Thomas Adès

Thomas Adès (Joseph Edmund Adès) was born in London on 1 March 1971 and is one of the most distinguished English composers of the generation born towards the end of the twentieth century. His name is associated with composition, performance and conducting alike, facets he has combined from a very early age within a single professional career.

His first successes came as a pianist: in 1989 he won second prize for piano at the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. That same year he began studying music at the University of Cambridge, where he remained until 1992. His rise as a composer was rapid, with commissions from the Hallé Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta, the Almeida Opera and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, as well as several residencies. His association with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group led to his appointment as the ensemble's music director. In parallel, he taught composition at the Royal Academy of Music and steadily gained stature as a conductor. In 1999 he received the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize and the Grawemeyer Award, and he took on the artistic co-directorship of the Aldeburgh Festival.

From his earliest works, critics have praised the assurance of his style and technique, as well as a personal voice that combines vividness of detail with a clear and compelling overall design. His output ranges from chamber opera, such as Powder Her Face, to the string quartet, with Arcadiana, and symphonic form, with Chamber Symphony and Asyla. His works often allude to specific models without submitting to them. In 'O Albion', a movement from Arcadiana, there is a clear relationship with the 'Nimrod' of Elgar's Enigma Variations, although the similarity of mood and motifs serves above all to highlight the composer's different way of proceeding.

Adès's legacy lies in this capacity to engage with tradition without renouncing a personal form of expression. His work, which sits between biting humour and intense tenderness, displays a wide expressive range, and his instrumental music, such as Living Toys or Asyla, confirms a notable sonic imagination. His relationship with the Faber and EMI catalogues, moreover, reflects the international reach of his music.