| September - October - November 2022 NEWS! Welcome to my not so monthly - monthly newsletter! What a lot has happened since my last (now, not so monthly) newsletter! Maybe one day my monthly newsletters will become monthly again! For now I will just keep squeezing them in when I can! Today I am writing my newsletter from Budapest as I am spending the week participating in the Peter Eötvös programme and attending the masterclass with Unsuk Chin. It has been very interesting so far and I am looking forward to hearing the Danubia orchestra bring Chin's Double Concerto and Fantasise Mécanique to life throughout the week. Most of my time over the last few months have been dedicated to score and part preparation ahead of some very important performances. On Friday 4th November (just one month away!!) I will be having my piano concerto Tautening skies and my orchestral piece The Louder the Birds Sing premiered at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire at 7.30pm. Earlier in the evening my works Falling watercolours for string quartet and Ways of Looking at a Blackbird for soprano and string quartet will be performed in a chamber concert at 6.00pm by the Brompton string quartet and soprano Sarah Parkin. RBC Symphony Orchestra at The Bradshaw Hall Time and date: 4th November 7.30pm LOCATION The Bradshaw Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, 200 Jennens Road, B4 7XR Illuminating Women: music for string quartet and soprano Time and date: 4th November, 6.00pm LOCATION Recital Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire 200 Jennens Road, B4 7XR Piano concerto - Tautening skies (2020-22) Tautening skies has been a huge undertaking and a project that had unfortunately been delayed by the pandemic twice, so myself, Laura and Yannick are very grateful and hugely excited to be bringing this performance finally to fruition. Tautening skies is a piano concerto that has been written for pianist Laura Farré Rozada and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire orchestra. Laura is currently working on a PhD at RBC that is investigating different methodologies and strategies into the memorisation of post tonal music and has commissioned this work to explore these strategies. The notion of memorisation was ever-present during the compositional process as I was aware that my structuring of material may aid or undermine memorisation. The first two movements are constructed on interlocking ‘daisy-chain’ patterns of intervallic material that unfold and fold back in on themselves. Like a labyrinth or a maze, you go down familiar paths but there is only one route through. The concerto, which lasts for 30 minutes, is split into three movements structured on a self-authored poem that form the titles of the piece and its movements: I. Tautening skies; II. As the Colours Fade; and III. Through the Needle’s eye. The majority of the concerto was written in early 2020, the piece is a dramatic work, characterised by a building of tension through lenses of different sparkling colours. The first movement of 'Tautening skies' takes us on a journey of increasing intensity before the piano throws us up into the stratosphere and into the beginning of the second movement; 'As the colours fade'. For this movement I had a clear vision of bright primary colours descending and fading into a deep darkness. I felt a sense of foreboding at the time due to the multiple crises facing our society and the planet, even before anything was known of the events of March 2020 and beyond. Before writing this movement, I created a painting exploring these feelings; at the top of there are painting bright primary colours flowing downwards like a waterfall, gradually fading and transforming into a dark, deep and imposing pool. The concerto’s second movement does this with sparkling musical primary colours, undulating through 4ths and 7ths, interspersed with accented notes that hint at darker sonorities to come. These vivid primary colours are stripped back gradually to reveal the darkness underneath, with the movement concluding with imposing pillar-like chords that build towards, and throw down a gauntlet to, the third movement. The third movement 'Through the needle’s eye' is a culmination of the previous two movements, but now with the orchestra attempting to take centre stage. This movement explores complex polyrhythms, and a relentless building of intensity, punctuated briefly by chamber moments with the piano and various members of the orchestra, before being pulled back and swallowed up by the power of the orchestra. In this movement I wanted to create the sense of something huge and almost absurd, an unbelievable event and sense of dream-like delirium. Laura describes her experience of the work ‘ From my perspective, the music could be framed as if you were walking through a colourful maze, where there are many paths you can choose, but that eventually take you back to a place you have already visited, constantly evoking a sensation of deja vu. The different colours are very present in the textures of the piano part, which explore the full register of the piano, presenting simple rhythmical sections that contrast with others based on complex polyrhythms. All these effects are further adorned and amplified with the orchestra, contributing to creating a bigger gesture in the music.’ In June I finished up the final touches on my London Philharmonic viola concerto Through the Fading Hour for their Young Composers programme which was performed on 14th July by LPO , Foyles First Future Musicians with soloist Richard Waters all under the baton of Brett Dean at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank. It was a truly special experience and one that I am now delighted to be able to share with you all! Please also take a look at an article I wrote for ArtDesk about my experience on LPO young composer programme and an interview with myself and Richard Water with Composer’s Edition Dan Goren. I am delighted to share that this Autumn I will be writing for orchestra again with a commission from City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra as part of their Sounds New initiative which will see their 20 new commissions premiered by CBSO at Symphony Hall, Birmingham on Sunday 29 January 2023 in a showcase of new music. As part of the CBSO’s centenary in 2020 , the Orchestra continued its commitment to championing the music of living composers with its most ambitious commissioning programme to date. In Sounds New the Orchestra shines a spotlight on 20 diverse, creative voices from across the country, who will each write 4-minute works for full orchestra. These short works will be given their World Premieres in a celebration of new music by the CBSO, conducted by Clark Rundell. Previous performances Tanglewood Music Centre: Silent Film Project 7th Augus t in Studio E at Linde Center at 7.30pm https://www.bso.org/events/silent-film-music?performance=2022-08-07-20:00 Each of the fellows has scored ten minute segment film to Charlie Chaplin’s film The Kid (1921). My section of work is sequence four which is fully of both comedy and tragedy! A piece a day project 13th August in Studeo E at linde Center at 11.00am https://www.bso.org/events/piece-a-day-project?performance=2022-08-13-11:00 In the last week or so I spent three days writing three new works these works can be heard in this upcoming concert on 13th August. So please come along and hear the world premieres of my works In the blue of branches for violin and piano, The edge of things for violin and viola, and Daybreak of dusk for cello and piano. Trio Tempestuso performances of Der Same sucht das Licht Thursday 4th of August 2022 performance of Der Same sucht das Licht* performed by Trio Tempestoso at Festival: Du Vert A l'infini Location: Baron Martin Museum, Gray, France Time: 8 pm Friday 5th of August 2022 performance of Der Same sucht das Licht* performed by Trio Tempestoso at Festival: Du Vert A l'infini Location: Eglise de Lavoncourt, Fresne-Saint-Mames, France Time: 8pm- https://www.duvertalinfini.com/2022 Wednesday 15th August Der Same sucht das Lich*t performed by Trio Tempestoso at Imago Sloveniae in Slovenia . * This work has been commissioned by Trio Tempestoso with the support of RVW Trust and Marchus Trust. Nevis Ensemble at JUST Festival Friday 12th August On the Wind Colours Speak for bassoon and fixed track by bassoonist Juan Antonio from Nevis ensemble at JUST festival in Edinburgh https://www.just-festival.org/eventbrite-event/nevis-ensemble-lochan-sketches-part-1/ In case you missed it.... 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! |
September - October - November 2022 NEWS!
Welcome to my not so monthly - monthly newsletter!
| |
|
|
What a lot has happened since my last (now, not so monthly) newsletter!
Maybe one day my monthly newsletters will become monthly again! For now I will just keep squeezing them in when I can! Today I am writing my newsletter from Budapest as I am spending the week participating in the Peter Eötvös programme and attending the masterclass with Unsuk Chin. It has been very interesting so far and I am looking forward to hearing the Danubia orchestra bring Chin's Double Concerto and Fantasise Mécanique to life throughout the week.
Most of my time over the last few months have been dedicated to score and part preparation ahead of some very important performances. On Friday 4th November (just one month away!!) I will be having my piano concerto Tautening skies and my orchestral piece The Louder the Birds Sing premiered at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire at 7.30pm.
Earlier in the evening my works Falling watercolours for string quartet and Ways of Looking at a Blackbird for soprano and string quartet will be performed in a chamber concert at 6.00pm by the Brompton string quartet and soprano Sarah Parkin.
| |
RBC Symphony Orchestra at The Bradshaw Hall
Time and date: 4th November 7.30pm
LOCATION
The Bradshaw Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, 200 Jennens Road, B4 7XR
| |
Illuminating Women: music for string quartet and soprano
Time and date: 4th November, 6.00pm
LOCATION
Recital Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
200 Jennens Road, B4 7XR
| |
Piano concerto - Tautening skies (2020-22)
Tautening skies has been a huge undertaking and a project that had unfortunately been delayed by the pandemic twice, so myself, Laura and Yannick are very grateful and hugely excited to be bringing this performance finally to fruition.
Tautening skies is a piano concerto that has been written for pianist Laura Farré Rozada and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire orchestra. Laura is currently working on a PhD at RBC that is investigating different methodologies and strategies into the memorisation of post tonal music and has commissioned this work to explore these strategies. The notion of memorisation was ever-present during the compositional process as I was aware that my structuring of material may aid or undermine memorisation. The first two movements are constructed on interlocking ‘daisy-chain’ patterns of intervallic material that unfold and fold back in on themselves. Like a labyrinth or a maze, you go down familiar paths but there is only one route through.
The concerto, which lasts for 30 minutes, is split into three movements structured on a self-authored poem that form the titles of the piece and its movements: I. Tautening skies; II. As the Colours Fade; and III. Through the Needle’s eye.
The majority of the concerto was written in early 2020, the piece is a dramatic work, characterised by a building of tension through lenses of different sparkling colours. The first movement of 'Tautening skies' takes us on a journey of increasing intensity before the piano throws us up into the stratosphere and into the beginning of the second movement; 'As the colours fade'. For this movement I had a clear vision of bright primary colours descending and fading into a deep darkness. I felt a sense of foreboding at the time due to the multiple crises facing our society and the planet, even before anything was known of the events of March 2020 and beyond. Before writing this movement, I created a painting exploring these feelings; at the top of there are painting bright primary colours flowing downwards like a waterfall, gradually fading and transforming into a dark, deep and imposing pool.
| |
The concerto’s second movement does this with sparkling musical primary colours, undulating through 4ths and 7ths, interspersed with accented notes that hint at darker sonorities to come. These vivid primary colours are stripped back gradually to reveal the darkness underneath, with the movement concluding with imposing pillar-like chords that build towards, and throw down a gauntlet to, the third movement.
The third movement 'Through the needle’s eye' is a culmination of the previous two movements, but now with the orchestra attempting to take centre stage. This movement explores complex polyrhythms, and a relentless building of intensity, punctuated briefly by chamber moments with the piano and various members of the orchestra, before being pulled back and swallowed up by the power of the orchestra. In this movement I wanted to create the sense of something huge and almost absurd, an unbelievable event and sense of dream-like delirium.
Laura describes her experience of the work ‘ From my perspective, the music could be framed as if you were walking through a colourful maze, where there are many paths you can choose, but that eventually take you back to a place you have already visited, constantly evoking a sensation of deja vu. The different colours are very present in the textures of the piano part, which explore the full register of the piano, presenting simple rhythmical sections that contrast with others based on complex polyrhythms. All these effects are further adorned and amplified with the orchestra, contributing to creating a bigger gesture in the music.’
| |
In June I finished up the final touches on my London Philharmonic viola concerto Through the Fading Hour for their Young Composers programme which was performed on 14th July by LPO, Foyles First Future Musicians with soloist Richard Waters all under the baton of Brett Dean at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank. It was a truly special experience and one that I am now delighted to be able to share with you all!
Please also take a look at an article I wrote for ArtDesk about my experience on LPO young composer programme and an interview with myself and Richard Water with Composer’s Edition Dan Goren.
| |
I am delighted to share that this Autumn I will be writing for orchestra again with a commission from City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra as part of their Sounds New initiative which will see their 20 new commissions premiered by CBSO at Symphony Hall, Birmingham on Sunday 29 January 2023 in a showcase of new music.
As part of the CBSO’s centenary in 2020, the Orchestra continued its commitment to championing the music of living composers with its most ambitious commissioning programme to date.
In Sounds New the Orchestra shines a spotlight on 20 diverse, creative voices from across the country, who will each write 4-minute works for full orchestra. These short works will be given their World Premieres in a celebration of new music by the CBSO, conducted by Clark Rundell.
| |
Previous performances
Tanglewood Music Centre:
Silent Film Project 7th August in Studio E at Linde Center at 7.30pm https://www.bso.org/events/silent-film-music?performance=2022-08-07-20:00
Each of the fellows has scored ten minute segment film to Charlie Chaplin’s film The Kid (1921). My section of work is sequence four which is fully of both comedy and tragedy!
A piece a day project 13th August in Studeo E at linde Center at 11.00am https://www.bso.org/events/piece-a-day-project?performance=2022-08-13-11:00
In the last week or so I spent three days writing three new works these works can be heard in this upcoming concert on 13th August. So please come along and hear the world premieres of my works In the blue of branches for violin and piano, The edge of things for violin and viola, and Daybreak of dusk for cello and piano.
Trio Tempestuso performances of Der Same sucht das Licht
Thursday 4th of August 2022 performance of Der Same sucht das Licht* performed by Trio Tempestoso at Festival: Du Vert A l'infini Location: Baron Martin Museum, Gray, France Time: 8 pm
Friday 5th of August 2022 performance of Der Same sucht das Licht* performed by Trio Tempestoso at Festival: Du Vert A l'infini Location: Eglise de Lavoncourt, Fresne-Saint-Mames, France Time: 8pm- https://www.duvertalinfini.com/2022
Wednesday 15th August Der Same sucht das Lich*t performed by Trio Tempestoso at Imago Sloveniae in Slovenia.
* This work has been commissioned by Trio Tempestoso with the support of RVW Trust and Marchus Trust.
Nevis Ensemble at JUST Festival
Friday 12th August On the Wind Colours Speak for bassoon and fixed track by bassoonist Juan Antonio from Nevis ensemble at JUST festival in Edinburgh
https://www.just-festival.org/eventbrite-event/nevis-ensemble-lochan-sketches-part-1/
| |
In case you missed it....
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.
| |
|
|
| |
|
