I've finally had a chance to make the revisions I wanted to make to my clarinet quintet Gumboots, in time for the Australian and UK premieres which coincidentally are happening on the same day. Chroma, who gave such a fabulous performance of Piosenki earlier in the month will be giving the UK premiere of Gumboots in Norwich on 25th Sept, and on the other side of the world, the exciting young Strahlend Quintet will kick off a regional tour of Queensland with the first of 10 performances of the piece down under. Any one know what they call gumboots/wellies in Australia?
My piece for Dawn Upshaw and Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Center is finally finished! It's called The North Wind was a Woman and features three poems by Alasdair Middleton (who wrote the libretto for A Bird in Your Ear) as well as two poems by yours trully. All five poems feature 'elements' singing in the first person (snow, wind, night, moon and mountain). The Lincoln Centre press release below has more info, and you can read the poems and the program note I wrote here. To book tickets for the concert on 23rd Sept visit the Lincoln Center site.
Tete a Tete have posted an excellent video of the days events at Riverside Studios on Aug 9th, including some footage of the last 'Trumf Trumf' movement of Piosenki, featuring the beloved lagerphone.
Some rehearsal shots before the wonderful performance of Piosenki last night at Riverside Studios with Chroma, and Kyle and Melissa singing, pics taken by Claire Shovelton.
Just a reminder to friends and acquaintances and anyone reading this who will be in the London area on Aug 9th that the wonderful group Chroma will be performing my Piosenki at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith at the crazy and wonderful Tete a Tete Opera Festival. Tickets for the show are selling out fast, so do book soon if you want to come.
There's some fab stuff on for the rest of the day, including my friends at Golden Hat Opera at 4pm, and clarinettist Neyire Ashworth at 5.30. The Piosenki concert starts at 7pm - £6 each or just £15 gets you in to all three events.
Everyone is also very welcome at the party I'm hosting with GHO at Riverside Studios straight after the show.
At today's rehearsal, the healthy appetite of this group was clear to be seen:
Chroma will be giving the UK premiere of Piosenki at 7pm on Aug 9th at the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, featuring Melissa Wegner soprano and Kyle Ferrill baritone. The program also includes Errollyn Wallen's rather fabulous 'From Fair Eleanor to Sweet William'. Should be a lot of fun.
New York City Opera has posted audio excerpts of their performance in May of A Bird in Your Ear. There's also a brief video interview with the composer on a warm day in Central Park. The composer's wife noted with surprise how unusually quickly and eloquently he talked - the joy of splicing and video editing!
The incomparable Dona Dumitru Siminica, apparently a big hit in Romania in the 50s, but very unfashionable there these days. For me there is little in music more moving, which, as one youtube commentator notes is "without words, only feeling. "
Gotta love the tea-drinking locals in this film as well.
