"Clements joined the Guardian arts team in August 1993, succeeding Edward Greenfield as the paper's chief music critic. His appointment was clinched by a personal recommendation to the editor from the late Alfred Brendel, who argued for Clements to get the job on account of his deep understanding of contemporary music."
"Clements' musical interests were transformed while still at school as a young flautist when he encountered a work by Pierre Boulez that opened the door to his lifelong engagement with, and encyclopaedic knowledge of, contemporary music. For decades afterwards he could remember almost every concert he ever attended. In all fields of music, he was unafraid to ruffle feathers, happy to stick to his well-formed convictions, and refusing to follow more conservative or orthodox views."
Andrew Clements served as the Guardian's chief music critic from August 1993 and produced a distinctive critical voice for 32 years until ill health halted live reviews in March 2025. His appointment followed Alfred Brendel's recommendation based on a deep understanding of contemporary music. A school encounter with a work by Pierre Boulez transformed his interests and led to encyclopaedic knowledge of contemporary repertoire and near-complete recall of attended concerts. He worked at Faber, the Open University, the New Statesman and the Financial Times and edited Musical Times. His advocacy secured serious attention for composers such as Harrison Birtwistle, Hans Abrahamsen, Oliver Knussen and Mark-Anthony Turnage; solo piano repertoire was also a great passion.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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