Judith Weir: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|British composer (born 1954)}} |
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{{Infobox |
{{Infobox classical composer |
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| name = Judith Weir |
| name = Dame Judith Weir |
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| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR| |
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|DBE|HonFRSE|size=100%}} |
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| occupation = {{hlist|Composer}} |
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| birth_name = Judith Weir |
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| list_of_works = [[#List of compositions|List of compositions]] |
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| order = 21st |
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| education = [[North London Collegiate School]] |
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| alma_mater = [[King's College, Cambridge]] |
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| awards = [[The Queen's Medal for Music]] (2007) |
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'''Judith Weir''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR| |
'''Dame Judith Weir''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|DBE|HonFRSE}} (born 11 May 1954<ref>{{cite book|author=Alan Blackwood|title=Music of the world|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=etMXAQAAIAAJ|year=1991|publisher=Prentice-Hall|isbn=978-0135882375|page=218|oclc=25465899}}</ref>) is a British composer serving as [[Master of the King's Music]]. Appointed in 2014 by [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]], Weir is the first woman to hold this office.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/music/queens-new-composer-judith-weir-hails-boss.1406046066|title=Queen's new composer Judith Weir hails 'boss'|newspaper=heraldscotland|date=22 July 2014|access-date=22 July 2014}}</ref> |
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==Life and career== |
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Weir was born in [[Cambridge]], England, to Scottish parents. She studied with [[John Tavener]] while at the [[North London Collegiate School]]<ref>{{ |
Weir was born in [[Cambridge]], England, to Scottish parents. She studied with [[John Tavener]] while at the [[North London Collegiate School]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Morrison |first=Richard |title=The wonderful Judith Weir – With a Barbican weekend devoted to her music, the composer Judith Weir is being feted as never before |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article3205137.ece |work=The Times & Sunday Times Archives |publisher=Times Newspapers |location=London |date=18 January 2008 |access-date=31 January 2011}}</ref> and subsequently with [[Robin Holloway]] at [[King's College, Cambridge]], graduating in 1976. Her music often draws on sources from medieval history, as well as the traditional stories and music of her parents' homeland, Scotland. Although she has achieved international recognition for her orchestral and chamber works, Weir is best known for her operas and theatrical works. From 1995 to 2000, she was Artistic Director of the [[Spitalfields Festival]] in London. She held the post of Composer in Association for the [[City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra]] from 1995 to 1998. |
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Weir was appointed |
Weir was appointed [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the [[1995 Birthday Honours]] for services to music.<ref name=GB>{{London Gazette |issue=54066 |date=16 June 1995 |pages=9 |supp=1}}</ref> She received the [[Lincoln Center]]'s [[Stoeger Prize]] in 1997, the [[South Bank Show]] music award in 2001 and the [[Incorporated Society of Musicians]]' Distinguished Musician Award in 2010. In 2007, she was the third recipient of the [[Queen's Medal for Music]]. She was a visiting distinguished research professor in composition at [[Cardiff University]] from 2006 to 2009. |
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On 30 June 2014, ''[[The Guardian]]'' stated that her appointment as [[Master of the Queen's Music]],<ref name="Brodeur 2022">{{cite news | |
On 30 June 2014, ''[[The Guardian]]'' stated that her appointment as [[Master of the Queen's Music]],<ref name="Brodeur 2022">{{cite news |last=Brodeur |first=Michael Andor |title=Queen had 'immensely detailed knowledge' of music, says royal composer |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/09/how-will-king-charles-rule/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=9 September 2022 |access-date=20 September 2022}}</ref> succeeding [[Sir Peter Maxwell Davies]] (whose term of office expired in March 2014), would be announced;<ref name="Booth 2014">{{cite news |last=Booth |first=Robert |title=Judith Weir to be appointed first female master of Queen's music |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jun/29/judith-weir-female-master-queens-music |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=29 June 2014 |access-date=20 September 2022}}</ref> this was officially confirmed on 21 July.<ref>{{cite web |title=Judith Weir appointed Master of the Queen's Music |url=http://www.musicsalesclassical.com/news/2995 |website=www.musicsalesclassical. |access-date=22 October 2018}}</ref> She was appointed for a decade.<ref name="Tilden 2014">{{cite web |last=Tilden |first=Imogen |title=Judith Weir: the female music master with royal seal of approval |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jul/03/judith-weir-master-of-the-queens-music-candidate |website=The Guardian |date=3 July 2014 |access-date=20 September 2022}}</ref> In May 2015, Weir won The Ivors Classical Music Award at the [[Ivor Novello Awards]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Ivors 2015 Winners, Ivor Novello Awards, Judith Weir |url=http://theivors.com/the-ivors-2015-winners/ |url-status=dead |agency=BASCA |magazine=The Ivors |date=22 May 2015 |access-date=28 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303061210/http://theivors.com/the-ivors-2015-winners/ |archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref> |
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Weir is a member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians.<ref name="ISM 2015">{{cite web | |
Weir is a member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians.<ref name="ISM 2015">{{cite web |title=Incorporated Society of Musicians |website=ISM |date=4 August 2015 |url=https://www.ism.org/ |access-date=19 September 2022}}</ref> In 2018 she was elected an [[Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rse.org.uk/fellow/judith-weir/|title=Ms Judith Weir HonFRSE |work=The Royal Society of Edinburgh|access-date=14 March 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref> and was made an Honorary Fellow of [[Royal Holloway, University of London]], in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |date=8 June 2023 |title=Royal Holloway presents Honorary Fellowships |url=https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/about-us/news/royal-holloway-presents-honorary-fellowships/ |access-date=30 December 2023 |website=Royal Holloway, University of London}}</ref> |
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She was promoted [[Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (DBE) in the [[2024 New Year Honours]] for services to music.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=64269|supp=y|page=N9|date=30 December 2023}}</ref> |
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==Music== |
==Music== |
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Weir's musical language is fairly conservative, with a "knack of making simple musical ideas appear freshly mysterious".<ref name="CLEM"/> Her first stage work, ''The Black Spider'', |
Weir's musical language is fairly conservative, with a "knack of making simple musical ideas appear freshly mysterious".<ref name="CLEM">{{cite news |last=Clements |first=Andrew |title=Miss Fortune – review |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/mar/13/miss-fortune-review |location=London |work=The Guardian |date=13 March 2012}}</ref> Her first stage work, ''The Black Spider'', is a one-act opera that was premiered in Canterbury in 1985, loosely based on the [[The Black Spider|short novel of the same name]] by [[Jeremias Gotthelf]]. She has subsequently written one more "micro-opera", three full-length operas, and an opera for television. In 1987, her first half-length opera, ''[[A Night at the Chinese Opera]]'', was premiered at [[Kent Opera]]. This was followed by a further three full-length operas: ''[[The Vanishing Bridegroom]]'' (1990); ''[[Blond Eckbert]]'' (1994, commissioned by [[English National Opera]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://opera.stanford.edu/composers/W.html|title=Opera Composers: W|website=opera.stanford.edu|access-date=22 October 2018}}</ref>); and ''Miss Fortune (Achterbahn)'' (2011). Her opera ''Armida'', an opera for television, was premiered on [[Channel Four]] in the United Kingdom in 2005. The work was made in co-operation with [[Margaret Williams (film director)|Margaret Williams]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chesternovello.com/default.aspx?TabId=2432&State_3041=2&workId_3041=34840|title=Judith Weir – Armida (2005) – Music Sales Classical|website=www.chesternovello.com|access-date=22 October 2018}}</ref> Weir's commissioned works most notably include ''We are Shadows'' (1999) for [[Simon Rattle]] and ''woman.life.song'' (2000) for [[Jessye Norman]]. In January 2008, Weir was the focus of the BBC's annual composer weekend at the [[Barbican Centre]] in London. The four days of programmes ended with a first performance of her new commission, ''CONCRETE'', a choral motet. The subject of this piece was inspired by the Barbican building itself – she describes it as 'an imaginary excavation of the Barbican Centre, burrowing through 2,500 years of historical rubble'.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/musical-work-rises-from-the-concrete-barbican-6636654.html|title=Musical Work rises from the concrete Barbican|newspaper=London Evening Standard|date=28 December 2007|access-date=18 October 2017}}</ref> |
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The first public performance of Weir's arrangement of "[[God Save the Queen]]" was performed at the reburial of [[King Richard III]] at [[Leicester Cathedral]] on 26 March 2015. She was commissioned to compose an [[a cappella]] work for the [[Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II|state funeral of Elizabeth II]] on 19 September 2022, and wrote a setting of [[Psalm 42]], "[[Like as the hart (Weir)|Like as the hart]]".<ref name="Royal">{{cite web |url=https://www.royal.uk/state-funeral-and-committal-service-her-majesty-queen |title=The State Funeral and Committal Service for Her Majesty The Queen |work=The Royal Family |date=15 September 2022 |access-date=19 September 2022}}</ref> |
The first public performance of Weir's arrangement of "[[God Save the Queen]]" was performed at the reburial of [[King Richard III]] at [[Leicester Cathedral]] on 26 March 2015. She was commissioned to compose an [[a cappella]] work for the [[Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II|state funeral of Elizabeth II]] on 19 September 2022, and wrote a setting of [[Psalm 42]], "[[Like as the hart (Weir)|Like as the hart]]".<ref name="Royal">{{cite web |url=https://www.royal.uk/state-funeral-and-committal-service-her-majesty-queen |title=The State Funeral and Committal Service for Her Majesty The Queen |work=The Royal Family |date=15 September 2022 |access-date=19 September 2022}}</ref> |
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In 2023, Weir was one of twelve composers asked to write a new piece for the [[coronation of Charles III and Camilla]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Andrew Lloyd Webber piece among new coronation music |work=BBC News |date=18 February 2023 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64682655 |access-date=20 February 2023}}</ref> Her composition for orchestra, ''Brighter Visions Shine Afar'', was performed before the ceremony began.<ref>[https://www.royal.uk/coronation-music-commissions Royal Family, "New music commissions for the coronation service at Westminster Abbey"], 17 April 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.</ref> |
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==List of compositions== |
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===Opera and music theatre=== |
===Opera and music theatre=== |
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* ''[[King Harald's Saga]]'' (1979, [[soprano]], singing eight roles) |
* ''[[King Harald's Saga]]'' (1979, [[soprano]], singing eight roles) |
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* ''HEAVEN ABLAZE in His Breast'' (5 October 1989, Basildon), based on [[E.T.A. Hoffmann]]'s [[The Sandman (short story)|The Sandman]], which won the prize for innovative work at OperaScreen in 1991.<ref>Weir, Judith. Memoirs of an Accidental Film Artist. In: ''A Night in at the Opera – Media representations of Opera''. Edited by Jeremy Tambling. John Libbey & Company Ltd, London, 1994, p57.</ref> |
* ''HEAVEN ABLAZE in His Breast'' (5 October 1989, Basildon), based on [[E.T.A. Hoffmann]]'s [[The Sandman (short story)|The Sandman]], which won the prize for innovative work at OperaScreen in 1991.<ref>Weir, Judith. Memoirs of an Accidental Film Artist. In: ''A Night in at the Opera – Media representations of Opera''. Edited by Jeremy Tambling. John Libbey & Company Ltd, London, 1994, p57.</ref> |
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* ''[[The Vanishing Bridegroom]]'' (1990, Glasgow); also exists in a [[Chamber music|chamber]] version (1990) |
* ''[[The Vanishing Bridegroom]]'' (1990, Glasgow); also exists in a [[Chamber music|chamber]] version (1990) |
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* ''Scipio's Dream'' (24 November 1991<ref>https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?q=judith+weir+scipio%27s+dream#top</ref> |
* ''Scipio's Dream'' (24 November 1991,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?q=judith+weir+scipio%27s+dream#top | title=Search – BBC Programme Index }}</ref> television broadcast for the [[BBC]]), based on ''Il sogno di Scipione'' by [[Metastasio]] |
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* ''The Skriker'' (27 January 1994, London) – music for [[Caryl Churchill]]'s [[The Skriker|play]] of the same name |
* ''The Skriker'' (27 January 1994, London) – music for [[Caryl Churchill]]'s [[The Skriker|play]] of the same name |
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* ''[[Blond Eckbert]]'' (20 April 1994, London); also exists in a so-called "pocket version" (reduced to one act from two) (2006) |
* ''[[Blond Eckbert]]'' (20 April 1994, London); also exists in a so-called "pocket version" (reduced to one act from two) (2006) |
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* ''[[Armida (Weir)|Armida]]'' (2005, television broadcast for Channel Four in the United Kingdom) |
* ''[[Armida (Weir)|Armida]]'' (2005, television broadcast for Channel Four in the United Kingdom) |
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* ''Miss Fortune (Achterbahn)'' (21 July 2011, [[Bregenzer Festspiele]]) |
* ''[[Miss Fortune (opera)]] (Achterbahn "rollercoaster")'' (21 July 2011, [[Bregenzer Festspiele]]) |
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====''Miss Fortune (Achterbahn)''==== |
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On 21 July 2011, her first opera for 17 years, ''Miss Fortune (Achterbahn)'', premiered at the Bregenz Festival in Austria. It was a co-production with [[the Royal Opera]], [[Covent Garden]], London, and was written in English. |
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The opera reworks a Sicilian folktale as a contemporary parable.<ref name="CLEM">{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/mar/13/miss-fortune-review | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Andrew | last=Clements | title=Miss Fortune – review | date=13 March 2012}}</ref> Gerhard R. Koch, writing in the ''[[Frankfurter Allgemeine]]'' newspaper on 25 July, had these observations: |
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:The music of Judith Weir, who also wrote the [[libretto]] for her opera, is neither avant-garde nor experimental but has a highly distilled folkloric style with [[cantabile]] voices similar to that of [[Benjamin Britten|Britten]] without becoming retrospective. Tonality and atonality are not applied in a strictly antithetical manner, therefore the ideas of the American [[Minimal music|minimalists]] [[Steve Reich|Reich]] and [[Terry Riley|Riley]] are very present. This music has colour and a rhythmic pulse; it creates characteristic sounds without losing itself in descriptive patterns. |
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''Miss Fortune'' moved to London in March 2012, garnering at least two negative reviews. [[Edward Seckerson]] in ''[[The Independent]]'' (London) wrote of "''Miss Fortune'' in name and deed" and described the opera as "silly and naive" and "a waste of talent and resources", with a libretto that "vacillates between the banal and the unintentionally comedic (or is that irony?), full of truisms and clunky metaphors" and "about as streetwise as a visitor from Venus".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/reviews/judith-weir-miss-fortune-royal-opera-house-7564759.html | location=London | work=The Independent | first=Edward | last=Seckerson | date=13 March 2012 | title=Miss Fortune, Royal Opera House}}</ref> Andrew Clements wrote in ''The Guardian'' of "a long two hours in the opera house" with scenes that "follow like cartoonish tableaux, without real characterisation, or confrontation, and without suggesting a dramatic shape", and also criticised the "twee rhyming couplets and inert blank verse" of Weir's libretto.<ref name="CLEM"/> |
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The American premiere of ''Miss Fortune'' was originally planned in 2011 by the [[Santa Fe Opera]] to be a part of its 2014 season, but it was announced in the summer of 2012 that the opera was to be replaced by the North American premiere of [[Huang Ruo]]'s ''[[Dr. Sun Yat-sen (opera)|Dr. Sun Yat-sen]]''.<ref>Press release from The Santa Fe Opera, 22 August 2012.</ref> |
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===Other compositions=== |
===Other compositions=== |
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* Piano Quartet (2000) |
* Piano Quartet (2000) |
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* ''woman.life.song'' (2000, premiered by [[Jessye Norman]] at [[Carnegie Hall]], soprano, chamber ensemble) |
* ''woman.life.song'' (2000, premiered by [[Jessye Norman]] at [[Carnegie Hall]], soprano, chamber ensemble) |
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* ''The welcome arrival of rain'' ( |
* ''[[The welcome arrival of rain]]'' (2001–2002, orchestra) |
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* ''Tiger Under the Table'' (2002, chamber ensemble) |
* ''Tiger Under the Table'' (2002, chamber ensemble) |
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* ''Piano Trio Two'' (2003–2004) |
* ''Piano Trio Two'' (2003–2004) |
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* ''I give you the end of a golden string'' (2013, strings) |
* ''I give you the end of a golden string'' (2013, strings) |
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* ''In the Land of Uz'' (2017, SATB choir, [[soprano saxophone]], trumpet, tuba, organ, viola, double bass) |
* ''In the Land of Uz'' (2017, SATB choir, [[soprano saxophone]], trumpet, tuba, organ, viola, double bass) |
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* Oboe Concerto (2018, oboe, orchestra) |
* [[Oboe Concerto (Weir)|Oboe Concerto]] (2018, oboe, orchestra) |
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* The Prelude (2018–2019, flute, violin, viola, cello) |
* The Prelude (2018–2019, flute, violin, viola, cello) |
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* ''The True Light'' (2018, SATB choir, organ) for the [[First World War centenary]] |
* ''The True Light'' (2018, SATB choir, organ) for the [[First World War centenary]] |
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* ''By Wisdom'' (2018, SATB choir, organ) for the [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II]]<ref>{{cite |
* ''By Wisdom'' (2018, SATB choir, organ) for the [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/09/15/queen-music-royal-composer-weir/ |title=Queen had 'immensely detailed knowledge' of music, says royal composer |last=Brodeur |first=Michael Andor |date=15 September 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=17 December 2022}}</ref> |
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* ''Music, Spread Thy Voice'' (2022, orchestra) for the 150th Anniversary of the [[Royal Orchestral Society]] |
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* ''[[Like as the hart (Weir)|Like as the hart]]'' (2022, SATB choir, organ) for the [[Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II|state funeral of Elizabeth II]].<ref>{{cite news |
* ''[[Like as the hart (Weir)|Like as the hart]]'' (2022, SATB choir, organ) for the [[Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II|state funeral of Elizabeth II]].<ref>{{cite news |
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|url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/sep/19/a-ringing-coda-the-music-at-the-queens-funeral-was-both-solemn-and-sublime |last= Ashley |first= Tim |title = A ringing coda: the music at the Queen's funeral was both solemn and sublime |newspaper= [[The Guardian]] |date= 19 September 2022 |access-date= 19 September 2022}}</ref> |
|url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/sep/19/a-ringing-coda-the-music-at-the-queens-funeral-was-both-solemn-and-sublime |last= Ashley |first= Tim |title = A ringing coda: the music at the Queen's funeral was both solemn and sublime |newspaper= [[The Guardian]] |date= 19 September 2022 |access-date= 19 September 2022}}</ref>* |
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* ''[[Begin Afresh]]'' (2022, orchestra) |
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* ''Brighter Visions Shine Afar'' (2023, orchestra) for the [[coronation of Charles III and Camilla]] |
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==Recordings== |
==Recordings== |
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==References== |
==References== |
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===Citations=== |
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'''Notes''' |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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===Sources=== |
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* Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', 782 pages, {{ISBN|978-0198691648}}, {{OCLC|25409395}} |
* Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', 782 pages, {{ISBN|978-0198691648}}, {{OCLC|25409395}} |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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* [http://bregenzerfestspiele.com/en/company/history Achterbahn Bregenz 2011] |
* [http://bregenzerfestspiele.com/en/company/history Achterbahn Bregenz 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306090429/http://bregenzerfestspiele.com/en/company/history |date=6 March 2016 }} |
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* [https://britishmusiccollection.org.uk/composer/judith-weir Judith Weir on the British Music Collection] |
* [https://britishmusiccollection.org.uk/composer/judith-weir Judith Weir on the British Music Collection] |
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{{Queen's Medal for Music}} |
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[[Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] |
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Revision as of 11:41, 3 January 2024
Dame Judith Weir | |
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Born | Cambridge, England, UK | 11 May 1954
Occupation |
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Works | List of compositions |
21st Master of the King's Music | |
Assumed office 22 July 2014 | |
Monarchs | Elizabeth II Charles III |
Preceded by | Peter Maxwell Davies |
Website | www |
Dame Judith Weir DBE HonFRSE (born 11 May 1954[1]) is a British composer serving as Master of the King's Music. Appointed in 2014 by Queen Elizabeth II, Weir is the first woman to hold this office.[2]
Life and career
Weir was born in Cambridge, England, to Scottish parents. She studied with John Tavener while at the North London Collegiate School[3] and subsequently with Robin Holloway at King's College, Cambridge, graduating in 1976. Her music often draws on sources from medieval history, as well as the traditional stories and music of her parents' homeland, Scotland. Although she has achieved international recognition for her orchestral and chamber works, Weir is best known for her operas and theatrical works. From 1995 to 2000, she was Artistic Director of the Spitalfields Festival in London. She held the post of Composer in Association for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 1998.
Weir was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1995 Birthday Honours for services to music.[4] She received the Lincoln Center's Stoeger Prize in 1997, the South Bank Show music award in 2001 and the Incorporated Society of Musicians' Distinguished Musician Award in 2010. In 2007, she was the third recipient of the Queen's Medal for Music. She was a visiting distinguished research professor in composition at Cardiff University from 2006 to 2009.
On 30 June 2014, The Guardian stated that her appointment as Master of the Queen's Music,[5] succeeding Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (whose term of office expired in March 2014), would be announced;[6] this was officially confirmed on 21 July.[7] She was appointed for a decade.[8] In May 2015, Weir won The Ivors Classical Music Award at the Ivor Novello Awards.[9]
Weir is a member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians.[10] In 2018 she was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh[11] and was made an Honorary Fellow of Royal Holloway, University of London, in 2023.[12]
She was promoted Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to music.[13]
Music
Weir's musical language is fairly conservative, with a "knack of making simple musical ideas appear freshly mysterious".[14] Her first stage work, The Black Spider, is a one-act opera that was premiered in Canterbury in 1985, loosely based on the short novel of the same name by Jeremias Gotthelf. She has subsequently written one more "micro-opera", three full-length operas, and an opera for television. In 1987, her first half-length opera, A Night at the Chinese Opera, was premiered at Kent Opera. This was followed by a further three full-length operas: The Vanishing Bridegroom (1990); Blond Eckbert (1994, commissioned by English National Opera[15]); and Miss Fortune (Achterbahn) (2011). Her opera Armida, an opera for television, was premiered on Channel Four in the United Kingdom in 2005. The work was made in co-operation with Margaret Williams.[16] Weir's commissioned works most notably include We are Shadows (1999) for Simon Rattle and woman.life.song (2000) for Jessye Norman. In January 2008, Weir was the focus of the BBC's annual composer weekend at the Barbican Centre in London. The four days of programmes ended with a first performance of her new commission, CONCRETE, a choral motet. The subject of this piece was inspired by the Barbican building itself – she describes it as 'an imaginary excavation of the Barbican Centre, burrowing through 2,500 years of historical rubble'.[17]
The first public performance of Weir's arrangement of "God Save the Queen" was performed at the reburial of King Richard III at Leicester Cathedral on 26 March 2015. She was commissioned to compose an a cappella work for the state funeral of Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022, and wrote a setting of Psalm 42, "Like as the hart".[18]
In 2023, Weir was one of twelve composers asked to write a new piece for the coronation of Charles III and Camilla.[19] Her composition for orchestra, Brighter Visions Shine Afar, was performed before the ceremony began.[20]
List of compositions
Opera and music theatre
- King Harald's Saga (1979, soprano, singing eight roles)
- The Black Spider (6 March 1985, Canterbury);[21] also exists in an expanded version for Hamburg State Opera (8 February 2009, Hamburg)
- The Consolations of Scholarship (5 May 1985, Durham, soprano, chamber ensemble)
- A Night at the Chinese Opera (8 July 1987, Cheltenham)
- HEAVEN ABLAZE in His Breast (5 October 1989, Basildon), based on E.T.A. Hoffmann's The Sandman, which won the prize for innovative work at OperaScreen in 1991.[22]
- The Vanishing Bridegroom (1990, Glasgow); also exists in a chamber version (1990)
- Scipio's Dream (24 November 1991,[23] television broadcast for the BBC), based on Il sogno di Scipione by Metastasio
- The Skriker (27 January 1994, London) – music for Caryl Churchill's play of the same name
- Blond Eckbert (20 April 1994, London); also exists in a so-called "pocket version" (reduced to one act from two) (2006)
- Armida (2005, television broadcast for Channel Four in the United Kingdom)
- Miss Fortune (opera) (Achterbahn "rollercoaster") (21 July 2011, Bregenzer Festspiele)
Other compositions
- Music for 247 Strings (1981, violin, piano)
- Thread! (1981, narrator, chamber ensemble)
- Scotch Minstrelsy (1982, tenor or soprano, piano)
- The Art of Touching the Keyboard (1983, piano)
- Missa Del Cid (1988, SAAATTTBBB choir), originally part of BBC's Sound on Film series; later used independently in concert and on stage.[24]
- String Quartet (1990)
- Musicians Wrestle Everywhere (1994, flute, oboe, bass clarinet, horn, trombone, piano, cello, double bass)
- Forest (1995, orchestra)
- Piano Concerto (1997, piano, strings)
- Storm (1997, children's choir, SSAA choir, chamber ensemble)
- Natural History (1998, soprano, orchestra)
- Piano Trio (1998)
- We Are Shadows (1999, children's choir, SATB choir, orchestra)
- Piano Quartet (2000)
- woman.life.song (2000, premiered by Jessye Norman at Carnegie Hall, soprano, chamber ensemble)
- The welcome arrival of rain (2001–2002, orchestra)
- Tiger Under the Table (2002, chamber ensemble)
- Piano Trio Two (2003–2004)
- Winter Song (2006, orchestra)
- CONCRETE (2007, speaker, SATB choir, orchestra)
- I give you the end of a golden string (2013, strings)
- In the Land of Uz (2017, SATB choir, soprano saxophone, trumpet, tuba, organ, viola, double bass)
- Oboe Concerto (2018, oboe, orchestra)
- The Prelude (2018–2019, flute, violin, viola, cello)
- The True Light (2018, SATB choir, organ) for the First World War centenary
- By Wisdom (2018, SATB choir, organ) for the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II[25]
- Music, Spread Thy Voice (2022, orchestra) for the 150th Anniversary of the Royal Orchestral Society
- Like as the hart (2022, SATB choir, organ) for the state funeral of Elizabeth II.[26]*
- Begin Afresh (2022, orchestra)
- Brighter Visions Shine Afar (2023, orchestra) for the coronation of Charles III and Camilla
Recordings
- Judith Weir: Discography
- A Night at the Chinese Opera – NMC D060
- King Harald's Saga – Cala CACD88040
- Piano Concerto; Distance and Enchantment; various other chamber works – NMC D090
- Blond Eckbert Nicholas Folwell (baritone), Blond Eckbert; Anne-Marie Owens (mezzo-soprano), Berthe; Christopher Ventris (tenor), Walther / Hugo / An Old Woman; Nerys Jones (soprano), A bird; Chorus and Orchestra of English National Opera; Sian Edwards (conductor) Collins Classics: CD14612 / NMC: NMC D106
- On Buying a Horse: The songs of Judith Weir On Buying a Horse; Ox Mountain Was Covered by Trees; Songs from the Exotic; Scotch Minstrelsy; The Voice of Desire; A Spanish Liederbooklet; King Harald's Saga; Ständchen. Susan Bickley (mezzo-soprano), Andrew Kennedy (tenor), Ailish Tynan (soprano), Ian Burnside (piano) Signum SIGCD087
- The Vanishing Bridegroom. Ailish Tynan (soprano), Anna Stéphany (soprano), Andrew Tortise (tenor), Owen Gilhooly (baritone), Jonathan Lemalu (bass-baritone), BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Orchestra; Martyn Brabbins (conductor) – NMC D196
References
Citations
- ^ Alan Blackwood (1991). Music of the world. Prentice-Hall. p. 218. ISBN 978-0135882375. OCLC 25465899.
- ^ "Queen's new composer Judith Weir hails 'boss'". heraldscotland. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
- ^ Morrison, Richard (18 January 2008). "The wonderful Judith Weir – With a Barbican weekend devoted to her music, the composer Judith Weir is being feted as never before". The Times & Sunday Times Archives. London: Times Newspapers. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
- ^ "No. 54066". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 16 June 1995. p. 9.
- ^ Brodeur, Michael Andor (9 September 2022). "Queen had 'immensely detailed knowledge' of music, says royal composer". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ Booth, Robert (29 June 2014). "Judith Weir to be appointed first female master of Queen's music". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ "Judith Weir appointed Master of the Queen's Music". www.musicsalesclassical. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
- ^ Tilden, Imogen (3 July 2014). "Judith Weir: the female music master with royal seal of approval". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ "The Ivors 2015 Winners, Ivor Novello Awards, Judith Weir". The Ivors. BASCA. 22 May 2015. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
- ^ "Incorporated Society of Musicians". ISM. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ "Ms Judith Weir HonFRSE". The Royal Society of Edinburgh. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
- ^ "Royal Holloway presents Honorary Fellowships". Royal Holloway, University of London. 8 June 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "No. 64269". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2023. p. N9.
- ^ Clements, Andrew (13 March 2012). "Miss Fortune – review". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "Opera Composers: W". opera.stanford.edu. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
- ^ "Judith Weir – Armida (2005) – Music Sales Classical". www.chesternovello.com. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
- ^ "Musical Work rises from the concrete Barbican". London Evening Standard. 28 December 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ "The State Funeral and Committal Service for Her Majesty The Queen". The Royal Family. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ "Andrew Lloyd Webber piece among new coronation music". BBC News. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
- ^ Royal Family, "New music commissions for the coronation service at Westminster Abbey", 17 April 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ Evans, Rian (29 May 2022). "The Black Spider review – Weir's opera is ghastly gothic treat". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ Weir, Judith. Memoirs of an Accidental Film Artist. In: A Night in at the Opera – Media representations of Opera. Edited by Jeremy Tambling. John Libbey & Company Ltd, London, 1994, p57.
- ^ "Search – BBC Programme Index".
- ^ Weir, Judith. Memoirs of an Accidental Film Artist. In: A Night in at the Opera – Media representations of Opera. Edited by Jeremy Tambling. John Libbey & Company Ltd, London, 1994, p58.
- ^ Brodeur, Michael Andor (15 September 2022). "Queen had 'immensely detailed knowledge' of music, says royal composer". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ Ashley, Tim (19 September 2022). "A ringing coda: the music at the Queen's funeral was both solemn and sublime". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
Sources
- Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, 782 pages, ISBN 978-0198691648, OCLC 25409395
External links
- Achterbahn Bregenz 2011 Archived 6 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- Judith Weir on the British Music Collection
- 1954 births
- 20th-century British composers
- 20th-century classical composers
- 21st-century British composers
- 21st-century classical composers
- Academics of Cardiff University
- Alumni of King's College, Cambridge
- British women classical composers
- British opera composers
- Classical composers of church music
- Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- English people of Scottish descent
- Women opera composers
- Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music
- Honorary Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
- Living people
- Masters of the King's Music
- People educated at North London Collegiate School
- Musicians from Cambridge
- 20th-century British women composers
- 21st-century British women composers