Composer of the Week: George Benjamin

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Composer of the Week

Music: Classical

Composer of the Week - Brand

An informative guide to composers' lives and their music.

An informative and accessible guide to composers' lives and their music.

Composer of the Week: George Benjamin (b 1960): George Benjamin’s Musical Connections

George Benjamin’s Musical Connections

George Benjamin (b 1960)

BBC Radio 3 - Composer of the Week, George Benjamin (b 1960), George Benjamin’s Musical Connections

Donald Macleod chats with Sir George Benjamin about his musical influences.

Donald Macleod is joined by Sir George Benjamin to discuss his musical influences.

In the first of this week's programmes exploring the music of Sir George Benjamin, Donald Macleod is joined by the composer to discuss his musical influences and teachers.

Composer of the Week marks the sixtieth birthday of the celebrated British composer Sir George Benjamin. All this week Benjamin joins Donald Macleod in the studio to provide listeners with personal insights into his music and distinguished career. They discuss the composer's musical connections, his inspirations, his interest in collaboration, the compositional process, and his work as a pianist, conductor and teacher.

One of the first composers whose music George Benjamin felt a particular connection with was Beethoven.  In 1975 he met Olivier Messiaen who took Benjamin under his wing, and from there his trajectory as a composer became firmly established. While studying with Messiaen in Paris, Benjamin not only took piano lessons with his teacher's second wife, Yvonne Loriod, but he also met some of the most significant composers of the 20th century: Iannis Xenakis, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez. Boulez would become a significant early influence upon Benjamin and his music, through a period of study at the Institute for Music and Acoustic Research and Coordination established by Boulez.

Viola, Viola
Tabea Zimmermann, viola
Antoine Tamestit, viola

Piano Sonata (Vivace)
George Benjamin, piano

Palimpsests
Ensemble Moderne Orchestra
George Benjamin, conductor

Written on Skin (XIV & XV The Protector of Agnès & The Boy / Angel 1)
Christopher Purves (Protector), baritone
Barbara Hannigan (Agnès), soprano
Bejun Mehta (Angel 1), countertenor
Mahler Chamber Orchestra,
George Benjamin, conductor

Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Wales.

Photo credit: Matthew Lloyd

Composer of the Week: George Benjamin (b 1960)

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

Composer of the Week marks the sixtieth birthday of British composer Sir George Benjamin.

British composer Sir George Benjamin joins Donald Macleod in the studio to provide personal insights into his music and distinguished career.

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George Benjamin (b 1960)

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