British composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies 

14.03.2016

Image captionSir Peter Maxwell Davies was one of the UK's foremost composers

Celebrated British composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, a former Master of the Queen's Music, has died at the age of 81.

He was known for his modern and avant-garde works, but his most famous piece was a simple, haunting lament for solo piano - Farewell To Stromness.

The Salford-born musician, who had leukaemia, died at home in Orkney. 

 

 

Famous for pushing boundaries, Sir Peter's earlier works have been described as unplayable, generating controversy amongst audiences and critics alike.

He often referenced plainchant and medieval music, which he incorporated into challenging, serial compositions. 

Known to most as Max, he composed some 300 works, including 10 symphonies, 10 so-called Strathclyde Concertos and the operas Taverner and The Lighthouse.

He moved to the Orkney Islands in the early 70s, leading to a calmer style of music, which often incorporated Scottish motifs. 

In 1987 he was knighted, and in 2004 he became Master of the Queen's Music - a post considered to be the musical equivalent of the poet laureate. 

The holder is expected to write music to commemorate important royal events, and the appointment of a self-confessed republican raised many eyebrows.

But Sir Peter told The Daily Telegraph in 2010 that he had become a monarchist after meeting and working with the Queen.

 

As a conductor, Davies held positions at the BBC Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic orchestras and appeared with many major orchestras in Europe and North America. 

He was also a proud advocate of classical music and music education.

"The roots of a thriving classical music scene need three nutrients," he said in the 2005 Royal Philharmonic Society Lecture. "The first is music education, and the second, resources... The third nutrient is new music. Classical music cannot become a museum culture."

"Max was a truly unique musician," said Sally Groves, a close friend and former creative director of music publisher Schott Music.

She added that he was "a remarkable composer who created music theatre works of searing power, great symphonies, intense chamber music, works of truly universal popularity" and "a fierce fighter for music in the community and in education, and on environmental issues".

Image copyrightGetty Images

Image captionThe composer often turned his sights on organised religion, particularly in his early works

Sir Peter was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukaemia in 2013, but continued to work through successive rounds of chemotherapy.

His tenth symphony, premiered in 2014, his 80th birthday year, was seen as a reply to the illness. 

"It felt as if Maxwell Davies was simultaneously bowing his head to mortality, and shaking his fist at it," said Ivan Hewett, reviewing the work for The Telegraph.

But this stage, the former "enfant terrible" had been embraced by the establishment - but he retained his edge, drawing inspiration from the MPs' expenses scandal, and railing against the "artistic terrorists" who let their mobiles ring during concerts.

The composer's most recent work was an opera for children called The Hogboon, which will be premiered by the London Symphony Orchestra on 26 June.

"His vision for music education and the wealth of wonderful pieces he has left for young people is unparalleled in recent times," said the LSO's managing director, Kathryn McDowell. "He will be sorely missed."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpJB-XXE9Xg

http://www.classicfm.com/music-news/latest-news/rattle-maxwell-davies-new-year-honours/

http://www.classicfm.com/composers/maxwell-davies/news/peter-maxwell-davies-classical-music-schools/#mBTZAmLXyizmUPzx.97

http://www.schott-music.com/about/worldwide/london/contact/index.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29ao0hBfx7U