Thomas Adès

Thomas Adès (* March 1, 1971 in London) is an English composer, conductor and pianist.

Life

Adès studied piano with Paul Berkowitz and composition with Robert Saxton at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. Later he continued his studies with Alexander Goehr and Robin Holloway at King's College in Cambridge continued.

His works have been performed by many leading orchestras, conductors and soloists around the world. Simon Rattle conducted his orchestral piece Asyla during his inaugural concert as conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. His first opera Powder Her Face has been performed worldwide and televised on Channel 4. The Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London instructed his second opera, The Tempest Opus 22 and brought them in February 2004 for the premiere. From 1999 to 2008 he was artistic director of the Aldeburgh Festival.

Awards

Among the numerous awards that he was honored to date, include: the Paris Rostrum (1994 ), the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award (1997), the Elise L. Stoeger Award (1998 ), the price of the Salzburg Easter Festival (1999), Munich Ernst von Siemens Music Prize for Young Composers (1999), the Grawemeyer Award (2000 ) and the Paul Hindemith Prize ( 2001).

Compositions

1989

• The Lover in Winter ( Counter Tenor and Piano)

1990

• Five Eliot Landscapes, Op 1 (Soprano and Piano)
• Chamber Symphony, Op 2
• O thou who didst with pitfall and gin, op 3a ( men's voices )
• Gefriolsae Me, op 3b ( men's voices and organ)

1991

• Catch, op 4 (clarinet, piano, violin, cello)

1992

• Fool's Rhymes, Op 5 (SATB choir and four soloists)
• Under Hamelin Hill, op 6 (Organ, 1-3 soloists)
• Darknesse Visible (piano)

1991-2

• Still Sorrowing, op 7 (piano)

1993

• Life Story, op 8 (soprano, 2 bass clarinets, bass - arranged for soprano and piano as Op 8a)
• Living Toys, Op 9 (14 soloists)
• ... but all shall be well, op 10 (Orchestra)
• Sonata da Caccia, op 11 ( baroque oboe, horn, harpsichord)

1994

• Arcadiana, Op 12 ( string quartet )
• The Origin of the Harp, Opus 13 (10 solo )

1995

• Powder Her Face, Op.14 ( opera )

1995-6

• Traced Overhead, Op 15 (piano)

1996

• These Premises Are Alarmed, op 16 (Orchestra)

1997

• Asyla, op 17 (Orchestra)
• Conciso Concerto, Op 18 (piano and 10 soloists)
• The Fayrfax Carol (SATB, Optional Organ)

1999

• January Writ (SATB, Organ)
• America: A Prophecy, op 19 (mezzo - soprano, chorus, orchestra )

2000

• Piano Quintet, Op 20

2001

• Brahms, Op 21 ( Piano and Orchestra )

2003-4

• The Tempest, Op 22 ( opera ), UA: Covent Garden, London

2004

• Scenes from The Tempest, Op 22a (singers and orchestra), UA: Covent Garden, London

2005

• Court Studies from The Tempest ( clarinet, violin, cello, piano)
• Concerto for Violin: Concentric Paths, op 24

2006

• Studies from Couperin (chamber orchestra)

2007

• Tevot (Orchestra)

2008

• In Seven Days: Piano Concerto with animated images ( with Tal Rosner )

Performances in Germany

• Opera Powder Her Face, theater of Magdeburg, German premiere, September 1996, Director: Anja sinner man, Conductor: Mathias Husmann.
• Opera, The Tempest, Frankfurt Opera, premiere in Germany / Premiere on January 10, 2010 Director: Keith Warner, Conductor: Johannes Debus.
• Opera, The Tempest, Theater Lübeck, Premiere on March 12, 2010 Director: Reto Nickler, Conductor: Philippe Bach.
• Sonata da caccia, Op 11, and played by the Ensemble Modern, The Origin of the Harp Op 13 were on the same evening of Adès conducts in wood foyer of the Frankfurt Opera.