Thomas Adès

Composer and conductor Thomas Adès explores the intersection of visual art, literature, and music in his creative practice. He describes composition as an act of untangling dense, suffocating masses of sound, often linked to physical sensations and early childhood memories of sound-making. His work draws heavily from surrealist art, cinema, and literature, with specific influences including Francis Bacon, Luis Buñuel, and T.S. Eliot. Adès emphasizes that music serves as a vehicle for transformation, aiming to transport audiences to a different state of being. He also addresses the challenges facing contemporary classical music, including funding crises and the decline of music education, while maintaining that his complex, often demanding compositions are intended to be persuasive and emotionally resonant rather than intentionally difficult.