The last few weeks have seen performances of two of my concerto's for low brass. Euphonium soloist Thomas Ruedi performed Three Stories - Three Worlds with the Swiss band, Brass Band Burgermusik Luzern, who were conducted by Ludwig Wicki.
And the tuba concerto, Episodes and Echoes, has recieved 2 performances, from two different soloists. Les Neish, who the concerto was written for performed the concerto in Malta, accompanied by the University of Sheffield Wind Orchestra, conducted by Tony Houghton. Paul Dormand, a tuba student at the RNCM, also gave a great rendition of the work, with the University of Manchester.
MUWO's conductor, Phil Robinson, also programmed Bang 2 and Hymn for Africa in the same concert, where they were joined by Stockport School Wind Band.
Monday 24 March 2008
Sunday 2 March 2008
At last....
At last, I have finished a work for solo euphonium and wind ensemble, called Fields of Destruction. I say "at last", because I have worked on it for a long time, and at various points have laid it down, rewritten large sections, put it on the back burner etc., but finally it is finished, and I am happy with it!!!
It was commissioned by Pat Stuckermeyer for a new CD he is recording, featuring completely new euphonium repertoire.
I have written a lot of music for the euphonium, ever since I was at college, and have written a lot of technically demanding works for soloist and accompaniment. This time I wanted to write something a little more simple, that many more soloists would be able to play, and that many more bands could play too!
Fields of Destruction is a set of 3 songs without words, and each of the three deal with my feelings, which I no doubt share with a great many people, on the various wars that we, the UK, and the USA, are fighting around the world. We really shouldn't be in Iraq.
Whilst the piece was in it's gestation period, it occurred to me that there was a really strange irony. Flanders Fields are covered in poppies, now a symbol of remembrance, and of peace, yet the huge plantations of the same flower in Afghanistan fund the Taliban, and Al Qaeda, to fight, and kill, our troops. The Afghan's, who know no other way to make money and know no other way to use their fertile land, use the poppies to create heroin and other opiates, which is then sold on at great profit.
Of course, Flanders Fields found their place in history in the First World War - I could never understand why they called it the Great War - it seems nonsensical that any war could be "great". I know what it means, but still...
However, I decided that this was what I wanted to write about. It wasn't the first time that I had been moved to write about the war - but went back to this first time I ever wrote about the war for my musical starting point.
Absolute Reality was a work I wrote directly after 9/11, again for euphonium, but this time with piano accompaniment. As this is where the 2 wars originated from, I decided to take the musical material of Absolute Reality, and use it to create three songs. The first movement resonates some of the phrases from Absolute, looking back, whilst appreciating the huge impact and effect it has had on our lives ever since. However, all three movements deal with the conflicting ideas of war, peace, life, death, happiness, sadness - the list is endless really.
Maybe the role of the composer, poet, writer, artist, actor, etc., has never been more important than now - a time where the people who have an audience, no matter what size, should be telling the truths that exist.
It was commissioned by Pat Stuckermeyer for a new CD he is recording, featuring completely new euphonium repertoire.
I have written a lot of music for the euphonium, ever since I was at college, and have written a lot of technically demanding works for soloist and accompaniment. This time I wanted to write something a little more simple, that many more soloists would be able to play, and that many more bands could play too!
Fields of Destruction is a set of 3 songs without words, and each of the three deal with my feelings, which I no doubt share with a great many people, on the various wars that we, the UK, and the USA, are fighting around the world. We really shouldn't be in Iraq.
Whilst the piece was in it's gestation period, it occurred to me that there was a really strange irony. Flanders Fields are covered in poppies, now a symbol of remembrance, and of peace, yet the huge plantations of the same flower in Afghanistan fund the Taliban, and Al Qaeda, to fight, and kill, our troops. The Afghan's, who know no other way to make money and know no other way to use their fertile land, use the poppies to create heroin and other opiates, which is then sold on at great profit.
Of course, Flanders Fields found their place in history in the First World War - I could never understand why they called it the Great War - it seems nonsensical that any war could be "great". I know what it means, but still...
However, I decided that this was what I wanted to write about. It wasn't the first time that I had been moved to write about the war - but went back to this first time I ever wrote about the war for my musical starting point.
Absolute Reality was a work I wrote directly after 9/11, again for euphonium, but this time with piano accompaniment. As this is where the 2 wars originated from, I decided to take the musical material of Absolute Reality, and use it to create three songs. The first movement resonates some of the phrases from Absolute, looking back, whilst appreciating the huge impact and effect it has had on our lives ever since. However, all three movements deal with the conflicting ideas of war, peace, life, death, happiness, sadness - the list is endless really.
Maybe the role of the composer, poet, writer, artist, actor, etc., has never been more important than now - a time where the people who have an audience, no matter what size, should be telling the truths that exist.
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