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COMPOSERS NEWS – round the world 5th November 2004 I shall present a paper at the WASBE Conference in Singapore on significant music and publications 2003 – 2005. Some of the following I am sure will be included, and I will be very happy to include other suggestions. 21 MARCHES FOR THE 21st CENTURY MILLENNIUM PROJECT WITH CHARM In the celebrations of the Millennium, a particularly inventive project emerged in Norway, the commissioning of twenty one marches published by Warner and recorded by seven of the Norwegian military staff bands. One I especially enjoyed was Charm by Helge Sunde. On 11th October 2003, Helge Sunde conducted the Norwegian Army Staff Band in the world premiere of his Caissa which he describes as a piece based on “sound- choreography with musicians all over the hall and moving between positions. The duration is 23 minutes. More information about the work from Norwegian Music Information Centre. You can order a CD of the Twenty One Marches from info@musikkoperatorene.no SUFI TRANCE RITUALS After the wild excitement of his trumpet concerto, Awake, You Sleepers, based on the calls of the shofar, Larry Bitensky has turned for his second work to the Sufi trance rituals which e experienced in a trip to Moroco. The new work is called Hadra, lasts about 25 minutes, and the composer describes it as pretty raucous but fun to play. It will be premiered by Murray State Wind Ensemble and their conductor Dennis Johnson at their concert in Carnegie Hall in February. Further details from Dennis Johnson. THE MUSIC OF SIR RICHARD RODNEY BENNETT I shall be talking about the wind music of Richard Rodney Bennett at the CBDNA Conference on 27th February in New York; it is often surprisingly difficult to locate scores and parts but I am advised that they are readily available as follows AVAILABLE FROM Studio Music tel 44 208 8830 0110 Trumpet Concerto Morning Music ON SALE FROM www.musicroom.com Trumpet Concerto reduction for trumpet and piano Four Seasons Reflections on a 16th Century Tune WIND BAND COMPOSER FOR BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA In a recent press release it was announced that Stephen McNeff has been invited by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra to be their Composer in Residence for 2005/6-2006/7 season. This will include writing two new major new works for the BSO and one for Kokoro, their contemporary ensemble. There’s also education work, talks etc., and they’ll also be playing a number of his existing works. Stephen McNeff is well known especially for his theatre music, and his most recent opera for children was performed in Covent Garden. For wind orchestra he has written a number of works including Ghosts, Wasteland Music 1 & Wasteland Music 11. He is at present writing a Clarinet Concerto for Linda Merrick to be conducted by Mark Heron at its premiere in Finland. His music is published by Maecenas and his website more news is also available on his website - Stephen McNeff.. The Bournemouth position is funded by the Performing Right Society Foundation and the Royal Philharmonic Society, and it is at the PRS dinner on 26th October that the announcement wias made. The guest of honour was Marin Alsop, BSO’s music director. THREE OF A KIND One of the most exciting pieces I heard on my recent tour of USA was Three of a Kind by Mark Phillips. Originally written for wind orchestra, with clarinet, piano and percussion soloists, it was commissioned by Ohio University. It was later scored for orchestra, played in Ohio in this version and recorded in Warsaw by Richard Stolzman. Contact Mark Phillips http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~phillipm/ Composition/Electronic Music http://www.cats.ohiou.edu/music/composition.html School of Music, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701 BETWEEN BARTOK AND BEETHOVEN Eduard Oertle writes enthusiastically of "VUH" (2001) for solo percussion, wind orchestra and 3 percussionists by Dieter Mack, a German composer, born 1954. He desribes the piece as quite exciting and dynamically refreshingly "decent". The work is about 20 minutes long and requires: solo percussion 2 flutes piccolo bass flute (which you won't hear) 2 oboes cor anglais 2 clarinets (2nd also bass clarinet) bass clarinet (also contrabass clarinet) 2 bassoons contra bassoon 2 alto saxophones 2 tenorsaxophones (I actually saw one tenor and one baritone) 4 horns 3 trumpets 3 trombones tuba 3 percussionists. Mr Mack spent some time in Indonesia and on Bali and this shows in his piece. |