Oliver Knussen

Par KNUSSEN OLIVER. An engaging solo piano work by Oliver Knussen that draws the listener into its hazy texture and present fleeting moments of tension and release that make for compelling if nonspecific narrative./ Répertoire / Piano

Par KNUSSEN OLIVER. 'Prayer Bell Sketch' was commissioned by Ms. Masako Okamura and Mr. Motoyuki Nakagawa in memory of Toru Takemitsu. Here is the 'prayer Bell Sketch' for the solo piano./ Recueil / Piano

Par KNUSSEN OLIVER. '. . .fresh as paint in its firing of a melodic line that just goes on in a kind of angular strain, shuttled from one instrumental colouring to another.'Paul Griffiths, The Times, 12 February 1991/ Répertoire / Conducteur

Par KNUSSEN OLIVER. This enchanting 8-minute piece for violin and piano - Oliver Knussen's penultimate work - is made up of various kinds of musical reflection: melody reflected in its inversion: a six-note mode reflected in its complement: and the relationships between the three main parts of the piece, which are in a way varied reflections of each other. There are some reflections in water, too, the work's opus number (31a) demonstrating a relationship to Knussen's unfinished Cleveland Pictures: 'The main melody began as a response to Gauguin's painting of a Breton woman swimming', Knussen wrote, 'and there is also, perhaps, an echo of the lonely underwater world of an ondine, eventually breaking the surface at the end of the piece.' / Niveau : Avancé / Musique contemporaine / Répertoire / Violon et Piano

Par KNUSSEN OLIVER. '. . .The symphony is the work of a modern Ravel.'The Independent, 27 June 1988/ Répertoire / Conducteur

Par KNUSSEN OLIVER. 'A tightly constructed work inspired by Shakespeare's description of Ophelia's madness, it blends wind, string and keyboard timbres superbly and moves easily between sprightliness and dreamy introspection.'Allan Kozinn, The New York Times, 20 April 1991/ Répertoire / Conducteur

Par KNUSSEN OLIVER. 'Knussens wastes not a note, and though the work lasts only for seven minutes, its density of thought suggests something of sonata structure.'Paul Griffiths, Musical Times, January 1981/ Répertoire / Violon et Piano

Par KNUSSEN OLIVER. In his Financial Times review Max Loppert says '. . .the title aptly reflects both the songful character of the musical invention and the relationship of wind solo to string trio. . .a composition of great charm and precise character - its other virtues, of well-found proportions, distinctive harmonic movement, and secure control of incident, must not be allowed to sound negative ones.' 9th March 1981 / Niveau : Assez Facile / Répertoire / Conducteur

Par KNUSSEN OLIVER. '. . .a stunning palette of orchestral colour which transforms the 16th-century material without abusing its essential character.'Michael John White, The Independent, 1 April 1988/ Répertoire / Conducteur

Par KNUSSEN OLIVER. Higglety Pigglety Pop! is the second of Knussen ’s two extraordinary fantasy operas created in collaboration with the acclaimed author Maurice Sendak. Composed between 1984-5 but finding its final form, after a number of substantial revisions, in 1999, the opera – subtitled ‘There Must be More to Life’ – is the story of a well-fed Sealyham terrier, Jennie, who escapes boredom to become prima donna of the Mother Goose World Theatre. Brimming with invention, this hour-long work culminates in a witty opera-within-an-opera, complete with a lopsided – and slightly screwy – overture after Mozart, absurdly abrupt changes of tone and gear, and numerousmadcap false endings!/ Tablatures / Guitare Tablatures

Par KNUSSEN OLIVER. For Soprano and Orchestra. Andrew Clements says 'None of the four songs lasts more than a few minutes, yet they pack in an astonishing range of emotional and vocal nuance. . .with wonderfully lucid colours drawn from a vast ensemble - each song seems to define its sound world within a couple of bars, compressed into a phrase or a couple of chords. They are beautifully achieved little songs, brought off with the lightest of touches'. Financial Times, 10 March 1992/ Répertoire / Conducteur