Notable Commissions, Compositions and Performances
Hesketh has received numerous commissions from international ensembles and organisations including the Fromm Foundation at Harvard University, the Continuum Ensemble, a Faber Millennium Commission for the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, the BBC Philharmonic, Hans Werner Henze and Endymion (in honour of Henze's 75th birthday), the Munich Biennale, the Michael Vyner Trust for the London Sinfonietta, an ENO/Almeida joint commission, the 10/10 Ensemble and the Opera Group at the Linbury Theatre, Covent Garden.
His many concert works, including opera, orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo works are published by Schott & Co., London and are performed by leading ensembles and orchestras in Europe and North America. A selection of major works include Two Lapels and a Pocket (from the Overcoat after Gogol) for orchestra, Theatrum for large ensemble, Dei Destini Incrociati for chamber ensemble, Poetic Conceits for piano solo, Detail from the Record for chamber orchestra, Music of a distant drum for Baritone and ensemble, Small Tales, tall tales four four singers and ensemble and At God speeded summer's end for orchestra.
Hesketh’s other works for symphonic wind band have become contemporary classics of the genre. Tuneful and immediately accessible, regular performances of them around the world have led to British, Japanese, American and Canadian commercial recordings. These are published by Faber Music. His seasonal compositions for choir and orchestra are published by Novello & Co.
Recent performances have been given by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (Hessicher Rundfunk), the Sudwest Rundfunk (Baden-Baden), the London Sinfonietta, Psappha, the ASKO ensemble, the Continuum Ensemble (Spitalfields festival). Conductors include Sir Simon Rattle, Oliver Knussen, Martyn Brabbins, Patrick Bailey, Philip Headlam, Christoph Mueller, Vassily Sinaisky and Vasily Petrenko. Soloists include violinst Simon Blendis, Clio Gould and Peter Sheppard-Skaerved, oboists Nicholas Daniel, Christopher Redgate and Hansjorg Schellenberger, sopranos Sarah Leonard, Claire Booth and Marie Vassilliou, baritone Rodney Clarke and pianists Karl Lutchmayer, Sarah Nichols and Daniel Becker.
Future performances include Diatoms I-IV (the four horsemen) for the Francoise-Green piano duo, a series of twelve short pieces for piano titled Horae (pro Clara) for the British pianist Clare Hammond and a work for the Seattle Symphony Orchestra titled Knotted Tongues. In 2011 Notte Oscura for piano solo (Peter O'Hagan) was released on the UHR label, Point Forms (after Kandinsky) for Basset clarinet was released on the NMC label (Mark Simpson and Ian Buckle), and Three Japanese Miniatures was released on the Prima Facie label (Clare Hammond). A disk of his chamber music performed by the contemporary music group Psappha will released later this year.
Kenneth Hesketh was made an honorary professor of composition at University of Liverpool in 2008 and is professor of composition and orchestration at the Royal College of Music. He lives in London and is married to the composer Arlene Sierra.
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