COLIN MATTHEWS was born in London in 1946. He studied with Arnold Whittall and Nicholas Maw; in the 1970s he was assistant to Benjamin Britten, and worked for many years with Imogen Holst. His collaboration with Deryck Cooke on the performing version of Mahler’s Tenth Symphony lasted from 1963 until its publication in 1975. Over four decades his music has ranged from solo piano music through five string quartets and many ensemble and orchestral works. He was Associate Composer with the London Symphony Orchestra between 1992 and 1999, and Composer-in-Association with the Hallé from 2001-10, now their Composer Emeritus.
Featured Recording
Sonata No.5 ‘Landscape’, Cello Concerto No.1, Hidden Variables, Memorial, Quatrain, Machines and Dreams
Performers: London Sinfonietta, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra; Alexander Baillie (cello); John Carewe (conductor), Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor)
This 2-disc Ancora reissue brings together Alexander Baillie’s impassioned recording of Matthews’ Cello Concerto No.1, the expansive Landscape, and four works commissioned by the LSO – including the riotous Machines and Dreams, an updated ‘toy symphony’ which includes bird calls, football rattles and video-game sound effects.
Recordings originally released on Collins Classics and Unicorn-Kanchana.
Reissued with funding from Arts Council England.
Gallery
A selection of images spanning Colin Matthews’ career in music.
- Lukas Foss & CM - Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh Festival (Photo: Nigel Luckhurst; copyright Britten-Pears Foundation)
- Donald Mitchell, Paul Daniel, Colin Matthews, Michael Berkeley, Aldeburgh Festival (Photo: Nigel Luckhurst; copyright Britten-Pears Foundation)
- Colin Matthews at his desk, photographed by Fiona Garden
- Robin Holloway, CM, Oliver Knussen, Toru Takemitsu, Howard Skempton - Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh Festival (Photo: Nigel Luckhurst; copyright Britten-Pears Foundation)
- CM, Janet Baker, Benjamin Britten, Rita Thomson - Aldeburgh Festival 1976 (Photo: Nigel Luckhurst; copyright Britten-Pears Foundation)
- CM, Sally Groves, Hans Werner Henze - Aldeburgh Festival (Photo: Nigel Luckhurst; copyright Britten-Pears Foundation)
- Elliott Carter & CM - Aldeburgh Festival (Photo: Nigel Luckhurst; copyright Britten-Pears Foundation)






