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George Benjamin Biography

Composer

George Benjamin is a renowned composer known for his unique musical style and abundant creative talent. Born on January 31, 1960, he has created many classic works throughout his career, demonstrating an early passion for music from a young age.

Nervous Concerts

Author:George Benjamin

“Concerts are dangerous because anything can happen - which is one of the joys as well.”

Wells Happens Joy Dangerous Concerts Anything Can Happen

Author:George Benjamin

“The feelings of being in the audience and being on the podium are very far apart. When you're onstage and something goes wrong, you can do something about it. In the audience, you just have to sit there, and if it's a disastrous performance, I'm the one that gets blamed.”

Ifs Feelings Can Do Audience Performances Can Do Something

Author:George Benjamin

“I began conducting when I was in school, around age 12, because I was writing little theater pieces and wanted to perform them. And then somehow I got started on it. I love doing it, but I have to ration myself very severely or I wouldn't get anything else done.”

Writing Littles Done Age Wanted School Pieces Theater Conducting Rations

Author:George Benjamin

“It it's true that fastidiousness and attention to detail is very much in my genes - if you knew my parents, you'd see that this is something I've inherited, only doubly so.”

Ifs Parent Attention Details Genes Attention To Detail

Author:George Benjamin

“It's not only that I want to get things right when I'm composing but that my imagination often gets lost, and then I have to wait until I come back to the path. I think there's an internal force that makes a piece logical from beginning to end; I like to tell stories in music that are unexpected but also logical.”

Thinking Want Ends Stories Lost Force Waiting Imagination Path Pieces Unexpected Internals Logical My Imagination Composing

Author:George Benjamin

“When I lose direction, it becomes very hard to write. I actually get a physical pain, as if my subconscious knows better. That may sound mystical and pretentious, but it's true.”

Ifs Knows Writing May Hard Pain Sound Loses Subconscious Mystical Pretentious Physical Pain

Author:George Benjamin

“When you love a teacher very much - as I did Olivier Messiaen - you do have to leave them.One of the things that separated me from Messiaen was my desire to create works with a big structure, a large symphonic sweep. His forms are wonderful, glorious mosaics, but again, I prefer narrative.”

Bigs Form Desire Teacher Wonderful Structure Narrative Glorious Mosaics

Author:George Benjamin

“The London music world isn't a particularly cohesive place. And when I'm composing, I'm not very friendly. I need isolation.”

World Needs London Isolation Friendly Composing

Author:George Benjamin

“I always say that I can help someone who can already compose, but if they can't, I can't help them. I can advise on technical issues, of course, like how low the piccolo can go, but otherwise what's important is not wisdom but enthusiasm.”

Ifs I Can Important Helping Courses Issues Lows Enthusiasm Advise What's Important

Author:George Benjamin

About the Author

Born: January 31, 1960
Known for: Composer
Quotes: 10

Books & Sources

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