Role

:

Composer  

Birth

:

1964 in Carmarthenshire, Wales

Period

:

Contemporary

 

 

Modern

Genre

:

Concerto

 

 

Film

 

 

Orchestral

 

 

Orchestral

 

Stephen Goss is a British classical music composer who was born on November 13, 1964, in Weston-super-Mare, England. He grew up in a musical family, with his father being a jazz pianist and his mother a singer. Goss started playing the guitar at the age of seven and was soon performing in public. He attended the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied guitar with Michael Lewin and composition with Paul Patterson. Goss has composed a wide range of music, including solo guitar works, chamber music, orchestral works, and operas. He is known for his innovative approach to composition, which often involves combining different musical styles and genres. His music has been performed by some of the world's leading musicians and ensembles, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. One of Goss's early works is his Sonata for Guitar, which he composed in 1987. The piece is a virtuosic showcase for the guitar, with fast runs and intricate fingerwork. It has become a popular work in the guitar repertoire and has been recorded by several prominent guitarists. In 1991, Goss composed his first major work for orchestra, The Alchemist. The piece is a musical depiction of the alchemical process, with each movement representing a different stage in the transformation of base metals into gold. The Alchemist has been performed by several orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Goss's interest in combining different musical styles is evident in his 1995 work, The Chinese Garden. The piece is a concerto for guitar and orchestra that incorporates elements of Chinese music, including pentatonic scales and traditional Chinese instruments. The Chinese Garden has been performed by several guitarists, including John Williams and Xuefei Yang. In 2002, Goss composed his first opera, The Miller's Tale, based on the Chaucer story of the same name. The opera is a comic retelling of the story, with music that combines elements of medieval and modern styles. The Miller's Tale has been performed by several opera companies, including the English Touring Opera. Goss's interest in combining different musical styles is also evident in his 2006 work, The Four Elements. The piece is a suite for guitar and string quartet that incorporates elements of jazz, rock, and classical music. The Four Elements has been performed by several ensembles, including the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. In 2010, Goss composed his second opera, The Passenger, based on the novel by Zofia Posmysz. The opera tells the story of a woman who discovers that her fellow passenger on a train is a former Nazi concentration camp guard. The Passenger has been performed by several opera companies, including the English National Opera and the Houston Grand Opera. Goss's most recent work is his 2019 concerto for guitar and orchestra, Theorbo Concerto. The piece is a tribute to the 17th-century composer and lutenist Giovanni Kapsberger, and incorporates elements of Baroque music. The Theorbo Concerto has been performed by several guitarists, including Miloš Karadaglić. In addition to his work as a composer, Goss is also a professor of composition at the University of Surrey in England. He has written several books on music, including The Classical Guitar: A Complete History and The Cambridge Companion to the Guitar.

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