Oxford Spring 2009 musicnow33 Howard Skempton wins at the British Composer Awards Howard Skempton’s The Moon is Flashing was the jury’s choice in the Vocal category of the 2008 British Composer Awards, hosted in London by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters. English composer, painter, and writer Other Awards for Oxford Chris Newman, who lives in Berlin. This engaging text is a modern lyrical ballad Composers of great honesty and clarity. The third * The recent CD Spotless Rose: Hymns song is Snake, one of the better-known to the Virgin Mary, recorded by the fine poems by D H Lawrence. The narrative Phoenix Bach Chorale and including is simple enough but the writer bides his Cecilia McDowall’s Three Latin Motets, time, dwelling on his feelings in language won at the 51st annual Grammy Awards both vivid and urgent.’ this year. The disc was nominated in This is the second time that Howard has four categories and won the Best Small Photo: Katie Vandyck been honoured at the British Composer Ensemble Performance Award. Howard Skempton Awards, having won in the Chamber Music category in 2005 for his string * In May 2007 Richard Causton was The Moon is Flashing is a large-scale song awarded a coveted Royal Philharmonic cycle for tenor and orchestra. It was quartet, Tendrils. The same work was winner of the 2005 Royal Philharmonic Society Award in the category for commissioned by the BBC, and first Chamber-Scale Composition for his performed by BBC National Orchestra Society Award for Chamber-Scale work, Phoenix. The judges praised the of Wales and James Gilchrist conducted Composition. composition: ‘Richard Causton’s Phoenix by Grant Llewellyn, at the Vale of Howard joins two other Oxford is a piece that consolidates the qualities of Glamorgan Festival 2007. composers on the illustrious list of BCA this composer’s recent music, its fastidious In their citation, the judges said: winners: Gabriel Jackson’s O Doctor Optime (for SSATB choir) won in the clarity and economy. But Phoenix also ‘The winning work abounds in colour, opens up a new expressive world, an contrast, and humour, with an underlying Liturgical category in 2003, and in 2005 Michael Finnissy won two awards; the emotional directness that Causton vividly sense of seriousness and depth, and an conjures from a five-piece ensemble.’ acute sensitivity to setting the vivid ‘Making Music’ prize for Molly-House (for imagery of the texts. This is music of unspecified instrumental ensemble), and Score and parts for Phoenix are published unusual imagination that springs fresh the Instrumental Solo and Duo prize for in the Oxford Contemporary Repertoire from the page.’ Verdi Transcriptions Book 4. series. Howard Skempton writes: ‘The work Score and parts for The Moon is Flashing lasts about twenty minutes and consists are available from the OUP Hire Library Skempton Tendrils and Finnissy Molly-House of settings of three poems of quite (contact details on page 16). are published in the Oxford Contemporary different character. The first is the title Orchestration: Tenor solo, 2 fl, 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 Repertoire series, available from Goodmusic poem, a short valentine of my own. bn, 4 hn, 2 tpt, 3 tbn, tba, timp, 2 perc, str Publishing (contact details on page 16). The second is A Day in 3 Wipes by the Contents ❙ Page 2 Michael Finnissy ❙ Page 3 Martin Butler and Gabriel Jackson ❙ Page 4 Bob Chilcott ❙ Page 5 Gabriel Jackson and John Rutter ❙ Page 6 Gerald Barry ❙ Page 7 Howard Skempton and Anthony Powers ❙ Page 8 Michael Berkeley and Vaughan Williams ❙ Page 9 William Walton ❙ Page 10 William Mathias ❙ Page 11 Anniversary celebrations ❙ Page 12 Hilary Tann ❙ Page 13 In Memoriam ❙ Page 14 New CDs ❙ Page 15 New Hire & Sales titles ❙ Page 16 Contact details www.oup.com/uk/music 2 OxfordMusicNow Michael Finnissy: The Transgressive Gospel Michael Finnissy’s evening-length work will receive its world premiere at Wilton’s Music Hall, London on 12 June 2009. Westbrook will join Richard Jackson and years. There is an integrity in his work Finnissy’s favourite ensemble Ixion for which sits well with my own aesthetic, what is sure to be a thrilling and moving and above all, the sounds he creates ring evening. around our much-loved venues in a unique and particularly pleasing way! Diana Burrell, Artistic Director of the Spitalfields Festival writes: ‘I was over the moon with the work he ‘Choosing which composers to commis- proposed for us. I had hoped for a sion for the Spitalfields Festival concerts substantial thought-provoking work that has for me been one of the most worth- would make an impact, and Michael’s while and enjoyable parts of the job of suggestion of a two hour-long setting of the Passion of Christ—a work he had long Photo: Katie Vandyck Photo: Katie Vandyck Artistic Director. The commissions have Michael Finnissy generally been given to young compos- wanted to compose—felt exactly right. The Transgressive Gospel will be a fresh and eaving together threads from ers but for this coming June, which is my edgy look at one of humankind’s most 400 years of musical responses last festival, I wanted to go to a colleague profound and uplifting dramas, and will to the subject of the Passion whose work I have known and admired W provide a contemporary foil to that earlier of Christ, Finnissy’s raw and contemporary for a long time—Michael Finnissy. masterpiece by J S Bach, The St John score is both brutally simple and richly Michael’s joyous, strong, and daring music Passion, which concludes our festival.’ detailed. Renowned jazz-singer Kate has been a source of inspiration over the Michael Finnissy at the Time of Other Recent Michael Finnissy Music Festival, Finland Features Michael Finnissy will be the guest composer at the he Borealis Festival in Bergen, Norway, chose Time of Music Festival, which will be held in the Michael Finnissy as their featured composer for 2009. beautiful town of Viitasaari, Finland, from 7 to 12 TA number of exciting events took place around Bergen over five days at the end of March. Performances of July 2009. many of Finnissy’s works were given by BIT20 Ensemble, s part of his involvement in the festival, Finnissy Polygon ensemble, pianist Mark Knoop, Michael Finnissy, and will give a piano recital and a composition organist Nora Mulder, who gave the premiere of Finnissy’s workshop. His music will be featured in a Fourth Organ Symphony. Also included in the festival were A seminars on aspects of Finnissy’s music, pre-performance talks, portrait concert given by the Zagros ensemble, one of the leading chamber music ensembles in Finland, on 11 composition masterclasses, and dance events. July. The concert programme will include Scotch Tape and In April, the Canadian group Ensemble KORE performed Molly-House, both of which are published in the Oxford two concerts of Michael Finnissy’s music in Montréal, Contemporary Repertoire series. continuing their dedicated work of forming partnerships Visit www.musiikinaika.org for full festival details. between Canadian performers and European composers who work outside of the new music mainstream. The two concerts included performances of Brighton!, The Cambridge Codex, Kulamen Dilan, Silver Morning, and Le Lay de la Fonteinne. 2 OxfordMusicNow Martin Butler and Gabriel Jackson: Concertos for Presteigne Festival he 27th Presteigne Festival of Vass, will accompany the soloists in Music and the Arts will promote performances of the concertos. more than thirty events over six T The music of two other Oxford days from 27 August to 1 September 2009. composers, William Mathias and Cecilia Fifteen concerts will be complemented McDowall, will also be included in the by a range of events including talks, 2009 Presteigne Festival. composers in conversation, exhibitions, poetry readings, a film, children’s shows, Visit www.presteignefestival.com for and guided walks. full details of the festival. Presteigne Festival is well known for its continuing commitment to the performance Hanya Chlala and promotion of contemporary music Photo: and in 2003 was shortlisted for the Huw Watkins annual Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards. For the 2009 festival, There will also be a Mozartian-sized five of the UK’s brightest composers Piano Concerto from Gabriel Jackson have been commissioned to write to be performed on 1 September by exciting new works, including a the Welsh musical polymath Huw Concerto for Saxophone and String Watkins, who is also this year’s Orchestra from Martin Butler, to be festival Composer-in-Residence. premiered at the Festival’s opening The accomplished Presteigne Festival concert by the internationally acclaimed Orchestra, under the direction of Christian Mushenko Australian saxophonist, Amy Dickson. the festival’s artistic director George Photo: Amy Dickson Martin Butler writes about capitalize on Amy’s uniquely lyrical Another date for the his Saxophone Concerto: tone and expressive style—and will finish with something of an unexpected diary: ‘Three things have fed into my thoughts firecracker.’ Richard Causton’s ensemble work for as I compose my Saxophone Concerto: the Birmingham Contemporary Music Amy Dickson’s playing—fantastic tone, Gabriel Jackson writes about Group, supported by the group’s Sound wonderful style!; John Coltrane playing his Piano Concerto: Investors, will be premiered at the My Favourite Things in a disconcertingly ‘I am particularly excited that the first CBSO Centre in Birmingham on 16 earthy way, as if he were a snakecharmer; October. and a tiny, bagpipe-esque soprano performance of my Piano Concerto saxophone phrase from my earlier will be at Presteigne. It’s a beautiful Causton writes of the work: town and George Vass has created a piece, Hootenanny.