(b. 7 November 1959, Swansea, Wales).
British composer of mostly chamber, vocal and electroacoustic works that have been performed throughout Europe and elsewhere.
Mr. Barrett initially studied genetics at University College London from 1977–80, during which time he began composing. He subsequently studied composition with Peter Wiegold from 1980–83 and attended the Ferienkurse in Darmstadt in 1984, where he had fruitful contact with Brian Ferneyhough and Hans-Joachim Hespos.
Among his honours are the Kranichsteiner Musikpreis at the Ferienkurse in Darmstadt (1986) and First Prize in the competition of the Internationale Gaudeamus Muziekweek in Amsterdam (1989). He later worked as a guest of the Berliner Künstlerprogramm of the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (2001–02).
He is also active in other positions. As an improviser, he has collaborated with numerous soloists, including Peter van Bergen, Aleksander Kolkowski, George E. Lewis, Evan Parker, and Ute Wassermann. He co-founded with Paul Obermayer the duo with live electronics FURT in 1986, with which he regularly performs. He served as co-director with Roger Redgate of Ensemble Exposé in London from 1984–93 and as composer-in-residence to the ensemble Champ d'Action in 1997–98. In addition, he has written on musical topics for various journals, including Contemporary Music Review and The Wire.
He lectured at the Ferienkurse in Darmstadt from 1986–94. He taught composition at Middlesex College in London from 1989–92 and electronic composition and performance at the Instituut voor Sonologie of the Koninklijk Conservatorium in Den Haag from 1995–2001. He taught composition at Brunel University in London from 2006–09 and has again taught at the Instituut voor Sonologie of the Koninklijk Conservatorium since 2009.
His publisher is United Music Publishing, for most music written from 1981–2011.
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS (note that all works are published by United Music Publishers unless otherwise noted in parentheses after date of composition)
STAGE:
Unter Wasser (music-theatre work, text by Margret Kreidl), mezzo-soprano, flute, 2 clarinets, 2 French horns, trombone, guitar (+ mandolin, zither), 2 violins, 2 violas (2nd + violin), cello, percussion, 1994–98
ORCHESTRAL:
Vanity, large orchestra (83 players), 1990–94
NO – resistance & vision 1, large orchestra, 1999–2004
Mesopotamia – resistance & vision 4, small orchestra (17 players), 2007–08
IF – resistance & vision 6, large orchestra, 2007–10
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Essay in Radiance, piccolo (+ bass flute), E-flat clarinet (+ bass clarinet), soprano saxophone (+ tenor saxophone), violin (+ viola), cello, electronic organ/synthesizer, percussion/2 percussion, 1981–83
Ne songe plus à fuir – After Matta 2, amplified cello, 1985–86
Anatomy – Fictions 1, amplified ensemble (flute, English horn, bass clarinet, bassoon, French horn, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, percussion), 1985–86
Temptation – Fictions 2, alto saxophone (+ baritone saxophone, contrabass clarinet), trumpet (+ piccolo trumpet, cornet, slide trumpet), cello, synthesizer, percussion, live electronics, 1986
Alba – Fictions 3, amplified bassoon, 1986–87
I open and close – Fictions 6, string quartet, amplification ad libitum, 1983–88 (one section may be performed separately: reticule, violin, 1988)
EARTH – Fictions 5, trombone, percussion, 1987–88
Dark ages – Fictions 9, cello (with 2 bows), 1987–90
Another heavenly day – Fictions 7, E-flat clarinet, electric guitar, double bass, live electronics, 1989–90
what remains, flute, bass clarinet, piano, 1990–91
praha, cello (with 2 bows), 1991
colloid-E – negatives 2, amplified 10-string guitar, ensemble (flute, trombone, mandolin, double bass, percussion), 1988–92 (may be performed without ensemble as colloid, 1988–91)
archipelago – negatives 3, amplified mandolin, ensemble (bass flute [+ alto recorder], trombone, amplified 10-string guitar, violin, viola, cello, double bass, percussion), 1990–92
basalt-E – negatives 4, trombone, ensemble (violin, viola, cello, double bass, percussion), 1990–92 (may be performed without ensemble as basalt, 1990–91)
delta – negatives 1, alto flute, trombone, amplified 10-string guitar, amplified sitar, violin, viola, cello, double bass, angklung (set of bamboo tubes from Indonesia), 1990–93
entstellt – negatives 5, piccolo, trombone (+ percussion), amplified 12-string guitar (+ percussion), amplified sitar (+ percussion), violin (+ percussion), viola (+ percussion), cello, double bass (+ percussion), angklung, 1990–93
air, violin, 1993 (section of Opening of the Mouth; may be performed separately)
trace, 2 diatonic music-boxes, 1994
ruin – Fictions 11, 6 spatial ensembles (2 amplified flutes, soprano saxophone; clarinet, bass clarinet, French horn; 2 trombones, tuba; 2 violins, viola; 2 cellos, double bass; 3 amplified percussion), 1985–95
CHARON, bass clarinet, 1994–95 (section of Opening of the Mouth; may be performed separately)
inward, amplified flute, amplified percussion, 1994–95 (version of Schneebett from Opening of the Mouth)
von hinter dem Schmerz, amplified cello, 1992–96 (section of Opening of the Mouth; may be performed separately)
abglanzbeladen/auseinandergeschrieben, vibraphone (+ percussion), 1992–96 (section of Opening of the Mouth; may be performed separately)
binary, 2 flutes, 1996 (TONOS Musikverlags, Darmstadt)
fluxion, improvisational ensemble (bass clarinet/tenor saxophone, electric guitar, bass guitar/double bass, piano, percussion), 1996 (unpublished)
Partikelgestöber, C-clarinet, 17-string koto (zither from Japan), 10-string guitar, mandola, 1992–97 (section of Opening of the Mouth; may be performed as knospend-gespaltener, C-clarinet, 1992–93)
Trawl, flute, bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, 1994–97
Stress, string quartet, 1996–97
transmission, electric guitar, live electronics, 1996–99 (section of DARK MATTER; may be performed separately)
Die allerschönste Seite..., bass flute, 1998–2000 (unpublished)
Liebestod, 4 recorders, live electronics, 1999–2000
stirrings, flute (+ piccolo, alto flute, bass flute), bass clarinet, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, piano, percussion, 1999–2001 (section of DARK MATTER; may be performed separately)
khasma, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, live electronics, 1999–2001 (section of DARK MATTER; may be performed separately)
The Empire of Lights, flute (+ piccolo), clarinet (+ E-flat clarinet), Hardanger fiddle, violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano, percussion, 2000–01 (section of DARK MATTER; may be performed separately)
codex, any 6–12 improvisational players, 2001
Blattwerk, cello, live electronics, 1998–2002 (collaboration with Patrick Delges)
codex II, improvisational ensemble (oboe, saxophone, piano), live electronics, 2001–02
faux départs, piano (+ bicycle horn), string quartet, 1999–2003
13 selfportraits, string quartet, 2001–03
ecliptic, viola, 2003
Illuminer le temps – After Matta 3, amplified ensemble (piccolo [+ flute], bass clarinet [+ clarinet], harp, 2 electric guitars, violin, double bass, percussion), 1984–2005
nothing elsewhere – Fictions 4, viola, 1987–2005
Flechtwerk, A-clarinet, piano, 2004–06
Melos, tenor recorder (+ bass recorder), flügelhorn, quarter-tone Baroque harp, electric guitar, percussion, live electronics, 2004–06
nacht und träume – resistance & vision 7, amplified cello, amplified piano, live electronics, 2003–08
VOCAL:
Principia (text by A. L. Jones, after Sir Isaac Newton), baritone, piano, 1982–84
Coïgitum – After Matta 1, mezzo-soprano, alto flute, oboe d'amore, piano, percussion, 1983–85
lieder vom wasser – Fictions 10 (text by Elisabeth Borchers), soprano, bass clarinet, double bass, percussion (+ voice), 1989–90
Opening of the Mouth (text by Paul Celan), soprano, mezzo-soprano, 11 amplified players, fixed media, live electronics, 1992–97 (ten sections may be performed separately: air; CHARON; Schneebett, soprano, mezzo-soprano, bass recorder, amplified flute, Hardanger fiddle, amplified percussion, 1994–96 [may be performed as inward, amplified flute, amplified percussion]; Largo, soprano, koto, cello, 1994–96; von hinter dem Schmerz; abglanzbeladen/auseinandergeschrieben; Partikelgestöber [may be performed as knospend-gespaltener]; Tenebræ, mezzo-soprano, ensemble ad libitum [electric guitar, sampler, percussion], live electronics, 1994–97; Zungenentwurzeln; Landschaft mit Urnenwesen)
interference (text by Titus Lucretius Carus), contrabass clarinet (+ voice, bass drum with pedal), 1996–2000 (section of DARK MATTER; may be performed separately; also may be performed as Ars Magna Lucis et Umbræ with ensemble [2 flutes, 3 clarinets, electric guitar, 2 violins, 2 cellos, chamber organ/synthesizer, 2 percussion], 1996–2001)
De vita cœlitus comparanda (text from Orphic hymn no. 86), soprano, 3 clarinets, steel-string guitar, 2/3 cellos, percussion, 1998–2001 (section of DARK MATTER; may be performed separately)
other times, soprano, 2 flutes, 3 clarinets, electric guitar, Hardanger fiddle, violin, viola, cello, double bass, bass guitar, 2 percussion, 1999–2002 (section of DARK MATTER; may be performed separately)
PIANO:
Invention 6, 1982
Tract – Fictions 8, piano, amplification ad libitum, 1984–96 (one section may be performed separately: the light gleams an instant, 1989–96)
lost, 2004 (also longer version as adrift [framework for improvisation], piano, live electronics, 2004–07)
ELECTROACOUSTIC:
The Unthinkable – After Matta 4, fixed media, 1988–89
Zungenentwurzeln, fixed media, 1996–97 (section of Opening of the Mouth; may be performed separately)
Landschaft mit Urnenwesen, fixed media, 1996–97 (section of Opening of the Mouth; may be performed separately)
involuntary I, fixed media, 1999
DARK MATTER (texts from the Pyramid Texts, Hesiod, Anaxagoras, Hippolytus of Rome, Melissus of Samos, Heraclitus, Orphic hymn no. 86, Titus Lucretius Carus, Blaise Pascal, Samuel Beckett, the composer), soprano, 2 flutes, 3 clarinets, guitar (+ bass guitar), electric guitar, 2 violins (both + Hardanger fiddle), viola, 2 cellos, double bass, piano/synthesizer (+ chamber organ), 2 percussion, fixed media, live electronics, sound installation (by Per Inge Bjørlo), 1990–2002 (nine sections may be performed separately: transmission; Katasterismoi, fixed media, 1998–99; interference [may be performed as Ars Magna Lucis et Umbræ]; De vita cœlitus comparanda; stirrings; khasma; The Empire of Lights; other times; pralaya, fixed media, 1999–2002)
UnzeitGemäss, live electronics, 2002
M87, live electronics, 2002 (also longer version, 2003)
involuntary III, fixed media, 2003
FILM SCORE (DIRECTOR):
involuntary II, fixed media, 2002 (animation; Rosie Pedlow)