In a career spanning over 40 years, the award-winning composer John Pickard has established himself as one of the most distinctive and eloquent voices in contemporary British music.
He is best known for a series of powerful orchestral and instrumental works. He has written seven symphonies (No. 2 premièred by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in 1989; Nos. 3, 5 and 6 all written for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales), and other orchestral works of symphonic dimensions: Sea-Change (1989), The Flight of Icarus (1990), Channel Firing (1992-93) and the Trombone Concerto: The Spindle of Necessity (1997-98), Sixteen Sunrises (2013). The Flight of Icarus (a BBC commission) has since been played many times, both in Britain and abroad.
Other major works include the large-scale oratorio Agamemnon’s Tomb (2005-08), commissioned by the Huddersfield Choral Society, and premièred by them in 2008, Tenebrae (2008-9) composed for the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, and first performed in 2010, and the hour-long Gaia Symphony (1991-2003) for brass band, first heard in its complete version at the 2005 Cheltenham Music Festival. John Pickard’s commitment to the brass band movement was marked in 2001, when he was appointed Composer in Residence to the renowned Cory Band, a position he held until 2004. In 2005 he was commissioned to compose the test piece for the finals of the 2005 National Brass Band Championship, held at the Royal Albert Hall, London in October. This piece, Eden, has since been performed all over the world and is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important works ever written for brass band.
John Pickard’s music has been widely praised for its large-scale architectural sense and bold handling of an extended tonal idiom. His six string quartets have received particular acclaim. Reviewing the première of the Fourth Quartet in June 1998, The Strad called it “one of the best pieces of British chamber music to be heard for years” while the January 2003 edition of Tempo, reviewing the Sorrel Quartet’s CD of Quartets 2, 3 & 4 (Dutton Epoch CDLX 71117), said “even if Pickard were never to write another quartet in his life, his place among the greats is secure”. His orchestral music has also received critical praise. The U.S. première in 2006 of The Flight of Icarus by the San Francisco Symphony was described by the San Francisco Chronicle as ‘a translucent and achingly lovely memorial to the fallen Icarus’ and “a serious contender for the most exciting musical premiere of 2006.”
More than 50 of John Pickard’s compositions is available in commercial recordings. The leading international label BIS Records has issued seven albums entirely devoted to his music and three albums of his chamber music and songs have been issued on the Toccata Classics label.
John Pickard’s music is published by Bardic Edition. Orchestral scores and parts are available for hire via Schott Music.
Chamber, instrumental and vocal music is available for sale at GoodMusic.