Nicholas Maw


John Nicholas Maw was a British composer. Among his works are the operas The Rising of the Moon and Sophie's Choice.

Biography

Born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, Maw was the son of Clarence Frederick Maw and Hilda Ellen Chambers. He attended the Wennington School, a boarding school, in Wetherby in the West Riding of Yorkshire. His mother died of tuberculosis when he was 14. He attended the Royal Academy of Music on Marylebone Road in London where his teachers were Paul Steinitz and Lennox Berkeley. He then studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger and Max Deutsch.
From 1998 until 2008, Maw served on the faculty of the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, where he taught music composition. He had previously served on the faculties of Yale University, Bard College, Boston University, the Royal Academy of Music, Cambridge University, and Exeter University.

Personal life

In 1960, Maw married Karen Graham, and they had a son and a daughter. Their marriage was dissolved in 1976. He took up residence in Washington, DC in 1984, living there with his companion Maija Hay, a ceramic artist, until his death. He died at home on 19 May 2009, at age 73, as a result of heart failure with complications from diabetes.
On Sunday 6 November 2011, BBC Radio 3 broadcast a 2-hour tribute called, "Nicholas Maw: A Celebration". The program featured performances of Maw's Violin Concerto, an orchestral suite drawn from his opera, Sophie's Choice, and two choral works.

Compositions

Maw is best known for Scenes and Arias for three female voices and orchestra, the orchestral pieces Odyssey and The World in the Evening, the guitar work Music of Memory and a violin concerto written for Joshua Bell. His music has been described as neo-romantic but also as modernist and non-tonal.
In 2002, the opera Sophie's Choice was commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. It was premièred at the Royal Opera House under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle, and afterwards received a new production by stage director Markus Bothe at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Volksoper Wien, which had its North American premiere by the Washington National Opera in October 2006. Mezzo-soprano Angelika Kirchschlager, who sang Sophie in London, reprised the role at the National Opera, joined by American baritone Rod Gilfry as Nathan Landau, the schizophrenic man who initially rescues Sophie and then persuades her to join him in a suicide pact. Maw also prepared a concert suite for orchestra based on the music.
Odyssey was performed in BBC's Maida Vale Studios on 9 December 2005, and was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 two days later. Rattle has also conducted a recording of the work with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Chronological list of compositions

  • Eight Chinese Lyrics for mezzo-soprano
  • Requiem for voices & orchestra
  • Flute Sonatina
  • Nocturne for mezzo-soprano & chamber orchestra
  • Six Chinese Songs for contralto & pianoFive Epigrams for chorusOur Lady's song, carol for chorusChamber Music for oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon & pianoScenes and Arias for soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto and orchestraRound for children's voices, SATB chorus and pianoThe Angel Gabriel, choral arrangement of Basque melodyBulalow, carol for chorusOne Man Show, opera
  • Arrangement of Corpus Christi Carol for sopranos and piano
  • String Quartet No. 1
  • Severn Bridge Variation for a composite work with Malcolm Arnold, Michael Tippett, Alun Hoddinott, Grace Williams and Daniel Jones
  • Sinfonia for chamber orchestraSix Interiors for tenor and guitar
  • Sonata for strings and two hornsThe Voice of Love, Eight Peter Porter songs for mezzo-soprano & piano
  • Double Canon for Igor Stravinsky on his 85th Birthday The Rising of the Moon, three-act opera
  • * Concert Music from The Rising of the Moon for orchestra
  • Epitaph-Canon in Memory of Igor Stravinsky for flute, clarinet & harp
  • Five Irish Songs for chorusPersonae I, II & III for piano
  • Serenade for orchestra Life Studies for fifteen strings
  • Te Deum for treble or soprano, tenor, SATB chorus, congregation and organReverdie, five songs for male voicesAnnes! for unaccompanied SATB chorusNonsense Rhymes for Children, 20 songs with piano accompanimentLa Vita Nuova, five songs for soprano and chamber ensemble
  • The Ruin for SSAATTBB chorus and solo horn
  • Flute Quartet Summer Dances for orchestraNight Thoughts for solo flute
  • String Quartet No. 2 The Old King's Lament for solo double-bassSpring Music for orchestra
  • Little Suite for solo guitarSonata Notturna for cello & stringsPersonae IV, V & VI for piano
  • Little Concert for oboe, two horns & stringsOdyssey for orchestraGhost Dances, imaginary ballet for five playersThe World in the Evening for orchestra
  • Five American Folksongs for voice & pianoMusic of Memory for solo guitar
  • Three Hymns, for SATB chorus and organRoman Canticle for baritone, flute, viola & harpOne Foot in Eden Still, I Stand for mixed chorus and optional organ
  • Piano Trio American Games for wind orchestraShahnama for chamber orchestraThe Head of Orpheus for soprano & two clarinetsSwetė Jesu for chorus
  • Violin Concerto
  • String Quartet No. 3 Dance Scenes for orchestraVoices of Memory for orchestraHymnus for SATB chorus and orchestra
  • Solo Violin Sonata Stanza for solo violinNarration for solo celloIntrada for string quartetSophie's Choice, four-act opera based on the William Styron novel
  • * Concert Suite from Sophie's Choice for orchestra with optional mezzo-soprano
  • * Tango from Sophie's Choice for solo guitar
  • Fanfare for brass ensemble
  • Concerto for Cor Anglais and Orchestra
  • String Quartet No. 4
  • String Sextet
Works lists may be found online.