# RIP Harrison Birtwistle



## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Sadly, one of my absolute favourite living composers has passed, aged 87. I have really only enjoyed his music for some five years but in that time I have come to know so many wonderful works from his pen. My listening tomorrow will be filled with his music - something I am already looking forward to. I know he has many followers here (and many detractors, too). Perhaps he is better known in England/Britain than elsewhere but I think few would deny he has been a major composer of our time.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

I just heard this news myself.

Yeah, he is way far up my list of favorite composers.


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## maladie (Oct 14, 2015)

He was a fantastic composer that wrote lots of fascinating music. He had lived a long life, but it is still sad to see one more of that fantastic generation of composers pass.


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## Monica (10 mo ago)

R.I.P. So many works in my large collection. Thank you for providing us all this wonderful beauty for all these years.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

I had a very nice Birtwistle listening session last night, as my own small tribute. 

Earth Dances
Violin Concerto
Five Distances for Five Instruments


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Never an easy composer to listen to, but always interesting, and very powerful. A great loss, and a sad one, I don't think we'll see his likes again.

That Earth Dances Simon mentions above is possibly my favourite Birtwistle piece, I like all the geological connections etc etc for the "Earth" bit. A great piece!


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Yes, Earth Dances is a great piece. I also great like Antiphonies (a sort of piano concerto). I listened to the following discs yesterday (all wonderful!).




























And today I will play Pulse Shadows.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Enthusiast said:


> Yes, Earth Dances is a great piece. I also great like Antiphonies (a sort of piano concerto). I listened to the following discs yesterday (all wonderful!).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I really like the songs on that recording on Chamber music. I think he rivals Rihm for being the best recent classical songwriter, I just wish he’d written more of them.

There’s this too - the Niedecker settings is a favourite of mine 









Birtwistle: Songs 1970-2006: Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl


Buy Birtwistle: Songs 1970-2006 by Alice Ross, Da Neue Ensemble, Kuss Quartet, Soloists of the Hochschule fur Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover, Harrison Birtwistle, Stefan Asbury from Amazon's Classical Music Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.



www.amazon.co.uk


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Mandryka said:


> I really like the songs on that recording on Chamber music. I think he rivals Rihm for being the best recent classical songwriter, I just wish he’d written more of them.
> 
> There’s this too - the Niedecker settings is a favourite of mine
> 
> ...


Yes, excellent songs. That disc has been on my wish list for a while now.


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