Peter Seabourne (born 1960) is an English contemporary classical composer based in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

, England. Peter Seabourne composer

Biography

Seabourne studied at

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the Unive ...

with

Robin Holloway Robin Greville Holloway (born 19 October 1943) is an English composer, academic and writer. Early life Holloway was born in Leamington Spa. From 1953 to 1957, he was a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral and was educated at King's College School, ...

, and

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public Collegiate university, collegiate research university in York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thir ...

with David Blake. In 1984 he was joint winner of the Overseas League Composition Competition, and was second in the Benjamin Britten Prize in 1986. In his student years works were performed in the Camden, York,

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confl ...

, Cambridge and Devizes Festivals and three times in the Purcell Room on London's

South Bank The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial area on the south bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Lambeth, central London, England. The South Bank is not formally defined, but is generally understood to be situated betwe ...

, by Lontano, Tapestry,

Endymion Endymion primarily refers to: * Endymion (mythology), an Ancient Greek shepherd * ''Endymion'' (poem), by John Keats Endymion may also refer to: Fictional characters * Prince Endymion, a character in the ''Sailor Moon'' anime franchise * Ra ...

, and others. Around 1989 he abandoned composition, feeling a growing separation with the new music world, and doubting his technique and voice. He remained silent for some 12 years and rejected all his work to date. In 2001 he resumed composition, rapidly creating a large number of pieces. Since this time he has been awarded several times in international competitions. In 2004 his ''1st Piano Concerto'' won 3rd Prize and joint-orchestra prize in the 1st

International Uuno Klami Composition Competition The International Uuno Klami Composition Competition is a composition competition. It has been held once in five years since 2004 and it has been named after the Finnish composer Uuno Klami.

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. In the same year he took 3rd prize in the Ivan Spassov competition in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

with ''Soaring''. In 2005 his song cycle ''Sappho Songs'' was highly commended in the IMRO International Competition in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, and the following year his ''Soaring'' took 1st prize. Also in 2006 his septet ''My River'' was selected by North/South Consonance Ensemble from over two hundred scores and performed in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Seabourne's catalogue includes six symphonies, seven concerti and eleven large piano cycles called Steps. His work has been commissioned by the Rio International 'Cello Festival (''On the blue shore of silence'' 2007), Rheinische Philharmonie/Daniel Raiskin (''Tu Sospiri?'' 2010), Paul Klee Zentrum/Kaspar Zehnder (''Storyteller for solo double bass and ensemble'' 2011), Moravská Filharmonie/Ondrej Vrabec (''Double Concerto for Horn and Orchestra'' 2011), Coull Quartet (''Accept these few roses'' 2011), Vestfold Festival/Henning Kraggerud, Spalding Flower Festival (''Mille Fiori for four trumpets'' 2011), Norfolk Concerts and Douglas Gowan (''String Quintet'' 2012), Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss am Rhein (''Violin Concerto'' 2016) and Musica Nova Reutlingen (''Freeing the Angel'' – viola/piano 2019). Seabourne's work has been broadcast in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It has been played in many European countries, the Americas, Far East and in Armenia. The Italian label Sheva Contemporary has issued nineteen CDs of the composer's work. They have been reviewed in

Gramophone Magazine ''Gramophone'' (known as ''The Gramophone'' prior to 1970) is a magazine published monthly in London, devoted to classical music, particularly to reviews of recordings. It was founded in 1923 by the Scottish author Compton Mackenzie who continue ...

BBC Music Magazine ''BBC Music Magazine'' is a British monthly magazine that focuses primarily on classical music. The first issue appeared in September 1992. BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the BBC, was the original owner and publisher together with ...

The Strad ''The Strad'' is a UK-based monthly classical music magazine about string instrumentsprincipally the violin, viola, cello, and double bassfor amateur and professional musicians. Founded in 1889, the magazine provides information, photographs and ...

Musical Opinion ''Musical Opinion'', often abbreviated to ''MO'', is a European classical music magazine edited and produced in the UK. It is currently among the oldest such periodicals to be still publishing in the UK, having been continuously in publication ...

in the UK, and elsewhere. Further works are included on SIMAX (Norway), Da Vinci (Japan), Sheva Collection (Italy) and Willowhayne Records (UK).

Compositional style

Seabourne's work has roots in the neo-Romantic tradition, with influences from Janáček,

Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...

Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest composer, and his music is often ...

Carl Nielsen Carl August Nielsen (; 9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish composer, conductor, and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer. Brought up by poor yet musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he d ...

and

. However his musical language is distinctively idiosyncratic, with its own modernity. It is particularly "inventive with regard to rhythm" and hovers on the edge of tonality.

List of works

Orchestral:
''The Darkness of Ages'' – poem for orchestra 12mins – 2001 rev.2009
''Piano Concerto no.1'' – dur. 28mins – 2004 rev. 2006
''Scherzo Serioso'' – dur. 10mins – 2005 (also as arrangement for 2 pianos 2014)
''Piano Concerto no.2'' – dur. 25 mins – 2006 (première Kristina Stepasjuková, piano, with Ondřej Vrabec and the Academy Orchestra of the Czech Philharmonic March 2016)
''Tu Sospiri?'' – dur. 13mins – 2010
''Double Concerto for Horn and Orchestra'' – dur. 23mins – 2011
''Cor Anglais Concerto'' – dur. 26mins – 2013
''Symphony of Roses'' – dur. 32mins – 2014 (première Biel-Bienne May 2016 Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn conducted by Kaspar Zehnder)
''Symphony no.2'' – dur. 45mins – 2014
''Symphony no.3'' – dur. 33mins – 2016
''Violin Concerto'' – solo violin and strings – dur 30mins – 2003–2016
''Symphony no.4'' – dur. 33mins – 2017
''Piano Concerto no.3'' – dur. 27mins – 2018
''Viola Concerto'' – dur. 30mins – 2020
''Symphony no.5 - Sea of Life'' – dur. 18½mins – 2021
''Bitten! - Tarantella for orchestra'' – dur. 6mins – 2022
''Symphony no.6'' – dur. 24mins – 2022 Chamber/ensemble:
''A music beginning'' – violin/piano 11mins. 2001 (première Stamford International Chamber Music Festival 2005 – Andrew Smith/Wayman Chin)
''The Sadness of the King'' – septet (clt. bsn. hrn. 2vln. vla. pno) dur. 13mins – 2002
''Child’s Play...'' – wind quintet – dur. 30mins – 2003 and 2006 (one movement also arranged as scherzo for octet (clt. bsn. hrn. 2vln. vla. vc. cb) and for chamber orchestra dur. 5mins)
''Soaring'' – oboe and piano (also as an arrangement for oboe and string quartet) – dur. 12 mins – 2003 (première Arklow Festival – Chris Redgate/Mary Dullea 2006), (2nd movement première Naomi Ozawa, Pam Yan Los Angeles 2014)
''accept these few roses...'' – string quartet – 10mins – 2005/2011
''My River'' – (flt. ob. clt. vln. vla. vc. pno.) – 10mins – 2005
''Autumnal Dances'' – clarinet and piano – dur. 17mins
''Pietà'' – viola and piano – dur. 29mins – 2007
''On the blue shore of silence'' – ‘cello and piano – dur. 23mins – 2007
''Adrift! (Chamber Concerto no.1)'' – dectet (flt/picc. ob. clt. bsn. hrn. 2vln. vla. vc. cb.) – dur. 16mins – 2008
''Phantasy Caprices (Chamber Concerto no.2)'' – dectet (flt. ob. clt. bsn. hrn. vln. vla. vc. cb. pno.) – dur. 18mins – 2009
''Last Dance'' – piano trio – dur. 7mins – 2010 (première Philharmonic Hall, Lviv 2010 – Ostap and Olga Shutko, Myroslav Dragan). Also played in King's Lynn Festival, UK
''Storyteller (Chamber Concerto no.3)'' – solo double bass with fl. ob. clt. bsn. hrn. vln. vc. pno – dur. 12mins – 2010
''A Portrait and Four Nocturnes'' – violin and piano – dur. 19mins – 2010
''String Quintet'' – 2 vlns, vla, 2 vc – dur. 25mins – 2011
''Sonata Appassionata'' – violin and ’cello – dur. 21mins – 2012
''The Black Pegasus – rhapsody'' – horn and piano – dur. 13mins – 2018
''Piano Trio'' – violin, 'cello and piano – dur. 24mins – 2018
''Encounters'' – five short duets for two horns – dur. 8mins – 2019
''Freeing the Angel'' – viola and piano – dur. 7mins – 2019
''Gran Partita'' – wind octet (2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 horns, 2 bassoons) – dur. 30mins – 2019
''Fall'' – horn and string quartet – dur. 22mins – 2020
''Clarinet Quintet'' – clarinet and string quartet – dur. 24mins – 2023 Solo: ''Steps volume 1: 12 collected pieces for piano'' – dur. c85 mins – 2001-6
''Steps volume 2: Studies of Invention'' – piano – dur. 48mins – 2006-7
''Steps Volume 3: Arabesques'' – piano – dur.35mins – 2008–12 (première Clothworkers Hall, Leeds 2014)
''Steps volume 4: Libro di Canti Italiano'' – piano – dur. 50mins – 2009–2011
''Steps volume 5: Sixteen Scenes before a Crucifixion'' – piano – dur. 50mins – 2013–14
''Steps volume 6: Toccatas and Fantasias'' – piano – dur. 50mins – 2016–17
''Steps volume 7: Dances on the Head of a Pin'' – piano – dur. 49mins – 2018–19
''Steps volume 8: My Song in October'' – piano – dur. 46mins – 2020–21
''Steps volume 9: Les Fleurs de la Maladie'' – piano – dur. 50mins – 2020–21
''Steps volume 10: In a Grain of Sand'' – piano – dur. 56mins – 2022–23
''Steps volume 11: The Curious Diary of Mr Doyle'' – piano – dur. 43mins – 2024
''Persephone'' – harp – 4 mins – 2004
''Møte'' – solo violin – dur. 5 mins – 2010
''Threads'' – solo violin – dur. 18 mins – 2017
''Julie Dances'' – solo horn – dur. 9 minutes – 2020
''Going'' – solo horn – dur. 2mins – 2020
''then - '' – solo viola – dur. 5mins – 2020 Song and vocal:
''September, Just Septembers'' – 9 settings of

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

(soprano and piano) dur. 18mins – 2002
''Sappho Songs – 4 settings of

Sappho Sappho (; ''Sapphṓ'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; ) was an Ancient Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music. In ancient times, Sapph ...

in French Translations by

Renée Vivien Renée Vivien (born Pauline Mary Tarn; 11 June 1877 – 18 November 1909) was a British poet who wrote in the French language. A high-profile lesbian writer in Paris during the Belle Époque era, she is widely considered to be one of the first n ...

'' (soprano and piano) dur. 8mins −2002
''Moon Beyond the White Clouds – 4 settings of classical Chinese texts in English'' (soprano and piano) dur. 8mins – 2003
''The Garden in the Brain – 7 Songs to words of

'' (soprano and piano) – dur. 13 mins – 2003 (also exists in an instrumental version for alto sax and piano)
''There was a Maid'' – carol for SATB + organ – 4 minutes – Commissioned by Repton School, Derbyshire – 2003
''Sea Song – 6-word opera'' (sop. bar. clt. vc. sus-cym. pno) – dur. 2 mins
''Sonnets to Orpheus – Eleven settings of

Rainer Maria Rilke René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926), known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was an Austrian poet and novelist. Acclaimed as an Idiosyncrasy, idiosyncratic and expressive poet, he is widely recognized as ...

'' (mezzo-soprano and piano) – dur. 35mins – 2013
''Orpheus. Eurydike. Hermes.'' – scena setting

(mezzo-soprano and chamber orchestra) – dur. 28mins – 2004–2016
''Called Back'' – 10 settings of

'' (soprano and piano) – dur. 20 mins – 2022

Recordings

''Steps Volume 1: An Anthology for Piano'' – Minjeong Shin, piano – Sheva Contemporary SH168 (review in The Classical Reviewer)
''Steps Volume 2: Studies of Invention'' – Giovanni Santini, piano – Sheva Contemporary SH065 (reviews in Music-Web international 2013=

Gramophone A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...

2013))
''Steps Volume 3: Arabesques'' – Michael Bell, piano – Sheva Contemporary SH088 (review in

2013)
''Steps Volume 4: Libro di Canti Italiano'' – Fabio Menchetti, piano – Sheva Contemporary SH104 (review in Gramophone)
''Steps Volume 5: Sixteen Scenes Before a Crucifixion'' Alessandro Viale piano – Sheva Contemporary SH136 (reviews in Gramophone and The Classical Reviewer)
''Sonata Appassionata; A music beginning; On the blue shore of silence'' – Ostap Shutko, violin; Olga Shutko, 'cello; Myroslav Dragan, piano – Sheva Contemporary SH082
''This is a song for you alone'' (later revised and expanded, becoming Violin Concerto) – Irina Borissova, violin, with Mainzer Virtuosi, conductor Dmitry Khakhalin – SH091 (review in Gramophone 2015)
''Møte'' (Meeting) from ''The Munch Suite'' –

Henning Kraggerud Henning Kraggerud (born 23 June 1973) is a Norwegian musician and composer. Career Kraggerud was born in Oslo. He studied with Camilla Wicks, Emanuel Hurwitz, and Stephan Barratt-Due, before embarking on a career that has brought solo appeara ...

, violin – SIMAX) (review in

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

)
''Pietà'' – Georg Hamann, viola, and Akari Komiya, piano – Sheva Contemporary SH137 VIOLA DOLOROSA (reviews in

) 2015 The Classical Reviewer)
''Threads'' – Alberto Bologni, violin – Sheva Contemporary SH184 (review in Art Music Lounge)
''The Garden in the Brain'' (arrangement of song cycle) – Valentina Renesto, alto saxophone, and Giuseppe Bruno, piano – Da Vinci C00174
''A Portrait and Four Nocturnes'' – Irina Borissova, violin, and Giacomo Battarino, piano – Sheva Contemporary SH226 (review in

Limelight Limelight (also known as Drummond light or calcium light)James R. Smith (2004). ''San Francisco's Lost Landmarks'', Quill Driver Books. is a non-electric type of stage lighting that was once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illum ...

)
''Mille Fiori'', ''Encounters'', ''The Black Pegasus'', ''Julie Dances'' – ''British Music for horn'' – Ondřej Vrabec, horn – Sheva Contemporary SH241 (reviews in Gramophone,

)
''Piano Trio'' – ''Moments of Vision'' – Avant Trio (Rebecca Raimondi, violin - Urška Horvat, cello - Alessandro Viale, piano) – Sheva Contemporary SH271 (review in

)
''Trois Petits Adieux'' – Michael Bell, piano – Sheva Contemporary SH275
''Fall'' - ''Horn Quintets'' – Ondřej Vrabec, horn; Pavel Bořkovec Quartet – Sheva Contemporary SH281 (reviews in Gramophone,

, Klassisk Musikk)
''Møte'' – ''Diversity in Unity'' – Liza Fediukova, violin – Sheva Collection SH292
''Steps Volume 6: Toccatas and Fantasias'' – Konstantin Lifschitz, piano – Willowhayne Records WHR073CD
''Steps Volume 8: My Song in October'' and ''September, Just Septembers (9 songs to words of Emily Dickinson)'' – Michael Bell, piano - Karen Radcliffe, soprano – Sheva Contemporary SH326

References

External links

Composer's official websiteSheva Collection CD label – ItalySimax CD label – NorwayGramophone MagazineThe StradThe Classical Reviewer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seabourne, Peter Living people 1960 births Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of York English male classical composers Musicians from Lincolnshire 20th-century English classical composers 20th-century English musicians 20th-century English male musicians