What was the first ever record you bought?
I can’t remember what the first was (though as a teenager I bought a new 7” single every week), but I do remember winning a fancy dress-competition (dressed as Snoopy from the Peanuts cartoon) and the prize was a single of my choice. I chose 007 (Shanty town) by Desmond Dekker & the Aces. The first CD I bought was Haydn Symphonies, including no 104.
What was the last piece of music you bought?
The new Birtwistle / NMC disc, Angel Fighter.
What’s your musical guilty pleasure?
I don’t have any... I don’t listen to something unless I like it, and if I like it then it must be good! I think the parameters we use to measure the quality of things, outwardly at least, are often irrelevant. I’m not too bothered about the surfaces or styles of things, although they can of course add to the experience of a good piece of work. I’m interested in things that surprise and delight me; my favourite pieces of art make me feel more alive or awakened, or connected to something much bigger than myself.
Though I was a big Dire Straits fan as a teenager.
If you found yourself with six months free to learn a new instrument, what would you choose?
I’d love to be a really good drummer. The drum kit involves the whole body; it’s like dancing, so earthy and primal, but is also a great platform for quick-wittedness and invention.
Is applauding between movements acceptable?
It depends on the moment, if the general listening experience in the performance space is genuine and connected, and an audience member(s) feels so moved that they simply have to applaud, then that can be a beautiful thing. I remember at the premiere of my orchestral work Tilting (a surprise element in an otherwise not so modern programme), there was a big dramatic moment in the middle of the piece at which point a gentleman seated in my row emitted an apparently involuntary guttural cry of shock or joy or something. I thought that was wonderful.
What single thing would improve the format of the classical concert?
Attention to visual detail and movement on the platform. This should have a natural, meaningful flow, like the music.
What’s been your most memorable live music experience as an audience member?
Ex Cathedra performing Stockhausen’s World Parliament at 2013’s Proms.
We’re giving you a time machine: what period, or moment in musical history, would you travel to and why?
An early performance of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, composed in 1607. The nature of opera is always being discussed and argued: I’d like to go back to one of the very first examples so I could report back on what the original thinking was! It’s also a sublime and epic work.
What, in your opinion, is the best new piece written in last half century?
Impossible to name just one piece, but Ligeti’s Hamburg Concerto is an all time favourite.
Which non-classical musician would you love to work with?
I think I could learn a great many things from jazz composer and musician Carla Bley.
Imagine you’re a festival director here in London with unlimited resources. What would you programme - or commission - for your opening event?
The opera - a “tragedy of listening”: Prometeo by Luigi Nono.
It’s late, you’ve had a few beers, you’re in a Karaoke bar. What do you choose to sing?
Prince: Gett Off or Eagles: One of These Nights.
Tansy Davies’ Re-greening, written for the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, receives its world premiere performances by the orchestra as it tours to Aldeburgh (6 August), Birmingham (7 August) and to the Proms (8 August) with Sir Mark Elder.
