Nigel Butterley

Born in Sydney on 13 May 1935, Nigel Butterley studied piano with Frank Warbrick and composition with Noel Nickson and Raymond Hanson. A gifted pianist, he was giving broadcast recitals by the age of fourteen, yet he chose composition as his career. In 1961 he travelled to Europe and, at the suggestion of Sir Michael Tippett, studied under Priaulx Rainier.

Returning to Australia in 1963, he composed Laudes, inspired by profound religious experiences in Italy. Its first performance at the 1964 Adelaide Festival placed him among the leaders of the ‘new wave’ of Australian composers. His reputation was confirmed in 1966 when the radiophonic choral work In the Head the Fire won the Italia Prize, ahead of Berio’s Laborintus II.

From the 1960s he built a substantial catalogue: a violin concerto, orchestral pieces, and vocal and chamber works. Early scores such as Laudes and Meditations of Thomas Traherne grew from a deeply personal faith. Later, Walt Whitman’s poetry became a major source, yielding Sometimes with One I Love for two singers, speaking voice and ensemble, and the radiophonic Watershore for actors and instruments, which used seashore photographs as graphic notation. Other works include Interaction, an improvisation for painter (John Peart) and orchestra, and First Day Covers (with Barry Humphries for Dame Edna Everage), both written for the ABC Sydney Prom Concerts.

As a pianist he specialised in contemporary music and in lesser-known works from other periods. His performances of Messiaen’s Visions de l’Amen and John Cage’s Sonatas and Interludes (TP025) for prepared piano were especially acclaimed.

Artist's website: www.nigelbutterley.info