List of compositions by Peter Maxwell Davies

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Peter Maxwell Davies in 2012 Peter Maxwell Davies.jpg
Peter Maxwell Davies in 2012

Peter Maxwell Davies, an English composer and conductor, wrote music in many genres, notably ten symphonies and works for the stage, from the monodrama Eight Songs for a Mad King (first performed in 1969) to The Hogboon (scheduled to be performed in June 2016). [1]

Contents

His official catalogue includes more than 334 works starting with his Op. 1 in 1955, but there are also about fifty earlier works dating back as far as 1942—regarded as juvenilia—and around a hundred minor mature works, designated by "WoO" (Werke ohne Opuszahl = Works without Opus number). These numbers were not assigned by the composer, but rather were first established only in 2010. [2]

He sometimes based his music on Mediaeval and Renaissance motifs and themes such as the opera Taverner , on the composer John Taverner. After his move to Orkney, he often used Orcadian themes, for example in An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise for orchestra with bagpipes. Interested in classical forms, he composed series and cycles of works. The first seven of his ten symphonies form a cycle. He composed several concertos, including a Trumpet Concerto and a series of ten Strathclyde Concertos for different instruments, sometimes in combination. [3] [4] Of his fourteen string quartets, ten form a series, the Naxos Quartets which can be considered a multi-installment "novel." [5]

Table of selected compositions

This incomplete table of compositions by Peter Maxwell Davies lists notable works chronologically, adding when available subtitle or full title, scoring, Opus number (Op.), year of composition, genre, text information, and the link to the details on the official website. [1] The title is sometimes a common title, with a subtitle added in the same column, while other details such as a full title or a description appear in the second column. The scoring is given if it is not obvious from the title, or unexpected, such as the tenth symphony which includes vocal parts. A year of composition follows, according to the website. The year of a first performance may be different. The column "Text" lists texts on which the work is based, or their author(s).

Compositions by Peter Maxwell Davies
TitleDetailScoringOp.YearGenreTextReference
Early Morning Echoes
piano soloWoO 11942 (1942) Solo instrumental 343
Sonata
trumpet and piano11955 (1955) Chamber 225
Five Pieces for Piano
piano solo21956 (1956) Solo instrumental 89
Alma Redemptoris Mater
wind sextet: flute, oboe, 2 clarinets, bassoon, horn51957 (1957) Chamber 29
First Taverner Fantasia
First Fantasia on an In Nomine of John Taverner 191962 (1962) Orchestral 82
Second Taverner Fantasia
Second Fantasia on an In Nomine of John Taverner 231964 (1964) Orchestral 208
Five Little Pieces for Piano
piano solo271964 (1964) Solo instrumental 87
Revelation and Fall
Monodrama
  • soprano
  • instrumental ensemble
311966 (1966) Vocal 200
St Thomas Wake: Foxtrot for Orchestra on a Pavan by John Bull
371966–1969 Orchestral [6]
381966–1969 Orchestral [6]
Music theatre work for male voice and instrumental ensemble
391969 (1969) Opera Randolph Stow , George III 2
for instrumental ensemble
461971 (1971) Suite [7]
711976 (1976) Symphony 258
Chamber opera in nine scenes
721976 (1976) Opera Peter Maxwell Davies 289
Salome
Ballet in two acts
80a1978 (1978) Ballet Peter Maxwell Davies 204
Chamber opera in one act with prologue
861979 (1979) Opera Peter Maxwell Davies 286
Pantomime opera in two acts for young performers
871979 (1979) Opera Peter Maxwell Davies 59
881980 (1980) Solo instrumental 300
911980 (1980) Symphony 259
Piano Sonata
piano solo931981 (1981) Solo instrumental 188
Sea Eagle
horn solo1031982 (1982) Solo instrumental 205
Organ Sonata
organ solo1071982 (1982) Solo instrumental 181
1191984 (1984) Symphony 260
For orchestra with solo bagpipes
120a1984 (1984) Orchestral 31
dedicated to Isaac Stern 1231985 (1985) Concerto 61
  • oboe
  • orchestra
1281987 (1987) Concerto 242
  • cello
  • orchestra
1311987 (1987) Concerto 243
1321988 (1988) Concerto 341
1361989 (1989) Symphony 261
  • horn
  • trumpet
  • orchestra
1391989 (1989) Concerto 541
  • clarinet
  • orchestra
1431990 (1990) Concerto 245
Ballet in two acts
144a1990 (1990) Ballet 54
  • violin
  • viola
  • strings
1511990 (1990) Concerto 246
  • flute
  • orchestra
1521991 (1991) Concerto 247
  • double bass
  • orchestra
1561992 (1992) Concerto 248
  • bassoon
  • orchestra
1591993 (1993) Concerto 249
1661994 (1994) Symphony 262
  • piccolo
  • alto flute
  • cor anglais
  • E clarinet
  • bass clarinet
  • contrabassoon
  • strings
1701994 (1994) Concerto 250
1761996 (1996) Symphony 263
  • orchestra
1791996 (1996) Concerto 251
1821996 (1996) Concerto 189
Music theatre work for soprano, baritone, bass and instrumental ensemble
1751995 (1995) Opera David Pountney 276
Music theatre work for soprano, baritone, bass and instrumental ensemble
2071999 (1999) Chamber opera David Pountney 143
2112000 (2000) Symphony 264
Antarctic
2152000 (2000) Symphony 339
string quartet2292002 (2002) Chamber 164
string quartet2342003 (2003) Chamber 165
string quartet2362003 (2003) Chamber 166
Children's Games
string quartet2452004 (2004) Chamber 167
Lighthouses of Orkney and Shetland
string quartet2532004 (2004) Chamber 168
string quartet2572005 (2005) Chamber 169
Metafore sul Borromini
string quartet2652005 (2005) Chamber 170
string quartet2682003 (2003) Chamber 171
string quartet2752005 (2005) Chamber 172
string quartet2832007 (2007) Chamber 327
Piano Quartet
piano, violin, viola, cello2882007 (2007) Chamber 321
Young Blood!3062011 (2011) Opera David Pountney 549
3152012 (2012) Symphony 560
"Alla ricerca di Borromini"
  • baritone
  • choir
  • orchestra
3272013 (2013) Symphonyanonymous,
Francesco Borromini,
Giacomo Leopardi
572
The Hogboon
  • soloists
  • children's choirs
  • adult SATB choir
  • orchestra
3362015 (2015) Dramatic work 582

References

  1. 1 2 "Works list". Davies official website. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  2. Nicholas Jones and Richard McGregor, "Peter Maxwell Davies's Opus and WoO Numbers: A New Work List", Musical Times 151, no. 1910 (Spring 2010): 53–86.
  3. "Peter Maxwell Davies". Schott. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  4. "Peter Maxwell Davies". Boosey & Hawkes . Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  5. "The Best Classical CD's of 2004; DAVIES: 'NAXOS' QUARTETS NOS. 1, 2". New York Times . Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  6. 1 2 Nicholas Jones and Richard McGregor, The Music of Peter Maxwell Davies, Boydell (2020), 322.
  7. Nicholas Jones and Richard McGregor, The Music of Peter Maxwell Davies, Boydell (2020), 323.