Second July Issue 2011
350 Words
The Royal Philharmonic Society and The Britten-Pears Foundation have announced a series of major co-commissions to mark the RPS’s bicentenary and Britten’s centenary in 2013. The organisations have confirmed that six leading international composers including Harrison Birtwistle and Judith Weir will continue the RPS's prestigious commissioning history, enabled by funds from both organisations.
Whilst composers are being given free reign in terms of compositional style, they will be working with ensembles which reflect the range of Britten’s compositional output: Wolfgang Rihm will write for symphony orchestra, Judith Weir for chamber orchestra, Magnus Lindberg for ensemble and Per Nørgård for string quartet. Richard Rodney Bennett will uphold Britten's enthusiasm for educational works with a children’s song cycle, and Harrison Birtwistle will honour Britten's substantial output written for his partner Peter Pears with an extensive 30 minute song cycle for tenor and piano (with words by David Harsent).
Britten was a keen champion of keeping the classical tradition alive through new music and, unsurprisingly, all composers in question have noted their elation at being asked to engage with a project which so aptly encapsulates Britten's spirit. Reflecting on Britten, composer Magnus Lindberg comments: “I've always admired Britten as a composer for the clarity of his scoring and the amazing range of his output - he could turn his hand to anything. He also had an innate sense of drama, audible in both his instrumental music and his operas. His legacy continues to be important for living composers and contemporary music in general."
2013 will see UK premieres given by the Hallé Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Vertavo Quartet, Mark Padmore and Till Fellner, before the works go on to be performed internationally. The project forms part of a year-long celebration of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s bicentenary, featuring concerts and special events nationwide. The centenary of Benjamin Britten’s birth will be marked internationally by publications, exhibitions, broadcasts, educational projects and performances, including a series of opera productions supported by the Britten-Pears Foundation’s Britten 100 Award
