Oliver Rudland
*17 December 1983
Works by Oliver Rudland
Biography
Oliver Rudland is an English composer, librettist and artistic director. He was educated at the Royal College of Music, London, and at Cambridge University where he now teaches composition. His operas include 'The Nightingale and the Rose' (a one act romantic opera after Oscar Wilde), 'The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark' (a children’s opera after Jill Tomlinson) and 'Pincher Martin' (a cinematic opera after William Golding), all of which have been professionally staged and highly acclaimed by critics: ‘This is an eloquent, succinct opera. In music and design ‘Pincher Martin’ pinched and gripped. This opera deserves to live.’ (Geoff Brown, The Times: ★★★★) His orchestral music has been performed in masterclasses directed by Sir James MacMillan and Mark-Anthony Turnage, and his chamber works have been showcased at the Southbank Centre (London), and the DiMenna Center (New York City), as well as at many other venues and festivals across the USA and Europe.
About the music
Oliver Rudland's music has been described in the British national press as: 'Rudland’s compositions are not simply appealing and original. What makes his music so powerful is the way he uses it, whether in his operas or his orchestral writing, to tell a story.' (Simon Heffer, The Daily Telegraph, 2020) 'Rudland appears to have achieved that rare and valuable object: a contemporary work that is both challenging yet accessible. Despite its disturbing subject matter, 'Pincher Martin' is lyrical, inventive, and above all a thoroughly engaging work.' (Will Hunt, Bachtrack, 2014) The above comments reflect the fact that his compositional approach draws stylistic influences from many different sources, and it is through dramatic representation and expression that these influences are unified into a compositional whole. Rudland is also often involved with (though far from exclusively) writing music for community organisations and so his music is also sometimes shaped by the demands of working in this context.