Barrett, Richard

Born in 1959 in Swansea, he is internationally active as composer and performer, and also teaches at the Institute of Sonology in the Hague and at Leiden University. His work encompasses a wide range from free improvisation to intricately notated scores, and from acoustic chamber music to innovative uses of digital technology. His work as composer and performer is documented on over forty CDs, including seven discs devoted to his compositions and nine by FURT, in which he collaborates with Paul Obermayer. In 2019 his book Music of Possibility was published by Vision Edition. 

Selected works: Coïgitum for five performers (1983–85), Ne songe plus à fuir for cello (1985–86), Anatomy for 11 instruments (1985–86), I open and close for string quartet (1983–88), negatives for nine players (1988–93), Vanity for orchestra (1990–94), ruin for 6x3 instruments (1985–95), Tract for piano (1984–96), Opening of the Mouth for two vocalists, nine instrumentalists and electronics (1992–97), Unter Wasser, five acts for mezzo-soprano and 13 instrumentalists to a libretto by Margret Kreidl (1994–98), Blattwerk for cello and electronics (1998–2002), DARK MATTER for 19 musicians and electronics (1990–2002), faux départs for piano and string quartet (2000–3), NO for orchestra (1999–2004), Illuminer le temps for eight amplified instruments (1984–2005), adrift for piano and electronics (2004–7), nacht und träume for cello, piano and electronics (2003–8), Mesopotamia for 17 instruments (2004–9), IF for orchestra (2005–10), CONSTRUCTION for three voices, 16 instrumentalists and electronics (2003–11), life-form for cello and electronics (2011–12), urlicht for three percussionists (2013–14), world-line (2012–14) for trumpet, percussion, electric lap steel guitar and electronics (2012–14), eiszeiten for horn, trombone, tuba and electronics (2012–14), wake for three instrumental trios and electronics (2014–15), close-up for six performers (2013–16), everything has changed/nothing has changed for orchestra (2013–16), natural causes – act 3 for 16 players and electronics (2016–17), tkiva for clarinet, trombone, cello, piano and electronics (2016–17), Vermilion Sands, electronic music (2017–18), entoptic for percussion and electronics (2017–18), disquiet, electronic music (2018), codex I–XXI... for improvising ensembles (2001–19), membrane for trombone and electronics (2017–19).