Worcester College, Oxford University (1968-71?)
Principal teachers: Kenneth Leighton and Robert Sherlaw Johnson

Stephen Oliver was one of the foremost British composers of opera and music theatre of his generation. Born in 1950, he was already composing at a phenomenal rate while still a boy. In 1968 he read music at Oxford where his teachers were Kenneth Leighton and Robert Sherlaw Johnson. Three years later, while still at Oxford, his large-scale opera The Duchess of Malfi (1971) was staged at the university theatre, an event which effectively launched his career.

For most of his life Stephen Oliver was able to support himself as a full-time composer, creating a vast catalogue of works, including incidental music for over fifteen productions by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the West End musical Blondel (1983), to a libretto by Sir Tim Rice, and well over forty operas. Many of these were written to special commission from the Batignano Festival in Tuscany, Italy.

His television music includes scores for the BBC Shakespeare series produced by Jonathan Miller, the thirteen-part Camera series for Granada TV and a four-part drama series for the BBC. In 1982 he wrote and presented a series for London Weekend Television called Understanding Opera. His catalogue also contains works for instrumental and chamber ensembles, notably the series of Ricercare 1-5 (1973-1986).

Theatre was at the heart of Stephen Oliver's thinking and opera central to a view of his work. The range of what he termed 'opera' is enormous: from musicals such as Blondel and Jacko's Play (1979) to the full-scale operas Tom Jones (1975) and Beauty and the Beast (1984). Some of his works are in the self-styled category of 'mini-operas' lasting under thirty minutes.

Oliver's brilliant composing career culminated in the world première of Timon of Athens by English National Opera in 1991. This final opera was described by the composer himself as the work he was "made to write".

Stephen Oliver died on April 29, 1992.

—www.chesternovello.com

Stephen Michael Harding Oliver was the last of three children of Osbourne Oliver, an Electricity Board official and keen amateur musician, and his wife Hester Girdlestone, adviser in religious education and granddaughter of the orator, the Biship of Ripon. Though Oliver became an agnostic, the christian ethic informed everything he did and he was to write much sacred music (including The Trinity Mass, 1980). But while a chorister at St. Paul's choir school, he discovered, in the Mikado, his empathy with secular music drama. He wrote his first opera aged 12, and never stopped. Works, including his earliest oratorio, followed at Ardingly College. But it was his opera The Duchess of Malfi (1972), performed while he was at Worcester College, Oxford, that told the outside world of the arrival of a new theatre composer to be reckoned with. His successful output was such that, after two years teaching composition and music history at Huddersfield Polytechnic, Oliver was able to move to London, proud to be a fulltime 'professional.'

He regarded himself as a craftsman — someone in the line of eighteenth century composers who would undertake any commissioned work. He wrote fast with a facility for inventing the widest ranges of sounds from pastiche of any century's characteristics to his personal contemporary 'squeaky-gate' music with anything from Messiaen-scale orchestration to miniatures for lute and viola da gamba, or simply a tray of wine glasses.

Oliver composed for every facet of entertainment: film (Lady Jane Grey), dance (La Bella Rosina), radio (incidental music for The Lord of the Rings), television (much of the BBC Shakespeare series) and straight theatre (some 90 plays, many for the Royal Shakespeare Company including scores for Nicholas Nickleby and Peter Pan). Blondel, the musical he wrote with Tim Rice, though one number reached the charts, was not quite a success. The Thatcherite certainties of Rice's lyrics did not blend happily with Oliver angst. It was in opera that this composer found his most rewarding outlet.

Though occasionally he devised his own storyline (Il Giardino 1977, Exposition of a Picture 1986, and his version of Mozart's L'Oca del Cairo 1991), usually the texts Oliver wrote, and set to music, were drawn from his dauntingly deep knowledge of literature: Webster, Dickens (Perseverance 1974), Beckett (Past Tense 1974), Fielding (Tom Jones 1976), Yeats (The Dreaming of the Bones 1979), Schnitzler (A Man of Feeling 1980), Ostrovsky (Sasha, 1984), de Beaumont (La Bella e la Bestia 1984), Mann (Mario ed il Mago 1988) and Shakespeare (Timon of Athens 1991). The theatrical effectiveness of these operas is perfectly judged. They enjoy naturalistic wordsetting, melody in tonal but contemporary idiom, and audacious orchestration, frequently using the marimba and a battery of other percussion instruments. The smaller scale works are particularly successful, the clarity and delicacy of chamber music bringing out the best in Oliver. Many of them use an uneasy, tentative 3/4 time to suggest the malaise of the principal characters. Though at ease with his homosexuality and not seeing himself as an outsider, the composer's own feelings of (quite unjustified) inadequacy are put to good use in some of the best roles he created: the Beast, Cipolla and Timon. The need for friendship is a theme that runs through his work and he was the first to see that the hero's relationship with Smike should be at the core of Nicholas Nickleby.

Oliver was the acknowledged star of the South Bank Show on the making of that great Royal Shakespeare Company success. The television public met for the first time the brilliant conversationalist and (occasionally) caustic wit. This was followed by Understanding Opera, the slightly didactic series he wrote and presented for BBC 2. He had dexterity with words both written and spoken. Singing translations of other men's operas included Euridice, Orlando, Le Coq d'Or and The King Goes Forth. He would review a concert for the BBC in rhyming couplets and frequently have his listeners in stitches on Stop the Week. He was also an excellent actor. But the dazzling exterior hid a serious public spirited man who served on many committees including the boards of E.N.O. where he brought commission fees up to date, and the Performing Rights Society where he led the campaign to give lyricists parity with composers. Privately he led an almost (but not quite) monk-like existence preferring to live undisturbed and alone, spending little on himself and, instead, redirecting his earnings to small struggling opera companies and a variety of charities. He had, in the fullest measure, the gift of unassailable friendship and was always ready with advice, help and, often, hard cash where it was needed. A typical act of sacrifice, despite his need of privacy for composing, was to give final home to a close friend dying of AIDS.

In the last year of his life before he was stricken by the same virus, he achieved an astounding compositional tour de force which included an oratorio (The Vessel 1990), new recitatives for the Glyndebourne Clemenza di Tito and two operas (Timon of Athens for E.NO. and L'Oca del Cairo for the Batignano Festival), all in 1991. He bore his last illness with exemplary courage and optimism and died at home, 29 April 1992. His ashes were scattered at his request in the olive grove of the ex-monastery of S. Croce, Batignano, Italy where four of his works were first staged. He left the bulk of his estate in trust to further new operas.

—Adam Pollock, Dictionary of National Biography

WORKS:

ORCHESTRA

Concerto for Recorder and Strings (1988)
for: solo treble recorder and strings (minimum 33231)
duration: 15:00

Symphony (1976, revised 1983)
for: orchestra
duration: 20:00
note: Commissioned by the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra with funds provided by Arts Council
premiere: Liverpool Mozart Orchestra, Guy Woolfenden, conductor, Liverpool, 23 May 1976
premiere of revised version: Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, Nicholas Smith, conductor, Finland, 13 October 1983

WINDS & BRASS

Character Pieces for Wind (1991)
for: 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns
duration: 10:00

Nicholas Nickleby (incidental music) (1980)
for:1(pic)01(bcl,asx)1/12(2cnt)1(tba)0/1perc/pf(conductor)/bjo[=gtr]/str(1.1(va).0.0.1)
duration: 55:00

O No (1976, revised 1985)
for: brass band
duration: 10:00
note: A comedy written for Bram Gay and the Cory Band
premiere: St. John's Smith Square, 10 October 1976

Ricercare No. 2 (1981)
for: 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 3 bassoons, 2 horns
duration: 15:00
note: Commissioned by the Whispering Wind Band with funds from Arts Council
premiere: Whispering Wind Band, Kent University, Canterbury, 7 June 1981

Ricercare No. 5 (1986)
for: brass quintet (2 trumpets, horn, trombone, tuba)
duration: 10:00
note: Commissioned by London Brass with funds from South East Arts
premiere: London Brass, courtyard at Knole, Sevenoaks, 15 June 1986
London premiere: Cambrian Brass Quintet, Park Lane Group concert, Purcell Room, 11 January 1988

Suite from Nicholas Nickleby (1981)
for: brass quintet (2 trumpets, horn, trombone, tuba)
duration: 15:00
note: Arranged from incidental music to Nicholas Nickleby (1980) (see Dramatic Works, below)
premiere: Royal Shakespeare Company London Brass Ensemble, Purcell Room, 18 January 1981

CHAMBER & INSTRUMENTAL

The Dong with a Luminous Nose (1976)
for: narrator and strings (five string quartets)
duration: ca. 15:00
note: Commissioned for amateur players at Woodfords Music Camp
premiere: Woodfords Music Camp, 31 July 1976

The Key to the Zoo (1980)
for: narrator, 2 oboes, bassoon, harpsichord
duration: 10:00
text: Miles Kington
note: Commissioned by Sheba Sound with funds from Arts Council
broadcast premiere: Anglia Television, 5 February 1980
concert premiere: Milton Keynes Festival, 15 February 1980

Kyoto (1977)
for: two organs
duration: 10:00
note: Commissioned by the Greenwich Festival for Stephen and Nicholas Cleobury
premiere: Stephen and Nicholas Cleobury, Royal Naval College, 22 June 1977

The Lord of the Rings (1981)
for: piano
duration: 2:00
note: Arranged from incidental music to a BBC radio dramatization of The Lord of the Rings by J.R. Tolkien
recorded: BBC REH 415 (original version)

A Midsummer Night's Dream (incidental music) (1981)
for: 1111/2210/2perc

Peter Pan (incidental music) (1982)
for: small instrumental group (variable treble, middle, bass instrumentation) + 2perc/pf[=syn]

Peter Pan: Three Souvenir Pieces (1982)
for: piano, with additional voice part in "Mrs. Darling's Lullaby"
duration: 1:00
note: Very simple arrangements from incidental music to Peter Pan (1982) (see Dramatic Works, below). Part of income from sale of this publication is donated to Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London.
recorded: Dakota RSP 1 (original version)

Ricercare No. 1 (1973)
for: clarinet, violin, cello, piano
duration: 14:00
note: Commissioned by the Capricorn Ensemble with funds from Arts Council
premiere: Capricorn Ensemble, Wigmore Hall, 11 January 1974

Ricercare No. 3 (1983)
for: guitar, viola and cello
duration: 7:00
note: Commissioned by Anthea Gifford (guitar) with funds from Arts Council
premiere: Anthea Gifford, Norbert Blume (viola) and Rohan de Saram (cello), Purcell Room, 7 January 1984

Sonata for Guitar (1978)
for: guitar
duration: 10:00
note: Commissioned by Carlos Bonell with funds from Arts Council
premiere: Carlos Bonell, Ludwigsburg, Germany, 16 May 1981
UK premiere: Wigmore Hall, 7 June 1981

Study for Piano (1979)
for: piano
duration: 6:00
note: Commissioned by Julian Jacobson
premiere: Julian Jacobson, Purcell Room, 26 June 1979

VOCAL & CHORAL

Ballad of the Breadman (1979)
for: unison voices and piano or guitar
duration: 3:00
text: carol with words adapted from Charles Causley
note: Music written for Westward Television

The Child from the Sea (1980)
for: treble solo, SATB chorus and orchestra
duration: 20:00
text: by the composer
note: Cantata commissioned by BBC Radio
premiere: Northern Sinfonia, Steuart Bedford, conductor, Newcastle, 30 October 1980
London premiere: Queen Elizabeth Hall, 31 October 1980

A Dialogue Between Mary and Her Child (1979)
for: soprano, baritone and SATB choir unaccompanied
duration: 3:00
text: anonymous, 15th century
note: Music written for Westward Television

The Elixir (1976)
for: 4 soloists, SATB chorus and melody instrument
duration: 6:00
text: Lenten anthem with words from Psalm 51, John Skelton and George Herbert
note: First published as a Musical Times supplement

Festal Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (1985)
for: SSAATTBB choir and organ
duration: ca. 10:00
text: A setting of the Evening Canticles from the Alternative Service Book of 1980
premiere: Norwich Cathedral Choir, Michael Nicholas, conductor, Norwich, 6 July 1986

Forth in Thy Name (1985) (anthem)
for: soprano and baritone soli and 8-part choir unaccompanied
duration: 4:00
text: words from the hymn by Wesley and from Psalm 90
note: Commissioned by St. Alban's Abbey
premiere: St. Alban's Abbey Choir, Colin Walsh, conductor, St. Alban's Abbey, 5 October 1985

God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen (1980)
for: SATB and piano
duration: 2:00
text: carol arranged from Nicholas Nickleby
recorded: That's Entertainment TER 003 (original version)

The Lord of the Rings (1981)
Incidental music to a BBC radio dramatisation of the trilogy Lord of the Rings by J.R. Tolkien
for: SATB choir, strings and percussion
duration: ca. 60:00
recorded: BBC REH 415

Namings (1981)
for: SATB choir, brass quintet (2 trumpets, horn, trombone, tuba) and timpani
duration: 11:00
text: Words from old Scottish riddles, with a conclusion by the composer
note: Commissioned with funds from Radio Forth, for the Edinburgh Festival Chorus
premiere: Edinburgh Festival Chorus, Equale Brass, John Currie, conductor, Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 3 September 1981

O Fons Amoris (1981) (motet)
for: SSAATTBB choir unaccompanied
duration: 8:00
text: Thomas à Kempis
note: Written for Michael Nicholas and Norwich Cathedral Choir
premiere: Michael Nicholas and Norwich Cathedral Choir, Norwich Cathedral, 5 July 1981
London premiere: Pegasus Choir, Richard Crossland, conductor, St. Bride's Church, Fleet Street, 9 November 1985

Overheard on a Saltmarsh (1972)
for: 6 male voices
duration: 4:00
text: Harold Munro
note: Written for the King's Singers.
premiere: King's Singers, Oxford, November 1972

Overture and Vocal Music from Nicholas Nickleby (1980, arr. 1983)
Arranged from incidental music to the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Nicholas Nickleby, based on the novel by Charles Dickens, with music and lyrics by Stephen Oliver
for: voices and piano
duration: 2 to 3 minutes per song
     Overture: London — Devon
     The Portsmouth Journey
     Wedding Anthem
     Patriotic Chorus
     Opera 'Selvite Furioso'
     Mrs. Grudden's Farewell
     God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
premiere: Aldwych Theatre, London, June 1980
recorded: That's Entertainment TER 1029 and ZC TER 102 (original version)

Prometheus (Cantata) (1988)
for: SATB chorus and 32(ca)22/4231/3perc/hp.pf/str
duration: 14:00

Ricercare No. 4 (1986)
for: countertenor, 2 tenors and baritone, unaccompanied
duration: 20:00
text: Latin words by the Emperor Hadrian
note: Commissioned by Simon Callow for the vocal quartet Cantabile

Running Back for More (1983)
Arranged from the musical Blondel
for: voice and piano or guitar
duration: 5:00
recorded: MCA 845 (original version)

Seven Words (1985)
for: SATB choir and string orchestra (minimum 66442)
duration: 15:00
text: from the Gospels and the hymn by W. How
note: Commissioned by the Norfolk and Norwich Triennial Festival with funds from the Eastern Arts Association. Written for Michael Nicholas and the Norwich Cathedral Choir.
premiere: Michael Nicholas and the Norwich Cathedral Choir, Norwich Cathedral, 15 October 1985

A String of Beads (1980)
for: SATB choir and orchestra (2 oboes, bassoon, strings)
duration: 30:00
note: Ballet sequence with words by the composer. Commissioned by East Midland Arts Association.
premiere: Milton Keynes Chorale and Chamber Orchestra, Simon Halsey, conductor, Milton Keynes February Festival, 15 February 1981

This is the Voice (1984) (anthem)
for: 3-part choir and organ
duration: 5:00
text: Walter Hilton
note: Commissioned by the Deanery of Nottingham for the centenary of the Diocese of Southwell
premiere: St. Mary's Church, Nottingham, 4 July 1984

Trinity Mass Rite in A (Communion Service) (1981)
for: SSAATTBB choir unaccompanied
duration: for liturgical use
Commissioned by the Norwich Festival of Contemporary Church Music with funds from the Eastern Arts Association
premiere: Norwich Cathedral Choir, Michael Nicholas, conductor, Norwich Cathedral, 5 July 1981

Two Songs and a Scene from Cymbeline (1986)
for: baritone and piano
duration: 11:00
premiere: Graham Trew (baritone) and John Alley (piano), Bromsgrove Music Club, 26 September 1986

The Vessel (Cantata) (1990)
for: soprano, tenor, bass soloists, SATB chorus, orchestra
duration: 37:00

Vocal selection from Blondel (1983)
Arranged from the musical Blondel with words by Tim Rice (see Dramatic Works)
for: voices and piano or guitar
duration: 3 to 5 minutes each
     I'm a Monarchist
     The Least of my Troubles
     No Rhyme for Richard
     Assassin's Song
     Running Back for More
     Saladin Days
     The Wrong Train
premiere: Theatre Royal, Bath, 5 September 1983
London premiere: Old Vic, 24 October 1983
recorded: MCA DBL 1 (original version)

Waiting (1985?)
Commissioned by Penelope Mackay in 1985
for: soprano or mezzo-soprano and piano
duration: 30:00

Wedding Anthem — How Blest Are They (1980)
for: treble voices (SS) and organ
duration: 2:00
text: Psalm 128
note: used in Nicholas Nickleby
recorded: St. Paul's Cathedral Choristers, Barry Rose, conductor, That's Entertainment TER 003

DRAMATIC WORKS

Bad Times (1975)
Dramatic sketch, words by the composer
Commissioned by The Greenwich Letter
for: baritone and string quartet
duration: 20:00

Beauty and the Beast (La Bella e la Bestia) (1984)
Opera in 2 acts from the story by Leprince de Beaumont, translated into Italian by Carlo Collodi, English libretto by the composer
for: coloratura soprano, soprano, 2 mezzo-sopranos, baritone, bass-baritone soli, instrumental ensemble: fl(pic)cl(Ebcl)/tpt/gtr(bjo.ebgtr)/2perc/pno(bowedpsaltery.hurdy-gurdy.syn
duration: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Blondel (1983)
Musical with lyrics by Tim Rice
for: 6 solo roles, male voice quartet, female voice trio, SATB chorus, instrumental ensemble: cl(asx.barsx)/tpt/perc.dm/2kbd(incl synthesiser).gtr.ebgtr/vn(va)
duration: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Britannia Preserv'd (1984)
A masque
Commissioned by the Royal Institute of British Architects for their 150th anniversary
for: coloratura soprano, mezzo-soprano, baritone, bass-baritone soli, SATB chorus, instrumental ensemble: 1(pic)12(sx)1/0210/2perc/gtr.bjo.hp/str(00111)
duration: 34:00

Cadenus Observ'd (1974)
Dramatic sketch, with words collected from Jonathan Swift
duration: 8:00

Cinderella
Commissioned by Jonathan Gilli for BBC TV
for: piccolo, bass clarinet, trumpet, piano/synthesizer, violin, double bass
duration: 8:00

Commuting (1986)
Wordless sketches for vocal quintet, commissioned by the vocal quartet Cantabile
for: countertenor, 2 tenors, baritone and one other
duration: 18:00

The Duchess of Malfi (1971, revised 1978)
Opera in three acts with libretto by the composer, after the play by John Webster
Original version commissioned by Oxford Opera Club; opera completely rewritten for premiere by the Santa Fe Opera Company.
for: 2 sopranos, 1 countertenor, 4 tenors, 2 baritones, 4 bass-baritones, SATB chorus, and orchestra
duration: 2 hours and 15 minutes
premiere (original version): Oxford Opera Club, Oxford, 1971
premiere (revised version): Santa Fe Opera Company, Santa Fe, NM, 5 August 1978

Euridice (1981)
Arrangement of Jacopo Peri's opera of 1600 with text by Ottavio Rinuccini
Commissioned by Musica nel Chiostro v for: 3 sopranos, 1 countertenor or mezzo, 3 tenors and 1 tenor or baritone, 2 mezzo-sopranos and 3 basses, solo instruments: cl(bcl)/tpt.tbn/perc/pf.bjo(gtr)/vn.db
duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Exposition of a Picture (1986)
Conversation with words by the composer, based on an idea by Adam Pollock
Commissioned by the Royal Society of Arts
for: tenor, baritone, string quartet
duration: 35:00

The Garden (Il Giardino) (1977)
A melodrama, with text by the composer
for: soprano, tenor, lu/vadg [=str4t/hpd]
duration: 20:00

The Girl and the Unicorn (1978)
Opera with words by the composer
Commissioned by The West Eleven Children's Opera Group
for: 5 soloists, chorus including many small roles, and orchestra (or piano with optional guitar and drums)
duration: 1 hour
premiere: West Eleven Children's Opera Group, St. James Norland, Holland Park, London, 9 December 1978

Jacko's Play (1979)
Children's operetta, words by the composer for inclusion in the book Jacko's Play by Ray Smith.
duration: 18:00

L'Oca del Cairo (opera) (1991)
Commissioned by the Batignano Festival, Italy
for: 3 sopranos, 1 contralto, 2 tenors, 2 bass-baritones, SATB chorus, and orchestra
duration: 90:00

A Man of Feeling (1980)
Operatic sketch with words by the composer, based on short story Der Empfindsame by Arthur Schnitzler
for: soprano, baritone, piano
duration: 20:00

Mario and the Magician (1988)
Opera in one act, based on story by Thomas Mann
Commissioned by the Batignano Festival, Italy
for: 7 main characters and 7 minor characters, instrumental ensemble: fl(pic)cl/cnt.tba/2perc/pf(hmn)/va.2vc
duration: 65:00

Nicholas Nickleby (1980)
Incidental music for play in two parts, for performance on consecutive nights: Part One, 4 hours; Part Two, 4 1/2 hours
Based on the novel by Charles Dickens, with lyrics by the composer
for: 12 players: 1+1 0 1+2 1/1 2 1+tuba 0/1perc/vn vn+vla cello/conductor+pno/recorded organ
duration: 8 hours and 30 minutes
premiere: Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, London, June 1980
recorded: That's Entertainment TER 1029
see also Overture and Vocal Music from Nicholas Nickleby (Vocal & Choral)
see also Suite for Brass Quintet (Wind & Brass)

Peter Pan (1982)
Incidental music for J.M. Barrie's play with lyrics by the composer
duration: 3 hours, 10 minutes

The Ring (1984)
Words by the composer, based on the television serial "Coronation Street"
for: soprano, 2 mezzo-sopranos, baritone, 2(pic)2(ca)22/4231/2perc/hp/str
duration: 15:00

Sasha (1982)
Opera in three acts with words by the composer, based on a play by Ostrovsky
Commissioned by the Banff Music Centre
for: 6 sopranos, 4 mezzo-sopranos, 2 tenors, 6 baritones/basses, instrumental ensemble: 1111/1100/2perc/pf(syn)gtr(bjo)/str(1111)
duration: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Slippery Soules (1969, rev. 1976 and 1988)
Christmas drama
Commissioned by The Wychwood School for Girls, Oxford
for: treble voices or SATB, violin, percussion, organ, piano (alt.: 1030/0000/3perc.dmkit/pf.syn.gtr.bgtr/vn.vc.db)
duration: 50 minutes (1988 version 90 minutes)

A Stable Home (1977)
Dramatic cantata for Christmas, for performance by children
for: 2 soloists and chorus, piano, optional guitar and tuned percussion
duration: 15:00

Three Instant Operas (1973)
     Paid Off
     Time Flies
     Old Haunts
Instant operas for performance by children, words by the composer
for: unison voices with piano, optional melody instruments and optional percussion
duration: 30:00 (10:00 each)

Timon of Athens (1990)
Commissioned by the English National Opera
for: 3 trebles, 3 tenors, 3 baritones, 1 bass-baritone, 2 basses, and orchestra
duration: 90 minutes

Tom Jones (1975)
Opera in three acts with libretto by the composer, after the novel by Henry Fielding
Commissioned for the English Music Theatre Company by the Gulbenkian Foundation
for: 14 principal singers (2 doubling), SATB chorus, and orchestra
duration: 2 hours
premiere: English Music Theatre Company, Steuart Bedford, conductor, University Theatre, Newcastle, 17 April 1976
London premiere: Sadlers Wells, 11 September 1976

The Waiter's Revenge (1976)
An absurd fable with words by the composer.
Commissioned by the Purcell Consort of Voices
with funds from Arts Council
for: 2 sopranos, countertenor, tenor, baritone, bass, silent male
duration: 20:00

FILM

Lady Jane Grey (1985), released on DVD (2003). By Deanna McFadden. Directed by Trevor Nunn. Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Cary Elwes, Patrick Stewart and John Wood.

TELEVISION

Shakespeare series (BBC). Thirteen-part Camera series (Granada TV). Four-part drama series (BBC).

DANCE

La Bella Rosina
Dance divertissement (prologue and four parts)
for: 20-piece orchestra
duration: 25:00

OPERA TRANSLATIONS:

The King Goes Forth to France: English singing translation (1985)
Translation of Aulis Sallinen's opera of 1983.

The Red Line: English singing translation (1980)
Translation of Aulis Sallinen's opera of 1971

UNCOMPLETED WORKS:
Unknown

WRITINGS:
Unknown

DISCOGRAPHY:
Blondel, MCA Records DBL 1/2.
Nicholas Nickleby, That's Entertainment Records TER 003 (original version); TER 1029.
The Lord of the Rings, BBC Records REH 415.
Peter Pan, Dakota RSP 1.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• "Stephen Oliver" by Adam Pollock, Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press (volume forthcoming).

PERFORMING RIGHTS AFFILIATION:
PRS/BMI

RESOURCES:
Chester Music Ltd. & Novello Publishing Ltd.
8-9 Frith Street
London W1D 3JB
United Kingdom
Tel: 44 (0) 20 7434 0066
Fax: 44 (0) 20 7287 6329 (promotion)
44 (0) 20 7439 2848 (copyright)
www.chesternovello.com

G. Schirmer, Inc.
257 Park Avenue South, 20th Floor
New York, NY 10010
USA
Tel: (212) 254-2100
Fax: (212) 254-2013
www.schirmer.com

MUSICAL EXECUTOR:
Unknown

OTHER CONTACTS:
Adam Pollock
5 Latchfords Yard
61a Endell Street
London WC2H 9AJ
United Kingdom
Tel: 0207 240 5905
Fax: 0207 240 5912
adamallan377@hotmail.com

Jonathan Dove
16 Minstrel Court
Teesdale Close
London E2 9PQ
United Kingdom
jdove@clara.co.uk

ARCHIVES:
The Oliver Archives are kept by Novello & Co. Ltd. and the brother of Stephen Oliver:
James Oliver
36 Polhill Avenue
Bedford MK41 9ED
United Kingdom