Oliver Knussen

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Oliver Knussen (2008)

Stuart Oliver Knussen CBE (born June 12, 1952 in Glasgow ; † July 8, 2018 ) was a British composer and conductor .

Life

His father Stuart Knussen was section leader of the double basses in the London Symphony Orchestra . Knussen studied composition with John Lambert from 1963 to 1969 and was soon promoted by Benjamin Britten . During a few summer months he studied with Gunther Schuller at the Tanglewood Music Festival . He was artistic director of the Aldeburgh Festival from 1983 to 1998 and headed the contemporary music department at Tanglewood Music Festival between 1986 and 1993 . From 1998 to 2002 he was music director of the London Sinfonietta .

In 1968 Knussen made his debut as a composer and conductor when he premiered his Symphony No. 1, written as a teenager, with the London Symphony Orchestra. His two main works from the 1980s are the “children's operas” Where the Wild Things Are and Higglety Pigglety Pop! , both on librettos by Maurice Sendak .

In 1990 he received the Stoeger Prize for his chamber music work, and in 1994 he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire and an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters .

In 2014 Knussen became the first Richard Rodney Bennett Professor of Music at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate shortly before his death. As a composition professor, he professed a pluralism of styles . He did not want to give the students a certain direction, but to accompany them in an advisory capacity on their own path.

Oliver Knussen lived in Snape, Suffolk . He died in July 2018 at the age of 66.

Knussen's estate has been in the Paul Sacher Foundation in Basel since 2018 .

Further awards

Works (selection)

  • 2nd Symphony , for soprano and chamber orchestra, op.7 (Margaret Grant Prize, Tanglewood 1971)
  • Hums and Songs of Winnie-the-Pooh (1970-1983)
  • Music for a Puppet Court (Puzzle Pieces for 2 chamber orchestras after John Lloyd) (ded. To Peter Maxwell Davies), op.11 (1972, revised 1983)
  • Océan de Terre (1972–1973)
  • Ophelia Dances , Book 1, op.13 (Koussevitzky centennial commission, 1975)
  • Trumpets (1975)
  • Triptych (Autumnal, Sonya's Lullaby, Cantata, 1975–1977)
  • Coursing , for chamber orchestra, op.17 (1979)
  • 3rd Symphony , op.18 (1973, revised 1979)
  • The Way to Castle Yonder, op.21a (1988-90)
  • Flourish with Fireworks, for large orchestra, op. 22 (1988; rev. 1993)
  • Horn Concerto for horn and orchestra, op. 28 (1994), first performance in Tokyo with Barry Tuckwell
  • Violin Concerto (dedicated to Pinchas Zukerman), op. 30 (2002)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Thomas Schulz: A giant with many talents. In: BR-Klassik . July 10, 2018, accessed July 11, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Julian Anderson:  Knussen, Oliver. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
  3. ↑ a b Julian Anderson :  Knussen, Oliver. In: Ludwig Finscher (Hrsg.): The music in past and present . Second edition, personal section, volume 10 (Kemp - Lert). Bärenreiter / Metzler, Kassel et al. 2003, ISBN 3-7618-1120-9  ( online edition , subscription required for full access)
  4. ↑ Article about Knussen by Gavin Thomas (English)
  5. ↑ Honorary Members: Oliver Knussen. American Academy of Arts and Letters, accessed March 12, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Max Nyffeler: He taught the wild guys to sing. In: www.faz.net. July 11, 2018, accessed July 26, 2018 .
  7. ^ The Queen's Medal for Music 2015. The Royal Household, May 20, 2016, accessed July 10, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Kiss, Oliver
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Knussen, Stuart Oliver (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British composer and conductor
DATE OF BIRTH June 12, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH Glasgow
DATE OF DEATH July 8, 2018