| NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY - MAY 2023 Welcome to my newsletter! I think at this point I have given up thinking of this as a monthly newsletter. I would like to update you all a little more regularly, but I sometimes find that time just gets away, particularly when my head is immersed in so many different projects. It has been a very exciting year so far with the performance of my orchestral Unravelling the Crimson Sky work by CBSO on 29th January, which has now received some great reviews in the Telegraph and Musical Opinion (see more below). The work will be released later in the year on a NMC recording alongside the other 19 works that made up this unique concert celebrating CBSO's centenary. February saw the launch of Illuminate Women's Music's latest season touring the UK in partnership with Trio Sonorité . As part of this season my new work for clarinet, cello and piano called Tangled Breath on winter air has been performed and will receive its last performance as part of this season on 14th May in the State Chamber of the Archbishop's Palace, Southwell Minster in Southwell, Nottinghamshire. The series has received great reviews so far, including in the Musical opinion (see below in reviews). Most of this year has been spent on writing four new pieces. The first is Where my minds flies, a very short work (just 1 minute!) for viola, clarinet and piano to be included in the '50 for 50' project being performed internationally later this year. The next two are for The Mostly Modern Festival that I will be attending in the Netherlands next week, with performances of two of my works. These are Glass dominoes for oboe, clarinet, marimba, violin, viola and cello, and a chamber orchestra piece called Gathering the Tide . Glass dominoes explores the notion of the chain reactions that split and fracture in different directions, whilst Gathering the Tide is based on the push and pull of tidal forces.The material surges forward in moments of wind and brass harmonic explosion, before being drawn back as the tide gathers in the seabed. The piece I have been working on most recently is a new string quartet called Where skies aflame. This work has been written for the Flux quartet as a commission from the Santa Fe Chamber music Festival and will receive its premiere in August this year! UPCOMING PERFORMANCES Saturday 29th April 2.00pm at Osstkerk Middelburg, Netherlands Glass dominoes for chamber ensemble performed by The Mostly Modern Ensemble (world premiere) Sunday 30th April 3.00pm at Zeeuwse Concertzaal 14 Verwerijstratt Middelburg, Netherlands Gathering the tide for chamber orchestra performed by The Mostly Modern Orchestra (world premiere) Sunday 7th May, 6.00pm, Rathaus Konzerte , Germany Trio Tempestoso ( Sanja Mlinarič, Andraž Golob, and Urban Megušar ) performing Der Same sucht das Licht Tuesday 23 May 2023, 3:30pm at Blue Salon, Graz Austria Trio Tempestoso ( Sanja Mlinarič, Andraž Golob, and Urban Megušar ) performing Der Same sucht das Licht Last Illuminate concert with Trio Sonorité Sunday 14th May, 7.30pm as part of Music in State Chamber series in Southwell, UK Tangled breath in winter air for piano trio performed by Trio Sonorite as part of Illuminate Women's Music 2023 Spring season Reviews CBSO'S CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS I was delighted to share my work Unravelling the crimson sky with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra as part of their Sounds New initiative on 29th January 2023 at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, conducted by Clark Rundell. The work received some wonderful reviews: Twenty young composers capture the zeitgeist in Birmingham 29th January 2023 at Symphony Hall, Telegraph ‘...and a glow of Michael Tippett's dancing rituals in Angela Elizabeth Slater's beautiful Unravelling the Crimson Sky.’ Ivan Hewett Musical Opinion April June 2023 Sounds New: Twenty CBSO Centenary Commissions. Symphony Hall, Birmingham (29th January 2023) Angela Slater’s Unravelling the Crimson Sky was an intricate, sometimes turbulent and often ravishingly scored piece that exploited the full range of a large orchestra, with brass and percussion highlighted to conjure up glowing colours streaked across sky. Taut and closely argued, it began with, and developed a fanfare-like motif, while juxtaposing diverse episodes, some reflective and others dynamic, before finishing with a passage of glinting, pellucid textures. A rich mixture of a tone poem and a study in timbre, this ambitious, accomplished work was awarded a detailed and superbly played debut performance. Paul Conway Illuminate Women's Music concert review St Peter's Church 25th Feb 2023 The recital ended with another Illuminate commission. Angela Elizabeth Slater’s Tangled breath in winter air , for piano trio (2023) is a three-movement work inspired by the need for all of us to take time to breathe and reflect. In the airy, expansive opening movement, ‘Breathe’ slow, sonorous gestures were laced with clarinet multiphonics and cello harmonics. The central movement, ‘Inhale’, was edgy and urgent, conveying the stresses induced by everyday living. The closing movement, ‘Exhale’ returned to the measured pace of the opening movement, the music songlike, assured and replete with long, flowing, expressive lines. In this committed rendition, the score’s detailed narrative was given sufficient space to emerge and expand. Tangled breath in winter air made a thoughtful, gently imposing closing item in an imaginatively compiled programme. Trio Sonorité captured each work’s individual character, bringing a natural feeling for line and phrasing. This deeply rewarding concert added lustre to an invaluable concert series that never fails to delight and enlighten. Paul Conway In case you missed it.... I am so excited to be partnering with percussionist Hannah Weaver and harpist Rosanne Moore for my newest project, Mountains become oceans! Mountains become oceans is a double harp and percussion concerto set with full orchestra that follows the event of our Sun becoming a red giant and the impact that has on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. Titan is a moon of frozen ice mountains, but with this event, as the Sun’s rays reach the far corners of the Solar System, Titan will see its temperature rise, and its ice will melt and form some of the last oceans of our Solar System. If you are a conductor, artistic director, or staff for an academic or professional orchestra interested in joining this consortium, please visit https://www.angelaslatercomposer.co.uk/mountains-become-oceans.html for more details and complete the form to sign up. Our goal is to have this piece showcased around the world! Stay tuned for more details surrounding this new endeavour! COMPOSER EDITION - additional scores I was delighted to announce in October 2021 that I had joined Composers Edition. Now I have added many more of my works to my catalogue. You can view and purchase my scores here THE ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK OF WOMEN'S WORK IN MUSIC I am delighted my chapter Invisible Canons A Reflective Commentary on the Formation of my Personal Canon of Women Composers has now been published. This chapter reflects on the pedagogical canon I was exposed to in my music education and begins to describe the underpinning ethos behind the formation of Illuminate Women's Music. Visit website Let's connect! |
NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY - MAY 2023
| |
|
|
Welcome to my newsletter! I think at this point I have given up thinking of this as a monthly newsletter. I would like to update you all a little more regularly, but I sometimes find that time just gets away, particularly when my head is immersed in so many different projects.
It has been a very exciting year so far with the performance of my orchestral Unravelling the Crimson Sky work by CBSO on 29th January, which has now received some great reviews in the Telegraph and Musical Opinion (see more below). The work will be released later in the year on a NMC recording alongside the other 19 works that made up this unique concert celebrating CBSO's centenary.
February saw the launch of Illuminate Women's Music's latest season touring the UK in partnership with Trio Sonorité. As part of this season my new work for clarinet, cello and piano called Tangled Breath on winter air has been performed and will receive its last performance as part of this season on 14th May in the State Chamber of the Archbishop's Palace, Southwell Minster in Southwell, Nottinghamshire. The series has received great reviews so far, including in the Musical opinion (see below in reviews).
Most of this year has been spent on writing four new pieces. The first is Where my minds flies, a very short work (just 1 minute!) for viola, clarinet and piano to be included in the '50 for 50' project being performed internationally later this year.
The next two are for The Mostly Modern Festival that I will be attending in the Netherlands next week, with performances of two of my works. These are Glass dominoes for oboe, clarinet, marimba, violin, viola and cello, and a chamber orchestra piece called Gathering the Tide. Glass dominoes explores the notion of the chain reactions that split and fracture in different directions, whilst Gathering the Tide is based on the push and pull of tidal forces.The material surges forward in moments of wind and brass harmonic explosion, before being drawn back as the tide gathers in the seabed.
The piece I have been working on most recently is a new string quartet called Where skies aflame. This work has been written for the Flux quartet as a commission from the Santa Fe Chamber music Festival and will receive its premiere in August this year!
| |
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
Saturday 29th April 2.00pm at Osstkerk Middelburg, Netherlands
Glass dominoes for chamber ensemble performed by The Mostly Modern Ensemble (world premiere)
Sunday 30th April 3.00pm at Zeeuwse Concertzaal 14 Verwerijstratt Middelburg, Netherlands
Gathering the tide for chamber orchestra performed by The Mostly Modern Orchestra (world premiere)
| |
Last Illuminate concert with Trio Sonorité
Sunday 14th May, 7.30pm as part of Music in State Chamber series in Southwell, UK
Tangled breath in winter air for piano trio performed by Trio Sonorite as part of Illuminate Women's Music 2023 Spring season
| |
CBSO'S CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
| |
I was delighted to share my work Unravelling the crimson sky with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra as part of their Sounds New initiative on 29th January 2023 at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, conducted by Clark Rundell.
The work received some wonderful reviews:
Twenty young composers capture the zeitgeist in Birmingham 29th January 2023 at Symphony Hall, Telegraph
‘...and a glow of Michael Tippett's dancing rituals in Angela Elizabeth Slater's beautiful Unravelling the Crimson Sky.’
Ivan Hewett
Musical Opinion April June 2023
Sounds New: Twenty CBSO Centenary Commissions. Symphony Hall, Birmingham (29th January 2023)
Angela Slater’s Unravelling the Crimson Sky was an intricate, sometimes turbulent and often ravishingly scored piece that exploited the full range of a large orchestra, with brass and percussion highlighted to conjure up glowing colours streaked across sky. Taut and closely argued, it began with, and developed a fanfare-like motif, while juxtaposing diverse episodes, some reflective and others dynamic, before finishing with a passage of glinting, pellucid textures. A rich mixture of a tone poem and a study in timbre, this ambitious, accomplished work was awarded a detailed and superbly played debut performance.
Paul Conway
| |
Illuminate Women's Music concert review St Peter's Church 25th Feb 2023
The recital ended with another Illuminate commission. Angela Elizabeth Slater’s Tangled breath in winter air, for piano trio (2023) is a three-movement work inspired by the need for all of us to take time to breathe and reflect. In the airy, expansive opening movement, ‘Breathe’ slow, sonorous gestures were laced with clarinet multiphonics and cello harmonics. The central movement, ‘Inhale’, was edgy and urgent, conveying the stresses induced by everyday living. The closing movement, ‘Exhale’ returned to the measured pace of the opening movement, the music songlike, assured and replete with long, flowing, expressive lines. In this committed rendition, the score’s detailed narrative was given sufficient space to emerge and expand. Tangled breath in winter air made a thoughtful, gently imposing closing item in an imaginatively compiled programme.
Trio Sonorité captured each work’s individual character, bringing a natural feeling for line and phrasing. This deeply rewarding concert added lustre to an invaluable concert series that never fails to delight and enlighten.
Paul Conway
| |
In case you missed it....
| |
I am so excited to be partnering with percussionist Hannah Weaver and harpist Rosanne Moore for my newest project, Mountains become oceans!
Mountains become oceans is a double harp and percussion concerto set with full orchestra that follows the event of our Sun becoming a red giant and the impact that has on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. Titan is a moon of frozen ice mountains, but with this event, as the Sun’s rays reach the far corners of the Solar System, Titan will see its temperature rise, and its ice will melt and form some of the last oceans of our Solar System.
If you are a conductor, artistic director, or staff for an academic or professional orchestra interested in joining this consortium, please visit https://www.angelaslatercomposer.co.uk/mountains-become-oceans.html for more details and complete the form to sign up. Our goal is to have this piece showcased around the world! Stay tuned for more details surrounding this new endeavour!
| |
COMPOSER EDITION - additional scores
I was delighted to announce in October 2021 that I had joined Composers Edition. Now I have added many more of my works to my catalogue. You can view and purchase my scores here
| |
THE ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK OF WOMEN'S WORK IN MUSIC
I am delighted my chapter Invisible Canons A Reflective Commentary on the Formation of my Personal Canon of Women Composers has now been published. This chapter reflects on the pedagogical canon I was exposed to in my music education and begins to describe the underpinning ethos behind the formation of Illuminate Women's Music.
| |
|
|
| |
|
