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Colin Matthews

Composer

He has … brought musical architectronics to a personal pitch of mastery.

— Paul Driver, The Sunday Times

Anthony Payne (1936-2021)

2 May, 2021

Tony Payne, standing in front of a lake and mountain view

That Anthony Payne has died so soon after the death of his wife Jane Manning is a shock. But, inseparable as they were in life, it is perhaps not surprising that one could not survive without the other. It is a double loss, to the musical world. Tony’s music was well represented on NMC, and only a few days ago I was talking to him about the possibility of a new recording of his orchestral music : let’s hope that it can still happen.

His love for the music of English composers, notably Vaughan Williams, Delius, Frank Bridge and, of course, Elgar, didn’t result in any attempt to emulate them. Instead his music reveals how he was able to reconcile their disparate styles with the mainstream of contemporary music (he wrote a remarkably perceptive book about Schoenberg in 1968). His music is both expressive and hard-edged, and like his personality, never lacks warmth.

His reconstruction of Elgar’s Third Symphony, first performed and recorded for NMC in 1998, is a tour de force of insight and imagination. Though many disapproved of the idea of ‘completing’ the symphony – a term which in any case Tony rejected – those objections were swept aside by the power and beauty revealed in the music. He would have wanted to, and will be, remembered for more than that considerable achievement, but it was one of which he was justifiably very proud.

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Latest News & Views

Aerial photo of Snape Maltings

Britten-Pears Young Artists

2 November, 2022

Turner's painting - The burning of the house of lords and the commons. The sky is ablaze with fire, there is a wide view of the review and an arched bridge in the distance.

Cleveland Pictures at Snape

1 July, 2022

Group of performers posing for a photo together in front of the piano, with Colin Matthews and William Boyd

A Visit to Friends

27 March, 2022

Upcoming Performances

Click on the date and title of the performance to view venue and booking details in a new window.

28 March, 2023 - Time Stands Still, Dual, 23 Frames for Piano, Horn and String Trio
Nash Ensemble
Wigmore Hall, London

28 March, 2023 - Seascapes
Claire Booth (soprano), Nash Ensemble
Wigmore Hall, London

28 May, 2023 - Mosaics (world premiere)
London Symphony Orchestra, Francois-Xavier Roth
Barbican Hall, London

View all performances

Useful Links

Faber Music
NMC Recordings
The Holst Foundation

© 2023 Colin Matthews · Website by Bookswarm

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