NEWS
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NEW
WORKS |
| Three new
works are at their early planning stage. A well-overdue
piece for flute; a new work for solo cello, and on a far
larger scale, the preparation for Michael's first opera.
Taking an Olympic theme as its background, preparation
is ongoing to have the first performance ready for 2012. |
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| PRELUDES
FOR PIANO |
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Since the
completion of the four-stage Charles Darwin work Michael
has put the finishing touches to a new set of Preludes
for Piano. Preludes In Our Time are a comment on today's
society and have a rather unusual structure. Each doubles
in length with the last Prelude having codas for its own,
and the previous four Preludes. The première is
being scheduled for 2010.
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REVISION
COMPLETE |
| Sonata
for Piano Trio, completed in 1996, has undergone an
extensive revision in preparation for performances in
2010. Originally presented at London's Purcell Room, this
early work of Michael's received excellent reviews from
The Strad and other music journals. The number 'three'
pervades the whole work: three subjects, three movements,
and three episodes in its final rondo form. See the Listen
page for the opening of the work. |
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| AN
ENTANGLED BANK IN PLYMOUTH |
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Conductor
Simon Ible and the Ten Tors orchestra present in October
another UK performance of An Entangled Bank, for string
orchestra. The programme, entitled 'Darwin's Finches',
links the work to one of the most famous pieces of Darwin's
great nephew (Ralph Vaughan Williams) The Lark Ascending.
See Concert Information on this site for further information. |
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SPECTACULAR
DARWIN CELEBRATION |
| The
Shadow Minister of Australian Arts, Alderman, Mayor, and
an audience of over 1,000 were present on July 1st for
the World premiere of Transmutations and
the first performance of all four sections of Age of
Wonders in one concert. Set to theatre, lighting
and fireworks, the event marked Northern Territory Day
and the opening of the Darwin Bell sculpture by Anton
Hasell. For more photos click here |
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| INVITATION
FROM DARWIN |
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An invitation from the Board of the Darwin Symphony Orchestra
will enable Michael to attend the première
of Transmutations (see below). This new work, to
be conducted by Martin Jarvis, is the final phase of Age
of Wonders and takes the music beyond the Darwin era
to the time of modern genetics. Further details of the
first performance, in Darwin's Civic Park, can be found
on www.dso.org.au.
For the UK press release, click here |
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DARWIN
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PREMIÈRE |
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A
fourth phase of Michael's new work, Age of Wonders,
entitled Transmutations has been commissioned
by the Darwin Symphony Orchestra. The score has now
been completed and will be premièred
in Darwin, Australia on the 1st.July. The work will
appear in a program of music and dance that will also
include the earlier stages of Age of Wonders.
For more details of Age of Wonders and the introduction
to Transmutations, see the Works page
of this website.
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STAR
IN TRINITY
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Sioned Williams,
principal harp of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and one of
the UK's leading soloists, discussed and performed the
work that Michael wrote for her in 2001, The Stars
Have Withdrawn Their Shining on April 2nd. Based
on the life of John Ruskin, the work is now featured on
the listen page of this website. See concert info. for
more information. |
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FURTHER
PERFORMANCES FOR STRING QUARTET |
| String
Quartet No. 1 (Robben Island) The quartet, now on
the latest CD of the Allegri String Quartet, will receive
three further performances in 2009 by the Allegri. The
series begins at North House, Lincolnshire on 19th March
and closes in London on Sunday 26th April |
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PENINSULA
ARTS FESTIVAL HOSTS
NEW STRING QUARTET |
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The
Maggini Quartet premièred
Michael's new string quartet at the Peninsula Arts Festival
on February 28th 2009. String Quartet No. 2 (The Beagle)
is the second part of Age of Wonders, a new
four-part work to commemorate the 200th anniversary of
the birth of Charles Darwin.
See the Concert Info and Works pages
of this website for more information |
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FEATURE
ARTICLES |
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Three articles on Michael's work
can be read in January journals; Musical Opinion
and The Strad feature the new piece about
Charles Darwin, and Classical Music features
Michael in their Question and Answer series.
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| WIGMORE
HALL CELEBRATES DARWIN ANNIVERSARY |
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The first
and third phases of Age of Wonders, a new four-stage
work to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth
of Charles Darwin, received their première at the
Wigmore Hall on January 21st 2009. This fell just two
weeks before Darwin's birthdate in early February.
Philippe Graffin (violin) and Elizabeth Burley (piano)
premièred The Man Who Walked With Henslow,
and in the same concert the London Sinfonietta premièred
An Entangled Bank, a work for string orchestra
based on the later life and publications of Darwin.
A poster for the concert can be viewed
here |
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ROBERT
TEAR IN DARWIN ANNIVERSARY CONCERT |
| Distinguished
singer Robert Tear joined Philippe Graffin, Elizabeth
Burley and the London Sinfonietta at London's Wigmore
Hall for the première of Age of Wonders.
Only two days before his retirement concert at Covent
Garden, Bob read extracts from Darwin's autobiography
and the poem by Samuel Wilberforce (1805-73) which gave
rise to the title Age of Wonders. |
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BLAKE
RECORDING
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The Exmoor
Singers of London, conductor James Jarvis, premièred
a new work on July 28th 2007 - Songs of Innocence and
Experience, for mezzo-soprano, baritone and unaccompanied
choir.
This substantial new work commemorated the 250th anniversary
of the birth of William Blake and has had further performances
at St. Martin-in-the-Fields and the Purcell Room. Plans
are now underway for the inclusion of the work in a forthcoming
CD of the Exmoor Singers.
The first and last movements can be heard on the Listen
page of this website |
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