Robert Saxton (born 8 October 1953 in London) is a British composer.

Biography

Robert Saxton was born in London and started composing at the age of six. He was educated at

Bryanston School Bryanston School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18) located next to the village of Bryanston, and near the ...

. Guidance in early years from

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

and

Elisabeth Lutyens Agnes Elisabeth Lutyens, CBE (9 July 190614 April 1983) was an English composer. Early life and education Elisabeth Lutyens was born in London on 9 July 1906. She was one of the five children of Lady Emily Bulwer-Lytton (1874–1964), a me ...

was followed by periods of study at Cambridge and Oxford Universities 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 Robert Sherlaw Johnson respectively, and also with

Luciano Berio Luciano Berio (24 October 1925 – 27 May 2003) was an Italian composer noted for his experimental music, experimental work (in particular his 1968 composition ''Sinfonia (Berio), Sinfonia'' and his series of virtuosic solo pieces titled ''Seque ...

. Saxton won the Gaudeamus International Composers Award in the Netherlands at age 21. In 1986, he was awarded the Fulbright Arts Fellowship to the USA, where he was in residence at Princeton and an assistant to

Oliver Knussen Stuart Oliver Knussen (12 June 1952 – 8 July 2018) was a British composer of contemporary classical music and conductor. Among the most influential British composers of his generation, his relatively few compositions are "rooted in 20th-cen ...

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue and Music festival, festival in the towns of Lenox, Massachusetts, Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony ...

. In 1995 he co-directed the composers' course on

Hoy Hoy may refer to: People Given name * Hoy Menear (died 2023), American politician * Hoy Phallin (born 1995), Cambodian footballer * Hoy Wong (1920–2009), American bartender Surname * Hoy (surname), a Scottish and Irish surname * H� ...

, with Sir

Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Music ...

. He has directed the composers' course at Dartington International Summer School on several occasions and was artistic director of Opera Lab. He has also been a regular member of the BBC TV 4 (digital) Proms broadcasting commentary team and was a member of the

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is an arts centre in London, England. It is adjacent to the separately owned National Theatre and BFI Southbank. It comprises the three main performance spaces – the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell R ...

board for nine years. He is Composer in Association at the Purcell School. Saxton has written works for the BBC (TV, Proms and Radio), LSO, LPO, ECO,

London Sinfonietta The London Sinfonietta is an English contemporary chamber music, chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble has headquarters at Kings Place and is Resident Orchestra at the Southbank Centre. Since its inaugural concert ...

, Nash Ensemble, Chilingirian Quartet,

Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) is an American chamber orchestra based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Its principal concert venue is the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. In collaboration with five artistic partners, the orchestra's musi ...

, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival/

Opera North Opera North is an English opera company based in Leeds. The company's home theatre is the Leeds Grand Theatre, but it also presents regular seasons in several other cities, at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, the Lowry Centre, Salford Quays a ...

Aldeburgh Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the English county, county of Suffolk, England, north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the comp ...

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

, City of London, Three Choirs and Lichfield Festivals, Stephen Darlington and the choir of Christ Church Cathedral Oxford, Susan Milan, Susan Bradshaw and

Richard Rodney Bennett Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (29 March 193624 December 2012) was an English composer and pianist. He was noted for his musical versatility, drawing from such sources as jazz, romanticism, and avant-garde; and for his use of twelve-tone technique ...

, Edward Wickham and The Clerks, Teresa Cahill, Leon Fleisher, Clare Hammond,

Steven Isserlis Steven John Isserlis (born 19 December 1958) is a British cellist. An acclaimed soloist, chamber musician, educator, writer and broadcaster, he is widely regarded as one of the leading musicians of his generation. He is also noted for his div ...

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well known for both inspiring and commissioning new works, which enl ...

, John Wallace and the

Raphael Wallfisch Raphael Wallfisch (born 15 June 1953 in London) is an English cellist. Background Wallfisch was born into a family of distinguished musicians; his father was the pianist Peter Wallfisch and his mother is the cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisc ...

and John York duo. Saxton was Head of Composition at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

(1991–97) and Head of Composition and Contemporary Music at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

from 1998 to 1999. He is Emeritus Professor of Composition at

Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms was ad ...

and a Trustee of the Mendelssohn/Boise Foundation. He was awarded a doctorate of music at Oxford in 1992. His music from 1972 until 1998 was published by Chester/Music Sales, and since then by UYMP and

Ricordi Ricordi may refer to: People * Giovanni Ricordi (1785–1853), Italian violinist and publishing company founder *Giulio Ricordi (1840–1912), Italian publisher and musician Music *Casa Ricordi, an Italian music publishing company established i ...

. Recordings have appeared on the Sony Classical, Hyperion, Metier, EMI, NMC, Signum and Divine Art labels. In 2015, he was elected an Hon Fellow of

St Catharine's College, Cambridge St Catharine's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The colle ...

. Saxton's Quartet No. 3 was commissioned by the Southbank Centre, London and premiered by the Arditti Quartet in May 2011. He wrote a song cycle for the Oxford Lieder Festival for 2012 for baritone Roderick Williams and pianist Andrew West which toured the UK. Recent recordings include a trumpet concerto, 'Shakespeare Scenes', for Simon Desbruslais and the Orchestra of the Swan, released on Signum in 2014, and his

radio opera Radio opera (German: 'Funkoper' or 'Radiooper') is a genre of opera. It refers to operas which were specifically composed to be performed on the radio and is not to be confused with broadcasts of operas which were originally written for the stage. ...

, ''The Wandering Jew'', released on NMC in June 2011. Works include ''Ring Time'' (1994), ''A Yardstick to the Stars'' (1995), ''Canticum Luminis'' (1995), ''Music for St Catharine'' for organ (1998), a

sonata In music a sonata (; pl. ''sonate'') literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''cantare'', "to sing"), a piece ''sung''. The term evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms until th ...

for solo cello (2000), ''Five

Motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the preeminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to the Eng ...

s'' (2003), ''The Wandering Jew'' (2010), and ''Quartet No. 3'' (2011). He is married to soprano Teresa Cahill.

Career highlights

* 1975 – first prize at Gaudeamus Music Week in the Netherlands for ''What Does the Song Hope For?''. * 1977 – premiere of ''Echoes of the Glass Bead Game'' at

Wigmore Hall The Wigmore Hall is a concert hall at 36 Wigmore Street, in west London. It was designed by Thomas Edward Collcutt and opened in 1901 as the Bechstein Hall; it is considered to have particularly good building acoustics, acoustics. It specialis ...

, London. * 1986 –

Fulbright Fellowship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people o ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

. * 1991 – premiere of ''Caritas'' by

at Wakefield Opera House, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. * 1993 –

and the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

premiere ''Concerto for Cello and Orchestra''. * 1997 – ''Prayer before Sleep'' premiered at the

Barbican A barbican (from ) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe Medieval Europeans typically b ...

, London. * 2010 – premiere and Radio 3 broadcast of ''The Wandering Jew'' by

BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. The ...

, BBC Singers conducted by Andre de Ridder with soloists including Roderick Williams and Teresa Cahill. * 2011 – CD release of ''

The Wandering Jew The Wandering Jew (occasionally referred to as the Eternal Jew, a calque from German ) is a mythical Immortality, immortal man whose legend began to spread in Europe in the 13th century. In the original legend, a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way ...

'' on NMC

Selected works

* ''Processions and Dances'' (1981; large chamber ensemble) * ''The Ring of Eternity'' (1983, orchestra) * ''Concerto for Orchestra'' (1984) * ''The Sentinel of the Rainbow'' (1984; chamber ensemble) * ''Chamber Symphony: The Circles of Light'' (1985–86) * ''Viola Concerto'' (1986) * ''Violin Concerto'' (1989) * ''Caritas'' (1991; opera) * ''Invocation, Dance and Meditation'' (1991, viola, piano) * ''Cello Concerto'' (1993) * ''Songs, Dances and Ellipses'' (1997, string quartet) * ''Five Motets'' (2003, choir) * ''The Wandering Jew'' (2010, radio opera) * ''Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis'' (2010, choir) * ''Quartet No. 3'' (2011, string quartet) * ''Passacaglia on the name John McCabe'' (2015, organ) * ''In memoriam Oliver Knussen'' (2019, organ) * ''Berceuse for a baby, on the name Ezra Clinch'' (2020, organ) * ''Tombeau for H.B.'' (2022, organ) * ''In the bleak midwinter'' (2023, organ) * ''The Holly and the Ivy'' (2023, organ) * ''Scenes from the Epic of Gilgamesh'' (2023, orchestra)

Selected recordings

link ''Caritas; Music to Celebrate the Resurrection of Christ; I Will Awake the Dawn; In the Beginning; Violin Concerto''
– NMC-Ancora NMC D102
''Chacony''
– Sony Classical SK48081
''Concerto for Orchestra; The Ring of Eternity; The Sentinel of the Rainbow; Chamber Symphony: The Circles of Light''
– EMI Classics CDM5665302

Publications

* Saxton, Robert: ''The Process of Composition from Detection to Confection'' in Thomas, W. (ed.), ''Composition – Performance – Reception: Studies in the Creative Process in Music'', Ashgate, 1998,

References

External links

Robert Saxton website

The Wandering Jew CD on NMC including audio, film interview

Robert Saxton's home page at Chester Music

Robert Saxton's home page at UYMP

Robert Saxton's biography and worklist at Ricordi Berlin

Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saxton, Robert 1953 births Living people 20th-century British classical composers 21st-century British classical composers English classical composers Jewish English musicians Jewish classical composers Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford Fellows of Worcester College, Oxford People educated at Bryanston School Academics of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Academics of the Royal Academy of Music Music in Oxford Gaudeamus Composition Competition prize-winners English male classical composers 20th-century English composers 21st-century English composers 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century British male musicians