“Celebrated British composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, a former Master of the Queen’s Music, has died at the age of 81,” reports an unsigned story posted Monday (3/14) at BBC.com. “He was known for his modern and avant-garde works…. ‘He was right to the end a pioneer,’ Stephen Lumsden, Managing Director of music agency Intermusica, said. The Salford-born musician, who had leukemia, died at home in Orkney. Famous for pushing boundaries, Sir Peter’s earlier works have been described as unplayable, generating controversy among audiences and critics alike. He often referenced plainchant and medieval music, which he incorporated into avant garde serial compositions…. But he made it his mission to connect with as many audiences as possible over his career, writing pieces for children, theatre and string quartet. Known to most as Max, he composed some 300 works including symphonies and operas, which over the years covered a variety of musical styles. He moved to the Orkney Islands in the early 70s, leading to a calmer style of music, which often incorporated Scottish motifs … His most recent work was an opera for children called The Hogboom, which will be premiered by the London Symphony Orchestra on 26 June.”
Posted March 14, 2016
Photo of Peter Maxwell Davies by Stephen Lock
