|
MICHAEL STIMPSON
Michael Stimpson began his writing with music for the
guitar, notably Café Music, Sonatina (Ricordi)
and Five Miniatures (OUP). His first major chamber work
was Sonatina for Piano Trio premièred at the
Purcell Room by the Dussek Piano Trio, described as
'…a finely poised, lyrical work…a joy to hear.'
by The Strad. The same venue housed the first performance
of Three Variants on a Blue for violin and piano and
1999 also saw the première of his Concerto for
Oboe at the Queen Elizabeth Hall (John Anderson oboe,
Ross Pople conductor, London Festival Orchestra).
His works since have been varied in their subject matter,
the stimulus often from contemporary events, favourite
authors and poets. String Quartet No. 1 (Robben Island)
reflected the breakdown of apartheid; The Stars Have
Withdrawn Their Shining (harp), the life of John Ruskin;
The Angry Garden (choir and orchestra) explored the
issue of global warming; A Walk Into War (tenor and
piano quintet) was based on the writing of Laurie Lee;
Tales from the 15th Floor (cello and piano) was a personal
account of four months in intensive care; and Dylan
(baritone and harp) celebrated the 50th anniversary
of the death of Wales's most renowned poet, Dylan Thomas.
These and other works have received their premières
from some of the most outstanding performers at the
UK's leading venues: Allegri String Quartet (St. John's
Smith Square), Paul Agnew (tenor) and Daniel Tong (piano,
Salisbury Festival), Sioned Williams (harp, Wigmore
Hall), Mifune Tsuji (violin, Japan 2001), Bridget MacRae,
Roberto Russo (cello and piano, Grottammare Festival,
Italy) and Roy Wales (conductor, English Concert Singers
and Orchestra). Michael was invited to join the jury
of the Franz Liszt International Competition for Composers
held in Italy in April 2004, a year when his works appeared
in the USA, Italy and Iran.
In 2005 Michael's major choral work Clouds of War was
premièred by the English Chamber Orchestra and
Tallis Chamber Choir conducted by Simon Wright in London's
Cadogan Hall. In the presence of HRH Prince Michael
of Kent, and with guest speaker Kate Adie, the work
commemorated the 60th Anniversary of the end of World
War 2. 2005 also saw the première of The Sun
and the Moon - a clarinet quintet for David Campbell
and the RTE Vanbrugh Quartet. Esteemed baritone Roderick
Williams performed Dylan with Sioned Williams at the
Llandudno Festival to critical acclaim in 2006. In 2007
Italian duo Alessandro Maffucci and Roberto Russo (tenor/piano)
toured the UK and Italy with a new set of songs based
on the poetry of Giovanni Pascoli. 2007 also saw the
première of a new work for choir, Songs of Innocence
and Experience (Exmoor Singers of London, conductor
James Jarvis). 2008, Michael's 60th year, began with
a new commission, The Ninth Hour, for the Bristol Bach
Choir (conductor, Peter Leech) and completed with the
release of a recording of the two works written for
the Allegri String Quartet. Michael's 60th birthday
concert was held at London's Purcell Room in October
when Sioned Williams joined The Exmoor Singers of London
for performances of The Stars Have Withdrawn Their Shining
and Songs of Innocence.
2009 focused on a four-stage work,
Age of Wonders, to commemorate the 200th anniversary
of the birth of Charles Darwin. Premières of
this work began at the Wigmore Hall in January with
Philippe Graffin, Elizabeth Burley, the London Sinfonietta,
and guest reader Robert Tear. The Maggini Quartet premièred
his second string quartet (The Beagle) at the Peninsula
Arts Contemporary Music Festival in February; the fourth
stage, Transmutations, was premièred in Darwin,
Australia, in July of that year, at a large open-air
concert that also included performances of the other
three stages of the work. Meanwhile, the Allegri Quartet
gave a four-concert series of String Quartet No. 1 (Robben
Island).
Since then, Michael has completed
a set of preludes for piano, Preludes In Our Time, revised
his Sonatina for Piano Trio, and commenced work on his
first opera, Jesse, due to première in July 2012.
Future plans include a set of Sea Shanties for Southampton
Philharmnonic Choir to première in June 2012,
a suite for flute, and a new harp piece for 2013.
Michael Stimpson studied at the Royal Academy of Music
and subsequently took his doctorate in composition.
His work has been supported by the Arts Council, PRS
Foundation, Holst Foundation, RVW Trust, and Arts &
Business, amongst others. He lives in the Chalke Valley
in Wiltshire, UK.
Website: www.michaelstimpson.co.uk
|
