in Cumbria, England) is a British classical composer.

Matthew Curtis
Born1959 (age 63–64)
Cumbria, England
OccupationComposer

Life and career edit

Matthew Curtis was born in Cumbria, England in 1959. He is essentially self-taught as a composer and orchestrator. While he was a student at Worcester College, Oxford reading Classics, his work, including a symphony,[1] first began to receive public performance.[2]

On leaving university he was introduced to the late Alan Owen, a composer and BBC radio staff producer, who took an interest in his music. This led to numerous broadcasts of his work from 1982 onward in the UK, notably BBC Radio,[3] and in several other countries.[4] In 2001 he came to the notice of the composer and record producer Philip Lane, resulting in a significant discography and over 8 hours of music recorded.[a]

His music has been played in concert by the BBC Concert Orchestra[5] and I Musici de Montréal.[6] and by several non-professional and youth orchestras, most notably the National Children's Orchestras of Great Britain, for which he has composed a number of pieces.[7] Curtis was commissioned to compose for the English Music Festival[8] in 2008, and his Festival Overture opened the final concert of the event.

Curtis is probably best known for his short orchestral pieces in the British light music tradition (he has been seen as part of the "renaissance" of British Light Music[9] and singled out for praise in an article in The Spectator among other things discussing the neglect of light classical music[10]), but his output extends to more substantial works for orchestra, chamber music, songs and choral works. Reviews of his work in Gramophone,[11] on MusicWeb International,[2] an extensive review of his early work by the British Music Society,[12] and other reviews of recordings devoted to his orchestral works in the British Composer Series[13][14] all draw attention to his emphasis on and mastery of melody and orchestral colouring, and make stylistic references to Edward Elgar, Eric Coates and Haydn Wood among others.

A showcase of his work was given on 21 September 2018 at the Hastings and Bexhill International Composers Festival.

Recordings edit

Devoted to Curtis in the British Composer Series edit

  • Paths to Urbino: Orchestral Works Volume I Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Gavin Sutherland Cameo 2015 (2002)[15]
  • Orchestral Works Volume II Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Gavin Sutherland Cameo 2035 (2004)[16]
  • Orchestral Works Volume III Jennifer Stinton (flute), Verity Butler (clarinet), Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Gavin Sutherland Cameo 2055 (2005)[17]
  • Song Cycles Marie Vassiliou (soprano), Gavin Sutherland (piano) Cameo 2060 (2007)[18]
  • Orchestral Works Volume IV Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Gavin Sutherland Cameo 2085 (2011)[19]
  • Orchestral Works Volume V Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Gavin Sutherland Cameo 2090 (2016)[20][b]

Other recordings edit

  • Serenade (in three movements) Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Gavin Sutherland included in British String Miniatures 2 ASV White Line WHL 2136 (2003)[21]
  • Open Road Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Gavin Sutherland included in British Light Overtures 3 ASV White Line WHL 2140 (2003)[22]
  • Irish Lullaby Verity Butler (clarinet), Gavin Sutherland (piano) included in Clarinet Kaleidoscope Vol 2 Cameo 2058 (2007)[23]
  • Christmas Rush RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Gavin Sutherland included in Another Night Before Christmas and Scrooge Naxos 8.572744 (2011)[24]
  • Christmas Spirit RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Gavin Sutherland included in The Spirit of Christmas Heritage HTGCD299 (2015)[25]
  • A Festival Overture BBC Concert Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes included in Now Comes Beauty EM Records CD037 (2016)[26]

Notes edit

  1. ^ As of November 2016, the total run time of all the CDs/Tracks comes to 486 minutes 43 seconds.
  2. ^ Campion Cameo, issued by Disc Imports Limited, trading as DI Music

References edit

  1. ^ "List of British symphonies 1950-99". 19 April 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  2. ^ a b "MusicWeb International 12th Garland of British Light Music Composers, March 1998". MusicWeb International. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  3. ^ "BBC Radio 3 list of Matthew Curtis performances to 2009". BBC. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  4. ^ For examples see:
    • "Playlist for ABC Classic FM 1 Feb 2009 (one of at least 13 Australian broadcasts of Curtis to 2016)". abc.net.au. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
    • "Playlist for Minnesota Public Radio 16 Dec 2015 (one of at least 11 US broadcasts of Curtis to 2016)". classicalmpr.org. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
    • "Playlist for Radio NZ 6 Dec 2003". radionz.co.nz. Retrieved 16 June 2016.}
    • "Playlist for ORF 1 (Austrian radio) 27 Jun 2012". oe1.orf.at. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
    • "Playlist for Catalunya Música 1 Jun 2012". ccma.cat. 29 May 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
    • "Playlist for sverigesradio P2 (Swedish radio)". Sveriges Radio. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Programme of 'Light Fantastic' concert in Plymouth on 27 June 2011". BBC. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  6. ^ "Montreal Gazette review dated 12 May 2007". Retrieved 16 June 2016 – via PressReader.
  7. ^ "Diamond Jubilee Glee: NCO play in the presence of HM the Queen on 8 Jun 2012". NCO.org.uk. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  8. ^ "Report of the 2008 festival". English Music Festival. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  9. ^ Payne, Michael (2012). The Life and Music of Eric Coates. UK: Ashgate Publishing Limited. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-4094-3409-2.
  10. ^ "Great inspirations: Article dated 13 Feb 2008". The Spectator. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  11. ^ "Gramophone index of reviews for Matthew Curtis (in issues 3/03, 8/03, 10/03, 5/05, 12/06, 6/07)". Gramophone. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  12. ^ . britishclassicalmusic.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2001. Retrieved 18 November 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ "Review of Curtis Orchestral Works vol 2 (p. 13)" (PDF). The Federation of Recorded Music Societies. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  14. ^ "Review of Curtis Orchestral Works volume 1". ClassicalNet. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  15. ^ "Curtis, M Orchestral Works". Gramophone. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  16. ^ "Curtis Orchestral Works Vol 2". Gramophone. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  17. ^ "Curtis, M Orchestral Works Vol 3". Gramophone. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  18. ^ "Curtis Chamber Works Vol 1". Gramophone. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  19. ^ "CURTIS Orchestral Works Vol 4". MusicWeb International. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  20. ^ "CURTIS Orchestral Works Vol 5". MusicWeb International. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  21. ^ "British String Miniatures Vol 2". Gramophone. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  22. ^ "British Light Overtures Volume 3". Gramophone. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  23. ^ "Clarinet Kaleidoscope Vol 2". MusicWeb International. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  24. ^ "Another Night Before Christmas and Scrooge". MusicWeb International. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  25. ^ "BBC Radio 3 CD Review 19 Dec 2015". BBC. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  26. ^ ""Now Comes Beauty"". MusicWeb International. Retrieved 3 October 2016.

December 18, 2023
matthew, curtis, composer, matthew, curtis, born, 1959, cumbria, england, british, classical, composer, matthew, curtisborn1959, cumbria, englandoccupationcomposer, contents, life, career, recordings, devoted, curtis, british, composer, series, other, recordin. Matthew Curtis born 1959 in Cumbria England is a British classical composer Matthew CurtisBorn1959 age 63 64 Cumbria EnglandOccupationComposer Contents 1 Life and career 2 Recordings 2 1 Devoted to Curtis in the British Composer Series 2 2 Other recordings 3 Notes 4 ReferencesLife and career editMatthew Curtis was born in Cumbria England in 1959 He is essentially self taught as a composer and orchestrator While he was a student at Worcester College Oxford reading Classics his work including a symphony 1 first began to receive public performance 2 On leaving university he was introduced to the late Alan Owen a composer and BBC radio staff producer who took an interest in his music This led to numerous broadcasts of his work from 1982 onward in the UK notably BBC Radio 3 and in several other countries 4 In 2001 he came to the notice of the composer and record producer Philip Lane resulting in a significant discography and over 8 hours of music recorded a His music has been played in concert by the BBC Concert Orchestra 5 and I Musici de Montreal 6 and by several non professional and youth orchestras most notably the National Children s Orchestras of Great Britain for which he has composed a number of pieces 7 Curtis was commissioned to compose for the English Music Festival 8 in 2008 and his Festival Overture opened the final concert of the event Curtis is probably best known for his short orchestral pieces in the British light music tradition he has been seen as part of the renaissance of British Light Music 9 and singled out for praise in an article in The Spectator among other things discussing the neglect of light classical music 10 but his output extends to more substantial works for orchestra chamber music songs and choral works Reviews of his work in Gramophone 11 on MusicWeb International 2 an extensive review of his early work by the British Music Society 12 and other reviews of recordings devoted to his orchestral works in the British Composer Series 13 14 all draw attention to his emphasis on and mastery of melody and orchestral colouring and make stylistic references to Edward Elgar Eric Coates and Haydn Wood among others A showcase of his work was given on 21 September 2018 at the Hastings and Bexhill International Composers Festival Recordings editDevoted to Curtis in the British Composer Series edit Paths to Urbino Orchestral Works Volume I Royal Ballet Sinfonia Gavin Sutherland Cameo 2015 2002 15 Orchestral Works Volume II Royal Ballet Sinfonia Gavin Sutherland Cameo 2035 2004 16 Orchestral Works Volume III Jennifer Stinton flute Verity Butler clarinet Royal Ballet Sinfonia Gavin Sutherland Cameo 2055 2005 17 Song Cycles Marie Vassiliou soprano Gavin Sutherland piano Cameo 2060 2007 18 Orchestral Works Volume IV Royal Ballet Sinfonia Gavin Sutherland Cameo 2085 2011 19 Orchestral Works Volume V Royal Ballet Sinfonia Gavin Sutherland Cameo 2090 2016 20 b Other recordings edit Serenade in three movements Royal Ballet Sinfonia Gavin Sutherland included in British String Miniatures 2 ASV White Line WHL 2136 2003 21 Open Road Royal Ballet Sinfonia Gavin Sutherland included in British Light Overtures 3 ASV White Line WHL 2140 2003 22 Irish Lullaby Verity Butler clarinet Gavin Sutherland piano included in Clarinet Kaleidoscope Vol 2 Cameo 2058 2007 23 Christmas Rush RTE Concert Orchestra Gavin Sutherland included in Another Night Before Christmas and Scrooge Naxos 8 572744 2011 24 Christmas Spirit RTE Concert Orchestra Gavin Sutherland included in The Spirit of Christmas Heritage HTGCD299 2015 25 A Festival Overture BBC Concert Orchestra Owain Arwel Hughes included in Now Comes Beauty EM Records CD037 2016 26 Notes edit As of November 2016 the total run time of all the CDs Tracks comes to 486 minutes 43 seconds Campion Cameo issued by Disc Imports Limited trading as DI MusicReferences edit List of British symphonies 1950 99 19 April 2013 Retrieved 16 June 2016 a b MusicWeb International 12th Garland of British Light Music Composers March 1998 MusicWeb International Retrieved 22 May 2016 BBC Radio 3 list of Matthew Curtis performances to 2009 BBC Retrieved 22 May 2016 For examples see Playlist for ABC Classic FM 1 Feb 2009 one of at least 13 Australian broadcasts of Curtis to 2016 abc net au Retrieved 16 June 2016 Playlist for Minnesota Public Radio 16 Dec 2015 one of at least 11 US broadcasts of Curtis to 2016 classicalmpr org Retrieved 16 June 2016 Playlist for Radio NZ 6 Dec 2003 radionz co nz Retrieved 16 June 2016 Playlist for ORF 1 Austrian radio 27 Jun 2012 oe1 orf at Retrieved 16 June 2016 Playlist for Catalunya Musica 1 Jun 2012 ccma cat 29 May 2012 Retrieved 16 June 2016 Playlist for sverigesradio P2 Swedish radio Sveriges Radio 6 August 2012 Retrieved 3 October 2016 Programme of Light Fantastic concert in Plymouth on 27 June 2011 BBC Retrieved 16 June 2016 Montreal Gazette review dated 12 May 2007 Retrieved 16 June 2016 via PressReader Diamond Jubilee Glee NCO play in the presence of HM the Queen on 8 Jun 2012 NCO org uk Retrieved 16 June 2016 Report of the 2008 festival English Music Festival Retrieved 16 June 2016 Payne Michael 2012 The Life and Music of Eric Coates UK Ashgate Publishing Limited p 6 ISBN 978 1 4094 3409 2 Great inspirations Article dated 13 Feb 2008 The Spectator Retrieved 16 June 2016 Gramophone index of reviews for Matthew Curtis in issues 3 03 8 03 10 03 5 05 12 06 6 07 Gramophone Retrieved 22 May 2016 In depth review of Curtis music to 1997 britishclassicalmusic com Archived from the original on 23 April 2001 Retrieved 18 November 2016 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link Review of Curtis Orchestral Works vol 2 p 13 PDF The Federation of Recorded Music Societies Retrieved 18 November 2016 Review of Curtis Orchestral Works volume 1 ClassicalNet Retrieved 18 November 2016 Curtis M Orchestral Works Gramophone Retrieved 16 June 2016 Curtis Orchestral Works Vol 2 Gramophone Retrieved 16 June 2016 Curtis M Orchestral Works Vol 3 Gramophone Retrieved 16 June 2016 Curtis Chamber Works Vol 1 Gramophone Retrieved 16 June 2016 CURTIS Orchestral Works Vol 4 MusicWeb International Retrieved 16 June 2016 CURTIS Orchestral Works Vol 5 MusicWeb International Retrieved 16 June 2016 British String Miniatures Vol 2 Gramophone Retrieved 16 June 2016 British Light Overtures Volume 3 Gramophone Retrieved 16 June 2016 Clarinet Kaleidoscope Vol 2 MusicWeb International Retrieved 16 June 2016 Another Night Before Christmas and Scrooge MusicWeb International Retrieved 16 June 2016 BBC Radio 3 CD Review 19 Dec 2015 BBC Retrieved 16 June 2016 Now Comes Beauty MusicWeb International Retrieved 3 October 2016 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Matthew Curtis composer amp oldid 1178347033, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.