DIRECTORY 339
widely seen as his most successful work.
A Modernist in style, Reimann is also
influenced by Indian music.JOHN TAVENER
1944–2013With influences including Stravinsky
and Messiaen, John Tavener found fame
in 1970 when his cantata, The Whale—
based on the biblical tale of Jonah—was
released by the Apple record label. The
London-born Tavener’s conversion to
Russian Orthodox Christianity in 1977
was the fruit of a long-standing spiritual
quest that gave rise to richly mystical
pieces, including Ikon of Light (1984),
The Protecting Veil (1989), and Song for
Athene (1993). In 2003, he wrote The
Veil of the Temple: a huge choral work
intended to last all night in an Orthodox
vigil service and regarded by Tavener as
his “supreme achievement.”JOHN ADAMS
1947–Younger than his fellow minimalists,
Steve Reich and Philip Glass, the New
England–born Adams made his name
with pieces such as Shaker Loops (1978)
and Grand Pianola Music (1982). His
music is often humorous, referencing
popular culture. Adams is arguably more
concerned than most minimalists with
harmony and progression. This can be
seen in his Harmonielehre (1985), a
three-movement orchestral work, and his
first opera, Nixon in China (1987), inspired
by President Richard Nixon’s 1972 visit.
In addition to two more operas, his later
works have included concertos for violin
(1993), clarinet (1996), and piano (1997)
and Scheherazade.2 (2014), a “dramatic
symphony” for violin and orchestra.JUDITH WEIR
1954–Born in England to Scottish parents,
Weir is known above all for her operas—
from her high-spirited debut work, A
Night at the Chinese Opera (1987), to
Miss Fortune (2011), a Sicilian folktaleupdated to the urban world of the 21st
century. Inspired by composers such as
Janá cˇ ek and Stravinsky, Weir draws on
the folk traditions not only of her native
Scotland and Europe but also of South
Asia. Weir’s work pays particular
attention to narrative; King Harald’s
Saga (1979), for solo soprano, is a
medieval historical drama compressed
into less than 15 minutes. Meanwhile,
her instrumental works include her
15-minute Piano Concerto (1997),
another gem of distillation, and
The Welcome Arrival of Rain (2001). In
2014, Weir was appointed Master of the
Queen’s Music in succession to Sir Peter
Maxwell Davies.MAGNUS LINDBERG
1958–The orchestra is the Finnish composer
Magnus Lindberg’s first love, and he has
established himself as one of the world’s
most popular composers of ambitious
orchestral pieces. His beginnings were
avant-garde, as seen in works such as
Action–Situation–Signification (1982)
and Kraft (Power; 1985). Later his music
became more eclectic, drawing on
classical tradition (including the works
of his Finnish predecessor, Sibelius)
and with richer melodies and color. His
major pieces from the 1990s were Aura
(1994) and Arena (1995), and his works
since 2000 have included concertos for
clarinet (2002) and violin (2006), as well
as his first vocal work for a soloist,
Accused; three interrogations for
soprano and orchestra (2014).JAMES MACMILLAN
1959–Catholic spirituality, progressive politics,
and Scottish folk tradition have been
inspirations for the Scottish Modernist
James MacMillan. His first big success
was with an orchestral work, The
Confession of Isobel Gowdie, which
was first performed at the BBC Proms
in 1990. Two years later, he wrote Ven i,
Veni, Emmanuel—a concerto for
percussion and orchestra—for the great
Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie.His vocal works, which constitute a
large proportion of his output, have
included Cantos Sagrados (1990), a
setting of poems by the Latin American
writers Ariel Dorfman and Ana Maria
Mendosa; the cantata Quickening (1998);
two operas; and settings of liturgical
texts and the Catholic Mass.MARK-ANTHONY TURNAGE
1960–British composer Mark-Anthony
Turnage’s first opera, Greek, is based on
a version of Sophocles’s tragedy Oedipus
Rex, set in London’s East End. The opera
was an instant success when premiered
at the Munich Biennale in 1988. Drawing
on jazz and rock as well as the classical
tradition, Turnage’s music is streetwise,
expressionistic, and often humorous. His
stage works have included two further
operas—The Silver Tassie (2000) and
Anna Nicole (2011)—and the ballets
UNDANCE (2 011), Trespass (2012), and
Strapless (2016). Among his instrumental
works are Three Screaming Popes
(1989), inspired by paintings by the
artist Francis Bacon; the trumpet
concerto From the Wreckage (2005),
written for Swedish trumpeter Håkan
Hardenberger; and a violin concerto,
Mambo, Blues, and Tarantella (2008).GEORGE BENJAMIN
1960–One of the elderly Messiaen’s last and
best loved students, Benjamin is unusual
among British composers for his affinity
with French avant-garde music. His
output has been remarkable for its
combination of precision with color and
sensuousness. His breakthrough came at
the age of 20, when his orchestral piece,
Ringed by the Flat Horizon, premiered at
the BBC Proms in 1980. His works since
then have included At First Light (1982)
for chamber orchestra; Upon Silence
(1990) for soprano and string ensemble,
and Palimpsests (2002) for full orchestra.
He has also written three operas with
the playwright Martin Crimp: Into the
Little Hill (2006), Written on Skin (2012),
and Lessons in Love and Violence (2018).US_332-339_Directory.indd 339 26/03/18 1:02 PM