Role

:

Composer

Birth

:

1934

Period

:

Contemporary

 

 

Modern

Genre

:

Concerto

 

 

Keyboard

 

 

Orchestral

 

 

Vocal

 

Jeremy Dale Roberts was a British composer and pianist, born on March 16, 1934, in Gloucestershire, England. He was the son of a clergyman and grew up in a musical family. His mother was a pianist, and his father played the organ. Roberts began playing the piano at a young age and showed an early interest in composition. Roberts studied at the Royal College of Music in London, where he was a pupil of Herbert Howells and John Lambert. He also studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris and Luigi Dallapiccola in Italy. During his time at the Royal College of Music, Roberts won several awards, including the Cobbett Prize for composition. Roberts' early works were influenced by the music of Benjamin Britten and Igor Stravinsky. His first major composition was a piano concerto, which he wrote while still a student at the Royal College of Music. The concerto was premiered in 1957 and received critical acclaim. In the 1960s, Roberts became associated with the New Music Group, a collective of composers and performers who were interested in exploring new forms of musical expression. He also became interested in the music of Anton Webern and began to incorporate serial techniques into his compositions. One of Roberts' most significant works from this period is his String Quartet No. 2, which was premiered in 1966. The quartet is a complex and challenging work that uses serial techniques to create a dense and intricate texture. The piece was well-received and established Roberts as one of the leading composers of his generation. Throughout his career, Roberts continued to explore new forms of musical expression. He was particularly interested in the relationship between music and literature and often drew inspiration from poetry and other literary works. One of his most famous works is his song cycle, "Croquis," which sets poems by the French poet Stéphane Mallarmé to music. Roberts was also a respected pianist and often performed his own works in concert. He was particularly known for his interpretations of the music of Franz Liszt and often included Liszt's works in his recitals. In addition to his work as a composer and pianist, Roberts was also a respected teacher. He taught at the Royal College of Music and the University of York, where he was a professor of composition from 1979 to 1999. Many of his students went on to become successful composers in their own right. Roberts' later works were characterized by a more lyrical and expressive style. He continued to draw inspiration from literature and often set poems to music. One of his most famous works from this period is his song cycle, "The Vanity of Human Wishes," which sets poems by Samuel Johnson to music. Roberts' music has been performed by some of the world's leading orchestras and ensembles, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Arditti Quartet. He received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including the Ivor Novello Award for Classical Music in 2008. Jeremy Dale Roberts passed away on July 11, 2017, at the age of 83. He left behind a rich legacy of music that continues to inspire and challenge audiences today. His works are characterized by their complexity, lyricism, and deep emotional resonance, and he remains one of the most important composers of the 20th century.

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