Two of the very best composers of their generation from Great Britain, both write music of great imagination and formidable craftsmanship that is always engaging, worthwhile and original. They work with rich harmony and textures, a feature I hold in great value, and in which they achieve real depth.Their music can be complex in expression and detail and often demanding to listen to but is never over-complicated.
This mirrors the richness of their experience and interest across a wide range of subjects including Richard’s knowledge of music outside western traditions and languages and Ken’s eclectic engagement with art, animation, puppet theatre and the quirkier corners of literature.
They also follow in a line of an important generation of great composers such as Colin Matthews and Oliver Knussen who spent much time and effort establishing organizations to advance new music in the U.K. and created programs for music to be developed and performed by young, aspiring composers. Other important figures include composition teachers Jeremy Dale Roberts and John Lambert who set down solid foundations for the rich array of composer talent that has blossomed in the U.K.