Dean Bliss Empathy for the Voice
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Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Limited June 2010 2010/2 converts some of Carey’s unlikable characters into more sympathetic figures.” The Australian “To his well-known skills as an orchestral Golijov composer, Dean has added an under-utilised Dean Bliss empathy for the voice. The sung lines drive the Brett Dean’s new opera travels from Australia to Europe, with Included in this issue: musical and dramatic pace, underscored by Passion Andriessen performances at the Edinburgh Festival and a second production at beautifully detailed instrumental textures, wrought La Commedia in Los Angeles Hamburg State Opera with an innate feeling for the expressive power of and New York instrumental timbre, watched over by counterpoint and fine motivic workmanship.” Sydney Morning Herald In addition to Edinburgh, Dean appears at festivals in multiple roles as composer, violist and conductor. Following a feature at the Risor Chamber Music Festival in Norway (22-26 June), he is resident at the Cheltenham Music Festival (6-12 July) including the UK premiere of Recollections and world premiere of Epitaphs for string quintet when he joins the Australia Quartet. For first US performances of Epitaphs in August he joins the Orion Quartet at festivals Deutsche Grammophon has released a new in Santa Fe and La Jolla. The BBC Proms Photo: Opera Australia/Branco Gaica box set of Osvaldo Golijov’s La Pasión según features Amphitheatre with the Australian Turnage Peter Coleman-Wright as Harry Joy in the premiere of Brett Dean's Bliss at the Sydney Opera House San Marcos, containing a DVD of the 2008 Interview about new orchestral Youth Orchestra conducted by Mark Elder Holland Festival production, plus an audio- work Hammered Out It is rare for a new opera to enjoy two Amanda Holden’s masterly distillation of Peter (30 July) and Carlo with I Fagiolini (21 August). only recording on 2CDs (477 7461 7). Both different productions in its first six months, Carey’s original novel, demand much of an versions feature singers Jessica Rivera, Biella but such is the case with Brett Dean’s Bliss, audience. Dean da Costa and Reynaldo González-Fernandez Bliss (2004-09) 147’ commissioned by Opera Australia and “Carey’s story of Harry, the advertising executive and the Schola Cantorum de Venezuela, with Opera in three acts premiered in March at the Sydney Opera who dies for nine minutes and returns to life only to conductors Robert Spano on the DVD and Libretto by Amanda Holden, House. The first staging by Neil Armfield, find his family and professional existence a living María Guinand on the CDs. The Pasión after the novel by Peter Carey conducted by Elgar Howarth, travelled to hell, may have been written 30 years ago, but its continues to travel widely, including recent message of the perils of materialism inherent in us Melbourne in April and journeys to the 2/4 September (UK premiere) all still resounds. The beauty of Neil Armfield’s performances in Los Angeles in April. Edinburgh Festival in September. Two weeks Festival Theatre, Edinburgh focused, flowing production… is how effortlessly “It’s easy to understand why Osvaldo Golijov’s La later a second production of Bliss by Ramin yet meaningfully it propels us into Harry’s personal Neil Armfield, director/Opera Australia/ Pasión según San Marcos received a 30-minute Gray opens at Hamburg State Opera inferno. The night belonged to Harry. Peter BBC Symphony Orchestra/Elgar Howarth ovation at its 2000 Stuttgart premiere: a transferral conducted by Simone Young. Coleman-Wright, as adroit an actor as he is singer, 12/15/19/21/25 September, 2 October of the Easter story to Latin America, it’s a vibrant, takes us from darkness to light, via the paths of (German premiere) Long in gestation, the premiere of Bliss sonically colourful experience in which the native greed and insanity, with unerring brilliance of Staatsoper, Hamburg South American strains of samba, tango and salsa proved to be a red-letter day in Australian character and vocal assurance. It was as if he had Ramin Gray, director/Hamburgische Staatsoper/ contribute as much as the orchestral and choral cultural life, with an ABC Television live been singing the role for years.” The Age Simone Young elements. Prokofieff broadcast, widespread news coverage, and “Bliss is a success in every way…It’s an eclectic Operas on stage in Berlin, an enthusiastic response from press and “The aria performances owe more to Portuguese London and Vienna mix of hard-edged modernism and expansive fado than to European classical singing. Golijov’s public alike: lyricism. And it works because Dean interweaves intention was “to present a dark Jesus, not a pale “…here is an Australian opera so secure in form these disparate elements into a seamless entity. European Jesus”, and his success is partly due to and purpose, it should, given care, live and flourish Dissonant chords and swirling textures nestle his incorporation of native styles and structures. in all cultural climates for years. This is not to say it alongside appealing melodic shards and infectious Jenkins The result is an engaging tapestry in which is necessarily an ‘easy’ work to understand. On the rhythms… [Holden’s] poetic text is an eloquent demotic forms and religious chorale combine with contrary, the technical and harmonic complexities distillation of everyday speech. By offering piquant, astringent energy.” The Independent of Brett Dean’s lyrical score, matched in words by poignant insights into their motivations, she Gloria Golijov’s opera Ainadamar was staged for Karl Jenkins’s the first time in his native land in May in a new Gloria can new production at the Teatro Argentino de fairly be La Plata in Buenos Aires, coupled with New at boosey.com described as the Ginastera’s Estancia ballet. biggest choral Join the Boosey & Hawkes community premiere of the We invite you to follow news on our composers via our newly launched pages on Facebook, year, with over Twitter and MySpace. Join the conversation, view latest postings, photos and videos, and 2500 voices listen to music. Bookmark our new community hub page at www.boosey.com/connect Reich joining together at Bartók New Mallet Quartet and the Royal Albert 75th birthday plans The Philharmonia Orchestra Hall on 11 July, has announced a major conducted by focus on Bartók next season, Brian Kay. The with an ambitious series Really Big Chorus, who perform from scratch planned by Principal with a daytime rehearsal and evening Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. concert, gave a successful performance of Jenkins’s The Armed Man: a Mass for Peace Entitled Infernal Dance: Inside the World of in 2008 which attracted a capacity gathering Béla Bartók, the series is supported by The and prompted the Gloria commission. Meyer Foundation and combines five concerts spread between January and In Gloria Jenkins sets three of the traditional November 2011, featuring the three Latin texts entitled The Proclamation, The stageworks and major orchestral scores, Prayer and The Exaltation, together with two plus related recitals and outreach events. additional movements: The Psalm is a setting During 2011/12 this new celebration of of Psalm 150 to be sung in Hebrew or Latin, Bartók’s life, influences and music travels and The Song collects Old Testament texts throughout the UK, Europe and the USA. in English. Between the sung movements are readings of texts from other religions To explore Bartók’s music visit expressing their own concept of the divine or www.boosey.com/bartokconnections a deity, drawn from Hinduism, Buddhism, New Shop Affiliate scheme Taoism and Islam. The orchestration of You can now build your own music shop, thanks to the new Affiliate Scheme offered by The Gloria mirrors that of the standard (larger) London with Jenkins himself conducting and Shop at Boosey.com. The scheme will particularly appeal to performing organisations, venues, scoring of Fauré’s Requiem, with the addition in Cardiff in November. This summer Boosey magazines and music societies who are engaged with their communities via the web. As an of percussion. & Hawkes publishes the full score of The Affiliate Partner you can: Armed Man for the first time. It will appear in EMI releases its new Jenkins CD coupling two editions: a deluxe hardback signed score • earn commission on all sales of scores, sheet music and books, which can be shared with members Gloria with Te Deum, immediately following for both collectors and conductors, and a • customise your selection of products to fit perfectly with the music featured on your website The Really Big Chorus’s performance in July paperback full score for study and • create Mini-Shops to focus on specific composers or genres eg choral, orchestral, educational – (CD 646 430 2; download 5099964643052). performance – both versions are available for full step-by-step instructions are provided Performers on disc are the National Youth pre-order from www.boosey.com/shop or For full information visit www.boosey.com/shop/affiliates Choir and London Symphony Orchestra your local dealer. EMI releases a special 10th conducted by the composer. This follows anniversary edition of The Armed Man this VIP Club rewards high spenders EMI recordings of The Armed Man, autumn including a new Jenkins work which The Shop at Boosey.com has set up a new VIP Club for high-spending customers returning Requiem, Stabat Mater and Stella natalis, sets Binyon’s For the Fallen, sung by Hayley regularly to shop. Benefits include: works which have established Jenkins as Westenra, and incorporates The Last Post. a 5% discount on all scores, sheet music and books one of the most popular and widely • performed choral composers of our time. New Jenkins works include Zhi Jiangnan for • exclusive special offers throughout the year chorus and orchestra, commissioned by the • email news service and advance notification of new publications and premieres 2010 is the 10th anniversary year for Shanghai Spring International Music Festival • membership of the VIP Club is by invitation only and is free of charge The Armed Man, and special celebratory and performed in April as an upbeat to the Full details are available at www.boosey.com/shop/VIP performances are planned in October in Shanghai EXPO.