March has been laden with performances of new compositions and exciting collaborations!
Tuesday 7th March: BBC National Orchestra of Wales premiered my latest orchestral work ‘Seaguard’ as part of their annual Composition: Wales series. It was a delight as always to work with such fantastic musicians and their endlessly-passionate conductor, Ryan Bancroft.
A review of this concert can be found here: https://t.co/jCm21Hxyav My favourite line is “Next time [BBCNOW] are looking for an encore to demonstrate their sheer virtuosity, they need look no further than to this whizzer of a piece. It would bring the house down at the Proms.” Thank you Paul Godfrey for your review!
Tuesday 14th March: Bristol University Flute Choir premiered by first work for flute choir in All Saints' Church, Clifton. They played a five-movement work called ‘Welsh Faerie Suite’, which each movement depicting one of the types of fairy found in Welsh folklore (Gwragedd Annwn, Ellyllon, Coblynau, Ellylldan, Gwyllion). I gave a short pre-concert talk. You can watch the performance and talk here:
Friday 17th March: Bristol University New Music Ensemble premiered two of my works that I have written as part of my PhD Portfolio: the first, ‘Cabot 1497’, described the explorer's voyage from Bristol to Newfoundland. The second, ‘Arnos Vale’, depicted the South Bristol cemetery in its eerie semi-abandoned state.
Tuesday 21st March: I was cellist in a student-led ensembled called Contemporary Music Venture, who premiered eleven works in total, including another of my works that I have written as part of my PhD Portfolio: ‘Queen Square’, which depicts the riot in Bristol in 1831. The work, like the protest, echoed both Malcolm Arnold's work Peterloo and the real events of Peterloo in a number of ways.
Stay tuned for recordings of works played this month!
Wednesday 29th March - Friday 31st March: I have been working lately on creating the score and set of parts for two of John Pickard's Symphonies in preparation for their recording this week by BBCNOW under Martyn Brabbins. The Sixth Symphony is brand new and this will be the first time it's heard. The Second Symphony was recorded a few years back, but long gone are the handwritten parts and pristine digital parts made to exacting OwenOrchestration standard are on the stands!