Thomas Adès
Encyclopedia
Thomas Adès is a British
composer
, pianist
and conductor
.
with Paul Berkowitz and later composition
with Robert Saxton
at Guildhall School of Music and Drama
, London
. After attending University College School
, he achieved a double starred first in 1992 at King's College, Cambridge
, studying with Alexander Goehr
and Robin Holloway
. He was made Britten Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music
, and in 2004 was given an honorary doctorate by the University of Essex
.
In 2007 a retrospective festival of his work was presented at the Barbican Arts Centre in London
and he was the focus of Radio France
's annual contemporary music festival, "Présences" and Helsinki's "Ultimo" festival. The Barbican festival, "Traced Overhead: The Musical World of Thomas Adès", included the UK premiere of a new work for Simon Rattle
and the Berlin Philharmonic, Tevot. In Spring 2007, The Tempest returned to the Royal Opera House
. In 2009, he was the focus of Stockholm Concert Hall's annual Composer Festival and was in 2010 appointed foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music
.
In 2006, he entered a civil partnership with the Israeli/British filmmaker and graphic artist Tal Rosner
.
In 1993, at the age of twenty-two, Adès gave his first public piano recital in London as part of the Park Lane Group series of recitals.
Asyla,
Arcadiana
America: a Prophecy
Concentric Paths
Piano Quintet
Tevot
In Seven Days
Polaris
The Tempest
from 1998 to 2000. He served as Artistic Director of the Aldeburgh Festival
from 1999 to 2008; he was succeeded in 2009 by the pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard.
In 2000, he was composer-in-residence of the Ojai Festival in California (along with Mark-Anthony Turnage
). While there, performances included:
He is also a noted pianist
, having been a runner-up in the BBC
's Young Musician of the Year
competition in 1990. EMI has released a CD of Adès as a solo performer called "Thomas Adès: Piano" and several CDs as an accompanist, frequently with Ian Bostridge
, Steven Isserlis
and others. As a student Adès was a percussionist; he is noted for having played percussion in Stravinsky
's "Les Noces
" under Sir Simon Rattle.
He was resident with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
during their 2005/6 and 2006/7 seasons as part of the orchestra's "On Location" series at Walt Disney Concert Hall
and other locations. Performances included:
Adès, who frequently performs works by Leoš Janáček
, contributed an essay titled "'Nothing but pranks and puns': Janáček's solo piano music" to Paul Wingfield's compilation entitled Janáček Studies, published in 2006 by the Cambridge University Press
.
Audio CD
as composer
as performer
Forthcoming
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
.
Biography
Adès studied pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
with Paul Berkowitz and later composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
with Robert Saxton
Robert Saxton
-Biography:After early advice and encouragement from Benjamin Britten, Robert Saxton took private composition lessons with Elisabeth Lutyens. He went on to study with Robin Holloway at Cambridge University, with Robert Sherlaw Johnson as a post-graduate at Oxford University, and later with Berio....
at Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. After attending University College School
University College School
University College School, generally known as UCS, is an Independent school charity situated in Hampstead, north west London, England. The school was founded in 1830 by University College London and inherited many of that institution's progressive and secular views...
, he achieved a double starred first in 1992 at King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
, studying with Alexander Goehr
Alexander Goehr
Alexander Goehr is an English composer and academic.Goehr was born in Berlin in 1932, the son of the conductor and Schoenberg pupil Walter Goehr. In his early twenties he emerged as a central figure in the Manchester School of post-war British composers. In 1955–56 he joined Oliver Messiaen's...
and Robin Holloway
Robin Holloway
Robin Greville Holloway is an English composer.-Early life:From 1952 to 1957, he was a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral...
. He was made Britten Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, and in 2004 was given an honorary doctorate by the University of Essex
University of Essex
The University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...
.
In 2007 a retrospective festival of his work was presented at the Barbican Arts Centre in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and he was the focus of Radio France
Radio France
Radio France is a French public service radio broadcaster.-Mission:Radio France's two principal missions are:* To create and expand the programming on all of their stations; and...
's annual contemporary music festival, "Présences" and Helsinki's "Ultimo" festival. The Barbican festival, "Traced Overhead: The Musical World of Thomas Adès", included the UK premiere of a new work for Simon Rattle
Simon Rattle
Sir Simon Denis Rattle, CBE is an English conductor. He rose to international prominence as conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and since 2002 has been principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic ....
and the Berlin Philharmonic, Tevot. In Spring 2007, The Tempest returned to the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
. In 2009, he was the focus of Stockholm Concert Hall's annual Composer Festival and was in 2010 appointed foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music
Royal Swedish Academy of Music
The Royal Swedish Academy of Music or Kungl. Musikaliska Akademien, founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
.
In 2006, he entered a civil partnership with the Israeli/British filmmaker and graphic artist Tal Rosner
Tal Rosner
Tal Rosner is a London based filmmaker and video artist.Rosner is a graduate of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London ....
.
Orchestral compositions and performances
Five Eliot Landscapes- Adès's first opus, published in 1990.
In 1993, at the age of twenty-two, Adès gave his first public piano recital in London as part of the Park Lane Group series of recitals.
Asyla,
- for orchestra, was premiered in Symphony Hall, BirminghamSymphony Hall, BirminghamSymphony Hall is a 2,262 seat concert venue located inside the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, England. It was officially opened by the Queen in June 1991, although had been opened on April 15, 1991. It is home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and hosts around 270 events...
in October 1997 by Simon RattleSimon RattleSir Simon Denis Rattle, CBE is an English conductor. He rose to international prominence as conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and since 2002 has been principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic ....
and the City of Birmingham Symphony OrchestraCity of Birmingham Symphony OrchestraThe City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. The Orchestra's current chief executive, appointed in 1999, is Stephen Maddock...
at the 1997 BBC Proms. This work also received the Grawemeyer AwardGrawemeyer AwardThe Grawemeyer Awards are five awards given annually by the University of Louisville in the state of Kentucky, United States. The prizes are presented to individuals in the fields of education, ideas improving world order, music composition, religion, and psychology...
for Music Composition in 2000, making Adès the youngest ever to receive the award. - Adès conducted the BBC Symphony OrchestraBBC Symphony OrchestraThe BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:...
in the London premiere of the work while, on 7 September 2002, Simon RattleSimon RattleSir Simon Denis Rattle, CBE is an English conductor. He rose to international prominence as conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and since 2002 has been principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic ....
gave his first concert as principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic OrchestraBerlin Philharmonic OrchestraThe Berlin Philharmonic, German: , formerly Berliner Philharmonisches Orchester , is an orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. In 2006, a group of ten European media outlets voted the Berlin Philharmonic number three on a list of "top ten European Orchestras", after the Vienna Philharmonic and the...
with Asyla and Gustav MahlerGustav MahlerGustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
's Symphony No. 5Symphony No. 5 (Mahler)The Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor by Gustav Mahler was composed in 1901 and 1902, mostly during the summer months at Mahler's cottage at Maiernigg. Among its most distinctive features are the funereal trumpet solo that opens the work and the frequently performed Adagietto.The musical canvas and...
, both of which have also been released on CD and DVD by EMI. - Asyla has since been performed across the world, including on a recent tour of the Far East by Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic.
Arcadiana
- a seven-movement, 20-minute string quartetString quartetA string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
(Op. 12), was recorded in 1998 along with other work from the 1993 to 1994 period.
America: a Prophecy
- commissioned for the New York Philharmonic OrchestraNew York PhilharmonicThe New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
's Millennium Messages in November 1999 and it received its UK premiere at the Aldeburgh FestivalAldeburgh FestivalThe Aldeburgh Festival is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on the main concert hall at Snape Maltings...
in June 2000. A recording of the work is available on EMI Classics (2004).
Concentric Paths
- Adès's violin concertoViolin concertoA violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin and instrumental ensemble, customarily orchestra. Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up through the present day...
, received its premiere in September 2005 with a performance by the Chamber Orchestra of EuropeChamber Orchestra of EuropeThe Chamber Orchestra of Europe , established in 1981, is administratively based in London. The orchestra comprises about 60 members coming from across Europe. The players pursue parallel careers as international soloists, members of eminent chamber groups, and as tutors and professors of music...
with Anthony MarwoodAnthony MarwoodAnthony Marwood is a solo classical violinist, appearing in concerto performances worldwide with orchestras such as the Boston Symphony, LA Philharmonic, St Louis Symphony, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the UK's BBC orchestras, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony and the...
as soloist, which received critical acclaim.
Piano Quintet
- with Adès on the piano and the Arditti QuartetArditti QuartetThe Arditti Quartet is a string quartet founded in 1974. The quartet is associated particularly with contemporary music.-Early history:The quartet was founded in 1974 by violinist Irvine Arditti together with John Senter, Levine Andrade and Lenox Mackenzie...
(plus SchubertFranz SchubertFranz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
's Trout QuintetTrout QuintetThe Trout Quintet is the popular name for the Piano Quintet in A major by Franz Schubert. In Otto Erich Deutsch's catalogue of Schubert's works, it is D. 667...
-with Belcea QuartetBelcea QuartetThe Belcea Quartet is a string quartet, formed in 1994, under the leadership of violinist Corina Belcea.-History:The quartet was formed while its members were studying at the Royal College of Music in London. Whilst there, they were coached by the Chilingirian Quartet...
- as its companion) was released in 2005 on CD by EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
.
Tevot
- for orchestra, was premiered in Berlin by Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic on 21 February 2007, and received its American premiere as part of the Berlin in Lights Festival at Carnegie HallCarnegie HallCarnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
. The work has been hailed as a groundbreaking new work by such critics as Anthony TommasiniAnthony Tommasini-Early years:Tommasini was born in Brooklyn around 1948 and raised on Long Island. He was admitted to Oberlin College's Conservatory of Music, but chose to matriculate at Yale University in order to obtain a broader liberal arts education...
of The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and Richard MorrisonRichard MorrisonRichard Morrison is the name of:* Richard Morrison , Edward VI's ambassador to Charles V* Richard Morrison , columnist for The Times newspaper...
of The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.
In Seven Days
- for piano, orchestra, and six video screens, was premiered by the London SinfoniettaLondon SinfoniettaThe London Sinfonietta is an English chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble specialises in contemporary music and works across a wide range of genres, performing modern classics alongside world premieres, and includes music by electronica artists as well as folk and...
, conducted by Adès at Royal Festival HallRoyal Festival HallThe Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
in London on 28 April 2008. Video segment was created by Tal RosnerTal RosnerTal Rosner is a London based filmmaker and video artist.Rosner is a graduate of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London ....
, Adès's partner. The work was co-commissioned by the South Bank CentreSouth Bank CentreSouthbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, UK, on the South Bank of the River Thames between County Hall and Waterloo Bridge. It comprises three main buildings , and is Europe’s largest centre for the arts. It attracts more than three million visitors annually...
and the Los Angeles PhilharmonicLos Angeles PhilharmonicThe Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
.
Polaris
- for orchestra and five video screens (moving images by Tal RosnerTal RosnerTal Rosner is a London based filmmaker and video artist.Rosner is a graduate of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London ....
), was written for the opening of Frank GehryFrank GehryFrank Owen Gehry, is a Canadian American Pritzker Prize-winning architect based in Los Angeles, California.His buildings, including his private residence, have become tourist attractions...
's New World Arts Center in Miami, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and premièred by the New World Symphony OrchestraNew World Symphony OrchestraThe New World Symphony is the United States' only full-time orchestral academy preparing musicians for careers in symphony orchestras and ensembles...
under Michael Tilson ThomasMichael Tilson ThomasMichael Tilson Thomas is an American conductor, pianist and composer. He is currently music director of the San Francisco Symphony, and artistic director of the New World Symphony Orchestra.-Early years:...
on 26th January 2011. The work was co-commissioned by the New World Symphony OrchestraNew World Symphony OrchestraThe New World Symphony is the United States' only full-time orchestral academy preparing musicians for careers in symphony orchestras and ensembles...
with the Calouste Gulbenkian FoundationCalouste Gulbenkian FoundationThe Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is a Portuguese private foundation of public utility whose statutory aims are in the fields of arts, charity, education, and science...
, the Royal Concertgebouw OrchestraRoyal Concertgebouw OrchestraThe Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is a symphony orchestra of the Netherlands, based at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In 1988, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands conferred the "Royal" title upon the orchestra...
, the New York PhilharmonicNew York PhilharmonicThe New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
, the Los Angeles PhilharmonicLos Angeles PhilharmonicThe Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
, the San Francisco SymphonySan Francisco SymphonyThe San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
and the Barbican CentreBarbican CentreThe Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Operas
Powder Her FacePowder Her Face
Powder Her Face is a chamber opera in two acts, Op. 14 by the British composer Thomas Adès , with an English libretto by Philip Hensher. The opera is 2 hours 20 minutes long...
- Adès's 1995 chamber operaChamber operaChamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra.The term and form were invented by Benjamin Britten in the 1940s, when the English Opera Group needed works that could easily be taken on tour and performed in a variety of small...
with a libretto by Philip HensherPhilip HensherPhilip Michael Hensher FRSL is an English novelist, critic and journalist.Hensher was born in South London, although he spent the majority of his childhood and adolescence in Sheffield, attending Tapton School. He did his undergraduate degree at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford before attending...
, won both good reviews and notoriety for its musical depiction of fellatioFellatioFellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
. The opera was commissioned by Almeida Opera, and has since been given new productions by chamber opera groups around the world. The Duchess depicted in the opera is the notorious Margaret Campbell, Duchess of ArgyllMargaret Campbell, Duchess of ArgyllMargaret, sometime Duchess of Argyll , was a notorious British Socialite, best remembered for her 1963 divorce case against her second husband, the 11th Duke of Argyll, which featured salacious photographs and scandalous stories.-Birth and youth:Margaret was the only child of Helen Mann Hannay and...
whose scandalous behaviour in Britain in the early 1960s was revealed during her divorce trial with the introduction into evidence of photographs of her various sexual acts. Adès's "Concert Paraphrase" on Powder Her Face for solo piano was premièred by the composer for the Vancouver Recital Society on 14 March 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; the work was co-commissioned by the VRS, San Francisco Performances, and the Barbican Centre in London.
The Tempest
The Tempest (Adès)
The Tempest is an opera by English composer Thomas Adès with a libretto in English by Meredith Oakes based on the play, The Tempest by William Shakespeare.-Background and premiere performances:...
- with a libretto by Meredith OakesMeredith OakesMeredith Oakes is an Australian playwright who has lived in London since 1970. She has written plays, adaptations, translations, opera texts and poems, and taught play-writing at Royal Holloway College and for the Arvon Foundation....
adapted from Shakespeare's play, was premièred to critical acclaim at the Royal Opera HouseRoyal Opera HouseThe Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, Covent GardenCovent GardenCovent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
in February 2004, followed by productions at the Strasbourg Opera and the Copenhagen Opera House later in 2005. Its US premiere staging by the Santa Fe OperaSanta Fe OperaThe Santa Fe Opera is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe in the U.S. state of New Mexico, headquartered on a former guest ranch of .-General history:...
took place on 29 July 2006. The opera was revived by Covent Garden in March 2007 to great acclaim. The Frankfurt Opera production, staged by Keith Warner and conducted by Johannes Debus, is scheduled for 10 January 2010, and marks the first performance of this opera in Germany. In March 2008, The Metropolitan Opera announced plans to perform The Tempest in their 2012-13 season. EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
’s recording of the Covent Garden performance of The Tempest won Adès the title of ‘Composer of the Year’ in the 2010 Classical BRIT AwardsClassical Brit AwardsThe Classic BRIT Awards are an annual awards ceremony held in the United Kingdom covering aspects of classical music, and are the classical equivalent of pop music's BRIT Awards....
.
Choral works
The Fayrfax Carol- a cappella choral composition. Written originally for King’s College, Cambridge, 1997, the piece has been recorded by ensembles such as the BBC SingersBBC SingersThe BBC Singers are the professional chamber choir of the BBC. As one of six BBC Performing Groups, the 24-voiced choir has been in existence for more than 80 years. The BBC Singers have commissioned and premiered works by the leading composers of the past century, including Benjamin Britten, Sir...
and also the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus. The work received its U.S. West Coast premiere by International Orange Chorale of San Francisco.
Other musical activities
Adès was the first Music Director of the Birmingham Contemporary Music GroupBirmingham Contemporary Music Group
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group is a chamber orchestra based in Birmingham, England. BCMG specialises in the performance of new and contemporary music. BCMG performs regularly at the CBSO Centre and Symphony Hall in Birmingham...
from 1998 to 2000. He served as Artistic Director of the Aldeburgh Festival
Aldeburgh Festival
The Aldeburgh Festival is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on the main concert hall at Snape Maltings...
from 1999 to 2008; he was succeeded in 2009 by the pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard.
In 2000, he was composer-in-residence of the Ojai Festival in California (along with Mark-Anthony Turnage
Mark-Anthony Turnage
Mark-Anthony Turnage is a prolific English composer of classical music. His initial musical studies were with Oliver Knussen, John Lambert, and later with Gunther Schuller...
). While there, performances included:
- The U.S. West Coast premiere of "Asyla," with Sir Simon Rattle conducting the Los Angeles PhilharmonicLos Angeles PhilharmonicThe Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
- "Darkness Visible" and "Still Sorrowing" performed by pianist Gloria Cheng
- "These Premises are Alarmed" conducted by Rattle with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
He is also a noted pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, having been a runner-up in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Young Musician of the Year
BBC Young Musician of the Year
The BBC Young Musician of the Year is a televised national music competition. It is broadcast on BBC Two and BBC Four biennially, despite the name, and hosted by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
competition in 1990. EMI has released a CD of Adès as a solo performer called "Thomas Adès: Piano" and several CDs as an accompanist, frequently with Ian Bostridge
Ian Bostridge
Ian Bostridge CBE is an English tenor, well known for his performances as an opera singer and as a song recitalist.-Early life and education:...
, Steven Isserlis
Steven Isserlis
Steven Isserlis CBE is a British cellist. He is distinguished for his diverse repertoire, distinctive sound and total command of phrasing. He studied at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and was much influenced by the great iconoclast of Russian cello playing, Daniil Shafran...
and others. As a student Adès was a percussionist; he is noted for having played percussion in Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
's "Les Noces
Les Noces
Les noces by Igor Stravinsky, is a dance cantata, or ballet with vocalists.-History:The ballet was premiered on June 13, 1923 at the Théâtre de la Gaîté, by the Ballets Russes with choreography by Bronislava Nijinska...
" under Sir Simon Rattle.
He was resident with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
during their 2005/6 and 2006/7 seasons as part of the orchestra's "On Location" series at Walt Disney Concert Hall
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the...
and other locations. Performances included:
- Adès conducting the U.S. premiere (co-commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Berlin Festival) of the Violin Concerto, performed by Anthony Marwood, along with selections of "The Tempest".
- Chamber concerts with L.A. Philharmonic musicians with Adès at the piano in pieces by Schubert and Beethoven.
- Chamber concerts of music for piano and violin by Stravinsky, with Adès at the piano and Anthony Marwood on violin at the Doheny Mansion for the Da Camera Society of Mount St. Mary's College.
- Adès conducting a Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group "Green Umbrella" concert featuring Piano Quintet (U.S. West Coast premiere), Origin of the Harp (U.S. premiere), and Chamber Symphony, Opus 2 (U.S. West Coast premiere), plus "Scenes from a Novel" by György KurtágGyörgy KurtágGyörgy Kurtág is a Hungarian composer of contemporary music.- Biography :György Kurtág was born in Lugoj in the Banat region, Romania.In 1946, he began his studies at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, where he met his wife, Márta, and also György Ligeti, who became a close friend...
(Elizabeth Keusch, soprano soloist) and "Cantus Planus" by Niccolo CastiglioniNiccolò CastiglioniNiccolò Castiglioni was an Italian composer, pianist, and writer on music.Castiglioni was born and raised in Milan, where he began studying piano at the age of 7. He received his performer's diploma from the Milan Conservatory in 1952, and graduated there in composition in 1953...
. - "Powder Her Face" with the USC Thornton Opera and members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, at the Bing Theater on the campus of the University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, conducted by Adès, with stage direction by Ken Cazan, set design by Peter Harrison, and lighting design by David Jacques. - A chamber music programme featuring Adès on the piano with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a programme that included Jean FrançaixJean FrançaixJean René Désiré Françaix was a French neoclassical composer, pianist, and orchestrator, known for his prolific output and vibrant style.-Life:...
's "Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano," "Nell'ombra, nella luce" by Steven StuckySteven StuckySteven Stucky is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer.Stucky was born in Hutchinson, Kansas. At age 9, he moved with his family to Abilene, Texas, where, as a teenager, he studied music in the public schools and, privately, viola with Herbert Preston, conducting with Leo Scheer, and...
, and the "Piano Quintet No. 2" of Gabriel FauréGabriel FauréGabriel Urbain Fauré was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th century composers... - Adès conducting a Green Umbrella programme featuring the U.S. premiere of Gerald Barry’s "The Triumph of Beauty and Deceit."
- Adès conducting "Asyla" with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Adès, who frequently performs works by Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janácek
Leoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...
, contributed an essay titled "'Nothing but pranks and puns': Janáček's solo piano music" to Paul Wingfield's compilation entitled Janáček Studies, published in 2006 by the Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
.
Recordings
DVD- Powder Her Face was made into a film by Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
and shown on Christmas Day 1999 in the UK. The film was released on DVD in the UK for Christmas 2005, including a documentary film about Adès made by Gerald Fox at around the same time. It is also available in the US. - Asyla (along with Mahler's 5th SymphonySymphony No. 5 (Mahler)The Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor by Gustav Mahler was composed in 1901 and 1902, mostly during the summer months at Mahler's cottage at Maiernigg. Among its most distinctive features are the funereal trumpet solo that opens the work and the frequently performed Adagietto.The musical canvas and...
) formed Sir Simon RattleSimon RattleSir Simon Denis Rattle, CBE is an English conductor. He rose to international prominence as conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and since 2002 has been principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic ....
's opening concert with the Berlin Philharmonic. The two concerts given were recorded and released as a DVD in 2002.
Audio CD
as composer
- Life Story (1997)
- Living ToysLiving ToysLiving Toys Op.9 is a composition for chamber ensemble by English composer Thomas Adès. It was written in 1994 as a part of his MPhil portfolio in Composition at Cambridge University and premiered at the Barbican Hall in London under Oliver Knussen....
(1998) - Asyla (1999)
- Powder Her Face (1999)
- America (2004)
- Adès/Schubert: Piano Quintets (2005)
- Violin Concerto (2007), download release.
- The Tempest (2009)
- Tevot, Violin Concerto, Three Studies from Couperin, Dances from Powder Her Face (2010)
- Thomas Adès: Anthology (2011) including Concert Paraphrase on Powder Her Face and Three Mazurkas
as performer
- Cello World (with Steven Isserlis) (1998)
- Thomas Adès: Piano (2000)
- JanáčekLeoš JanácekLeoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...
: The Diary of One Who DisappearedThe Diary of One Who DisappearedThe Diary of One Who Disappeared is a song cycle for tenor, alto, three female voices and piano, written by Czech composer Leoš Janáček.- Background :...
(with Ian BostridgeIan BostridgeIan Bostridge CBE is an English tenor, well known for his performances as an opera singer and as a song recitalist.-Early life and education:...
) (2002) - The Music of Poul RudersPoul RudersPoul Ruders is a Danish composer.Ruders trained as an organist, and studied orchestration with Karl Aage Rasmussen. Ruders's first compositions date from the mid-1960s...
, vol.4 (2004) - Stravinsky: Complete Music for Violin and Piano (Hyperion, Thomas Ades/Anthony Marwood, 2010)
Forthcoming
- In Seven Days
- Lieux Retrouvés
- The Four Quarters
- Polaris
External links
- Official Website
- Thomas Adès on EMI Classics
- Service, Tom, "Writing music? It's like flying a plane", The Guardian, 26 February, 2007. Rare interview, focussing on Tevot
- Culshaw, Peter, "Don't call me a messiah", The Daily Telegraph, 1 March 2007. Another rare interview, previewing UK premiere of Tevot, the "Traced Overhead" festival at the Barbican, and The Tempest revival at Covent Garden
- Fox, Christopher, "Tempestuous Times: the Recent Music of Thomas Adès", Musical Times, Autumn 2004 (short article)
- Ross, Alex, "Roll Over Beethoven: Thomas Adès", The New Yorker, November 2nd, 1998
- Tommasini, Anthony, "Noises, Sounds, Sweet Airs From Young British Hope", New York Times, 23 February 2004. Review of the Royal Opera House, London premiere of The Tempest
- Downey, Charles T., "Ionarts in Santa Fe: The Tempest," Ionarts, 31 July 2006. Review of the Santa Fe Opera's U.S. premiere of The Tempest
- Faber Music's 'complete' list of works by Thomas Adès
- Thomas Adès at IMG ArtistsIMG ArtistsIMG Artists LLC is a top universal performing arts management corporation that was acquired by International Management Group in 1984. Chairman and CEO of IMG, Mark McCormack, bought out Hamlen/Landau, a small, New York based artist-management music agency, founded by Charles Hamlen and Edna...