Happy birthday, Elliott

[pianist1976]

Today the great contemporary composer Elliott Carter is 102 years old. 

Thank you very much, Elliott for your music and thank you for your effort, the advanced age is not an obstacle to continue composing!

[djealnla]

Happy birthday to you, happy... oh, screw that, I better sing him something atonal. 

[ahinton]

Yes, happy birthday indeed!

Have a look at https://www.boosey.com/podcast/Carter-on-Carter-1-Early-Years/13082 - an "interview" so much the better because he's simply left to speak for himself; once he got into his stride (which didn't take long), he seemed a tad more animated and with it than he did a couple of years ago when interviewed around the time of his centenary.

He has so often been mis-spelled "Elliot", so there might be some irony in his having recently completed a T S Eliot setting (I don't have the details as to what text/s) and I'm told that he plans next year to write a concertino for piano and orchestra for his young up-and-coming friend Barenboim's 70th birthday in 2012. What he might do after that I have no idea, but still there seems to be no sixth quartet on the horizon. Not to worry - he hopefully has plenty of time to think about that.

I wouldn't want too much to be made of the fact that he appears to be the only composer ever to have continued working after his centenary, for so much of music is fascinating and that is what really matters, but it does nevertheless seem somewhat extraordinary to think that he's almost 5 years Britten's senior...

Best,

Alistair

[retrouvailles]

It was also Messiaen's birthday recently, too, so happy birthday to both of them!