Towards and Beyond

Screening of Barrie Gavin’s documentary about the British Composer Jonathan Harvey.

Born in 1939, composer Jonathan Harvey studied with Erwin Stein in Cambridge, after whose death he continued composition and analysis with Hans Keller, obtaining a PhD. At Cambridge he was preoccupied with mystical ideas while becoming acquainted with procedures in medieval and renaissance music that were later to influence his own compositions. During the 1960s, Jonathan Harvey composed freely, responding to a wide variety of musical and religious experiences in his settings of medieval texts. Schoenberg, Berg, Messiaen and Britten were also early influences, and a broader base was achieved through the guidance of Hans Keller. In 1964 he joined the Music Department of Southampton University. It was at this time that the power of Stockhausen's music first had a profound effect on Harvey, inspiring him to explore and develop his own complex and personal musical language. He later came into contact with Milton Babbit. In the early 1980s Jonathan Harvey was invited by Boulez to work at IRCAM, a connection that has resulted in many new commissions in recent years. His works are now being increasingly played all over the world and the transcendental quality of his music does not lose its force when he focuses on the more intimate genre of chamber music.

British Director Barrie Gavin studied history at the University of Cambridge from 1954 to 1957 and joined the BBC as an assistant film editor in 1961. His fascination with contemporary music brought him into contact with Pierre Boulez. Over the next 40 years they have collaborated on a series of analytical documentaries on the founding fathers of 20th century music: Schönberg, Berg, Webern, Bartók, Stravinsky, Ives, Varese, Messiaen and of course Boulez himself. From the 1970s until the end of the 20th century Gavin specialised in portraits of contemporary composers: Berio, Luigi Nono, Stockhausen, Takemitsu, Birtwistle, Peter Maxwell Davies, Mark-Anthony Turnage, and many others. In 1977 Gavin had been invited to Germany to make a film about Kurt Weill. This marked the beginning of a long association with German television, resulting not only in many adventurous documentaries but also in a new area of work, directing concerts for television. To date he has been responsible for some 250 relays of concerts and opera.

The vast majority of Gavin’s work has concentrated on music, but he has also produced in 1967 a series on classic film directors. In addition there have been films on literature and the visual arts. Among them: Sir William in search of Xanadu (Award of Montreal Festival of Films on Art, 1984) and Images - A History of Early Photography (Award of New York Festival of Films on Art, 1989).

The event is part of the 4th International Pharos Contemporary Music Festival