Judith Weir

It was clear from Judith Weir’s early rise to visibility, four decades ago now, that here was a strikingly individual composing talent – with an idiom blending incisive technique, rich inventiveness, off-the-beaten-track imagination and a streak of wry humour. Since then, her music has graced Europe’s opera houses, concert houses and churches, not to mention a wealth of fine recordings. Her current role as Master of the Queen’s Music confirms her standing as one of Britain’s best-loved and most influential composers – as if such confirmation were needed.

For her first full-length opera, Judith Weir’s musical and dramatic skills were remarkable

Born to Scottish parents and brought up near London, Weir’s musicianship surfaced early. In her teenage years she took lessons from John Tavener, another convention-upending composer who evidently encouraged her to pursue her own, very different path. She also became an accomplished oboist, playing in the National Youth Orchestra, and