Andrew Lowe- Watson's music
Andrew was born in London in 1958. His music has been performed
in the U.K., Germany, Russia, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
He studied composition as a Junior Scholar at Trinity College of
Music; then at Trinity College, Cambridge, where his tutors
were Richard Marlow, Hugh Wood and Robin Holloway.
Whilst an undergraduate he won the University Chamber Choir's Composition Prize
for settings of Manley Hopkins , one of which, The Windhover, was sung
on the Backs in May Week to an audience of three thousand.
Andrew has written an opera and eleven musicals. His
adaptation of Alain-Fournier's Le Grand Meaulnes was produced in London in 1992 (Book and additional lyrics by Richard Parsons) and thesongs were broadcast on BBC Radio . From 1994 to 2001 he was 'Hauskomponist' for the Bruder Grimm Kirchenfestspiele in Hanau,
Germany, the birthplace of the Grimms. He composed the music to eight
fairy-tales, one of which, Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten, was revived
twice and taken on a sell-out tour of Japan in 2003.
In 1998 Andrew approached the author Catherine Storr with his
first ideas for an opera based on her classic children's novel Marianne Dreams. He completed a piano score to her libretto in 2001, one month
after her death. In June 2004 the opera was given its world premiere in
a concert performance at the Lilian Baylis Theatre, Sadlers Wells,
London.
Andrew has written church music, chamber works, part-songs, a
suite of Nature Pieces for solo Piano, orchestral works, and
incidental music for stage and screen.
This year, as part of the
national celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the battle of
Trafalgar in October, he has written two orchestral works about
Nelson. Hooratio! was commissioned using funding from the National
Lottery by North Walsham, the town in Norfolk where Nelson went to
school. It will receive its first performance on October 22nd in a
concert in St. Nicholas' church, North Walsham. The overture
Trafalgar (1805) has been recorded by the Moscow International Symphony
Orchestra conducted by Konstantin Krimetz. Its world premiere takes
place appropriately in Norwich, in the opening concert of the Norwich
Philharmonic Society's 2005-6 season at St. Andrew's Hall on November
5th.
In addition to this maritime trend Andrew has already started
writing his next opera, based on the life and works of the great
philosopher Giordano Bruno, and is planning a piano concerto.
Andrew lives in Norfolk within one mile of the sea and three miles
from a lighthouse.
Note added in May 2021.....I am sad to report that I was contacted by Stephen Lowe-Watson in May 2021, who wrote as follows: .... my brother Andrew Lowe-Watson died on Sunday 25th April, at the care home in Norfolk where he had been for over a year. He had been fighting a long battle against Parkinson's disease.
We send our condolences to the family and to Andrew's partner, Andrew Dean. - ND
WORKS:-
Opera
Marianne Dreams 1999-2004
Musical Theatre
Der Gestiefelte Kater 2001
Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren 2000
Schneewittchen 1999
Aschenputtel 1998
Schneeweisschen und Rosenrot 1997
Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten 1996
Dornroeschen 1995
Vom der Fischer un syner Fru 1994
The Mastersingers of Haywards Heath1993-4
Le Grand Meaulnes 1989, revised 1992-95
Razumov (unfinished work) 1986
It's a Miracle 1985
Choral - Church music
Snow in Bethlehem: a Christmas carol 2000
Magnificat 1974
Choral - Part-songs
But these things also: Three poems of Edward Thomas 1990
As Kingfishers Catch Fire: Three settings of Manley Hopkins 1979
(winner of the Cambridge University Chamber Choir's Composition Prize)
Vocal - Church music
Bittet, so wird euch gegeben 2001
Vocal - Chamber
Adlestrop (Edward Thomas) 1994
Church-going (Philip Larkin)1979
Orchestral
Trafalgar (1805) 2004-5
Hooratio! 2005
Suite - Images de Touraine: Saumur; Azay 1980
Sinfonietta 1979
Divertimento for strings 1976
Instrumental
In Memoriam David Hoenigsberg, for Trumpet and Piano 200
Three pieces for String Quartet 1991
Nature Pieces for Piano 1989-90
Toccata for Organ 1980
Wind Quintet 1978
Movement for String Quartet 1975
Incidental Music for theatre
Faustus 1993
Far from the Madding Crowd 1992
Film scores
The Stream 1999
Via Charing Cross 1998
links:
Andrew's website:http://www.andrewlowewatson.com
Other links:
www.seabritain.co.uk
www.norwichphil.org.uk
www.britishacademy.com/members/lowe-watson.htm
ALL ENQUIRIES ABOUT PERFORMANCES, FEES , ROYALTIES AND LICENSING TO;
BRENDAN DAVIS, FILM RIGHTS LTD, 80-82 REGENT ST, LONDON W1B 5A TEL:
+44 (0)20 7734 9911
Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
