Mad Kings and Magic Squares
A personal celebration by Jack Van Zandt of Peter Maxwell Davies on the 90th anniversary of his birth It’s hard to imagine the impoverished world of working class Northern England where Peter Maxwell “Max” Davies grew up in the 1930s and 40s, but if you have ever read...
CONCERT REVIEW: Endless Fascination
St Elizabeth’s Church, Ashley, near Altrincham18 May 2024 Thomas Pitfield (1903-99) can best be described as a 20th century Renaissance man. Although primarily known as a composer, he was also a prodigious artist, poet, engraver and cabinet-maker. He taught...
The Triumph of Time
A personal celebration by Jack Van Zandt of Harrison Birtwistle on his 90th birthday One day in 1953, Harrison “Harry” Birtwistle travelled with his friends Alexander “Sandy” Goehr and Peter Maxwell “Max” Davies to London from Manchester, where they were fellow...
Only the Notes You Need
Adam Pounds recalls three years of study with Lennox Berkeley A young composer can often feel ‘lost’, and in 1976, while I was studying at the London College of Music and won the composition prize with my Oboe Quartet, I was sufficiently encouraged by this...