Biography
The music of David Gorton first began to receive attention in 2001 when he was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize while still a student. The subsequent commission for the London Sinfonietta, Oblique Prayers, outlined a distinctive and unique sound-world described by one commentator as combining “an acute imagination for delicate timbral invention with a prodigious command of the unfolding of this half-hour ritual drama” (The Independent).
Since then a number of central concerns have emerged
in subsequent works: a fascination with the malleability of musical time in
live performance, the extension of instrumental techniques and tuning systems,
and a penchant for virtuosity and extreme gestures. These can all be found in
works written for Ensemble Exposé, the Kreutzer Quartet, Jane’s Minstrels, the
BBC Symphony Orchestra, and soloists Christopher Redgate, Peter Sheppard Skærved,
and Neil Heyde.
The same voice, but perhaps with a different mode of expression, can be found in two educational pieces published in the ABRSM Spectrum series, and in liturgical works written for the Royal Academy of Music Chamber Choir and the St Neots Parish Church Choir.
David Gorton studied composition with Harrison
Birtwistle and Simon Bainbridge. His music has been recorded on the Metier, USK,
and Microtonal Projects labels, and broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s ‘Hear and Now’, ‘In
Tune’, and ‘Choral Evensong’ programmes. He lives in Cambridgeshire with his
wife and daughter and teaches at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Short Biography
The music of David Gorton (recipient of the 2001 Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize) is sometimes characterised by a fascination with alternative tuning systems and virtuosic gestures, and at other times is revels in simple tranquility. Recent projects include pieces for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Kreutzer Quartet, and Ensemble Exposé. He teaches at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Selected Reviews
"After hearing this beautiful CD, I am keen to discover much more
of Gorton's music. As represented here, in works written for the Kreutzer
Quartet and its members, as well as a piece for piano trio, Melting Forms , it
seems to me lyrical without being soft, complex without being threatening, cool
without being cold. It is intricately crafted, but it wears its intelligence
lightly.... As it proceeds, the music almost imperceptibly rises towards
this higher, more ethereal realm, moving from a world of sombre consideration
to transcendent ecstasy." The Rambler.
"Contemporary classical is alive and well in England.... This
recording, supervised by the composer, is loaded with music that seems
difficult to play but certainly rewards the listener for sticking with
it." Midwest Record.
"The best piece was the non-premiere, a 1999 work by David Gorton
....Pilvet (the title is Finnish for clouds) pleased with some attractive
textural invention and an impressive sustained quality in the interweaving of
string lines towards the middle of the piece." www.classicalsource.com.
"Four short works ... were premiered, and the featherweight slitherings
of David Gorton’s Eau de lune proved the most interesting." The Times.
"The best work was David Gorton’s Oblique Prayers. This
setting of poems by Denise Levertov for soprano and ensemble … combines an
acute imagination for delicate timbral invention with a prodigious command of
the unfolding of this half-hour ritual drama." The Independent.
"The Sinfonietta’s concerts were all conducted by Martyn Brabbins, and
the players were superbly committed. They revealed the ambition of
David Gorton’s Oblique Prayers, a delicate setting of poems by Denise
Levertov for soprano and ensemble." The Guardian.
"David Gorton’s intricately atmospheric Revontulet was a
competent premiere." The Observer.
"The piece Towards Location by the young composer David Gorton
... left a strong impression on me. I will be curious to hear more
of his music in future." www.musicweb.uk.net.