In Monday’s (6/14) San Francisco Chronicle, Joshua Kosman writes, “Heuwell Tircuit, a composer and critic who wrote about classical music and dance for The Chronicle for more than two decades, was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Tuesday, apparently of natural causes, according to his longtime friend Harold Cruthirds. He was 78. Mr. Tircuit (pronounced ‘tur-KWEE’) covered a range of subjects, from opera and symphonic music to chamber music and the ballet. But his particular interest was in contemporary music, a subject to which he brought keen knowledge and insight based in his own career as a composer. … Through much of his career, Mr. Tircuit wore both his composer’s and critic’s hats without allowing them to come into conflict. Among his major works was a virtuosic Percussion Concerto, premiered in 1969 by Seiji Ozawa and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with Stomu Yamash’ta as soloist. … Mr. Tircuit used his deep and passionate knowledge of 20th century music to illuminate new works in his reviews, often tracing stylistic links and influences that were less than obvious.”
Posted June 14, 2010
