Christopher Wright Recordings

Christopher Wright was born in 1954. After studying music at the Colchester Institute Music Department (England) and composition with the late Richard Arnell, he initially embarked on a career as a full-time school music teacher holding posts in both Independent and State institutions and was also involved in community music-making as trombonist, piano accompanist and choir trainer. During these years he completed only a handful of substantial compositions including a String Quartet, Patterns for Brass Band and Concertino for 3 violins and Piano. In 1993 he left the teaching profession and began to concentrate on composing, and since has written a significant body of music in many genres and styles. His catalogue now stands at over fifty compositions including Concertos for oboe, violin, horn, and ‘cello; four String Quartets; music for string orchestra and instrumental, vocal and choral works. Recently premièred works include the Violin Concerto ‘And then there was silence…’ (composed in memory of his late wife) performed by Fenella Humphreys with the Ealing Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Gibbons. The work was also recorded with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Martin Yates. The work was well reviewed in BBC Music Magazine, International Record Review, The Vaughan Williams Society Journal, The Strad, Fanfare and others and also was given a Canadian Radio broadcast. The ‘cello Concerto (commissioned and recorded by Raphael Wallfisch) received a BBC broadcast with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and his Divertimento for Recorder & Strings, (written for John Turner) has also been broadcast on New Zealand radio.

David Matthews described Wright’s Capriccio Burlesque for string orchestra as “a most accomplished score in terms of sheer preponderance of good writing”; it is a brash, fairly light- hearted score whilst Legend for orchestra, commissioned in 2013 by the English Music Festival, and premièred that year by the St Paul’s Orchestra of London conducted by Ben Palmer in Dorchester Abbey Oxon. is a darkly mystical piece; both these works represent the emotional expanse his music often contains. Amongst his instrumental music is a substantial three-movement Recorder Sonata and Four East Coast Sketches for Harp composed for Danielle Perrett. The latter piece’s Suffolk/East Anglian landscape subject (Wright is a native of Suffolk) is a recurrent theme in much of his work. In 2007 he embarked on recording the bulk of his catalogue (so far) with the intention of reaching a wider audience. All four string quartets are to be recorded in 2014 by the Fejes Quartet (members of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra) who commissioned Quartet No 4 “Beacon Fell”, premièred in York 2014 and also performed by the Tippett Quartet at the 2014 William Alwyn Festival at Blythburgh,Suffolk.

Wright described his music as structurally concise with an eclectic flush of influences –English characteristics probably the greatest – and his language as lyrically tonal with strong rhythmic drive coloured by occasional ‘atonal flavourings’. His music has been recorded on the Divine Art/Metier, Dutton Epoch, Lyrita, Merlin Classics & Cameo labels.

Christopher Wright sadly passed away at the beginning of December 2024.