Brian Ferneyhough Quotes

A collection of quotes by Brian Ferneyhough.

Brian Ferneyhough is an acclaimed English composer known for his complex, virtuosic, and intellectually challenging works. He was born on January 16, 1943, in Coventry, England. Ferneyhough began studying music at the Birmingham School of Music and later continued his education at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

During the 1960s, Ferneyhough developed a unique compositional style that is a reflection of his interest in intricate rhythmic patterns, extended instrumental techniques, and the exploration of complex musical structures. His compositions are often characterized by their dense textures, rapid changes in tempos, and intricate notational systems.

Ferneyhough's music has been performed and recorded by numerous renowned ensembles and musicians around the world. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to contemporary classical music, including the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award and the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition.

As an influential figure in the European avant-garde movement, Ferneyhough has also been a professor of music at various prestigious institutions, including the University of California, San Diego, and Stanford University. He has helped shape several generations of aspiring composers through his innovative teaching methods and lectures.

Throughout his career, Brian Ferneyhough has pushed the boundaries of contemporary music, challenging both performers and audiences alike. His compositions continue to be regarded as landmarks in contemporary classical music, making him one of the most respected and forward-thinking composers of his generation.

Questioning the nature and implications of liminal instances

Questioning the nature and implications of liminal instances necessarily involves failure, if only in the specifically technical sense of entering spaces where prevailing criteria of success scarcely apply.

Brian Ferneyhough

Failure

When I left Europe in 1987 I did so with the thought that my

When I left Europe in 1987 I did so with the thought that my relevance as a composition teacher would benefit from a certain cool distance to certain tendencies I had been observing for several years with increasing disquiet.

Brian Ferneyhough

Cool

When I speak of 'cycles,' I am referring to lengthy interval

When I speak of 'cycles,' I am referring to lengthy intervals of relative homogeneity, if not in the resolving of problems, than at least with respect to the consistency of their capacity to productively irritate.

Brian Ferneyhough

Respect

There would seem to be a limit, even for an art preoccupied

There would seem to be a limit, even for an art preoccupied with boundaries and transgressions, beyond which a work reaches its breaking point and becomes an actual failure, a mere experimentation.

Brian Ferneyhough

Failure

With respect to the respective French and German traditions

With respect to the respective French and German traditions you are no doubt correct, although I am reluctant to see individual achievement reduced to archetypes.

Brian Ferneyhough

Respect