British composer (1935–2009)
Nicholas Maw John Nicholas Maw (5 November 1935 – 19 May 2009) was a Britishcomposer . Among his works are the operasThe Rising of the Moon Sophie's Choice
Born inGrantham ,Lincolnshire , Maw was the son of Clarence Frederick Maw and Hilda Ellen Chambers. He attended theWennington School , a boarding school, inWetherby in theWest Riding of Yorkshire . His mother died oftuberculosis when he was 14. He attended theRoyal Academy of Music onMarylebone Road in London where his teachers werePaul Steinitz andLennox Berkeley . He then studied inParis withNadia Boulanger andMax Deutsch .[ 1]
From 1998 until 2008, Maw served on the faculty of thePeabody Institute atJohns Hopkins University , where he taughtmusic composition .[ 2] Yale University ,Bard College ,Boston University , the Royal Academy of Music,Cambridge University , andExeter University .
In 1960, Maw married Karen Graham, and they had a son and a daughter. Their marriage was dissolved in 1976. He took up residence inWashington, DC in 1984, living there with his companion Maija Hay, a ceramic artist, until his death.[ 1] heart failure with complications fromdiabetes .[ 1]
On Sunday 6 November 2011,BBC Radio 3 broadcast a 2-hour tribute called, "Nicholas Maw: A Celebration". The program featured performances of Maw's Violin Concerto, an orchestral suite drawn from his opera,Sophie's Choice One foot in Eden still, I stand andHymnus ).[ 3]
Maw is best known forScenes and Arias (1962) for three female voices and orchestra, the orchestral piecesOdyssey (1987) andThe World in the Evening (1988), the guitar workMusic of Memory (1989) and a violin concerto (1993) written forJoshua Bell . His music has been described asneo-romantic but also asmodernist andnon-tonal (for instancePersonæ , his cycle of piano pieces).[ 1]
In 2002, the operaSophie's Choice (based onWilliam Styron 'snovel ) was commissioned byBBC Radio 3 and theRoyal Opera House ,Covent Garden . It was premièred at the Royal Opera House under the direction of SirSimon Rattle , and afterwards received a new production by stage directorMarkus Bothe at theDeutsche Oper Berlin and theVolksoper Wien , which had itsNorth American premiere by theWashington National Opera in October 2006. Mezzo-sopranoAngelika Kirchschlager , who sang Sophie in London, reprised the role at the National Opera, joined by American baritoneRod Gilfry as Nathan Landau, the schizophrenic man who initially rescues Sophie and then persuades her to join him in asuicide pact . Maw also prepared a concert suite for orchestra based on the music.[ 1]
Odyssey was performed in BBC'sMaida Vale Studios on 9 December 2005, and was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 two days later. Rattle has also conducted a recording of the work with theCity of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra .[ 1]
Chronological list of compositions [ edit ] Eight Chinese Lyrics (1956) for mezzo-soprano Requiem (1956–57) for voices & orchestra Flute Sonatina (1957) Nocturne (1957) for mezzo-soprano & chamber orchestra Six Chinese Songs (1959) for contralto & piano Five Epigrams (1960) for chorusOur Lady's song (1961), carol for chorusChamber Music (1962) for oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon & pianoScenes and Arias (1962, rev. 1966) for soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto and orchestraRound (1963) for children's voices, SATB chorus and pianoThe Angel Gabriel (1963), choral arrangement of Basque melodyBulalow (1964), carol for chorusOne Man Show (1964, rev. 1966 & 1970), operaArrangement ofCorpus Christi Carol (1964) for sopranos and piano String Quartet No. 1 (1965) Severn Bridge Variation (1966) for a composite work withMalcolm Arnold ,Michael Tippett ,Alun Hoddinott ,Grace Williams andDaniel Jones Sinfonia (1966) for chamber orchestra Six Interiors (1966) for tenor and guitarSonata (1966) for strings and two horns The Voice of Love , Eight Peter Porter songs (1966) for mezzo-soprano & pianoDouble Canon forIgor Stravinsky on his 85th Birthday (1967) The Rising of the Moon Concert Music fromThe Rising of the Moon (arr. 1972) for orchestra Epitaph-Canon in Memory of Igor Stravinsky (1971) for flute, clarinet & harp Five Irish Songs (1972) for chorus Personae I, II & III (1973) for pianoSerenade for orchestra (1973, rev. 1977) Life Studies (1973–76) for fifteen stringsTe Deum (1975) for treble or soprano, tenor, SATB chorus, congregation and organ Reverdie (1975), five songs for male voicesAnnes! (1976) for unaccompanied SATB chorusNonsense Rhymes for Children (1976), 20 songs with piano accompanimentLa Vita Nuova (1979), five songs for soprano and chamber ensemble The Ruin (1980) for SSAATTBB chorus and solo hornFlute Quartet (1981) Summer Dances (1981) for orchestraNight Thoughts (1982) for solo fluteString Quartet No. 2 (1982) The Old King's Lament (1982) for solo double-bassSpring Music (1982–83) for orchestraLittle Suite (1984) for solo guitar Sonata Notturna (1985) for cello & stringsPersonae IV, V & VI (1985–86) for pianoLittle Concert (1987) for oboe, two horns & strings Odyssey (1972-5, 1979, 1985-7) for orchestraGhost Dances (1988), imaginary ballet for five playersThe World in the Evening (1988) for orchestraFive American Folksongs (1989) for voice & piano Music of Memory (1989, rev. 1991) for solo guitarThree Hymns (1989), for SATB chorus and organ Roman Canticle (1989, rev. 1991) for baritone, flute, viola & harpOne Foot in Eden Still, I Stand (1990) for mixed chorus and optional organPiano Trio (1990-1) American Games (1991) for wind orchestraShahnama (1992) for chamber orchestraThe Head of Orpheus (1992) for soprano & two clarinetsSwetė Jesu (1992) for chorusViolin Concerto (1993) String Quartet No. 3 (1994) Dance Scenes (1994–95) for orchestraVoices of Memory (1995) for orchestraHymnus (1995–96) for SATB chorus and orchestraSolo Violin Sonata (1996–97) Stanza (1997) for solo violinNarration (2001) for solo celloIntrada (2001) for string quartetSophie's Choice the William Styron novel Concert Suite fromSophie's Choice (2003) for orchestra with optional mezzo-soprano Tango fromSophie's Choice (2004) for solo guitar Fanfare (2004) for brass ensemble Concerto for Cor Anglais and Orchestra (2004) String Quartet No. 4 (2005) String Sextet (2007) Works lists may be found online.[ 4]
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