A composer mourns a leading critic

A composer mourns a leading critic

News

norman lebrecht

December 14, 2022

The British composer Colin Matthews pays tribute to Bayan Northcott, who has died at 82:

… He was a distinguished writer and critic, most notably for The Independent from 1986 until 2009.

But it as a composer that he would have most wanted to be remembered, although his scrupulous concern for writing exactly the right notes meant that his output was relatively small. The eight years that he took to perfect his Concerto for Horn and Ensemble was not untypical, but his major achievement, the Concerto for Orchestra, first performed at the Proms in 2016, was achieved in a relatively relaxed three years…. He was the gentlest of souls, but always firm in his opinions.

Comments

  • Simon Holt says:

    Excellent performance of a really beautiful piece. Hard to write this well for guitar, but to turn out a piece this good . . . RIP, Bayan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWHe2BzuBDE

  • Sue Sonata Form says:

    A picture paints a thousand words!

  • bgn says:

    Is there a link to Colin Matthews’ original?

  • Rob Keeley says:

    Very sad news. He was a good friend. I shall miss him.

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