# "Which living British composers will have their music played a century from now?"



## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

*"Which living British composers will have their music played a century from now?"*

A new article by Richard Morrison published on _BBC Music Magazine_'s website (https://www.classical-music.com/fea...lgar-and-britten-as-british-composing-greats/) brings us "a fun list of 20 British composers I believe posterity should value and enjoy".

He's split them into 4 groups:

_Sure winners:_
Harrison Birtwistle
James MacMillan

_Likely contenders:_
Thomas Adès
George Benjamin
Mark-Anthony Turnage
Judith Weir
Julian Anderson
Sally Beamish
Colin Matthews
Judith Bingham

_Personal favourites:_
Richard Ayres
Jonathan Dove
David Sawer
Tansy Davies

_Rising stars:_
Hannah Kendall
Stuart MacRae
Mark Simpson
Emily Howard
Anna Meredith
Shiva Feshareki

Any other suggestions?


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

No Max? Meaning Sir Peter Maxwell Davies...


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Nereffid said:


> Any other suggestions?


David Matthews

My message is deemed too short to be uploaded onto the TC forum. I don't have any further suggestions, so I don't know what else to say. Quite a lot of silly rules around here, I suppose they are there to support some of the bone-head decisions to close threads ..........


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Kjetil Heggelund said:


> No Max? Meaning Sir Peter Maxwell Davies...


Kjetil - the premise is that the composer has to be still alive.


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

elgars ghost said:


> Kjetil - the premise is that the composer has to be still alive.


Doh! I can read...just can't see haha sorry :tiphat:


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Nereffid said:


> Any other suggestions?


Yes, I was thinking of mentioning Anthony Payne ... but I just discovered he passed away only 2 days ago on April 30th. 

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/article/british-composer-anthony-payne-has-died


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Myself expected Alexander Goehr to be one of the _Likely contenders_.

Depositing Robert Saxton here, too.


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Prodromides said:


> Myself expected Alexander Goehr to be one of the _Likely contenders_.
> 
> Depositing Robert Saxton here, too.


Good call on both


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Gavin Bryars is for me the biggest surprise not to be included.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Birtwistle the obvious bet. I doubt about MacMillan, Ades is more likely I think.

Finnissy and Ferneyhough were strangely boycotted on the list, they are some other very prominent ones. If there's a listening public, they'll probably appreciate quite advanced music from our days.

As for the rest, I don't know enough details to tell. David Matthews is a rather conservative composer.


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

I admit, I don't know every composer on Richard Morrison's list, but it looks like a pretty dumb list not to include Gavin Bryars and Robin Holloway. So, I find it suspicious, & possibly politically motivated (at least in part).

--Bryars, Cadman Requiem (sung by the Hilliard Ensemble): 



--Bryars, Super flumina (sung by the Orlando Consort): 



--Bryars' vocal music on a CD by Trio Mediaeval that I like very much: https://www.amazon.com/Trio-Mediaev...al+gavin+bryars&qid=1619979748&s=music&sr=1-1

--Holloway: Concerto No. 2 for Orchestra, Op. 40: 



--Holloway: Concerto No. 4 for Orchestra, Op. 101: 



--Holloway: Violin Concerto & Horn Concerto: 



.
--I also very much like Holloway's 1993 composition based on Wallace Stevens' poem, "Sea-Surface Full of Clouds", which Richard Hickox recorded for Chandos: https://www.chandos.net/products/catalogue/CHAN 9228

The music of Ivan Moody should also be on any such list of contemporary, living British composers, as should David Matthews, who Henry mentions (& how can Morrison include Colin but not his brother David?). & what about John Casken?, or Roxanna Panufnik? or Tarik O'Regan?

--Ivan Moody, Simeron: 



--David Matthews, Symphony No 9:



--John Casken, The Dream of Rood: 



--Roxanna Panufnik: Westminser Mass, III. Deus, Deus meus: 



--Tarik O'Regan: Thresfold of Night: 




Personally, I'm presently more interested in the music of several recently passed British composers, such as Oliver Knussen, John Tavener, and John McCabe (& yes, Peter Maxwell Davies, too), & would consider them more alive in my mind today than the majority of the composers on Morrison's list.

Speaking of which, as a conductor, Oliver Knussen chose the music that he conducted very carefully & thoughtfully. & being that I'd consider Knussen to be more musically astute than Morrison in these matters (& otherwise), I wonder, who did Olly conduct among contemporary British composers--apart from his own music--that Morrison has neglected to include on his BBC list?

One glaring omission is the music of Alexander Goehr (as well as the previously mentioned Holloway). In fact, Knussen recorded no less than four CDs of Goehr's music, so he must have thought highly of Goehr as a composer:

--Goehr, Colossos or Panic, The Deluge, and Little Symphony: 



--Goehr, Marching to Carcassonne: 



--Goehr Pastorals: 




To his credit, Morrison did name Mark-Anthony Turnage, and Julian Anderson, among other contemporary British composers that Knussen championed from the podium.

--Turnage: 



--Anderson: Book of Hours:
Part 1: 



Part 2: 



--Anderson: Diptych: 



--Anderson, Alahambra Fantasy: "The Stations of the Sun": 




I know that Knussen also thought highly of his pupil, Charlotte Bray, as do I, but her career is a relatively new one, and it's probably too early to say whether she'll be listened to in a hundred years: 




I've also found Simon Holt's "A Book of Colours" to be interesting, as well: https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/13128/a-book-of-colours--Simon-Holt/

Finally, I'd be surprised if Michael Nyman's music isn't listened to in a hundred years via some of the movies that he's composed film scores for, such as Peter Greenaway's films.

EDIT: I see that while I was compiling my above list, & taking the time to provide many listening clips, others chimed in on Goehr and Bryars before me. Oh well. I can't always be original.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

Huw Watkins should be on the list imv. (A very fine pianist he is too). So should his wife...Helen Grime. Henry's mentioned Matthews, I second that call.


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

The two composers that feature significantly in my own music collection whom he didn't mention are Gavin Bryars and Michael Nyman. Additionally there's Max Richter, who's possibly "not classical enough" for some.


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## allaroundmusicenthusiast (Jun 3, 2020)

Ferneyhough of course!


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Tastes and opinions are so fickle that I wouldn't bet good money on any of the 'obvious'. Except maybe Judith Weir?


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Thea Musgrave (long-time resident in the USA, does she still count as British?)

John Rutter (now I'm in trouble)


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

For sure, it will be *George Fenton* (born 1949).


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## cybernaut (Feb 6, 2021)

Paul McCartney is the only sure thing IMO.

Andrew Lloyd Webber has a very good shot.

Maybe Karl Jenkins.

I personally like Turnage and Bryars, so I really hope they are listened to.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

Birtwhistle is the only one listed whom I enjoy enough to return to.


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Josquin13 said:


> Finally, I'd be surprised if Michael Nyman's music isn't listened to in a hundred years via some of the movies that he's composed film scores for, such as Peter Greenaway's films.


If film music is permitted consideration here, then let's not overlook Nyman's elders in this area who are still with us:

-) Laurie Johnson (b. 1927)
-) Marc Wilkinson (b. 1929)
-) John Scott (b. 1930)
-) Carlo Martelli (b. 1935)
-) Howard Blake (b. 1938)
-) Michael J. Lewis (b. 1939)
+
Nyman's 1944 contemporaries ... John Cameron + Christopher Gunning

I can imagine a few future denizens of the 22nd century misattributing works by Richard Hartley ('44) with those of Richard Harvey ('53) & vice versa.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

Richard Barrett
James MacMillan


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Roger Knox said:


> Thea Musgrave (long-resident in the USA, does she still count as British?)


Ditto for Bernard Rands


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## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

I do not see any mentions of Rebecca Saunders. Am I missing something? Not necessarily a favourite but Peter Dickinson is also a fine, mention-worthy composer I believe.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

*Alma Deustcher* (born 2005), who is already well on her way.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

I am not a musicologist so I do not know.

One composer who may have a chance that has not been mentioned: Philip Sparke. Very popular with concert bands.


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## cybernaut (Feb 6, 2021)

ArtMusic said:


> *Alma Deustcher* (born 2005), who is already well on her way.


Good call. As you said, well on her way.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

Prodromides said:


> If film music is permitted consideration here, then let's not overlook Nyman's elders in this area who are still with us:
> 
> -) Laurie Johnson (b. 1927)
> -) Marc Wilkinson (b. 1929)
> ...


Yes, Chris Gunning but not for the Martini jingle..... His Symphonies are well worth a listen.


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## Chilham (Jun 18, 2020)

I know Howard Goodall pays the rent through composing TV music, but some of his choral work is good, and I've enjoyed some of his work for strings like, "The Bridge is Love".


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Nereffid said:


> A new article by Richard Morrison published on _BBC Music Magazine_'s website (https://www.classical-music.com/fea...lgar-and-britten-as-british-composing-greats/) brings us "a fun list of 20 British composers I believe posterity should value and enjoy".
> 
> He's split them into 4 groups:
> 
> ...


Trevor Wishart
Howard Skempton
Chris Newmann
Richard Barrett
Christopher Fox
James Clarke
Simon Emmerson
Dennis Smalley
James Saunders
Keith Rowe
Tim Parkinson
James Clapperton
Roger Redgate
Laurence Crane
Michael Finnissy
Richard Emsley
Brian Ferneyhough
James Dillon
James Weeks


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

James MacMillan and that’s yer lot. The rest will be consigned to the dustbin of musical history. Of course it’s unlikely that any of us will be here in a hundred years to see if I’m right!:lol:


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## BeatriceB (May 3, 2021)

cybernaut said:


> Good call. As you said, well on her way.


OMG she is so talented. God bless her!


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