John Casken
Encyclopedia
John Casken is an English
composer
, born in Barnsley
, Yorkshire
, England
.
Casken read music at the University of Birmingham
, studying composition and contemporary music with John Joubert and Peter Dickinson. He then went on to study in Poland with Andrzej Dobrowolski on a Polish government scholarship at the Academy of Music in Warsaw, from 1971 to 1972. During this time he began to have regular consultations with Witold Lutosławski, with whom he formed a close association and friendship. Casken has since written articles on the music of Lutosławski, including the contribution of the chapter "The Visionary and Dramatic in the music of Lutosławski" to Zbigniew Skowron's Lutosławski Studies. Casken left Poland to return to Birmingham as a lecturer in 1973. After a Fellowship at Huddersfield Polytechnic in 1980, he was appointed as a lecturer at the University of Durham in 1981. He was Professor of Music at the University of Manchester
from 1992 to 2008 and maintains strong links with The University of Manchester as Emeritus Professor of Music.
in the contemporary category was awarded to Casken for this recording. The recording has now been re-released on the NMC
label, and there have been six further productions of Golem since 1989: Opera Omaha
, 1990; Northern Stage
(UK Arts Council/Contemporary Music Network Tour), 1991; Theater Dortmund
, 1994; Aspen Festival, 2000; Neue Operbühne Berlin
2001; Opéra de Rennes and Angers Nantes Opéra, 2006.
The influence of literature can also be found in John Casken's second opera, God's Liar, although this time in the form of an elaboration on Tolstoy
's novella Father Serguis. The libretto was written by the composer in collaboration with Emma Warner. God's Liar was jointly co-commissioned and presented by The Almeida Festival, London, and was premièred in 2001 by Almeida Opera in London and Brussels, and received its Austrian premiere by Neue Oper Wien in the KlangBogen Festival in Vienna
in the summer of 2004. This production was directed by Stephan Bruckmeier, with the Amadeus Ensemble-Wien conducted by Walter Kobéra. The opera was then recorded by Belgian Radio and subsequently broadcast in Belgium and by BBC Radio 3, introduced by the composer.
, resulting in works including Maharal Dreaming, 1989; the Cello Concerto, written for Heinrich Schiff
, premièred at the 1991 Schleswig-Holstein Festival, and Darting the Skiff, for strings. The latter was premièred at the 1993 Cheltenham Festival
, at which the composer himself conducted. The Northern Sinfonia
also gave the première of the orchestral version of Après un silence for violin and chamber orchestra, with Kyra Humphreys (violin), conducted by Nicholas Kraemer. Casken's most recent interaction with the Northern Sinfonia produced Farness - three poems of Carol Ann Duffy
, in 2006, for soprano, solo viola and chamber orchestra. This was premièred at the 2006 Huddersfield Contemporary Musical Festival with Thomas Zehetmair (conductor), Patricia Rozario (soprano), and Ruth Killius (viola). Patricia Rozario also gave the first performance of Chansons de Verlaine, at the Wigmore Hall in September 2007, accompanied by Julius Drake. The Cello concerto, Darting the Skiff, Maharal Dreaming and Vaganza were re-released on the NMC Ancora label.
As well as his close association with the Northern Sinfonia
, Casken had a close connection with The Lindsays, composing three string quartets for them, as well as Rest-ringing, for string quartet and orchestra, which was commissioned by The Hallé Orchestra to mark their retirement. Recent chamber music includes a Piano Trio in 2002, written for and premièred by The Florestan Piano Trio, at the 2002 Brighton International Festival. Casken’s Violin Concerto was premièred at the 1995 Proms by Dmitry Sitkovetzky, who will also be performing Shadowed Pieces for violin and piano and the 2009 Verbier Festival. Shadowed Pieces was premièred by Marc Danel and David Fanning in January 2008.
Casken draws influence from an eclectic variety of sources. His use of literary sources continues from his operatic writing into his symphonic writing, as can be shown by Sortilège, a symphonic poem
inspired by Tennyson’s idyll Merlin and Vivien which was premièred by the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Slatkin in 1996. In his interest in the literary arts, Casken reached back to medieval poetry, which can be found in The Dream of the Rood, the original Anglo Saxon text adapted by the composer and set in modern English. This was written for The Hilliard Ensemble and Ensemble 10/10, conducted by Clark Rundell and premièred in Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral in October 2008 as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations. His use of Cleopatra's poem from D. M. Thomas’ Ararat in Deadly Pleasures is highlighted by his setting of the work for narrator and ensemble. This work was premièred in 2009 by Counterpoise with Johanna Lonsky as narrator, at the 2009 Ulverston Festival. Other influences can be seen in Casken’s first symphony, Symphony (Broken Consort), in which a gypsy ensemble can be found within the orchestra. This symphony was first performed in the 2004 BBC Proms by the BBC Philharmonic
conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. His most recent orchestral work is Concerto for Orchestra, first performed on 31 March 2008 by the Nationaltheater-Orchesters Mannheim. An influence that recurs in Casken’s works is the reflection of the landscape and literature of his home, in Upper Coquetdale, Northumberland. This can be found in Orion over Farne, To Fields We Do Not Know (a Northumbrian Elegy for unaccompanied chorus), and the orchestral song-cycle Still Mine, which was premièred by Sir Thomas Allen and the BBC Symphony Orchestra
at the 1992 Proms, and subsequently won the 1993 Prince Pierre de Monaco prize for Musical Composition.
Casken’s music has been featured at major festivals in Europe, the US, and in Tokyo at Music Today, by invitation from Toru Takemitsu
. Casken’s music is published by Schott Music
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, born in Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Casken read music at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
, studying composition and contemporary music with John Joubert and Peter Dickinson. He then went on to study in Poland with Andrzej Dobrowolski on a Polish government scholarship at the Academy of Music in Warsaw, from 1971 to 1972. During this time he began to have regular consultations with Witold Lutosławski, with whom he formed a close association and friendship. Casken has since written articles on the music of Lutosławski, including the contribution of the chapter "The Visionary and Dramatic in the music of Lutosławski" to Zbigniew Skowron's Lutosławski Studies. Casken left Poland to return to Birmingham as a lecturer in 1973. After a Fellowship at Huddersfield Polytechnic in 1980, he was appointed as a lecturer at the University of Durham in 1981. He was Professor of Music at the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
from 1992 to 2008 and maintains strong links with The University of Manchester as Emeritus Professor of Music.
Operas
The influence of legend and literature as well as landscape and the visual arts can be found in Casken's works. The libretto of his first opera, Golem, based on the Jewish legend of Golem, was written by the composer in collaboration with Pierre Audi, who commissioned and directed the work for the 1989 Almeida Festival. Golem was extremely successful, winning the first Britten Prize for Composition in 1990, as well as being recorded by Virgin Classics. In 1991 a Gramophone AwardGramophone Award
The Gramophone Awards are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the classical record industry, often referred to as the Oscars for classical music. The winners are selected annually by critics for the Gramophone magazine and various members of the industry, including...
in the contemporary category was awarded to Casken for this recording. The recording has now been re-released on the NMC
NMC
NMC may refer to:* NMC Records, an Israeli record label and music company.* NMC Recordings, a record label and music company in the United Kingdom* National Meteorological Center, now the National Centers for Environmental Prediction...
label, and there have been six further productions of Golem since 1989: Opera Omaha
Opera Omaha
Opera Omaha is an opera company in Omaha, Nebraska. It is well known for premiering Wakonda's Dream, a contemporary opera about Native Americans set in the Niobrara....
, 1990; Northern Stage
Northern Stage
Northern Stage is a non-profit, regional professional company located in White River Junction, Vermont. The company began in 1992 to offer high-quality professional theater in northern New England...
(UK Arts Council/Contemporary Music Network Tour), 1991; Theater Dortmund
Theater Dortmund
Theater Dortmund is a theatrical organization that produces operas, musicals, ballets, plays, and concerts in Dortmund, Germany. It was founded as the Stadttheater Dortmund in 1904...
, 1994; Aspen Festival, 2000; Neue Operbühne Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
2001; Opéra de Rennes and Angers Nantes Opéra, 2006.
The influence of literature can also be found in John Casken's second opera, God's Liar, although this time in the form of an elaboration on Tolstoy
Tolstoy
Tolstoy, or Tolstoi is a prominent family of Russian nobility, descending from Andrey Kharitonovich Tolstoy who served under Vasily II of Moscow...
's novella Father Serguis. The libretto was written by the composer in collaboration with Emma Warner. God's Liar was jointly co-commissioned and presented by The Almeida Festival, London, and was premièred in 2001 by Almeida Opera in London and Brussels, and received its Austrian premiere by Neue Oper Wien in the KlangBogen Festival in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in the summer of 2004. This production was directed by Stephan Bruckmeier, with the Amadeus Ensemble-Wien conducted by Walter Kobéra. The opera was then recorded by Belgian Radio and subsequently broadcast in Belgium and by BBC Radio 3, introduced by the composer.
Other works
From 1990 to 2001 John Casken was Composer-in-Association with the Northern SinfoniaNorthern Sinfonia
The Northern Sinfonia is a British chamber orchestra, based initially in Newcastle upon Tyne, and currently in Gateshead. For the first 46 years of its history, the orchestra gave the bulk of its concerts at the City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne. Since 2004, the orchestra has been resident at The...
, resulting in works including Maharal Dreaming, 1989; the Cello Concerto, written for Heinrich Schiff
Heinrich Schiff
Heinrich Schiff is an Austrian cellist and conductor. He studied cello with Tobias Kühne and André Navarra and made his solo debut in Vienna and London in 1971...
, premièred at the 1991 Schleswig-Holstein Festival, and Darting the Skiff, for strings. The latter was premièred at the 1993 Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...
, at which the composer himself conducted. The Northern Sinfonia
Northern Sinfonia
The Northern Sinfonia is a British chamber orchestra, based initially in Newcastle upon Tyne, and currently in Gateshead. For the first 46 years of its history, the orchestra gave the bulk of its concerts at the City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne. Since 2004, the orchestra has been resident at The...
also gave the première of the orchestral version of Après un silence for violin and chamber orchestra, with Kyra Humphreys (violin), conducted by Nicholas Kraemer. Casken's most recent interaction with the Northern Sinfonia produced Farness - three poems of Carol Ann Duffy
Carol Ann Duffy
Carol Ann Duffy, CBE, FRSL is a Scottish poet and playwright. She is Professor of Contemporary Poetry at the Manchester Metropolitan University, and was appointed Britain's poet laureate in May 2009...
, in 2006, for soprano, solo viola and chamber orchestra. This was premièred at the 2006 Huddersfield Contemporary Musical Festival with Thomas Zehetmair (conductor), Patricia Rozario (soprano), and Ruth Killius (viola). Patricia Rozario also gave the first performance of Chansons de Verlaine, at the Wigmore Hall in September 2007, accompanied by Julius Drake. The Cello concerto, Darting the Skiff, Maharal Dreaming and Vaganza were re-released on the NMC Ancora label.
As well as his close association with the Northern Sinfonia
Northern Sinfonia
The Northern Sinfonia is a British chamber orchestra, based initially in Newcastle upon Tyne, and currently in Gateshead. For the first 46 years of its history, the orchestra gave the bulk of its concerts at the City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne. Since 2004, the orchestra has been resident at The...
, Casken had a close connection with The Lindsays, composing three string quartets for them, as well as Rest-ringing, for string quartet and orchestra, which was commissioned by The Hallé Orchestra to mark their retirement. Recent chamber music includes a Piano Trio in 2002, written for and premièred by The Florestan Piano Trio, at the 2002 Brighton International Festival. Casken’s Violin Concerto was premièred at the 1995 Proms by Dmitry Sitkovetzky, who will also be performing Shadowed Pieces for violin and piano and the 2009 Verbier Festival. Shadowed Pieces was premièred by Marc Danel and David Fanning in January 2008.
Casken draws influence from an eclectic variety of sources. His use of literary sources continues from his operatic writing into his symphonic writing, as can be shown by Sortilège, a symphonic poem
Symphonic poem
A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another source is illustrated or evoked. The term was first applied by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt to his 13 works in this vein...
inspired by Tennyson’s idyll Merlin and Vivien which was premièred by the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Slatkin in 1996. In his interest in the literary arts, Casken reached back to medieval poetry, which can be found in The Dream of the Rood, the original Anglo Saxon text adapted by the composer and set in modern English. This was written for The Hilliard Ensemble and Ensemble 10/10, conducted by Clark Rundell and premièred in Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral in October 2008 as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations. His use of Cleopatra's poem from D. M. Thomas’ Ararat in Deadly Pleasures is highlighted by his setting of the work for narrator and ensemble. This work was premièred in 2009 by Counterpoise with Johanna Lonsky as narrator, at the 2009 Ulverston Festival. Other influences can be seen in Casken’s first symphony, Symphony (Broken Consort), in which a gypsy ensemble can be found within the orchestra. This symphony was first performed in the 2004 BBC Proms by the BBC Philharmonic
BBC Philharmonic
The BBC Philharmonic is a British broadcasting symphony orchestra based at Media City UK, Salford, England. It is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The orchestra's primary concert venue is the Bridgewater Hall....
conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. His most recent orchestral work is Concerto for Orchestra, first performed on 31 March 2008 by the Nationaltheater-Orchesters Mannheim. An influence that recurs in Casken’s works is the reflection of the landscape and literature of his home, in Upper Coquetdale, Northumberland. This can be found in Orion over Farne, To Fields We Do Not Know (a Northumbrian Elegy for unaccompanied chorus), and the orchestral song-cycle Still Mine, which was premièred by Sir Thomas Allen and the BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:...
at the 1992 Proms, and subsequently won the 1993 Prince Pierre de Monaco prize for Musical Composition.
Casken’s music has been featured at major festivals in Europe, the US, and in Tokyo at Music Today, by invitation from Toru Takemitsu
Toru Takemitsu
was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu possessed consummate skill in the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre...
. Casken’s music is published by Schott Music
Schott Music
Schott Music is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe and is currently the second oldest music publishing house. The company headquarters of Schott Music was founded by Bernhard Schott in Mainz, Germany in 1770.Established in...
.
List of works
- Kagura 1972–1973
- Jadu 1973
- Music for the Crabbing Sun 1974–1975
- Music for a Tawny- Gold Day 1975–1976
- Thymehaze 1976
- Tableaux des Trois Ages 1976–1977
- Amarantos 1977–1978
- La Orana, Gauguin 1978
- Firewhirl 1979–1980
- A Belle Pavine 1980, rev. 1992
- String Quartet 1981–1982
- Masque 1982
- Erin 1982–1983
- Piper's Linn 1983-1984
- To Fields We Do Not Know 1984
- Clarion Sea 1984 - 1985
- Vaganza 1985
- Orion over Farne 1986
- Salamandra 1986
- Golem 1986–1988
- Soul Catcher 1988
- Maharal Dreaming 1989
- Piano Quartet 1990
- Three Choral Pieces 1990, 1991, and 1993
- Still Mine 1991–1992
- Sharp Thorne 1991–1992
- Violin Concerto 1994 - 1995
- Fanfare 1995
- Sortilège 1995 - 1996
- Après un silence- 1998
- Cello Concerto 1990
- Darting the Skiff 1992 - 1993
- A Spring Cadenza 1994
- String Quartet no. 2 1996
- A Song of Chimes 1996
- Distant Variations 1996 - 1997
- Distant Variations 1996–1997
- Infanta Marina 1997
- The Haunting Bough 1999
- God’s Liar 1999–2000
- Nearly Distant 2000
- Piano trio 2000–2002
- Blue Medusa 2002
- Choses en moi 2003
- Symphony (Broken Consort) 2003–2004
- Rest- ringing 2004–2005
- Farmess 2006
- Shadowed Pieces 2006
- Chansons de Verliane 2006
- The Dream of the Dead- 2008
- In the Bleak Midwinter 2008
- Sacrificium 2008–2009
- Deadly Pleasures 2009