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02 new notes • january 2009

Exploring and unlocking

TANSY DAVIES

This was a really positive experience for me. I had all the time, support and resources I couldpossibly want: the programme is 90minutes long and I had the BBCConcert Orchestra and CharlesHazlewood at my disposal.

I suggested excerpts of the two piecesthat were featured in the programme,Tilting and Rift, which Charles andproducer Chris Wines made into ashape for the programme. Charleshad studied my pieces in great depthand it was fascinating and illuminatingto hear his thoughts and ideas aboutthe music.

Sometimes the new music world canseem a bit claustrophobic. DiscoveringMusic gives me an audience which isbig and broad – both the audience inthe hall in Watford and the radioaudience. I hope the music and thetalk can address this broad audience.The programme’s not a collegeseminar – the analysis was presentedin a quick witted and accessible way,but dealt with some quite complexmusical explanations.

My new work Rift is a kind of collage,made up of refrains, dances andchorales, often built from small cellsto create layers which are thensuperimposed. This method ofcomposing, I think, lends itself well todeconstruction: the excerpts often

FUNG LAMBack in autumn 2007, I received aphonecall from BBC Radio 3, offeringme an orchestral commission of around20 minutes. I was delighted, obviously,as it was my first major professionalcommission as a composer. ‘Oh, butthere is a little twist’, I was told. I wasthen briefed on the BBC’s fascinatingDiscovering Music project, led byCharles Hazelwood, with the BBCConcert Orchestra and Radio 3. As partof a collaboration with the V&Amuseum, the ‘twist’ was that ‘the workshould take some impetus from anartefact (or artefacts)’ in the museum.And yes, that bit was actually writteninto the contract!

My piece was to be the first of threenew works. By commissioning threedifferent composers (Tansy Davies,

Graham Fitkin and me) for thisproject, they are interested indemonstrating to the general classicalmusic audience how a contemporarycomposer might approach a newcomposition from scratch, how a newwork might be put together, and howdifferently composers might respondto non-musical objects/subjects. Atthe premiere (which doubled as therecording session for the radio), theywould dissect my new work in front ofthe live audience prior to the actualcomplete performance. While I wasassured that I needed not to doanything differently during thecomposition process to accommodatethe analysis bit of the show, it was stilla slightly scary and unusual prospect.

It’s one thing visiting a museum simplyto take in and appreciate; it’s quiteanother wandering around the V&Aknowing that you have to find

The BBC’s Discovering Music programme usually aims to dissect and help audiencesunderstand music from the classical repertoire. In 2009, for the first time, the project isexploring newly-created work, with a series of commissions and a programme on spnm’sRaga Mela project. So what’s it like composing for this context? We asked TANSY DAVIESand FUNG LAM, whose work Unlocking will be the first to be broadcast in January...

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sounded complete in themselves and I hope it will be interesting to hearhow the layers are built up.

In addition to performing Rift as apurely orchestral work, anotherversion, involving a large communitygroup, was also performed. This wasplayed immediately after thepremiere. Some wild interventions,devised by the community group,interrupted the orchestra at certain points. It was rather like a kind of carnivalband crashing their way into theperformance and bringing theorchestra to a halt. The orchestraresumed playing after eachintervention, after each new rift had formed.

something specific to write musicabout. I looked at each objectcompletely differently from previousvisits, in search of something thatmight perhaps provide me withmusical ideas.

After several visits, I noticed that thesection I was most drawn to was theIronwork Gallery. They have a hugecollection of locks and keys from the15th to 18th centuries. I wasfascinated by the way the designs ofthese locks and keys have developedsince the beginning. On the one hand,huge efforts were made to make thelocking mechanism more complicatedand secure, and on the other, moreand more attention has been focusedon the non-functional, decorativedesigns of the locks. There was alsoone specific lock, a ‘puzzlepadlock’,which stood out for me. It is apadlock with an exquisite and intriguing

design both inside and outside. I foundit even more interesting when I learntthat there are two layers of lockingmechanisms, with one added on top ofthe existing one over time to make thelock more complex and secure. I started imagining my new piece as agiant imaginary lock that has hadmany layers of mechanisms added ontop over time. And through theselayers I would also like it to reflect thehistory of the development of locks. I was then at an important stage ofthe composing process, that is,transforming these initial non-musicalideas into musical ones.

As I composed the piece, I also wrotean online diary as part of theDiscovering Music process. I shared mybasic, initial ideas, and it was likethinking out loud to myself, except thatit was addressed to everyone. I talkedabout my first structural decision – thatthe work would consist of three mainsections, representing Locked,Unlocking, and Unlocked. I thendesigned a simple way to representmusically the idea of unlocking a lockwith a key, using two chordssymmetrically constructed around acentral axis:

And from the ‘Unlocked’ chord, Idecided that I would construct themajority of the work from combiningseven other pentatonic scales of mydesign in pairs in various ways incertain order:

In a strange and unexpected way, I feltthat writing the online diary actuallyhelped me articulate my own ideasmore clearly to myself.

Perhaps having in mind the prospect ofhaving my piece explained andanalysed, I kept the orchestral textureof the whole work fairly simple to allowthe key musical ideas to come through.Some of my musical ideas can easily bediscerned: for example I used rhythmstranslated from Morse Code, combinedwith a hocketing effect, to representsecrets and the act of inserting a keyinto a lock.

I was not obliged to stick to the plans Ihad been outlining in my online diary,and there were things that changed,but the diary did encourage me tomake compositional decisions earlierthan usual. This meant I had muchmore time than usual to spend on thedevelopment, rather than the creation,of material. And for me, this is thecrucial part of the composing process,so it was a great experience.

Fung Lam with composer and presenter Charles HazelwoodPhoto: BBC

Fung Lam’s Unlocking willbe broadcast on BBC Radio3’s Discovering Music onSunday 11 January at 5pm.Further programmes onmusic by Tansy Davies,Graham Fitkin and fourcomposers writing worksfor spnm’s Raga Melaproject, will follow.www.bbbc.co.uk/radio3/discoveringmusic

04 new notes • january 200904 new notes • january 2009

Joseph Hyde oncomposing with video

In the course of my career as acomposer, I’ve gradually broadenedthe scope of my work. From workingwith instruments I moved into anexploration of technology (withinstruments and without), and fromthere I took the more unusual step of starting to work with video as well as sound.

I’ve just been an opportunist really: like many composers, I simply makework with the means available. Istarted to work with audio technologyas it became cheaper, and whatpreviously required an expensive studio could be done on a domesticcomputer. Then I started to work with video when DV cameras (andmore powerful home computers)helped a similar thing happen forvideo-makers.

Just to be clear: I am not talkingabout working as a film or TVcomposer or sound designer, nor am I talking about attempting to becomea film director. What I am talkingabout is an idea that still excites me –that a composer can work, as acomposer, with video as well assound.

Over the last ten years I’ve made aseries of what could be called ‘visualmusic’ works. During this time, I’vecome up with a number of rough-and-ready rules. These are quite personal,totally subjective, and fairly specific tothe kind of work I’ve been doing; butfor what it’s worth, here are a few:

Multimedia is more than thesum of its parts

The first thing I learnt working withvideo and audio is that it’s fun!There’s a kind of alchemy that takesplace when image and sound are puttogether. If it’s right, it feelsabsolutely, self-evidently right, and thiscan be surprising, magical,extraordinary. Film-makers talk about‘added value’ – the meaning oremotion that music can add to ascene. I think this principle can betaken quite broadly. What we hearcan completely change our perceptionof what we see, and vice versa.

Audio and video are exactlythe same

The second thing that struck me washow easy working with video felt. I’dalways found video editing facilities (ofthe older, expensive ‘hardware’variety) to be quite daunting places,but once I encountered video editingsoftware, I felt at home immediately.Video software like Final Cut Pro orAdobe Premiere is really just likeaudio software such as ProTools orCubase – there’s a familiar timelineand editing functions that are directlycomparable, even if they go underdifferent names. To the computer, it’sall just data.

Audio and video arecompletely different

What are simply ones and zeroes to a

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january 2009 • new notes 05

The same thing happens with audiotechnology, but I think it’s much moredangerous with video. There’s a simplereason for this, which is the ubiquity oftelevision. We are – all of us –extremely visually literate; arguablypositively jaded after consumption ofmulti-million pound productions andslick advertising. Pretty much anyprocessing you can do on affordablesoftware will look horribly cheesy incomparison with big-budget TV or film,so I say avoid it (this rule is definitelymade to be broken, but is not bad asa starting point).

Silence is the new black

As a composer, it took me manyyears to learn the supremeimportance of silence. I believe asimilar principle applies in visual‘composition’, and that judicial use ofblack (arguably the visual equivalent) isto be recommended. Several of mypieces have quite long sections ofpure blackness – I also like to explorethe use of ‘partial blackness’, wheremost of the frame is black with just asmall area (or areas) given to colouror image. This is an instance wherevariety can definitely be a good thing –breaking up the rectangle of thescreen is very effective. It’s worthremembering that your audience hasa limited amount of attention thateffectively needs to be spread acrossmedia. I find if I really want people to listen, it’s best to keep thingssimple (or entirely absent) visually, and vice versa.

Why not give it a go yourself?

Of course, since starting to work inthis way I’ve found out I’m doingnothing new – there’s a long history of‘visual music’ and composers dabblingwith the visual. But I’ve had a lot offun with video, and thoroughlyrecommend it. All you need is a cheapcamera, a computer and some basicsoftware – why not give it a go?

Joseph Hyde is a composer and runsthe Composition MA at Bath SpaUniversity. Next year the college islaunching a new MA in Composition(Sound and Image), specificallyexploring compositional ideas in amultimedia context. For information,contact Joe at j.hyde@bathspa.ac.uk.www.josephhyde.co.uk

computer certainly aren’t to a humanbeing. The way we hear and the waywe see are very different. I’m wary ofany attempt to ‘translate’ soundliterally into image or vice versa – forme, this is uninteresting. In fact, I’vebecome more and more drawn to amodel of sound/image interactionwhich has many of the qualities ofcounterpoint, where each element isgiven a high degree of autonomy.

Keep it abstract

I generally use visual material which isnot readily recognisable, and avoidstraightforward representation ornarrative; partly because I want toseparate my work from the kind of TVor cinema we’re used to. This is not avalue judgement, but is for two specificreasons. Firstly, in any comparisonbetween my own work and commercialmainstream TV/film, I’m going tocome off worse. Not all theparaphernalia of videomaking has gotcheaper – cameras and editingequipment have, but actors, props,lighting and the like haven’t. Secondly, Ibelieve that we’re used to assigningsound a supporting role while watchingTV or a movie. Making sure my workdoesn’t resemble such familiarmaterial avoids my audience enteringthe couch-potato zone and turningtheir ears (and quite possibly brains) off.

No effects!

A standard beginner’s mistake is tooveruse filters (effects) and transitions.

A video still from Joseph Hyde’s audio-visual installation, Periphery

And spnm’s series, The SoundSource, animates these ideaseach month, exploring the fertileoverlap between sound and videocomposition. Most of the eventsfocus primarily on musicians whoalso work with video and alsofilms curated by regular partnersno.w.here. Meanwhile on 12May, we explore this from theother side, looking at videoartists who are also working withsound in interesting ways.

www.myspace.com/thesoundsource

06 new notes • january 2009

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Example 1: ‘Szene amBahnhof’, from GyorgyKurtág Kafka Fragments.Reproduced by kind permissionof Boosey & Hawkes PublishersLtd.

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Nostalgia is not usually afeature of electronicmusic – quite theopposite. Electronic

music is about being up-to-date,cutting edge, not just hip but seen-to-be-hip. It is of today – or a futuristicvision of tomorrow. And yet one of theparadoxes of electronic music is thatit can become dated quicker thanother music, trapped in its owntarnished time capsule.

Julian Anderson’s Book of Hours,for ensemble and electronics, isunusual in its preoccupation with thepast, not through pastiche or parody

Electronics and Nostalgia:Julian Anderson’s Book of Hours

but nostalgia, an elusive yearning foranother time.

Anderson was inspired by two famous‘books of hours’ dating from thefifteenth century. A book of hours wasa religious handbook, containing psalmsand prayer-texts and often lavishlyilluminated, carried around by gentryseeking a flavour of monastic life, withits day regulated by the Benedictine‘hours’. The music is structured, likethe books, as a series of colourful,contrasted panels. Its rapid switchingfrom liturgical gravitas to whirlingexcitement mirrors how the psalmsembrace both quiet contemplation andraucous celebration.

The musical past Anderson evokes is medieval. The solemn intonation of the opening bars sets out thesimplest of materials – a rising diatonictetrachord – gradually elaboratedthrough a parallel counterpoint rooted inorganum. Hocket and heterophonyabound in bell-like sonorities ofvibraphone, gongs and glockenspiel,enhanced by various de-tunedinstruments and technologicaltreatment of the live sounds.

The integration of the electronics into the music – described by thecomposer as ‘an extra colour beyondthe ensemble sounds, rather as gold-leaf might be applied in aMedieval manuscript’ – is beautifullyachieved. This acousmatic gildingmanipulates ‘real’ instrumentalsounds into a hyper-real version ofthe live ensemble. But further,Anderson treats his ensemble like acomputer programme, crafting

extraordinarily fresh combinationsand timbres. In performance, it ishard to hear the joins.

Part 2 opens with a brilliant gambit.The opening of the whole piece isplayed back as a sample, nowshrouded in the ‘scratches and noisesof a poorly pressed 331/3 record’,while the live instruments offer a briskrunning commentary. In this way thepiece historicises itself, becoming thesubject of its own nostalgia, theearlier music recalled as if from themists of time, rather than a mere 13minutes earlier. The effect is magical.The entire first half is then ‘re-composed’, refracted through thelens of this imagined history, at agathering pace. The climax, a massiveelectronic cadenza, is perhaps theonly disappointment of the piece,where the familiar gestures – clichéseven – of electronic music are allowedto emerge. But the ending findssurprising new territory, alternatingchilly chords with an incongruous violajig, the electronics offering only themost subtle colorations.

All this self-reference could haveslipped into navel-gazing; instead Bookof Hours achieves a quality similar toEscher’s staircase, endlessly circlinground itself, endlessly fascinating.The glistening orchestration, thesharp focus of the musical ideas andthe unusually effective integration ofelectronics into the ensemble makeBook of Hours a memorable andprofound work.

Bernard Hughes

Julian Anderson, Book of Hours, p.7, flute only

Click hereto listento extractsonline

january 2009 • new notes 07

Soundand Music

Your hopes for Sound and MusicOver the last year, as we’ve moved towards the creation of a brand neworganisation, we’ve invited your suggestions for what you’d like to see from it.Sound and Music is now close to being launched in spring 2009, and over thenext few issues we will be printing a selection of your hopes and suggestions...

And if you would like to contribute your thoughts, email newnotes@spnm.org.uk.

An internet radio channel withdecent bandwidth could providethe answer to the challenge oftruly national coverage. Eveningsonly would be fine, and it couldhandle a mix of new music CDssupplemented by interviews withliving composers and liverecordings from events.

Norman Worrall

My wish is for the new organisationto use its greater muscle andpowers of persuasion to get everyprofessional UK music performancegroup, from the Royal Opera Houseto the local brass band, to hold onecompetition a year each for newmusic in its particular genre andthen perform the winner(s), even ifnot in its mainstream programme.

Tim Ambler

The absence of any seriouscommentary on contemporarymusic in 'culture shows' (e.g.MarkLawson's Front Row, BBC Radio4, and The Culture Show, BBC 2TV) has been deplorable. There'sno reason to expect that the chiefpresenter of such programmesshould be expert in all artisticgenres, so there must be a casefor regularly employing expertadvice on new music matters.Sound and Music could provide theBBC, and other media, with regularinformation, as well as a list of newmusic commentators.

Margaret Lucy Wilkins

It will be important to hang on asmuch as possible to the diversityof opportunities that spnm andBmic have offered to composers.

Christopher Fox

It would be nice to have a humbleperformance or rehearsal spacethat we could call home. Studentshave facilities on site, but those not at university might like anexperimental space to be hired for practice, experimentation or a concert. Perhaps universitymusic departments in each regioncould help?

Val Mainwood

Campaign for increase incommission funding available tocomposers.

Campaign for arts editors to hirecritics who are knowledgable aboutcontemporary music. Currentlycontemporary music comes off as apoor second cousin of classical, andsometimes pop or jazz. Address theshortage of UK critics qualified towrite about contemporary music.

Campaign for a Tate Modern forcontemporary music: a high profilebuilding with performances all day in12 auditoria with linking foyers withaccess to recorded music,documentary information etc. Thiswould redefine the nature of 'aconcert'. A world first.

Tim Hodgkinson

Campaign for better, moreaccessible funding forcommissions, especially in theprovinces (I'm organising one suchcampaign in the NW right now).Provide advice and support in thematter of securing commissionsfor new and enterprising work.

Anthony Gilbert

new music opportunities

MUSIC AND FILM PARTNERSHIPS AT KINGSPLACE: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONSDeadline: 9 January 2009spnm and no.w.here are looking for composers/sound artistsand filmmaker partnerships to create new audio-visual worksconnected with or about London’s King’s Cross area. Anyone ofany age can apply, while partnerships can be new or pre-existing.Proposals from individuals who want to create both sound andfilm together will also be considered. No particular style or formis preferred, but the rich history, soundworld or character ofKinig’s Cross should be explored. The works should be forstandard projection with either pre-recorded sound synchronisedfor the screening or performed live by you. The works will be presented as part of spnm’s Sound Sourceseries, with events held on the second Tuesday of every monthat Kings Place (which is also home to The Guardian MediaGroup’s offices) near King’s Cross. Finished works are likely to bepresented at events in April, May and June.Each selected project will receive £250 to cover expenses.For further information, contact Mark Willetts atmark@spnm.org.uk or on 020 7407 1640.

NEW MUSIC NEW FACES 2009INTERNATIONAL YOUNG COMPOSERSFESTIVAL: CALL FOR WORKSDeadline: 12 January 2009This Krakow-based festival for young composers is looking forscores to be performed at this year’s event. Chamber music ispreferred, written for 1-10 performers or string orchestra,electronic music, or entirely electronic/tape-based. These piecesshould have been written no earlier than 2004 and should be 7-20 minutes long. Unperformed compositions are particularlywelcome. Composers are free to enter multiple pieces forinclusion. The festival’s programming commission will beappointed by the board of Polish Artists' Society and will consistof composers, musicians, and conductors. A registration of 30Euros is suggested, though this is optional. Fees will contributetowards the festival's budget. For more information, visit: www.artyscipolscy.pl

NOISY NIGHTS @ THE TRAVERSE: CALL FOR WORKSDeadline: 9 February 2009Noisy Nights is a new series at the bar of Edinburgh’s TraverseTheatre. Each event features a performance from the Red NoteEnsemble. The group will play especially composed new music ateach event. Pieces submitted for consideration should be nolonger than 5 minutes. The first Noisy Night takes place onMonday 23 Feb: works for his event should be written forvn, cl/bcl, trb and vibraphone. Tape parts can beaccommodated. For more information, email:john@seventhings.co.uk

SPNM’S SHORTLIST 2009: CALL FOR APPLICATIONSDeadline: 25 February 2009This is your chance as an emerging composer or sonic artistto set yourself on the path towards a professional career.www.spnm.org.uk / 020 7407 1640

NATIONAL CENTRE FOR EARLY MUSICCOMPOSERS AWARDDeadline: 27 March 2009This new national competition is open to young composersaged up to 18 years and also 19-25 year olds. Entrants areinvited to compose a new a cappella piece for Soprano, Alto,Tenor and Bass. Only one composition may be submitted perentrance. This piece should be scored for SATB or SSATB and3-4 minutes in length. In should not have been published orperformed. The award is intended as an educational projectand preference will be given to those who have not yetembarked on a professional career. The shortlisted finalists willwork alongside the well-known composer Christopher Fox in aseries of workshops at the NCEM next May. The compositionswill then be performed by the Ebor Singers at a publicperformance on Thursday 14 May in the presence of theyoung composers. The pieces will be recorded by musictechnology students from the University of York and will beavailable to listen to on the NCEM website. To find out more, visit: www.ncem.co.uk/composersaward orcall 01904 632220

RARESCALE ALTO FLUTE DUOS: CALL FOR WORKSDeadline: 15 April 2009This call is open to composers of any age and nationality.Entrants are invited to submit works for two alto flutes or twoalto flutes and electronics for possible multiple performances byLisa Bost-Sandberg and Carla Rees at a concert in London inJune 2009. The organisers would prefer submissions via email.For more information, visit: www.rarescale.org.uk

RARESCALE ALTO FLUTE, PIANO ANDELECTRONICS: CALL FOR WORKSDeadline: 15 April 2009This call is open to composers of any age and nationality. Theorganisers are looking for works for quarter tone alto flute, pianoand electronics for a performance in November 2009 and otherpotential opportunities. Submissions via email are preferred. Formore information, visit: www.rarescale.org.uk

RARESCALE ALTO FLUTE AND GUITAR: CALL FOR WORKSDeadline: ongoingThis call is open to composers of any age and nationality.Entrants are invited to submit works for alto flute and guitar,with or without electronics, for possible inclusion during concertsin Rarescale’s 2009 season. Submissions via email arepreferred. For more information, visit: www.rarescale.org.uk

MUSIC ORBIT’S OPEN SOURCEDeadline: OngoingOpen Source takes place during spnm’s monthly SoundSource event at Kings Place. Its curators, Music Orbit, arelooking for material to make up their set. It can be in anystyle, just so long as it is new and evocative. Moreinformation on Open Source and other Music Orbit projectscan be found at: www.musicorbit.co.uk.

We advise you to contact the organisers of advertised opportunities

before applying. spnm is not responsible for external opportunities advertised.

08 new notes • january 2009

news

2008 BRITISH COMPOSER AWARDSWINNERS ANNOUNCED

The winners of the 2008 British Composer Awards wereannounced on 2 December.

Perhaps the biggest story of the night was the triumph ofmusic‘s most experienced composer, with Elliott Carter,now 100 years old, winning the award in the Internationalcategory for Three Illusions for Orchestra.

But awards did not always go to the most establishedcomposers, with Michael Zev Gordon winning the Choralaward in a category that also included James MacMillanand Colin Matthews.

The awards ceremony featured sonic art installations in thehall by Eugene Perera and Mick Grierson, in associationwith Sonic Arts Network. Janek Schaefer, perhaps thenominee most closely associated with the sonic art scene,won the Sonic Art award for his interactive creation,Extended Play.

The awards results in full were:

CHAMBERWINNER: Joe Cutler – Folk MusicJonathan Harvey – SprechgesangDave Price – Lee’s Game

CHORALJames MacMillan – Tenebrae ResponsoriesColin Matthews – Alphabicycle OrderWINNER: Michael Zev Gordon – This Night

INSTRUMENTAL SOLO OR DUOWINNER: Judith Bingham – Fantasia (from The Lost Worksof Paganini)Patrick Nunn – Transilient FragmentsJonathan Pitkin – Con Spirito

INTERNATIONAL AWARDWINNER: Elliott Carter – Three Illusions for OrchestraHans Werner Henze – Sebastian im TraumKaija Saariaho – Mirage

LITURGICALJudith Bingham – Missa Brevis ‘Awake My Soul’ withaccompanying anthem The ShepherdWINNER: James MacMillan – 4 Motets from TheStrathclyde MotetsHoward Skempton – Three Motets

MAKING MUSIC AWARDAlexander Campkin – Counting My Numberless FingersWINNER: John Holland – Green SkyCecilia McDowall – A Canterbury Mass

ORCHESTRALWINNER: Luke Bedford – WreatheRolf Hind – Maya-SeshaMark-Anthony Turnage – Ceres

SONIC ARTEd Hughes - AuditoriumTerry Mann – The Bells of ParadiseWINNER: Janek Schaefer – Extended Play

STAGE WORKSWINNER: Jonathan Dove – The Adventures of PinocchioJames MacMillan – The SacrificeEdward Rushton – The Shops

VOCALJoe Cutler – Akhmatova FragmentsSimon Holt – SueñosWINNER: Howard Skempton – The Moon is Flashing

WIND BAND OR BRASS BANDWINNER: Adam Gorb – Adrenaline CityGavin Higgins – A Forest SymphonyJoseph Phibbs – The Spiralling Night

TARIK O’REGAN NOMINATED FORGRAMMY AWARDS

Tarik O’Regan, a former shortlisted composer, has beennominated for two GRAMMY’s – the musical equivalent ofthe Oscars. His album, Threshold of Night is nominated inthe Best Choral Performance category, as well as theprestigious Best Classical Album Category.

Tarik was born in London in 1978 and educated at Oxfordand Cambridge. A two-time British Composer Awardwinner, he was on the spnm Shortlist from 2000-2002.

Everyone at spnm would like to offer Tarik ourcongratulations for this outstanding achievement.

The GRAMMY Awards take place in Los Angeles on 8 February.

january 2009 • new notes 09

GEMDAYS 2: LAPTOP-BASED ELECTRONICSThursday 29 JanuaryHUDDERSFIELD

Charlie Usher: What is therelationship between yourrecorded and live work? Andwhat factors do you considerbefore a live performance?

Helena Gough (electronics): My live performances incorporateaspects of my recorded work into an improvised framework. Inboth my live performances and my fixed media works I aim tocreate shifting levels of density in order to offer listeners avariety of choices and listening strategies by which to movethrough the music. At all times I want the imprint of thetechnology I am using to be as transparent as is possible. Liveperformance brings with it considerations specific to theaudience and the space in which the performance takes place.It is a balancing act between stability and risk, demanding toolsthat allow quick access to sound materials and an ability toshape them on the fly. The most essential factor is to haveintimate knowledge of my sound materials and how they mightfit together or apart.

THE SOUND OF TIMBERSaturday 24 January WORTHING

Charlie Usher: I’m utterly baffledby this concert’s brief! Heftyaesthetic issues arise whencomparing images of timber and apiece of music – what are they andhow will you approach this piece?

Patrick Harrex (composer and co-director of the workshop):We're not just creating music inspired by images of timber onthe shore, but by the whole event around the sinking of thecargo ship, Ice Prince: the moment, one year ago, that itsunk; the 'liberation' of its cargo and its journey along theChannel; the stormy seas which drove the timber to shore; thesounds and smells of tons of pine on the beach; crowds takingpictures, emailing and using mobiles to send images aroundthe world, news crews in helicopters, clearance teams atwork. The angular, linear arrangement of thousands of planksmay even be our graphic score _ from smooth swelling shapesto sharp, angular collisions. We have an open mind about theoutcome, perhaps chaotic or maybe majestic, a delicatesplinter or a truckload of debris!

ANTON LUKOSZEVIEZE ATSPITALFIELDS Tuesday 6 January

LONDON

Charlie Usher: Composers whosework I admire and new repertoirecreated with the curved ‘Bach(Michael, not J.S.) bow’ in mind...what have they done with it?

Anton Lukoszevieze (cello): The Bach-Boden bow is suited tochordal and polyphonic music, but each piece is stillcharacteristic of each particular composer. Most of the worksuse different kinds of scordatura (re-tuning), which opens outthe cello as a sonic object. Amnon's piece is for celloembedded in an electronic tape part, something he frequentlydoes, while continuous sound is fundamental in Laurence'spiece, though that has more of a monumental and staticquality. Dr. Fox's piece Arc creates a weird kind of uber-hurdy-gurdy sounding cello. James's piece Tide takes thefundamental action of bowing as a method of mirroring tidalaction. Bryn's piece relates to his interest in painterly forms.Finally, Jenny Walshe's piece is a text score that creates amental map for the performer to make a skateboarding 'route'for musical extemporising.

BCMG FAMILY CONCERTS –WHEN WORDS SINGSaturday 17 January

BIRMINGHAM

Charlie Usher: I’m delighted to seenew and twentieth-century musicprogrammed for children. Whatwas the impulse behind theprogramming?

Peter Wiegold (conductor): This is a concert for the familyas much as children. I like the conceit of talking to adultsthrough language children will understand and to childrenthrough adult language – to connect across generations. Wekeep things fairly short and create repetitions and refrains tobuild familarity with the material. I introduce it by pointing outclear things that are both musically crucial and key musicalfeatures to hold onto, while mixing the narrative/poetic withthe technical. This programme is 'When words sing' – everyaspect of turning words into vocal sound from shouts andshrieks to beautiful folk songs. We will have little improvisedmoments where words appear on screen and singersarticulate them, to build up a perception that words and soundcan go together in every possible way.

charlie usherEach month a guest artist selects

events from the listings for preview. This month’s previews have beenchosen by shortlisted composer,

Charlie Usher.

10 new notes • january 2008

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How would you describe your music?I’ll let people work it out for themselves,it’s more fun then! But I guess it’s abringing together of various disparateinterests of mine and forming theminto something I can do something with– ie. something I can listen to.I write music as a means of doingsomething constructive with my ill-disciplined, tangential, messy andconfusing mental activity! So it’s eitherwriting music or doing a sudoku.

How has the Raga Mela project goneso far?The most inspiring element of theproject so far has been being guidedby the players with expertise inHindustani Classical music (KuljitBhamra, Jonathan Mayer and KartikRaghunathan) and trying to work outwhat on earth the tradition is all aboutand how it all works. I’m on attempt number three to writemy piece. I made a couple of fairlyhefty errors and so have had tocompletely rethink the whole thing. AndI have run out of my favourite pencils...So, a normal compositional process!

What kind of ideas are you engagingwith as part of the project?It’s all pleasantly elusive. A raga isn’tquite a scale, or a melody, or a pieceof music, but all three at the sametime. As far as I can tell, it’s somekind of formula for a possiblerealisation of a piece of music, mostof which is improvised collectively,the voice or melody-instrument-wielding soloist taking the helm. Eachraga has its own harmonic identitywhich is articulated by its in-builtmelody-building, voice-leading andornamentation rules. Then there’sthe rhythmic element...

And what should we expect fromyour piece?My way into writing it was to look atcommon features of HindustaniClassical music and mine. The way Ithink about harmony is fairly similar towhat I’ve just described, only withdifferent notes!

Are the other Raga Mela composerscoming up with interesting ideas? In our October workshop we brieflyvoiced ideas we had for how to applyall of this new information we had justbeen taught by our project mentors.What was really encouraging was that we (Richard Glover, GrahamRoss, Matthew Sergeant and I) had all found completely different aspectsof raga to hone in on and explore. Our final pieces, I suspect, will all bevery different.

And beyond the Raga Mela project,your shortlisted work is inspired bythe work of Mark Rothko. How doyou translate Rothko into music?Again, I took a rather removedapproach – I mirrored the structuraland compositional elements of hiswork in various ways, though with asurprise ‘wild-card’ dramatic elementin the piece to bridge the gapbetween a still painting and a piece of narrative music. I didn’t want torecreate my emotional response tohis work – it’s a personal thing. I’drather make this statement and letpeople respond in their own way – I think that is what Rothko was getting at.

And in general, what do you most likeand dislike about your music?I know that I don’t take enough risks. Iworry that my music might be a little‘safe’ sometimes, a crime worse thananything!

What’s the best concert you’ve everbeen to?Sarah Nicolls at HuddersfieldContemporary Music Festival in ‘07was really exciting, a couple of piecesreally standing out due to theiridiosyncratic way of using electronicsto add to the piano’s expressivepotential. Following the concert, theaudience were whisked away toanother venue for a set by Alexander’sAnnexe, Sarah Nicoll’s trio with MiraCalix and David Sheppard. A funevening combined with top-quality newmusic.

What else on the new music scenereally excites you?There are a bunch of composersworking in and around Manchesterwhose work I admire and have learnt alot from. Larry Goves and his group,the House of Bedlam, are on tosomething great with a really musicalapproach to using electronics that hasavoided the cliché and arbitrariness itcan sometimes fall into, what with thevast number of possibilities thattechnology allows.

And what are your interests outsideof music?The big one is linguistics. Thinkingabout the mechanics of language isquite a useful tool to help me thinkabout music away from the actualnotes. Visual arts is another thing –the artist Tacita Dean, especially in herbeautifully lyrical film-installation worksand chalk-board drawings. I’mobsessed with Syria too. It’s stuffed fullwith the most absurdly important,ancient and yet crumblingarchaeological sites and places. Andlots of desert.

january 2009 • new notes 11

The Guest Artist Q&A

Charlie Usher’s piece will beperformed as part of Raga Mela atthe Royal Festival Hall on 6 May.www.spnm.org.uk/events

As part of spnm’s Raga Mela project, Charlie Usher is one of four composerscreating new works inspired by raga for the BBC Concert Orchestra.

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12 new notes • january 2009

listingsjanuary 2009

Key: First names indicate living composers andcomposers of works written post–1960. *** World premiere** UK premiere* London premiere

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Monday 5 January

PARK LANE GROUP YOUNG ARTISTS NEW YEAR’S SERIESSouthbank Centre’s Purcell Room at Queen ElizabethHall, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XXSulki Yu violinEdwin Roxburgh Soliloquy 3 for solo violin Salvatore Sciarrino Caprices Bartók Sonata for solo violin £5–£90871 663 2500www.southbankcentre.co.uk

OWEN MURRAY AND THE SMITH QUARTET Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U2BPOwen Murray classical accordion Smith Quartet Sofia Gubaidulina Silenzio Schnittke String Quartet no.3 Hans Abrahamsen Air Poul Ruders Serenade on the Shores of the CosmicOcean (dedicated to Owen and Inger Murray)*£10–£18020 7935 2141www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

Tuesday 6 January

PARK LANE GROUP YOUNG ARTISTS NEW YEAR’S SERIESSouthbank Centre’s Purcell Room at Queen ElizabethHall, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XXNicholas Reed percussion Iannis Xenakis Rebonds A & B Piers Hellawell Let's dance Philippe Manoury No.4 from Le Livre des claviers James Wood Rogosanti £5–£90871 663 2500www.southbankcentre.co.uk

ANTON LUKOSZEVIEZE AT SPITALFIELDSToynbee Hall, 28 Commercial Street, London E1 6LSJames Weeks Tide*** Christopher Fox Arc Laurence Crane Raimondas Rumsas Bryn Harrison Present Form** Amnon Wolman Stop** Jennifer Walshe This is why people o.d. on Pills/And jump from the Golden Gate Bridge** £10020 7377 1362www.spitalfieldsmusic.org.uk

Friday 9 January

AZALEA PLAYS WOOLRICHDuke’s Hall, Royal Academy of Music, MaryleboneRoad NW1Simon Bainbridge conductor Jessica Cottis conductor AzaleaJohn Woolrich From The Shadows; DartingtonDoubles; Caprichos Ivor Bonnici new work Samuel Quartermaine Smith new workFree admission020 7873 7300www.ram.ac.uk/events

Saturday 10 January

JUNCTIONS: ENGLISH MUSIC BREAKING FORMATIONThe Studio, The Hawth Theatre, Hawth Avenue,Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 6YZThe Tacet Ensemble with John Spiers and Jon BodenThis collaborative concert brings together traditionalEnglish folk music and contemporary composition.New works have been commissioned from JonBoden, Ed Hughes, Alison Kay and John Spiers forthe combined forces of the two groups.In addition the Tacet Ensemble will play pieces byJulian Anderson, Graham Fitkin, Michael Finnissy,Kenneth Hesketh, George Nicholson and TimothySalter, and Spiers and Boden will play from theirextensive repertoire of traditional music. £12.50 (£10.50)01293 553 636www.tickets.hawth.co.uk

Sunday 11 January

PATRICIA ROZARIO, JULIUS DRAKE, JOAN ENRIC LLUNAWigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U2BPPatricia Rozario soprano Julius Drake piano Joan Enric Lluna clarinetSchubert The Shepherd on the Rock Poulenc Fiançailles pour rire Rodrigo 4 madrigales amatorios; Selected songs;Osvaldo Golijov Lua Descolorida £12–£25 020 7935 2141www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

Thursday 15 January

BRIDGET CAREY – VIOLASt.Paul’s Hall, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate,Huddersfield HD1 3DHNew compositions by undergraduate andpostgraduate composers at the University ofHuddersfield Free admission01484 223200www.hud.ac.uk/mh/music

INSIGHT: ERROLLYN WALLENCBSO Centre, Birmingham, Berkley Street, B1 2LFPeter Wiegold conductor Errollyn Wallen, Eileen Hulse, Lore Lixenberg singersComposer/performer Errollyn Wallen talks to BCMGEducation Manager Nancy Evans about her newEnglish Folk Songs for BCMG’s Family & Schools’Concerts, in which the composer herself takes thesolo vocal part.This FREE event is linked to BCMGFamily Concerts on Sat 17th Jan 09 and will finish atapproximately 7.15pm.Free admission0121 616 2616www.bcmg.org.uk

THE VOICE AND NOTHING MORESlade Research Centre, 10–11 Woburn Square,London WC1H 0NSCurated by Sam Belinfante and Neil Luck. Visual artists from a wide range of media engage inan exploration of a musical score, culminating in aseries of performances at 7.30pm. Performersinclude leading contemporary and experimentalvocalists such as Loré Lixenberg, Juice VocalEnsemble, Mikhail Karikis. Free admissionwww.thevoiceandnothingmore.com

Friday 16 January

MARTIN ANNIVERSARY: THE SCHUBERT ENSEMBLEAdrian Boult Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire,Paradise Place, Fletchers Walk, Birmingham, B3 3HGThe Schubert EnsembleGeorge Caird oboeCommemorating 50 years since Bohuslav Martin’sdeath, the Conservatoire’s Ensemble-in-Residence,together with its Principal, George Caird, perform avaried programme by this prolific Czech composer,who spent much of his life in exile. The concert, whichillustrates both his versatility and his fantasticallycolourful musical language, includes the Piano Triono.3, Duo no.2 for violin and cello, the Quartet foroboe and piano trio and culminates in the exhilaratingPiano Quartet.£5.50 (£3)0121 331 5901www.conservatoire.bcu.ac.uk

THE VOICE AND NOTHING MORESlade Research Centre, 10–11 Woburn Square,London WC1H 0NSSee January 15 listing for programme details. Free admissionwww.thevoiceandnothingmore.com

Saturday 17 January

TOTAL IMMERSION:STOCKHAUSEN Jerwood Hall, LSO St Luke’sRichard Baker conductor Nicolas Hodges piano BBC SOBBC SingersGuildhall New Music EnsembleKarlheinz Stockhausen Klavierstücke; Choral; Chörefür Doris; Litanei 97; Kontra-Punkte; Adieu for windquintet£10 020 7638 8891www.barbican.org.uk

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BCMG FAMILY CONCERTS: WHEN WORDS SINGCBSO Centre, Berkley Street, Birmingham, B1 2LFBCMGPeter Wiegold conductor Errollyn Wallen, Eileen Hulse, Loré Lixenberg singersOliver Knussen Hums and Song of Winnie the Pooh Cathy Berberian Stripsody Errollyn Wallen new work*** Liz Johnson Elephant Woman Errollyn Wallen A new piece for young voices Luciano Berio Folk Songs Plus new solo pieces by Matthew Sergeant, PeterWiegold and John Woolrich£6 (£3.50), group ticket £150121 767 4050www.bcmg.org.uk

TOTAL IMMERSION:STOCKHAUSENBarbican Hall, Silk Street, London EC2David Robertson conductor Kathinka Pasveer, Alain Louafi dancer-mime BBC Symphony Orchestra Karlheinz Stockhausen Inori£8–£24020 7638 8891www.barbican.org.uk

JUNCTIONS: ENGLISH MUSIC BREAKING FORMATIONThe Wilde Theatre, South Hill Park, Ringmead,Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 7PASee January 10 listing for programme details. £15 (£11)01344 484 123www.southhillpark.org.uk

TOTAL IMMERSION:STOCKHAUSENBarbican Hall, Silk Street, London EC2Karlheinz Stockhausen Hymnen (Four-track tape onlyversion)£10020 7638 8891www.barbican.org.uk

Sunday 18 January

THEODORE KERKEZOS; MEI YI FOOWigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U2BPTheodore Kerkezos saxophone Mei Yi Foo pianoFlorent Schmitt LégendePaul Creston SonataPierre Sancan Lamento et Rondo Demersseman Fantaisie sur un thème original Milhaud Scaramouche (arr. for saxophone and piano) Mikis Theodorakis Cretan Concertino Pedro Iturralde Czardas And music by Debussy £10–£22 020 7935 2141www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

january 2009 • new notes 13

Monday 19 January

FREDERIC RZEWSKI RESIDENCY CONCERTRecital Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire, ParadisePlace, Fletchers Walk, Birmingham, B3 3HGBirmingham Conservatoire Percussion EnsembleConservatoire Composers’ EnsembleAlonso Mendoza, Howard Skempton directors American composer/pianist Frederic Rzewski hasbeen at the forefront of contemporary music fornearly 50 years: breaking down boundaries bymelding various musical influences, exploring the useof text and of flexible notation and maintaining a beliefin the power of art to express the need for a fairerand more politically responsible society. Tonight’sprogramme includes Rzewski’s Coming Togetheralongside Christian Wolf’s Burdocks.£5.50 (£3)0121 331 5901www.conservatoire.bcu.ac.uk

ACADEMY JAZZ ANDPERCUSSION Duke’s HallAn evening of jazz-infused music from North Africa,Eastern Europe and South Africa. 020 7873 7300£6 (£4)www.ram.ac.uk/events

Tuesday 20 January

BRITTEN SINFONIA AT LUNCH 2Cambridge West Road Concert HallJacqueline Shave violin, director Miranda Dale violin Martin Outram viola Caroline Dearnley cello Emer McDonough flute Nicholas Daniel oboe, cor anglais Joy Farrall clarinet Stephen Bell horn John Lenehan piano Ryan Wigglesworth conductorBritten Phantasy Quartet Ryan Wigglesworth new work*** Oliver Knussen Songs without Voices J. Strauss arr. Schoenberg Emperor Waltz £7 (£4)01223 357851www.brittensinfonia.express.ts.com

INSIGHT: AN EVENING WITH GEORGE BENJAMINCBSO Centre, Birmingham, Berkley Street, B1 2LFFollowing Paul Griffiths’ illuminating conversations withPierre Boulez in May 2008, this insightful writer onmusic returns to interview composer/conductorGeorge Benjamin, during the rehearsal period for hisJanuary 2009 concert with BCMG.£6 including a glass of wine/juice on arrival. 0121 616 2616www.bcmg.org.uk

ENDELLION STRING QUARTET Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U2BPEndellion String Quartet Beethoven String Quartet in B-flatThomas Adès Arcadiana Schubert String Quartet in G£12–£24 020 7935 2141 www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

LONDON SYMPHONYORCHESTRA Barbican Hall, Silk Street, London EC2Kristjan Järvi conductor Carel Kraayenhof bandoneon London Symphony OrchestraGinastera Dances from 'Estancia' Piazzolla Aconcagua – Concerto for Bandoneon Revueltas La Noche de los Mayas£7-£32020 7638 8891www.lso.co.uk

VOCAL CROSSINGS:CURATED BY MIKHAIL KARIKIS Kings Place, 90 Yprk Way, London, N1 9AGPart of the This Is Tuesday series.Celebrating King’s Cross as a neighbourhood ofinternational musical exchanges, vocalist MikhailKarikis invites artists from Belgian label Sub Rosa –celebrated avant-folk musician Martyn Bates andsound-poet Gabriel Séverin – alongside new musicvocal legend Linda Hirst, avant-garde jazz singerE.LAINE and composer Conall Gleeson. From £9.50 oline, £11.50 offline020 7520 1490www.kingsplace.co.uk

Wednesday 21 January

BRITTEN SINFONIA AT LUNCH 2London Wigmore HallSee 20 January for programme details. £10 (£9)020 7935 2141www.brittensinfonia.express.ts.com

NEW NOISEWindsor Auditorium, Royal Holloway University LondonJaney Miller oboe Joby Burgess percussionHarrison Birtwistle Pulse Sampler John Lely Desk Bells Dobrinka Tabakova Frozen River Flows Adrian Lee Peace for VayuSimon Holt Sphinx £10 (£8)01784 443853www.rhul.ac.uk/Music

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PHILIPPE GRAFFIN; LONDON SINFONIETTAWigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U2BPPhilippe Graffin conductor, violin Elizabeth Burley piano London Sinfonietta Mendelssohn Violin Sonata in F Michael Stimpson Age of Wonders: The Man WhoWalked With Henslow***; Age of Wonders: AnEntangled Bank*** Chausson Poème for violin and chamber ensemble £10–£20 020 7935 2141www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

GHOSTS BEFORE BREAKFASTSir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, YorkYO10 5DDCounterpoise: Caroline Balding violin Deborah Calland trumpet Kyle Horch saxophone Helen Reid piano Eleanor Bron narratorR Strauss The Castle by the Sea Jean Hasse film score: Ghosts Before Breakfast Mauricio Kagel MM51; Old/New Heiner Goebbels In the Basement Edward Rushton On the Edge£14–£16 (£3–£15)01904 432439www.YorkConcerts.co.uk

CHARLES DARWIN 200TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERTWigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London, W1U2BPLondon Sinfonietta Philippe Graffin conductor, violin Elizabeth Burley pianoNew works by Michael Stimpson celebrating the200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth – TheMan Who Walked With Henslow (for violin and piano)and An Entangled Bank (for string orchestra) –alongside works from the natural scientist’s lifetime. £10–£20020 7935 2141www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

RZEWSKI PLAYS RZEWSKIRecital Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire, ParadisePlace, Fletchers Walk, Birmingham, B3 3HGFrederic Rzewski pianoFrederic Rzewski is a natural successor to the greatcomposer/pianist virtuosi of the 19th century. Notonly one of the great pianists of our time, Rzewski hasalso produced some of the most important pianoworks of the last fifty years. Tonight he performssome of this work in the second of BirminghamConservatoire’s Frederic Rzewski Residency concerts. £5.50 (£3)0121 331 5901 www.conservatoire.bcu.ac.uk

UBS SOUNDSCAPES: ECLECTICA BURNS NIGHTLSO St Luke's, UBS and LSO Music Education Centre,161 Old Street, London EC1V 9NGCatriona McKay harp Chris Stout violin Salsa Celtica James MacMillan curatorBringing alive the atmospheric folk music of theScottish Highlands and Islands with bagpipe, fiddleand sonic delights from the technological age, this is acontemporary Burns concert celebrating the 250thanniversary of the Scottish bard’s birth, curated byone of the UK’s leading composers. £–-£21020 7638 8891www.lso.co.uk

Thursday 22 January

BRITTEN SINFONIA AT LUNCH 2Birmingham Town HallSee 20 January for programme details. £7.50 (£5)0121 780 3333www.brittensinfonia.express.ts.com

QUATUOR DANEL LUNCHTIME CONCERTCosmo Rodewald Concert Hall, Martin Harris Centrefor Music and Drama, University of Manchester, M139PLQuatuor Danel:Marc Danel and Gilles Millet violins Vlad Bogdanas viola Guy Danel celloSchubert’s early Quartet in E-flat, followed by the firstperformance of the Duet for Two Violins by the Polishcomposer, Krzysztof Meyer, who befriendedShostakovich in the last years of his life and wrote oneof the finest biographical studies of the Soviet master.Free admission 0161 275 8951www.manchester.ac.uk/martinharriscentre

SIMON H FELL, CHRIS BURN & PHILIP THOMASSt.Paul’s Hall, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate,Huddersfield HD1 3DHSimon H Fell double bass Chris Burn piano Philip Thomas pianoA programme of improvisations bass, piano andprepared piano livemusic@hud.ac.uk Free admission01484 223200www.hud.ac.uk/mh/music

PETR EBEN: IN TRIBUTE St Marylebone Parish Church, Marylebone Road,London NW1 5LTAn evening dedicated to the organ music of Petr Eben(1929–2007), who would have celebrated his 80thbirthday on this day. Illustrated lecture on the life and music of Petr Ebengiven by Graham Melville Mason followed by theUnited Music Publisher’s Organ Prize: Royal Academyof Music students perform a wide range of Eben’sensemble music. Free admission020 7873 7300www.ram.ac.uk/events

LONDON SINFONIETTA:BANNERS – MUSIC, MELODY &TEXTKings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9AGMary Carewe soprano Daniel Evans tenor Jenny Galloway actor Dominic Muldowney piano London SinfoniettaMusic with political undertones by Kurt Weill, HannsEisler and Dominic Muldowney open the Art of News;three-days of events curated by Muldowney and theLondon Sinfonietta that examine the artistic potentialof news stories. Followed by the first of three lateevening Poetry Platforms at 9.30pm. £13.50–£22.50 (£2 less online)020 7250 1490www.kingsplace.co.uk

Friday 23 January

MAX: WRITING FOR SOLO INSTRUMENTSConcert Room Visiting Professor of Composition Sir Peter MaxwellDavies discusses the challenges of writing for soloinstruments, illustrated by live performances of hisworks Sea Eagle for horn, The Kestrel Paced Roundthe Sun for flute and The Door of the Sun for viola. Free admission020 7873 7300www.ram.ac.uk/events

BRITTEN SINFONIA AT LUNCH 2Norwich The Assembly HouseSee 20 January for programme details. £7 (£4)01603 630000www.brittensinfonia.express.ts.com

MAX: WRITING FOR YOUNGER PERFORMERSConcert Room Sir Peter Maxwell Davies talks with Academycomposers about writing music for young musicians. Free admission020 7873 7300www.ram.ac.uk/events

BBC SO: MATTHEW TAYLOR + GWYNPRITCHARD WORLD PREMIERESMaida Vale Studios, 1-129 Delaware Road, LondonW9 2LGGarry Walker conductor BBC Symphony Orchestra David Fennessy Dead End Gwyn Pritchard The Firmament of Time*** Matthew Taylor Symphony No. 2***Free admission, ticket required0370 901 1227www.bbc.co.uk/tickets

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january 2009 • new notes 15

LONDON SINFONIETTA: CARBON COPY CABARETKings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9AGMary Carewe soprano Daniel Evans tenor London SinfoniettaHanns Eisler’s Newspaper Cutting Stories continuesthe London Sinfonietta’s The Art of News. It prefacesnew songs using texts from contemporary daily newsby composers from ROH2’s OperaGenesis schemeand Dominic Muldowney’s Five Theatre Songs.Followed by Poetry Platform featuring Scroobius Pipat 9.30pm. From £9.50 online, £11.50 offline020 7250 1490www.kingsplace.co.uk

Saturday 24 January

THE SOUND OF TIMBERSt Matthew’s Church, Tarring Road, Worthing, WestSussexA CoMA/ Revolutionary Music workshop marking thefirst anniversary of the Ice Prince sinking. Forinstrumentalists and vocalists of any standard,devised by artist Dan Thompson, directed by AdamSwayne, Music Director, CoMA Sussex, andcomposer Patrick Harrex, led by members of CoMA.Images of timber along the Sussex coast will be theinspiration for a new work to be created andperformed by participants. Admission free to workshop (pre-registration required)and concert.01903 526 268www.coma.org

RNCM BIG BAND WITH BIRGER SULSBRÜCKRNCM Theatre, 124 Oxford Road, Manchester, M139RDMike Hall director Birger Sulsbrück percussionThe RNCM Big Band takes to the stage with Danish-born band leader and percussionist Birger Sulsbrück.£12–£160161 907 5200

LONDON SINFONIETTA:IN THE NEWS AND ON THE STAGEKings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9AGMary Carewe soprano Daniel Evans tenor Dominic Muldowney conductor London SinfoniettaA major new commission from Dominic Muldowney isthe climax of the London Sinfonietta’s The Art of Newsmini festival. The programme also includes FredericRzewski’s Coming Together and O King by Berio. JohnHegley and friends round off the event with the finalPoetry Platform, with music from Gwyneth Herbert,at 9.30pm. £13.50–£22.50 (£2 less online)020 7250 1490www.kingsplace.co.uk

STRIP JACK NAKEDBridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, DorsetDT6 3NRKokoroLoré Lixenberg mezzo-soprano Mark Forkgen conductorMichael Torke Yellow Pages/Blue Pages (TheTelephone Book) Eleanor Alberga Dancing with the Shadow (Finale) Graham Fitkin Totti Stephen McNeff Strip Jack Naked£6 (£3)01308 424204www.bridport-arts.com

Sunday 25 January

BCMG 2008/09 SEASONCBSO Centre, Berkley Street, Birmingham, B1 2LFBCMGGeorge Benjamin conductor Claire Booth sopranoOliver Knussen Two Organa Luigi Dallapiccola Piccola Musica Notturna; CinqueFrammenti di Saffo; Tre Laudi Francesco Antonioni Ballata*** George Benjamin Three Inventions for ChamberOrchestra£14-£15 (£5–£9)0121 767 4050www.bcmg.org.uk

Monday 26 January

MUSIC ON MONDAYSThe Chapel, University of Chichester, Bishop OtterCampus, College Lane,Chichester, PO19 6PEEnsemble na MaraTom Hankey violin Jessica Beeston viola Eilidh Martin cello Alasdair Beatson pianoPhilip Cashian Music for the night sky Martinu String Trio no.2 Timothy Salter Piano Quartet Fauré Piano Quartet no1 in C minorFree concert with wine and discussion01243 816185music@chi.ac.uk

ELLIOTT CARTER CELEBRATIONInner Parry Room, Royal College of Music, LondonSW7Elliott Carter 90+; 4 Lauds for solo violin; Sonata forflute, oboe, cello & harpsichord; Changes for guitar;Caténaires for piano A 100th birthday celebration for one of the mostsignificant figures of the 20th century, devised byJulian Jacobson. The RCM's Elliott Carter Celebrationincludes works from across his output - from the earlyneoclassical Canonic Suite (1939) to Caténaires(2006) for solo piano - ending up with his seminalTriple Duo (1983). Free admission, no ticket requiredwww.rcm.ac.uk

SHADOWS OF LIGHT: MUSIC FROM THE SEAGRAMMURALSTate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TGThe premiere of British composer Jim Aitchison'sresponse in music to Rothko's Seagram Murals isperformed in front of Rothko's great paintings in theTate exhibition by the Kreutzer Quartet with MichaelThompson (horn) and Nicholas Clapton(countertenor). Aitchison's composition is intimatelyderived from Rothko's paintings. £25 (£20)020 7887 8888www.tate.org.uk/modern

ELLIOTT CARTER CELEBRATIONRecital Hall, Royal College of Music, London SW7Elliott Carter Canonic Suite; Quartet for piano andstrings; Piano Sonata; 8 pieces for 4 timpani; CelloSonata; Brass Quintet; Triple Duo The second part of this free event. See 1.05pmlisting for first part. Free admission, no ticket required

FRONTIERS: FLOTILLARecital Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire, ParadisePlace, Fletchers Walk, Birmingham, B3 3HGKyle Horch, Naomi Sullivan, Andrew Tweed, AlistairParnell saxophonesJonathan Dove Tuning In Jan Morthenson Chorale Paul Evernden Three Songs for Sajmi te Jan Dismas Zelenka Trio Sonata Liz Johnson O Vos Edward McGuire Remembrance William Sweeney Cha b’ann grad… Elliott Carter Canonic Suite£5.50 (£3) Tickets on the door from 6.30pm0121 331 5901www.conservatoire.bcu.ac.uk

Tuesday 27 January

HAYDN, MENDELSSOHN AND BEYONDInner Parry Room, Royal College of Music, LondonSW7Alison Kay Flux Mendelssohn String Quartet no.4 in E minor Mark-Anthony Turnage A Fast Stomp Timothy Salter Serenade Haydn Piano Trio no.35 in C major£8 (£5)020 7591 4314 www.boxoffice.rcm.ac.uk

CHRISTIAN FORSHAW AND THE SANCTUARY ENSEMBLEKings Place, 90 Yprk Way, London, N1 9AGJohn Metcalfe curates an events as part of the This IsTuesday series. ‘Music with a heart-rendingsimplicity…very beautiful, very different’, is how Radio3's Sean Rafferty describes saxophonist ChristianForshaw's haunting music. Featuring Forshaw,soprano, keyboards and percussion this concertincludes works from Forshaw’s hugely successfulalbums Sanctuary and Renouncement.From £9.50 oline, £11.50 offline020 7520 1490www.christianforshaw.com www.kingsplace.co.uk

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16 new notes • january 2009

Wednesday 28 January

THE CONTEMPORARY PIANOBritten Theatre, Royal College of Music, London SW7An open masterclass at 2pm with internationallyrenowned new music specialist Rolf Hind (who has notonly worked with many of today’s leading composersbut is an accomplished composer himself), is followedat 6pm by RCM pianists, who give their ownperformances of contemporary classic works. Free admission, no ticket required020 7589 3643www.rcm.ac.uk

BBC SO:VIC HOYLAND WORLD PREMIEREBarbican Hall, Silk Street, London EC2Andrew Litton conductor Soile Isokoski soprano BBC Symphony OrchestraVic Hoyland Phoenix (BBC commission)*** R. Strauss Hymne an die Liebe; Das Rosenband; Dieheiligen drei Könige; Morgen; Cäcilie; Ein Heldenleben£8–£24020 7638 8891www.barbican.org.uk

JÖRG WIDMANN, ARTEMIS QUARTET Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U2BP Jörg Widmann clarinet Artemis Quartet Widmann String Quartet no.1 Mozart Clarinet Quintet in ASchubert String Quartet in D minor, ‘Death and theMaiden’ £12–£24 020 7935 2141www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

LONDON SINFONIETTA Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, BelvedereRoad, London, SE1 8XXLondon Sinfonietta Oliver Knussen conductor Rosemary Hardy sopranoElliott Carter Asko Concerto; In the distances ofsleep; Au Quai; Réflexions John Woolrich Between the Hammer and the Anvil*** £9 - £220871 663 2500www.londonsinfonietta.org.uk www.southbankcentre.co.uk

THE MAGIC OF THE HARPRecital Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire, ParadisePlace, Fletchers Walk, Birmingham, B3 3HGCatherine White harpSuzanna Purkis mezzo-soprano Diane Clark flute Robin Ireland viola John Todd celloAn evening of chamber and solo works, includingworks by Grandjany (Fantasie on a Theme of Haydn),Flothius (Pour le Tombeau d’Orphée), Hasselmans(Chanson de Mai), Fauré (Impromptu) and Debussy(Sonata for flute, viola and harp) and featuring theBritish professional premiere of American composerMichael Cohen’s emotionally-powerful setting ofextracts from ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’: I Remember.£6 (£4) Tickets on the door from 6.45pm0121 331 5901www.conservatoire.bcu.ac.uk

GEMDAYS 1: CIRCUIT-BENDING ELECTRONICAPhipps Concert Hall, University of Huddersfield,Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DHJohn Richards electronicsFree admission01484 223200www.hud.ac.uk/mh/music

Thursday 29 January

GEMDAYS 2: LAPTOP-BASED ELECTRONICS Phipps Concert Hall, University of Huddersfield,Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DHHelena Gough electronicsFree admission01484 223200www.hud.ac.uk/mh/music

Friday 30 January

KREUTZER QUARTETSir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, YorkYO10 5DDKreutzer QuartetJS Bach arr. David Matthews Prelude & Fugue in Bminor Cherubini Souvenir de Pierre Baillot David Matthews Quartet no.5 Beethoven Quartet in F-flat (with Grosse Fugue)£12–£14 (£3–£13)01904 432439www.YorkConcerts.co.uk

THE ORCHESTRAL CANVASDuke’s HallChristopher Austin conductorThis annual composition showcase features the fullestrange of media and concert orchestral compositionswritten by undergraduate student composers. £6 (£4)020 7873 7300www.ram.ac.uk/events

BLACK DYKE BANDRNCM Concert Hall, RNCM Theatre, 124 OxfordRoad, Manchester, M13 9RDNicholas Childs conductor Richard Marshall cornet David Thornton euphonium Philip Gault baritonePhilip Wilby A Breathless Alleluia*** Peter Graham In League with ExtraordinaryGentlemen (Concerto for Euphonium)*** Gilbert Vinter Spectrum Paul Lovatt-Cooper Antarctica*** James Curnow Concert Piece for cornet and band Philip Wilby Two songs: Memory; Sonnet Edward Gregson Rococo Variations £12–£140161 907 5200www.rncm.ac.uk

GEMDAYS 3: ELECTRONIC MUSIC AND VIDEOPERFORMANCESPhipps Concert Hall, University of Huddersfield,Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DHJo Hyde electronics and videoFree admission01484 223 200www.hud.ac.uk/mh/music

Saturday 31 January

COMPOSERS’ WORKSHOP WITH OLIVER KNUSSENCambridge West Road Concert HallOliver Knussen composer, mentor Ryan Wigglesworth conductor Britten Sinfonia musicians10.30am Workshop 3.30pm Concert performance New works by students from the University of CambridgeFree admission01223 300 795www.brittensinfonia.express.ts.com

PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA: MUSIC OF TODAYSouthbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, BelvedereRoad, London, SE1 8XXPlayers from the Philharmonia Orchestra Shiva Nova musicians Priti Paintal presenterA new Commission from Priti PaintalFree admissionwww.southbankcentre.co.uk

Sunday 1 February

SUNDAY COFFEE CONCERTKettle’s Yard, Castle Street, Cambridge CB3 0AQEnsemble Klang:Heiko Geerts, Erik-Jan de With saxophonesJoey Marijs percussionAnton Van Houten trombonePete Harden bassSaskia Lankhoorn pianoTom Gelissen sound engineer.Tom Johnson Vermont Rhythms Pete Harden Dorset Turns and Dies a SorrowfulDeath Andrew Hamilton Music For People Who LosePeople £6 (£4) 01223 300 085/ 01223 748100www.kettlesyard.co.uk/newmusic

MARIINSKY THEATRE/ GERGIEVBarbican Hall, Silk Street, London EC2Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of the Mariinsky Theatre Valery Gergiev conductorAlexander Smelkov The Brothers Karamazov** £11-£35020 7638 8891www.barbican.org.uk

Tuesday 3 February

HAYDN, MENDELSSOHN AND BEYONDInner Parry Room, Royal College of Music, LondonSW7William Mival Quartet - RBG Mendelssohn Piano Trio no 1 in D minorHaydn String Quartet in D major Michael Oliva Night Crossing£8 (£5) complimentary drink included. Buy tickets for3 concerts, get a ticket for the 4th concert for free.020 7591 4314www.boxoffice.rcm.ac.uk

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january 2009 • new notes 17

Music & ChanceTuesday 17 February, 7.30pm

Queen Elizabeth Hall, London

Tickets £20/£16/£12 (Transaction fees apply. No booking fees for Southbank Centre Members.)

Charles Hazlewood conductor

Mozart A Musical Dice Game Schnittke Moz-Art à la Haydn Colin Matthews To Compose Without the Least Knowledge of Music Ives The Unanswered Question Stravinsky Jeu de cartes

Plus new work by 12 leading composers including Anne Dudley, Will Gregory, Rabih Abou-Khalil, Bill Bailey,Tansy Davies, Paul Patterson, Fung Lam, Barnaby Taylor and Gwilym Simcock. To find out, join the players of theBBC Concert Orchestra for an evening of musical magic and chance.

Take a chance on the BBC Concert Orchestra in an evening of music inspired by the rollof the dice, the turn of the cards – in short, a night of complete chance!

TABLATURE!

Four composers. Four percussionists.Four tabla players. One goal: to find amethod of notating for tabla that canbe used widely by composers, westernmusicians and Indian musicians equally.

The aims of this project are close tothe heart of spnm artistic director,Kuljit Bhamra. A composer and tablaplayer himself, he is determined todemystify the tabla and the world oftabla music in order to make this aninstrument which is accessible tocomposers. He hopes that this, in turn,will create repertoire which can beperformed by tabla players.Traditionally, the tabla player learnswith a teacher (guru) who hands downhis own method of tabla playing orally,using language to describe the sounds.The tabla player is his own composer,improvising his own ideas,communicating all the time with othermusicians through a series of visualcues. He is the beginning and end ofhis own circle.

With the support of two partners,Darbar South Asian Music Festival andDartington Arts, spnm and Kuljit havecreated a unique environment bringingEast and West together under oneumbrella, with music the catalyst for avery special experiment. Nestled in thepeace of the Devonshire countryside andwith the beautiful backdrop of DartingtonHall, the setting for this musical retreatcould not have been better. The grouphas been carefully put together to createa balance that is essential to thesuccess of the project.

The tabla players were so generous inthe way they patiently allowed usto pull apart their music, lookat the ambiguities of theirstrokes, thediscrepancies intheir rhythmicalcycles. As astrictly

classical musicianmyself, it’s hard toimagine how I would feelif someone came alongand took my cello andstarted pointing out the pitfalls of myinstrument, the way music is notated formy instrument and the way Icommunicate that sound to other people.For their grace and understanding, wewere very grateful, because it was anecessary part of this process.

We looked carefully at previous ways thatcomposers have notated for thisinstrument, and the extent to which wefelt these were successful. Most tablaplayers cannot read from Westernnotation, so inherently, this presents astumbling block. Kuljit told stories of howin recordings, some composers just holdup the number of fingers to representbeats in the cycles, or write numbers inthe score to indicate to him whichrhythmical cycle is required. But doesthat fully translate a composer’s thoughtsif it leaves much of the interpretation ofthat rhythmic cycle to the player?

Over a period of 24 hours, throughsplitting the group into four, eachcontaining a composer, a tabla playerand a percussionist, we enabledsystems of notation to develop naturally.Somehow, and this was the intriguingpart, all four groups created somethingvery similar. In fact, by the end of thefirst day, two of the groups hadconsolidated their methods into one system.

The result of the residencywas a system that allthe participantsare excited

about

and are convinced works. Essentially thenotation the group decided on is a type oftablature (the coincidence of ‘tabla’ and‘tablature’ has now given us the project’stitle!), with a two-line stave, one for eachdrum, and different symbols to representdifferent places on the drums to hit. Thereality of what we were achieving wassummed up by composer JatanilBanerjee: ‘We are developing conceptsthat really do work, and using thegeography of the tabla, we are creatingsomething that the players understand aswell.’ We tested out the system andfound that it allowed Indian players whodo not read western notation to playpatterns from Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring,while it also allowed western musicianswho have never played the tabla beforeto perform traditional Indian figuresthat would normally require personalcontact with a guru to learn.

So this was the first part of our journey.Now, for a concert in April, the fourcomposers – Jatanil Banerjee, EvangeliaRigaki, Roberto Rusconi and Luke Styles– will start working on new works usingthe new notation, as will world-renowned tabla player SubhankarBanerjee and Kuljit himself. And beyondthe concert, there has to be a furtherphase which involves holding workshops,symposia all over the country todisseminate this message widely

amongst the tabla community.

The Tablature! eventtakes place at theQEH, London on 6 April as part ofthe DarbarFestival. We willpublish furtherinformation onthe notationonline.

spnm’s BARBARA PALCZYNSKI reportsfrom a special residency at Dartingtondesigned to bring musicians from differentcultures together and create a universalsystem of notating music for tabla...

18 new notes • january 2009

An evening of live music/cinema curated by New York artist Andrew Lampert andLondon based project space no.w.here. Lampert makes films and expanded multi-projector performances, curates avant-garde film/music events, and works as a filmarchivist. His performances teeter on the brink of chaos, casting aside any normativeexpectations we might have of film/art/performance/music; replacing them with anunfixed, improvisatory and playful approach that confuses the relationship betweenartist, performer and audience. The evening will combine elements of film and liveperformance, including a collaboration between Lampert and an ensemble of threemaverick musicians; Korean cellist /improvisor/composer Okkyung Lee; British multi-instrumentalist/free improvisor Steve Beresford; and New Yorktrumpeter/composer/improvisor Peter Evans.SOUND AND MUSIC UPDATE

We are moving rapidly towards ourlaunch which is planned for spring2009, working on aspects includingconfirming a new, single premises inCentral London. A reminder that we willstill be at our usual offices and stillworking as spnm until the launch. Abeta version of the Sound and Musicwebsite will be live during January, wehope, and we would encourageeveryone to look out for this and beginusing it as your community andinformation hub. And as we’re launchingit as a beta site, we’d really appreciateyour feedback, which will help us focusthings around the needs of the peoplewho are using it.

CELEBRATING SPNM’S PASTAND LOOKING FORWARD TOTHE FUTUREFor three weeks in November andDecember, we stopped focusing solelyon the future and began thinking aboutspnm’s 65-year history as well. Webegan contacting people who had beeninvolved in spnm over the years andwhere possible, recorded them on video.

We collected some fantasticmemories from 30 people –composers, artistic directors, previousstaff and chairs. Amongst thememories we collected were stories ofwhy Francis Chagrin, who foundedspnm in 1943, changed his name toChagrin; how the first concert, the‘First Experimental Rehearsal’, was heldat the Albert Hall, which was hired for£5; and how spnm’s ComposerWeekends in the 1960s-70s formedthe melting pot in which ideologieswere fiercely argued – for examplebetween the radical politics andexperimentalism of Cornelius Cardewand the religious minimalism of JohnTavener – and where lifelongfriendships were made.

spnm this month

Amongst the many things our shortlisted composers are up to: Roberto Rusconihas been selected to create a percussion ensemble work for Sculpted SoundEnsemble’s performance at the ‘Futurism Updated’ event in London on 21 April.Nicholas Peters’ work for solo tenor recorder, Going Missing, was premiered byCharlotte Pugh at Bath Spa University on 21 November. Christian Mason’s In TimeEntwined, In Space Enlaced, for and ensemble of 9 players with 36 audienceharmonicas, was broadcast on Radio 3’s Hear and Now on 13 December.

The culmination of this collectiveremembering was a day at Kings Placeon 8 December. During the morningand afternoon, spnm staff met thecomposers of the future – those joiningthe 2008 Shortlist – to talk about theirmusic and the next three years. Then,in the evening, we held a receptionwhere people could watch the collectedvideo memories and gather tocelebrate the remarkable work that theorganisation has done since 1943. Asymbolic handover was made fromoutgoing spnm chair, Jenny Goodwin,to the first chair of Sound and Music,Sonita Alleyne, who talked about herpassion for excellence in music and forgetting more people interested in newmusic and sound.

It was a great event, attended bymany of our friends and colleagues,and it has helped underline theheritage the organisation will carryforward into Sound and Music.

We will be putting materials fromthe event online, and you will be able towatch the videos on the spnm andSound and Music websites shortly.

THE SOUND SOURCE: THEMEANING BETWEEN US - 10 FEBRUARY, LONDONNicholas Brown is co-curating a nightthat is more a mysterious journey thana concert. Encouraging the audience todrift through different spaces, it willfeel unpredictable, enigmatic and full ofdifferent possible pathways. See theadvertisement, back page, for moreinformation, and take a look atwww.mimomaniac.co.uk, where youcan already get involved.

TABLATURE! Our new Tablature! project is theculmination of Kuljit Bhamra’s ideas asartistic director. To read about theproject, see the article opposite.

news from the shortlist

january 2009 • new notes 19

members’ offersKreutzer Quartet:Northern Lights MSV28507

John Casken String Quartet No.2Judith Weir String QuartetRobert Saxton Songs, Dances and EllipsesThe Kreutzer Quartet are well known for theircollaborations with the art galleries, not leastfor their annual residency at the Tate, St. Ives.Their playing has been described as a mixtureof ‘Passion, Grace and Steel’ by theIndependent. Here, they perfrom works by JohnCasken, Judith Weir and Robert Sexton. Therecordings were made over the past decade,but this is their first appearance on CD.

spnm £10, inc. p+p • rrp £15

How to orderTo order, please send a cheque for the correctamount, payable to ‘spnm, Sound and Music’ andinclude your spnm membership number and thediscs you wish to order. Send to: Sarah Crocker,spnm, Sound and Music, 4th Floor, 18–20Southwark Street, London SE1 1TJAllow six weeks for delivery. Deadline: 1 Feb

new notes info:ISSN: 1350-8989Published by: spnm, 4th Floor18–20 Southwark St, London SE1 1TJ www.spnm.org.uk

Editor: Shoël StadlenDeputy Editor: Tim ScudderAssistant Editor: Sarah Crocker

spnm tel: 020 7407 1640 fax: 020 7403 7652 email: newnotes@spnm.org.uk

Editorial advisors: Christopher Fox, Julia Winterson, Andrew Kurowski

The opinions expressed in new notes are those of the authors andnot necessarily those of new notes or spnm. Copyright of allarticles is held by spnm and the contributors. Unauthorisedreproduction of any item is forbidden.

AdvertisingCopy deadline: 5th of the preceding month (e.g. 5 January for the February issue)

Concert listings: by annual subscription, form downloadable fromwww.spnm.org.uk/newnotesmagazine

Display Adseighth page – £95 quarter page – £165 half page – £295 full page – £520 Typesetting ads – 5% extra

Leaflet insertion:London only (1,000) – £340 Full list (2,700) – £450

All prices subject to VAT at 15%spnm is a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee no. 3159258. Charity no 1055754.

HHeeaarr aanndd NNoowwSSaattuurrddaayy nniigghhttss aatt 1100..3300ppmm oonn BBBBCC RRaaddiioo 33

SSaattuurrddaayy 33 JJaannuuaarryy:: HHCCMMFF 22000088Recorded at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival:Arne Deforce (cello), Yutaka Oya (piano) and Richard Barrett (electronics) performRRiicchhaarrdd BBaarrrreetttt new work. Ensemble plus-minus, with guests Anders Førisdal (electricguitar) and Tanja Orning (cello), perform MMaarrkkuuss TTrruunnkk raw rows, and Apartment House,with Philip Thomas (director / pianist), Loré Lixenberg (voice), University of HuddersfieldPercussion Ensemble and Mathew Adkins (electronics), perform JJoohhnn CCaaggee Concert forpiano and orchestra.

SSaattuurrddaayy 1100 JJaannuuaarryy:: HHCCMMFF 22000088Recorded at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival:Eve Egoyan (piano) and Miriam Shalinsky (double bass) perform JJaammeess TTeennnneeyy DiaphonicStudy**. Meanwhile Klangforum Wien, conducted by Enno Poppe, perform EEnnnnoo PPooppppeeSalz**. And Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart perform SSaallvvaattoorree SScciiaarrrriinnoo 12 Madrigali.

SSaattuurrddaayy 1177 JJaannuuaarryy:: HHCCMMFF 22000088Recorded at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival:Klangforum Wien, conducted by Enno Poppe, perform EEnnnnoo PPooppppee Knochen**.musikfabrik, with Frank Gratkowski (saxophone), perform SSuunn RRaa outer nothingness**;JJoohhnn CCaaggee First Construction (in metal); SSttoocckkhhaauusseenn KLANG 9th Hour: HOPE**.

SSaattuurrddaayy 2244 JJaannuuaarryy:: BBBBCC SSOO SSttoocckkhhaauusseenn DDaayy,, 11 ooff 22The BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Robertson, with Kathinka Pasveer(singer-mime) and Alain Louafi (singer-mime), perform SSttoocckkhhaauusseenn Inori. Recorded 17January 2009, Barbican Hall, London.

SSaattuurrddaayy 3311 JJaannuuaarryy:: BBBBCC SSOO SSttoocckkhhaauusseenn DDaayy,, 22 ooff 22SSttoocckkhhaauusseenn HymnenWith its collage techniques, synthesis of'found' national anthems and use of electronicsound modification, Stockhausen's two-hourtape composition remains a seminal workmore than four decades after its completion.

THESOUNDSOURCETHE MEANING BETWEEN USPresented by MIMOMANIACTuesday 10 February, 8pmKings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG

Immerse yourself in a haunting new world in TheMeaning Between Us.

Drift through the basement of Kings Place where liveinstallations, films and micro-performances fracture thetraditional sit-watch-clap dynamics of an ordinary ‘show'.

These satellite occurrences frame As I Have NowMemoyre. This new transdisciplinary work by NicholasBrown explores the psychology of singing and featuresguest vocalist, Linda Hirst.

Tickets are £2 cheaper online: www.kingsplace.co.ukTelephone: 0844 261 0321

The Meaning Between Us has already started: visitwww.mimomaniac.com to download fragments of mediato illuminate a variety of pathways through thisimaginative, unique journey.

Sound and Music