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born in Swansea (Wales) in 1959, he studied composition
with Peter Wiegold (1980–83), subsequently receiving guidance from
Brian Ferneyhough and Hans-Joachim Hespos at the 1984 Darm-stadt Summer
Courses. His compositions have won the Kranich-steiner Musikpreis (1986),
the Gaudeamus Foundation Prize (1989, for the string quartet I open and
close), and the British Composer Award (2003, for the string quartet 13
selfportraits).
From 1996 to 2001 he taught electronic composition and performance in the
Institute of Sonology at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. In
2001–02 he was a guest of the daad Artists’ Programme in Berlin,
where he currently lives.
Richard Barrett’s work encompasses both composition and improvisation
ranging from chamber music to innovative uses of live electronics and
collaborations with visual artists, all of which come together in works such
as the evening-length project Dark Matter, composed for the combined
‘Elision’ and ‘Cikada’ ensembles and the
installation artist Per Inge BjNrlo (first complete performance at the
‘MaerzMusik’ Festival in Berlin, 2003).
Current projects include commissions from the bbc Symphony Orchestra, the
pianist Ian Pace and the clarinet/piano duo of Carl Rosman and Mark Knoop.
At the same time Richard Barrett con-
tinues his 18-year collaboration with Paul Obermayer in the electronic duo
‘Furt’ and performs regularly with Ute Wassermann (voice),
Michael Griener (percussion), Evan Parker (saxophone), Arne Deforce (cello),
Kammerensemble Neue Musik Berlin and other ensembles from both compositional
and improvisational areas.
Selected works: ne songe plus ± fuir for solo cello
(1985–86), I open and close for string quartet (1983–88),
negatives for nine players (1988–93), Vanity for orchestra
(1990–94), ruin for six spatially separated groups of three
instruments (1985–95), Tract for solo piano (1984–96), Ope-ning
of the Mouth for two vocalists, ensemble (11 musicians) and electronics
(1992–97), stress for string quartet (1996–97), Unter Wasser,
music theatre in five acts for mezzo-soprano and 13 instrumentalists
(1994–98), transmission for electric guitar and live electronics
(1996–
–99), dark matter for 19 performers and electronics (1990–2002),
Blattwerk for cello and live electronics (1998–2002), 13 selfportraits
for string quartet (2000–02), faux départs for piano and string
quartet (2000–03), no for orchestra (2003–04), medusa,
performance for voice and live electronics (2004).
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