Laurence Crane

Laurence Crane (born 1961 in Oxford) is a British composer of contemporary classical music.

Career

Laurence Crane is closely associated with the ensemble Apartment House, who have given over 40 performances of his works.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nmcrec.co.uk/composer/crane-laurence|title=Crane, Laurence {{!}} NMC Recordings|website=www.nmcrec.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2017-12-23}} Some performances they have given include Riis (1996) and John White in Berlin (2003).

He has written a considerable amount of piano music. Pianists who have performed his work include Michael Finnissy, Thalia Myers and John Tilbury.

His piece Octet was shortlisted for the 2009 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards in the Chamber-Scale Composition category, along with works by Harrison Birtwistle and Karlheinz Stockhausen. In 2017, he won the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Awards for Artists 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/support_the_school/news/view/article/laurence_crane_receives_paul_hamlyn_foundation_awards_for_artists_2017/|title=Laurence Crane receives Paul Hamlyn Foundation Awards for Artists 2017|website=www.gsmd.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2017-12-23}} In the same year, his piece Omloop Het Ives for bass flute and string quartet was nominated for the British Composer Awards.{{Cite news|url=http://whatsnew.composersedition.com/british-composer-award-nomination-for-laurence-crane/|title=British Composer Award Nomination for Laurence Crane|last=Edition|first=Composers|date=2017-11-02|work=Composers Edition News|access-date=2017-12-23|language=en-GB}}

In 2021, Juliet Fraser, in association with Oxford Lieder Festival and Musica Sacra Maastricht, commissioned Crane to write a new piece that responds to the work of marine biologist Rachel Carson.{{cite web |url=https://www.julietfraser.co.uk/repertoire/special-projects/the-carson-commissions-2021-23/ |title=The Carson Commissions (2021-23)|website=Juliet Fraser, soprano |access-date=December 4, 2022}} The commission, Natural World for soprano and piano/sampler keyboard, won the Small Chamber Ivor Novello Award in 2022. Commenting on the piece, the jury added that "the composer has carefully chosen every note resulting in a beautifully placed and slowly evolving piece that is contemplative without losing momentum".{{cite web |url=https://ivorsacademy.com/news/the-ivors-composer-awards-2022-winners-announced/ |title=The Ivors Composer Awards 2022 winners announced |website=The Ivors Academy |date=15 November 2022 |access-date=December 4, 2022}}

He is currently Professor of Composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/music/staff/teaching_staff/department/8-department-of-composition/|title=Guildhall School of Music & Drama {{!}} Department of Composition|website=www.gsmd.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2017-12-23}}

Compositional style

A 1995 Gramophone review described Crane's music as "as minimal as you can get, and irresistibly droll".{{cite web |url=https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/songs-from-the-exotic/ |title=Songs from the Exotic|website=Gramophone |access-date=December 4, 2022}}

In the program for a concert in Oslo, Norway in April 2013, Crane writes that "I use simple and basic musical objects; common chords and intervals, arpeggios, drones, cadences, fragments of scales and melodies. The materials may seem familiar - perhaps even rather ordinary - but my aim is to find a fresh beauty in these objects by placing them in new structural and formal contexts..."{{cite news|last=Bidrobon|first=Bidrobon|title=Concert program|url=http://www.bidrobon.no|accessdate=3 April 2013|date=3 April 2013}}