{{Short description|British composer (1967–2025)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}} '''Adrian Geoffrey Sutton''' (15 August 1967 – 10 October 2025) was a British composer, best known for his theatre music but also widely known for his symphonic and chamber music for the concert hall. He composed the scores for a series of well received National Theatre productions, including ''War Horse'' (2007) and ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time'' (2011). In September 2022, Sutton was diagnosed with an incurable cancer<ref name=g>[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/dec/06/adrian-sutton-war-horse-composer-incurable-cancer-final-concerts/ "Don't waste time: War Horse composer Adrian Sutton on living with an incurable cancer diagnosis"], ''The Guardian'', 6 December 2022.</ref> from which he died in 2025.<ref name=westend>{{cite news |title=Adrian Sutton, composer of War Horse, Curious Incident & Coram Boy, dies aged 58 |url=https://www.westendtheatre.com/318183/news/adrian-sutton-composer-of-war-horse-curious-incident-coram-boy-dies-aged-58/ |access-date=17 October 2025 |publisher=Westend Theatre |date=17 October 2025}}</ref>

==Life and career== Sutton was born on 15 August 1967 in Tenterden near Ashford, Kent. His family then moved to Zimbabwe and later to South Africa where he grew up.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |last1=Sweeting |first1=Adam |title=Adrian Sutton obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/03/adrian-sutton-obituary |access-date=3 November 2025 |publisher=The Guardian |date=3 November 2025}}</ref><ref name=telegraph /> Returning to London he studied music at Goldsmiths.<ref>[https://www.gold.ac.uk/our-people/profile-hub/music/ug/adrian-sutton/#:~:text=Adrian%20studied%20a%20BMus%20degree,came%20to%20apply%20for%20universities. Goldsmiths, student and graduate profiles]</ref> Before his success at the National Theatre, Sutton spent 15 years as a composer of "applied music", especially music for television commercials.<ref name=g/> He also composed the score for Ken Russell's 1995 film ''Treasure Island''. After working with radio presenter Chris Morris on the music for his BBC Radio Blue Jam series (1997-99),<ref>[https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Disgusting_Bliss/idNdAAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22adrian+sutton%22+%22composer%22&pg=PT164&printsec=frontcover Lucian Randall. ''Disgusting Bliss: The Brass Eye of Chris Morris'' (2010)]</ref> Sutton was introduced to his brother, the theatre director Tom Morris. That led to a commission from the National Theatre in 2005 to write the score for Helen Edmundson's "play with music" ''Coram Boy'', for which Sutton adapted and extended the music of Handel.<ref>Robert Simonson. [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/01/theater/01coram.html "Don't Trust Your Ears: This Play Is Not a Musical"], ''The New York Times'', 1 May 2007.</ref>

The score for ''War Horse'' two years later is interspersed with simple folk songs on which Sutton collaborated with John Tams.<ref>Marla Carlson. [https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Affect_Animals_and_Autists/JMlaDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22adrian+sutton%22+%22composer%22&pg=PA36&printsec=frontcover/ ''Affect, Animals, and Autists: Feeling Around the Edges of the Human in Performance''] (2018), p. 36.</ref> The orchestral sections combine an English folk idiom (folk songs as the spirit of the village) with symphonic material referencing both English and German traditions, drawing on his interest in English orchestral music of the early and mid-twentieth century (notably Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Walton).<ref>[https://www.chandos.net/translate/CH20349 Composer biography, Chandos]</ref><ref>''War Horse: Original London Cast Recording'', Cordafonia Records CORDAF01 (2008)</ref> ''The Curious Incident'' score of 2011 was influenced by another enthusiasm - the electronic studio music of Mike Oldfield and Aphex Twin.<ref name=g/> While at Goldsmiths, Sutton studied electronic music, working on the Fairlight CMI digital sampling synthesizer.<ref>[https://issuu.com/goldsmiths-alumni/docs/goldlink33 'Symphony for SE14', in ''Goldlink'', No. 33 (Spring 2010), pp. 12-13]</ref>

Other scores for the National Theatre included ''Nation'' and ''The Revenger's Tragedy'' (both 2009), ''Husbands And Sons'' (D. H. Lawrence, adapted by Ben Power, 2015), ''Rules for Living'' (2015), and ''Angels in America'' (2018). For other theatres Sutton provided music for ''Cyrano de Bergerac'' (Bristol Old Vic, 2019), ''Dr. Semmelweis'' (Bristol Old Vic, 2022, adapting Schubert),<ref>''Dr. Semmelweis'', Bristol Old Vic</ref> and ''Murder On The Orient Express'' (Chichester, 2022).

After his diagnosis, Sutton worked exclusively on concert works.<ref>[https://musicwebinternational.com/2024/10/sutton-orchestral-works-chandos/ "Sutton, Orchestral Works"], reviewed at MusicWeb International.</ref> In June 2023 his Violin Concerto and other orchestral pieces, including an extended suite for orchestra constructed from the ''War Horse'' score, were performed at the Southbank Centre with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, soloist Fenella Humphreys,<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jun/20/adrian-sutton-composer-concerto-chemo-war-horse-curious-incident-dog-night-time/ "'I've never been so productive': the composer who wrote a concerto during 12 lots of chemo"], ''The Guardian'', 20 June 2023.</ref> and subsequently recorded by Chandos Records.<ref>[https://www.britishmusicsociety.co.uk/2024/10/adrian-sutton-violin-concerto/ Chandos CHAN 20349 (2024), British Music Society]</ref>

Sutton was married to Matthew Gough, his longtime associate and producer.<ref name=telegraph>{{Cite news |date=19 October 2025 |title=Adrian Sutton, composer who wrote the music for War Horse, the classic National Theatre production |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2025/10/19/adrian-sutton-composer-war-horse-died-obituary/ |access-date=19 October 2025 |work=The Telegraph}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=19 October 2025 |title=Adrian Sutton obituary: composer for War Horse |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/adrian-sutton-obituary-composer-for-war-horse-3cslrgpv3 |access-date=20 October 2025 |work=The Times}}</ref> He died at home on 10 October 2025, at the age of 58.<ref name=westend />

==List of works== '''Orchestral''' * Sinfonietta (2012) *''Some See Us'' (2014) *''A Fist Full Of Fives'' (2016) *''Montana Peaks'' (2018, rev. 2025) *''Short Story'' (2022) * Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (2023) * ''Five Theatre Miniatures'' (2005, 2023) **I. 'The Departure' (2023) **II. 'Intermezzo' (2023) **III. 'Gigue' (2005) **IV. 'Polperro Beach' (2023) **V. 'Contagion' (2023) *''Not Norwegian Dance'' (2023) *''War Horse'' orchestral suite (2023) *''Sap And Sinews'' (2024)

'''Orchestral-Choral''' *''The Griffin And The Grail'' (2014) * ''Some See Us'' (2014) * ''War Horse: The Story In Concert'' (2018) * ''An Advent Calendar'' (2024)

'''Ensemble''' * ''Aerobatics Over Lake Wanaka'' (1998) for six pianos * ''Bicycle Dance In Lanes Of Leaves And Light'' (1998) for two pianos * ''Paxo Tango'' (2003) for soprano, baritone, string trio and piano * ''Theatre Miniatures'' III: 'Gigue' (2005) for string ensemble * ''Montana Peaks'' (2018, rev. 2025) for 11 players *''Trio Dances'' (2021) for string trio

'''Solo/Duo''' * ''Nostalgium'' (2008) for violin and piano * ''Spring Masque'' (2011) for solo violin *''Arpeggiare Variations'' (2015) for solo violin * ''Consolation'' (2017) for violin and piano * ''Blackheath Crosslight'' (2019) for piano * ''Pagvar'' (2020) for solo violin *''Eulogy'' (2021) for violin and piano

'''Choral''' *''Sweet Powell'' (2016)

'''Theatre''' *''Coram Boy'' (2005) *''War Horse'' (2007) *''Nation'' (2009) *''The Revenger's Tragedy'' (2009) *''Husbands And Sons'' (2015) *''Rules For Living'' (2015) *''Angels In America'' (2018) *''Cyrano de Bergerac'' (2019) *''Dr. Semmelweis'' (2022) *''Murder On The Orient Express'' (2022)

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.adriansutton.com/ adriansutton.com] * {{IMDb name|0840269}} * {{discogs artist|Adrian Sutton}} {{OlivierAward SoundDesign}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutton, Adrian}} Category:1967 births Category:2025 deaths Category:British composers Category:Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Category:British male classical composers Category:Musicians from Kent Category:20th-century English classical composers Category:20th-century English male composers Category:21st-century English classical composers Category:21st-century English male composers