Diana Burrell

Diana Burrell (born 25 October 1948) is an English composer. She was born in Norwich, Norfolk. She went to Norwich High School for Girls and then studied music at the University of Cambridge. She started her career as a viola player, but soon became well known for her compositions was able to be a full-time composer.[1]

Her first big orchestral piece was called Landscape (1988). It describes the wild, windswept countryside. It won an Encore Award from the Royal Philharmonic Society and BBC Radio 3.[2] Another orchestral work has a long title in German: Das Meer so gross und weit ist da wimmelts ohne Zahlgrosse kleine Tiere (The sea is so big and wide and swarming with numerous little animals). It describes the sounds and the atmosphere of the sea.

Burrell has written other orchestral works including concertos for viola, flute and clarinet, an opera The Albatross (1997), lots of choral works and chamber music. She likes modern architecture and her music sometimes shows this in the way it is shaped. She has also written music for young people such as Lights and Shadows (1989) which includes children’s choir, recorder group and lots of percussion.

Burrell teaches at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is artistic director of Spitalfields Festival in London. She lives in East London.

References

  1. Jaffé, Daniel (2011). "Diana Burrell – Composition:Today". compositiontoday.com. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  2. "UMP Composers – Diana Burrell". ump.co.uk. 2010. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2011.

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