Bertwistle was born in Acrington, northern England in 1934
Harrison Bertwistle, one of Britain's leading contemporary composers known for his experimental approach to writing classical music, has died at the age of 87, his publisher announced on Monday.
Bertwistle, who was born in Accrington, northern England, in 1934, composed critically acclaimed operas such as "Gawain" and "The Mask of Orpheus" and the famous orchestral composition "The Triumph of Time".
During a decade-long career that continued well into his 80s, his works – which ranged from chamber pieces to grand operas – were played by some of the greatest symphony orchestras in the world's premier venues.
He died at home in Mere, south west England, his publisher Boosie & Hawkes said in a statement posted on its website. No cause of death was given.
Bertwistle, who was knighted in 1988 and made a Companion of Honor in 2001, got his start by studying clarinet and composition at the Royal Manchester College of Music.
He later sold his instruments to focus on composition, traveling in the United States as a Harkness Fellow at Princeton University, where he completed the opera "Punch and Judy".
Premiering at the 1968 Aldeburgh Festival, the works - together with "Verses for Ensembles" and "The Triumph of Time" - firmly solidified Bertwistle as a leading voice in British music.
He became music director of the newly established Royal National Theater in London in 1975 and held the position until 1983.
Described in an obituary as "elusive and hoarse", he was widely acknowledged as unprecedented for his uncompromising style, often serving up a hoarseness of sound in his pieces that left some audiences and critics alike. was divided.
The Royal Philharmonic Society was among organizations and individuals paying tribute to him on Monday, saying his music "shook the earth".