Born in 1934, Peter Maxwell Davies grew up in working-class Salford, a suburb of Manchester; but his precocious talent ensured that he came to prominence at a young age. In the mid-Fifties he became something of an infant terrible, producing music that seemed consciously discordant in an effort to challenge what he saw as the rather stuffy conventions of classical music at that time. Like John Osborne in the theater, or Karel Reisz and Tony Richardson in the cinema, he could be seen as something of an Angry Young Man, combining his writing with teaching at Cirencester Grammar School.
As his reputation grew, Maxwell Davies became more established, having his works regularly performed at the BBC Proms and being invited to present modern music programs on the BBC. He made it something of a mission to popularize contemporary music as something listeners should try to inhabit rather than to rationalize. Moving from Manchester to the Orkney Islands, he found that the rolling Highland landscapes provided him with inspiration for further classical compositions.
After being knighted, Maxwell Davies received the highest honor by being appointed Master of the Queen's Music (the equivalent of the Poet Laureate) in 2004. Although now very much an establishment figure, this status did not blunt his political and/or critical edge: for him music had to make social as well as moral points, inviting listeners to reflect on their relationship to the world.
Maxwell Davies died in 2016, a respected figure whose work continues to be performed on a regular basis. Presented by Tom Service, this tribute, liberally illustrated with clips from the BBC archives, was both illuminating yet accurate in its assessment of the composer's contribution to modern music.
As his reputation grew, Maxwell Davies became more established, having his works regularly performed at the BBC Proms and being invited to present modern music programs on the BBC. He made it something of a mission to popularize contemporary music as something listeners should try to inhabit rather than to rationalize. Moving from Manchester to the Orkney Islands, he found that the rolling Highland landscapes provided him with inspiration for further classical compositions.
After being knighted, Maxwell Davies received the highest honor by being appointed Master of the Queen's Music (the equivalent of the Poet Laureate) in 2004. Although now very much an establishment figure, this status did not blunt his political and/or critical edge: for him music had to make social as well as moral points, inviting listeners to reflect on their relationship to the world.
Maxwell Davies died in 2016, a respected figure whose work continues to be performed on a regular basis. Presented by Tom Service, this tribute, liberally illustrated with clips from the BBC archives, was both illuminating yet accurate in its assessment of the composer's contribution to modern music.
