[email protected] new music 25 June-8 july 2011 premieres in the UK & Ireland Submit information for premieres 23 July-5 August by 30 June Premiere Choice

XX 25 June Stephen McNeff 9.58: The Fastest Man in the World (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Rui Pinheiro, conductor, The Lighthouse, Poole, 7.30pm) Paul Paterson String quartet no 2, Dances Brett Dean – Sextet for Thaxted (Sacconi Quartet, Parish Church, Thaxted, 7.30pm)

Marco Stroppa From Needle’s Eye UK Prem, M Peter Eötvös SCHILLER: energische Schönheit toby deller ar UK Prem (Michael Cox, flute, Byron Fulcher, k C trombone, London Sinfonietta, EXAUDI, ircam, oulsen Peter Eötvös, conductor, Snape Maltings, ‘The pied butcherbird is the greatest musician Aldeburgh, 7.30pm) in Australia really,’ says the Brisbane-born composer, viola player and conductor Brett XX 26 June Elliott Carter Conversations (Colin Currie, Dean – and with some modesty considering percussion, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano, he was a member of the Berlin Philharmonic Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, , conductor, Snape Maltings, for 14 years, performs internationally as a Aldeburgh, 4pm) soloist and chamber musician and in 2009 won the $200,000 Grawemeyer Award for XX 28 June Charlotte Bray Scenes from Wonderland Music Composition. ‘I’m always intrigued to (, violin, children from London Music hear these birds. They often sing very early, Masters, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, 10.30am, 12.30pm) and it’s a very haunting sound.’ The birdsong is represented in Dean’s XX 30 June new Sextet, to be premiered at the City of Brett Dean Intimate Decisions Prem of version (Alexander Ivaskin, cello, Girdlers’ Hall, London, London Festival. Dean is keen to point out that 7.30pm) although scheduling issues mean the premiere Charlotte Bray Replay (Cheltenham Festival Academy Soloists, Pittville Pump Room, falls to its co-commissioners, the Nash Cheltenham, 9pm) Ensemble, the piece was initially intended for a The Pierrot ensemble US ensemble, eighth blackbird. ‘I saw them do XX 1 July Tansy Davies Tymbal Organ (London a recital at the Santa Fe festival the year before has so many sonic and Sinfonietta, Kings Place, London, 7.30pm) last. They play just about everything from memory, and some with choreography – all XX 2 July colouristic possibilities Philip Moore Three Oxford Songs (James sorts of amazing things.’ Gilchrist, tenor, Summertown Choral Society, It is scored for the now standard Pierrot Duncan Saunderson, conductor, Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, 7.30pm) ensemble (piano, violin, cello, flute, clarinet, indicate the way in which groups play a role with appropriate doublings) plus percussion. in my piece as well. There are often groups of XX 4 July ‘What’s fascinating about it is that it’s like three against three, in this instance a piano Brett Dean Sextet UK Prem (Nash Ensemble, Drapers’ Hall, London, 7.30pm) a mini orchestra, particularly when you trio set against a “modern” trio of woodwinds add percussion. It has so many sonic and and vibraphone. XX 6 July colouristic possibilities, combinations, and ‘It’s quite knotty in parts, with very close, William Barton New work (William Barton, didjeridu, Goldner Quartet, Goldsmiths’ Hall, has the expanse of range from piccolo to bass micro-polyphonic things happening, and quite London, 7.30pm) clarinet, fiddle to cello and so on.’ textural. However it does break out into these Peter Nickol Sea, Shore and Tide (Ruxandra Cioranu, soprano, Anda Anastasescu, piano, Although Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire rhythmic, almost dance-like sections that London Schubert Players, Romanian Cultural is the obvious precedent – ‘he’s smiling somehow reflect the very physical take on Institute, London, 7pm) down on all pieces that are written for that performance of the people for whom it was XX 7 July combination,’ says Dean – Elliott Carter’s originally written.’ Elena Kats-Chernin River’s Lament (The King’s Triple Duo is cited as a more recent forebear. Many of Dean’s pieces, including the Singers, Mansion House, London, 7.30pm) ‘It’s not that there’s Carter in the piece Grawemeyer-winning The Lost Art of Letter XX 8 July necessarily, but examining how he does what Writing, have titles suggesting external Kerry Andrew A Still Roar (City Chorus, Angela he does was fascinating in preparing to write references. Not so with Sextet. ‘While Henckel, soprano, Kate Symonds-Joy, alto, Tom Raskin, tenor, Andrew Kidd, bass, Philip the piece. He splits the group very much something of the material suggests a more Shannon, organ, Paul Ayres, conductor, St. into these three duos, the wind instruments, poetic title – it involves birdsong and music of Sepulchre-without-Newgate, London, 7.30pm) the string instruments and the percussion the night – somehow it just seemed right to There are often more premieres than we have instruments (mostly tuned percussion and the keep it a pure, music-only title.’ space to list – for full listings go to www.classicalmusicmagazine.org piano). The middle movement of my piece is entitled ‘Double Trio’ in homage, but also to Pied butcherbird: http://ow.ly/5bYgi

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CM-L-18 June_REGULAR - Premieres.indd 23 10/06/2011 16:59:42