Peter Reynolds (January 12, 1958 – October 11, 2016) was a Welsh composer known for founding PM Music Ensemble. In addition, he was recognised by Guinness World Records as having written with writer Simon Rees the shortest opera on Earth, Sands of Time; a three-minute and thirty-four second long piece. He died on 11 October 2016 at his home in Cardiff.
Peter was born to Dorothy and John Reynolds in 1958. Peter studied in Cardiff, Wales, and lived in South Wales, and was the artistic director of the Lower Machen Festival in Monmouthshire from 1998 to 2009. He received bursaries to study at the Dartington International Summer School with Peter Maxwell Davies in 1984, Morton Feldman in 1986, and Gordon Cross in 1987. Peter gave many compositions workshops ranging from schools’ Year 9 through to teaching composition at both undergraduate and post-graduate level at Cardiff’s Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama from 2002 - 2016. Peter was the Musical Director of the Splott Ladies Choir during the 1990s, and he often ran workshops in combination with many different ensembles.
St David’s Hall Composition Series
Between September and December 2014, Peter ran a series of composition workshops for young composers once a month on Saturdays at St David’s Hall.
Young Composer of Dyfed
Young Composer of Dyfed is one of the great undiscovered secrets of Wales – a scheme in which young composers in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire work with top, often international, quality players on their compositions. Peter was involved with the scheme adjudicating and mentoring composers since 2006 and was then composer-in-residence from 2010–13, spending each winter working in schools across Dyfed and with ensembles including Piano Circus, the Brodowski Quartet and Farthingale Ensemble. Take a look at their website.
PM Music Ensemble Workshops
PM Music Ensemble is a performing group devoted to contemporary music that Peter set up and ran from 1991. They ran an extensive education programme of composition workshops for various organisations including: Cardiff University School of Music (from 1994) ESTA Composition for School Teachers (2003) Go West Festival (1995) Junior Guildhall School of Music (London) (2003) Late Music Festival (York) (2002) Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (Composition Dept and Junior Music Dept) (2002–09) Waterford New Music Week, Ireland (Residencies in 2004 & 2007) Vale of Glamorgan Festival (1999-2000)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Analysis workshops for A Level students on Schubert’s C major Quintet with the Corinthian String Quartet (Cardiff & Bangor, 1997)
1986 Michael Tippett Award for Composition,1986 Glanville Jones Award for Outstanding Achievement in Welsh Music (Welsh Music Guild)1980 - 1989
Lullaby (1981). Mezzo-soprano & piano. Words: W.H AudenBorrowed Time (1983–88). Fl, ob, cl, vln, vc, perc & pianoShifts (1984). Fl. ob. cl, perc (1 player)Unison (1986). 2 clarinetsDiaphony (1986/7 rev. 1992). Chamber orchestraMoonsongs (1987–91). Fl, vln, vc & pianoBye, baby bunting (1987–93). String TrioBell Patterns (1988). Solo violaString Sextet (1988). 2 vln, 2 va, 2 vc1990 - 1999
Dumpe (1990). Viola & pianoTango (1993). Piano soloVariations (1993). Cello & pianoThe Sands of Time – An Opera in Four Minutes (1993) Soprano and Baritone, chorus of 4 sopranos. flute, 2 oboes, 2 saxophones, bassoon, trumpet, percussion (or with piano accompaniment)Serenata I (1994). Flute & guitarSerenata II (1994). Oboe & pianoOld King Cole (1994). Vln, vc, fl, cl, pnoTurtle Soup (1994). Two-part song for children’s voices with piano. Words: Lewis CarrollSo soft this morning, ours (1995). Violin & pianoNow Goeth Sun under Wood (1995). Female chorus (SSA). Words: Anon, MedievalString Quartet No.1 (1996) 2 vln, vla, vcHold not thy peace and be not still (1997). Fl, vc & pnoThe House of Alcinous (1997). Mezzo-soprano, vc & pno. Words adapted from Homer’s OdysseyA New Year Carol (1997). Two-part song for children’s voices with piano, words Anon.Ngòmbí Song (1998). Clarinet & pianoNear Nicosia, Sicily, July 28, 1943 (1998). Madrigal for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass. Words: Geoff DyerCheap Labour (1999). 2 euphoniums & 2 tubas.Serenata III (1999/2003). StringsSerenata III (1999). Vln, vc, fl, cl, pno (or harp)2000 - 2009
Suite (2000). Solo celloBarnacles (2000). Two-part song for children’s voices with piano, words by Martin RileyPrelude & Finale (from Suite for Cello) (2000). Solo celloUrban Songs (2002). Soprano, fl, cl, vc & pno (Also available for soprano with piano accompaniment). Words: Adey GrummetNocturnes for Wind Quintet (2002). Fl, ob, cl, hn & bsn.Heartfelt Songs (2004). Soprano, fl, cl, vln, vc & pno. Words: Adey GrummetSometimes there is a hoar frost… (2008)Lullaby (2009). For organ, keyboard or any two appropriate instrumentsIn One Spot (2009). Piano soloBeiliheulog (2009). Fl, vla, guit (or harp)Three Wang Wei Songs (2009). Soprano (unaccompanied). Words: Wang Wei2010-2016
Far down in the forest (2010). Three solo piano pieces for children based on the tales of Hans Christian AndersenThe Head of Brass (2010). Narrator & saxophone quartet (sop, alto, ten & bass). Words: Simon ReesCanons for the Longest Day (2010). Strings and two off-stage violinsOnly the Stars Remember (2010). Soprano & pno. Words: Maria GarnerBayvil (2011). Piano soloAdieu to all Alluring Toys (2011). Baritone & pno. Words: Anon.Cairn (2011). Harp (also available in a version for soprano saxophone & cello)Epithalamion (2011). Piano solofootsteps quiet in the shadows (String Quartet No.2) (2012). 2 vln, vla, vc.Three Winter Haiku (2012). Mezzo-soprano & pianoEcco Mormorar L’onde (2013). Piano soloMoon-ark (2013). Solo cello & stringsPartrishow (2014). fl (db. alto), vln, guit, cb. (instrumentalists double singing bowls)Terry Dactyl and the Meteor Seven(2014). A performance work for 4-7 year olds. Narrator & brass trio (tpt, hn, & tbn or tuba). Words: Francesca KayCippyn (2015). Piano & electronics. Studio recording by Gordon HoneybourneCippyn (2015). Double bass and electronics. Duration: 12’. Film by Aaron J Cooper, director Heledd Wyn Hardy with Ashley John LongPenllyn (2016) for pianoLe Gros Horloge (2016) for clarinet, violin, and pianoPeter was also an avid writer of programme notes, and also wrote the biography of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in 2009. Peter wrote programme notes for the following composers:
A
Adams, JohnAdès, ThomasAlfvén, HugoAlain, JehanAlbéniz, IsaacAlbinoni, TomasoAmy, GilbertAnderson-Lopez, KristenAnderson, LeroyAndersson, B TommyApSion, PwyllArensky, AntonArnold, MalcolmArwyn, RobatB
Bach, J. S.Bach, J. C.Bainbridge, SimonBalakirev, MilyBalfe, Michael WilliamBarber, CharlieBarber, SamuelBarrios-Mangoré, AgustínBart, LionelBartók, BélaBax, ArnoldBeach, AmyBeethoven, Ludwig vanBerg, AlbanBerkeley, LennoxBerkeley, MichaelBériot, Charles Auguste deBerlin, IrvingBerlioz, HectorBernstein, LeonardBerio, LucianoBest, W. T.Biber, HeinrichBinge, RonaldBirtwistle, HarrisonBizet, GeorgesBlumenfeld, FelixBoden, Mark DavidBöhm, GeorgBonis, MelBor, ModestaBorne, FrançoisBorodin, AlexanderBoulez, PierreBoulanger, LiliBowden, MarkBrahms, JohannesBridge, FrankBritten, BenjaminBruch, MaxBruckner, AntonBuchardo, CarlosBurtch, MervynBusoni, FerrucioButterworth, GeorgeByrd, WilliamC
Calcaño, JoséCamacaro, PabloCanteloube, JosephCarpenter, JohnCasella, AlfredoCasañas, JosepCasto, Juan JoseChabrier, EmmanuelChaminade, CecileCharpentier, Marc-AntoineChauris, YvesChausson, ErnestChin, UnsukChopin, FrédéricClarke, JeremiahClarke, RebeccaCluzeau-Mortet, LuisCoates, EricCohan, GeorgeColeman, CyColumbo, JosephCombier, JérômeCopland, AaronCorelli, ArcangeloCornysh, WilliamCoward, NoelCrumb, GeorgeD
Dallapiccola, LuigiDankworth, JohnDalbavie, Marc-AndréDaugherty, MichaelDavies, BryanDavies, E. T.Davies, JosephDavies, T VincentDebussy, ClaudeDelius, FrederickDelibes, LeoDíaz, SimónDiCapua, Eduardo diDiamond, DavidDonatoni, FrancoDonizetti, GaetanoDoppler, CarlDove, JonathanDukas, PaulDuparc, HenriDupré, MarcelDuruflé, MauriceDusapin, PascalDutilleux, HenriDvorák, AntoninE
Edwards, ElwynElgar, EdwardEllington, DukeEnescu, GeorgeEscaich, ThierryEstévez, AntonioF
Falla, Manuel deFauré, GabrielFeldman, MortonFernandez, Oscar LorenzoFinzi, GeraldFlotow, Friedrich vonFranck, CesarFroberger, Johann JakobFoster, BenFrançaix, JeanG
Garcia, ManuelGershwin, GeorgeGibbons, OrlandoGinastera, AlbertoGiuliani, MauroGlass, PhilipGlazunov, AlexanderGliere, ReinholdGlennie, EvelynGluck, Wilhelm ChristobaldGlyn, GarethGoodwin, RonGorb, AdamGórecki, HenrykGounod, CharlesGraham, PeterGrainger, PercyGranados, EnriqueGray, BarryGregson, EdwardGrieg, EdvardGriffes, CharlesGrofé, FerdeGruber, H. K.Grusin, DaveGudmundsen-Holmgreen PelleGuerra-Peixe, CésarH
Hakim, NajiHall, EmilyHall, R. B.Handel, Georg FriedrichHanson, HowardHardy, JohnHarline, LeighHarris, DavidHarris, RoyHarris, WilliamHartmann, Karl AmadeusHarty, HamiltonHaydn, Franz JosephHenze, Hans WernerHerbert, VictorHindemith, PaulHoddinott, AlunHolmès, AugustaHolliger, HeinzHolloway, RobinHolst, GustavHolt, SimonHonegger, ArthurHorovitz, JosephHosokawa, ToshioHovhaness, AlanHoward, James NewtonHowells, HerbertHughes, ArwelHughes, JohnHughes, R. S.Hummel, Johann NepomukHumperdinck, EngelbertHurel, PhilippeI
Ibert, JacquesIreland, JohnIves, CharlesJ
Janáček, LeosJarrell, MichaelJeths, WillemJenkins, KarlJessel, LeonJohn, EltonJolivet, AndréJones, DanielJones, EmrysJones, EricJones, Griffiths HJost, ChristianK
Kalinnikov, VasilyKancheli, GiyaKander, JohnKanno, YoshihiroKarg-Elert, SiegfriedKarmen, MichaelKeel, FrederickKennen, KentKern, JeromeKetting, OttoKhachaturian, AramKodály, ZoltanKoehne, GraemeKoppel, AndersKorngold, Erich WolfgangKverno, TrondL
Lalo, EduardLanggaard, RuedLauridsen, MortenLeclair, Jean-MarieLecuona, ErnestoLehár, FranzLeifs, JónLeoncavallo, RuggeroLetelier, AlfonsoLevy, AlexandreLewis, AndrewLewis, GeraintLidholm, IngvarLehmann, LizaLiadov, AntonLigeti, GeorgeLindberg, ChristianLindberg, MAgnusLiszt, FranzLloyd Webber, AndrewLoesser, FrankLovrien, DavidLutosławski, WitoldM
Maazel, LorinMacDonald, HectorMacMillan, JamesMacMurrough, DMahler, AlmaMahler, GustavMalibran, MariaMantovani, BrunoMartin, FrankMartin, HughMartinu, BohuslavMárquez, ArturoMascagni, PietroMassenet, JulesMason, LowellMathias, WilliamMatthews, ColinMatthews, DavidMayo, ChristopherMaw, NicholasMcCartney, PaulMcBroom, AmandaMealor, PaulMedtner, NikolaiMendelssohn, FelixMendelssohn, FannyMenken, AlanMeredith, AnnaMessiaen, OlivierMertz, J KMilhaud, DariusMiller, GlennMoeran, Ernest JohnMonk, MeredithMonteverdi, ClaudioMonti, VittorioMordish, LouisMorel, JorgeMorricone, EnnioMorley, ThomasMozart, Wolfgang AmadeusMozart, LMulet, HenriMussorgsky, ModestN
Neruda, Johann Baptist GeorgNestico, SammyNicolai, OttoNielsen, CarlNorman, LudvigNovello, IvorNystroem, GöstaO
Offenbach, JacquesOehler, ThomasOrff, CarlOtaka, HisatadaP
Pachelbel, JohannPagan, BobbyPaganini, NiccolòPainter, ChristopherPakhmutova, AlexanderPanufnik, AndrzejPärt, ArvoParry, C. H. HParry, JosephPatterson, PaulPergolesi, Giovanni BattistaPersiani, GiuseppePetrie, ChristopherPiazzolla, AstorPickard, JohnPierné, GabrielPiper, CharliePiston, WalterPlaza, EduardoPorpora, AntonioPorter, ColePoulenc, FrancisPowell, T.JPowers, APrevin, AndreProkofiev, SergeiPuccini, GiacomoPurcell, HenryPuw, GutoQ
Quilter, RogerR
Raaff, Robin deRachmaninov, SergeiRautavaara, EinojuhaniRavel, MauriceRebel, Jean-FéryReger, MaxReinecke, CarlRenié, HenrietteReich, SteveRespighi, OttorinoReilly, TerryRevueltas, SilvestreRheinberger, JosefRzewski, FredericRichards, BrinleyRichards, DavidRimsky-KorsakovRoberts. CaradogRoberts, StephenRodgers, RichardRodrigo, JoaquínRorem, NedRosenberg, HildingRossini, GioachinoRoussel, AlbertRowlands, WRózsa, MiklósRubbra, EdmundRuders, PoulRuiz, FedericoRutter, JohnRyan, GaryS
Saint Saëns, CamilleSallinen, AulisSandström, JanSantoro, Claudio PonteioSarasate, Pablo deSatie, ErikScelsi, AnahitSchifrin, Lalo Concierto CaribeñoSchmidt Symphony No.4Schoenberg, ArnoldSchönberg, Claude-MichelSchubert, FranzSchuman, WilliamSchumann, ClaraSchumann, RobertSchwertsik, KurtScriabin, AlexanderSherman BrothersShostakovich Suite,Sibelius, JeanSierra, Arlene MolerSmetana. BedrichSondheim, StephenSousa, John PhilipStanford, Charles VilliersStenhammar, WilhelmStrauss, RichardStrauss, JohannStrauss, JohannStrauss, JosefStravinsky, IgorStyne, JuleSuárez, RafaelSuk, JosefSullivan, ArthurSuppé, Franz vonSvendsen, JohanSzymanowski, Karol
