Composer Peter Maxwell Davies dies

British composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies has died, aged 81.
The veteran musician passed away on Monday (14Mar16) after a battle with leukaemia.
The celebrated conductor and composer enjoyed a prolific and acclaimed career in classical music, and was most notably made Britain’s Master of the Queen’s music, a post broadly compared to that of a Poet Laureate, in 2004.
The post, which dates back to the 14th Century, saw Sir Peter compose music for Britain’s royal family to mark special occasions. In 2006, he collaborated with Poet Laureate Andrew Motion to create a piece of music to mark the Queen Elizabeth II’s 80th birthday.
The composer, who lived for many years in the Scottish islands of Orkney, was also known for his modern and avantgarde works, most notably his 1980 solo piano piece Farewell to Stromness.
Farewell to Stromness was one part of The Yellowcake Review, a musical composition with speaking parts he wrote in protest at plans to mine uranium in the Orkney islands. It was originally performed with British actress Eleanor Bron.
Stephen Lumsden, the boss of Davies’ management agency Intermusica paid tribute to his client, telling the BBC, “He was right to the end a pioneer.”
Davies also held posts at Britain’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Oxford University and the Royal Academy of Music over the course of his 60-year music career. He was knighted in 1987.