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Kenneth Hesketh (born 20 July 1968) is a British composer of contemporary classical music in numerous genres including Dance music, Orchestral music, Chamber music, vocal and solo. He has also composed music for wind and brass bands as well as seasonal music for choir.
His early work found its stimuli in extra-musical ideas. Several early works have their origins in medieval symbolism and iconography, notably three pieces for chamber ensemble: Theatrum (1996), Torturous Instruments (1997-8, after Hieronymous Bosch's depiction of Hell from The Garden of Earthly Delights), and The Circling Canopy of Night (1999). The latter of which was Hesketh's first piece to gain international attention. Commissioned by Faber Music for the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, it was first conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and further championed by Oliver Knussen, who performed many of Hesketh's works. Performances at the Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, London (London Sinfonietta) and the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam (ASKO Ensemble) soon followed. Described as "a glistening whirl of nocturnal colours, with a driving sense of purpose and onward movement", the piece was received positively.
Early works also displayed an interest in the sinister or melancholy nature of children's literature. His 2000-1 work, Netsuke (from the Japanese miniature sculptures called netsuke) – commissioned by the ensemble Endymion at the request of Hans Werner HenzeRickards, Guy, 'Voices: Henze at 75', Tempo No. 217 (Jul. 2001), pp. 48–52 [1] – comprises five short movements inspired variously by Saint-Exupéry's Le Petit Prince, Hoffmann's Struwwelpeter, and a poem by Walter de la Mare. Other such works include Small Tales, tall tales (2009, after the Brothers Grimm), and Detail from the Record (2002, after Japanese Folklore). Including such works as Theatre of Attractions (2007) and Wunderkammerkonzert (2008), hallmarks of his more recent style show an interest in what the composer describes as 'unreliable machines': short bursts of mechanistic material that repeat, are transformed but ultimately burn themselves out.Potter, Caroline, Unreliable machines: an interview with Kenneth Hesketh, Musical Times, Winter 2008 [2]
As an outgrowth of this, additional concepts of entropy (in humanistic terms), ageing, death, and failure in physical systems have expanded this interest in works such as Knotted Tongues (2012), Of Time and Disillusionment (2016), and In Ictu Occuli (2017). The incorporation of aspects of computer-assisted composition and limited randomised procedures has ultimately widened organisational approaches and made freer, as well as made more abstract, the ultimate musical work. This fascination with entropy, mutation and existentialism coexists with a notable interest in formal design based on the influence of 'pathways' (labyrinths and mazes) and the paradoxical notion of clarity through density.
Hesketh has received numerous commissions from international ensembles and organisations including the Fromm Foundation at Harvard University, the Continuum Ensemble, a Faber Millennium Commission for the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, the BBC Philharmonic, Hans Werner Henze and Endymion (in honour of Henze's 75th birthday), the Munich Biennale, the Michael Vyner Trust for the London Sinfonietta, an ENO/Almeida joint commission, Ensemble 10/10 and the Opera Group at the Linbury Theatre, Covent Garden. Performances have been given by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (Hessicher Rundfunk), the Sudwest Rundfunk (Baden-Baden), the London Sinfonietta, Psappha, the ASKO Ensemble, the Continuum Ensemble (Spitalfields Festival), as well as featured at the Prague Premieres (Czech Philharmonic Orchestra) , ISCM (Korea) and Gaudeamus Festivals. Conductors include Sir Simon Rattle, Oliver Knussen, Martyn Brabbins, Patrick Bailey, Philip Headlam, Christoph-Mathias Mueller, Vassily Sinaisky and Vasily Petrenko. Soloists include violinists Simon Blendis, Clio Gould, Peter Sheppard-Skaerved and Janet Sung, oboists Nicholas Daniel, Christopher Redgate and Hansjorg Schellenberger, sopranos Sarah Leonard, Claire Booth and Marie Vassiliou, baritone Rodney Clarke and pianists Karl Lutchmayer, Sarah Nichols and Daniel Becker.
His work has been recorded by BIS Records, NMC Recordings, London Sinfonietta, Psappha and Prima Facie labels; an NMC Recordings recording (titled Wunderkammer(konzert), released in 2013) was devoted to large ensemble and orchestral works. A disc of Hesketh's piano music performed by pianist Clare Hammond was released by BIS Records in 2016; in the same year, the Prima Facie label released a chamber music disc performed by the Continuum Ensemble. An orchestral portrait disc, Hesketh's fourth disc, was released in 2018 to great critical acclaim, and Hesketh's fifth portrait disc concentrating on music for 2 pianos and piano four hands was released by the Prima Facie label, performed by the Françoise-Green piano duo in 2019.
His many concert works, including opera, orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo works are published by either Schott Music, London or, for more recent works, Cecilian Music. Hesketh's works for symphonic wind band are published by Faber Music. His seasonal compositions for choir and orchestra are published by Novello & Co. Hesketh is Professor of Composition and Orchestration at the Royal College of Music, honorary professor at Liverpool University and active as a guest lecturer and visiting professor. He lives in London with his wife, American composer Arlene Sierra, and their son Elliott.
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