THE RESONANCE ATLAS
Peter Lawson
Biography
Peter Lawson (born 1951 in Cheltenham) is a British composer and pianist. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he subsequently taught composition and piano and lectured on musical structure for eleven years. His music has been published by Edition Peters, Universal Edition, Stainer & Bell and Goodmusic Publications. An extensive part of his catalogue is inspired by orchids, including chamber and orchestral works.
Why this music interests us
Lawson's Song of the Small Tongue Orchid, for bassoon and piano, is part of a cycle of musical portraits of wild orchids found in Britain and Ireland. Alongside his earlier wind quintet Variants and other chamber works, it offers an unusual meeting of nature-inspired composition and practical instrumental combinations, closely aligned with Resonance's interest in music deserving renewed attention.
Selected works & listening
Song of the Small Tongue Orchid (bassoon and piano); Wind Quintet (Variants, 1974); Song of the Bog Orchid; Song of the Burnt-Tip Orchid; Song of the Twayblade Orchid
Further information