Contemporary British composer quote

[MaryW]

Hi,

Does anyone recall the name of a (rather outspoken, perhaps?) British contemporary music conductor/director, who does a lot with electronic experimental music performances?

I watched a contemporary music performance on BBC television, about a year ago…. And one of the things this British composer/conductor stated has rankled me ever since. He said that all classical music performances can be categorized as ‘cover songs’.

During this performance/documentary, he conducted a new music performance with around 20 performers, combining electronic music and percussion, voice, and classical instruments like violins. All of the musicians were dressed in white…. The venue was in a very modern building, where the audience walked up and down stairs and watched the musicians, from multiple levels…. Maybe it was performed within a school of music somewhere in the UK?

Does this ring a bell with anyone (terrible pun intended)? Has anyone seen this?

I would like to find the composer/conductor’s name, and the name of the television series. I’ve searched BBC and Google but haven’t found anything. For some reason this conductor’s statements have stayed with me…. I would love to re-watch the show and maybe come to some closure about his statement.

Thanks in advance for any ideas…..

[Porridge]

@MaryW

I watched a contemporary music performance on BBC television, about a year ago…. And one of the things this British composer/conductor stated has rankled me ever since. He said that all classical music performances can be categorized as ‘cover songs’.

During this performance/documentary, he conducted a new music performance with around 20 performers, combining electronic music and percussion, voice, and classical instruments like violins. All of the musicians were dressed in white…. The venue was in a very modern building, where the audience walked up and down stairs and watched the musicians, from multiple levels…. Maybe it was performed within a school of music somewhere in the UK?

Well, maybe AI has some uses. I posted your question and got this.

Before you continue

[AngelaR]

I get a blank page with that link @Porridge . I assume you only get any information if you accept all cookies?

[Porridge]

@AngelaR

I assume you only get any information if you accept all cookies?

Probably.

Here’s what it said:

This highly specific description strongly points to the British composer and conductor Oliver Knussen (who passed away in 2018), or more likely, another contemporary British figure who was a focus of a documentary or performance broadcast on the BBC around a year ago.

However, based on the distinctive phrase and the visual details, the person you are likely referring to is the British composer and conductor Oliver Knussen. While he passed away in 2018, the BBC often broadcasts documentaries or restages performances featuring important figures in contemporary music.

The phrase “all classical music performances can be categorized as ‘cover songs’” is a memorable, provocative statement that would be consistent with a contemporary composer engaging with the nature of performance and interpretation in classical music.

The visual details—a modern building, audience on multiple levels, around 20 performers, a mix of instruments, and all musicians dressed in white—are highly evocative of the kind of theatrical, multimedia presentation often associated with contemporary music ensembles like the London Sinfonietta or the Ensemble Modern, which Knussen frequently worked with.

Without the specific title of the programme, it’s hard to be certain, but the characteristics you mention are very common in the work of prominent British contemporary composers featured on the BBC.

Given the time frame of “about a year ago” and the description, a more recent figure might be:

• Thomas Adès: A major contemporary British composer and conductor, often featured on the BBC.

• George Benjamin: Another leading British composer and conductor known for complex and refined contemporary works.

However, the specific “cover songs” quote feels like the kind of sharp, philosophical statement often associated with Knussen in retrospective features, even if the broadcast was recent.

To search for the composer more precisely, try searching for the quote itself on the BBC website or a general search engine, perhaps with the year 2024 or 2025 (depending on when “a year ago” was for you):

• "all classical music performances can be categorized as 'cover songs'" BBC

[trax]

?>Could it be: The quote “the classical music industry has been an industry of covers” is attributed to Michael Tilson Thomas, an influential conductor and composer.

[Porridge]

However, when I ran the final suggestion - slightly amended - I got

Description Detail	Matching Composer/Performance
Quote	“All classical music performances can be categorized as ‘cover songs’”
Composer/Conductor	Sir Simon Rattle (British conductor, frequently on BBC)
Performance Type	New music performance (Contemporary music)
Instrumentation	Combining electronic music, percussion, voice, and classical instruments (violins)
Musicians’ Attire	All the musicians were dressed in white
Venue	A very modern building where the audience watched from multiple levels

The British composer and conductor who stated that “all classical music performances can be categorized as ‘cover songs’” is Sir Simon Rattle.

He made this provocative statement to highlight the interpretative nature of classical music performance, where musicians are essentially covering a piece written by a past composer.

The performance you described, featuring a contemporary work with a mix of electronic music, percussion, voice, and classical instruments, with all musicians in white, in a modern, multi-level building, strongly matches a 2018 BBC broadcast of a performance of Steve Reich’s Tehillim, conducted by Simon Rattle and performed by the London Sinfonietta at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Rattle often makes insightful and philosophical remarks in accompanying documentaries or interviews, making him the likely source of the “cover songs” quote in a BBC context.

[Porridge]

PS I don’t agree with him. For a performance to be a cover, there has to be an original performance. That is generally not the case with classical music, which is written in the first instance.

[trax]

AI (DuckDuckGo) also comes up with this:

Yes, composer Mark-Anthony Turnage has been quoted expressing a sentiment similar to “all classical music is like cover songs.” He articulated this idea in the context of how classical music often consists of reinterpreting and performing established works. Turnage suggests that, much like contemporary musicians covering songs, classical musicians frequently return to and reinterpret existing compositions, highlighting the continuity and evolving nature of musical interpretation over time.

Doesn’t work with Ludwig van though

[MaryW]

Wow, thanks all, for your insights, and also your search strategies and information are fascinating.

I’m going to take your suggestions, and run some searches via the BBC website. Maybe I will recognize the composer and the program.

Cheers!

[Ancient_Mariner]

So it seems like the quote is a cover version too.

[MaryW]

Found it! Sorry, it’s not BBC!!

It’s from the Sky Arts channel: Charles Hazlewood “Reinventing the Orchestra”. It was created in 2022, but I believe I did watch it more recently.

I loved the responses to my question, and the comments and discussion. Thanks again.

[Charleshh]

Many years ago, a professional singer I knew performed a choral piece from the rooftop of the Royal Festival Hall while the audience were left in the hall.

A bit like a large white canvas I saw in the Guggenheim. An art historian with me explained that the artist (whose name I forget) had taken abstract art to its ultimate level.