Kevin Volans

String Quartet No.10 is a delightful piece expertly composed by Kevin Volans in memory of his brother. Kevin Volans is the best known South African composer activetoday with well over 50 published composition to date.

Kevin Volans' Trumpet Vibe Cello Piano. Score and parts for the Trumpet Vibraphone Cello and Piano.

For Bob is arranged for Cello and Piano. First performed by Elisabeth Smalt and Kevin Volans London 2016. Composers Note: I have no idea where this piece came from and how it is structured. Butbefore and after I wrote it I was nagged by the question: what does the viola have to do with the piano? Did this combination evolve by unfortunate accident? The viola was perfected in the 18th century. Itsnatural métier is (private) chamber music. The piano on the other hand kept growing and blossomed in the 19th century as the ultimate public instrument. If the piano is to play with the viola it has to rein back its powerand pose as an accompanist. Maybe a third instrument perhaps from the 20th century is needed to mediate between these two very different sound worlds. So when we play this ‘trio’ with 2 instruments Iinvite the listener to mentally add the silent part(ner). - Kevin Volans 

Arranged for two harpsichords viola da gamba and percussion this work is written to be played in African tuning.

String Quartet No.12 is a work by Kevin Volans commissioned by the Signum Quartet who gave the world premiere in Birmingham on 11th November 2016. The piece lasts around 36 minutes and theseare the Parts.

Kevin Volans' String Quartet No 11 was commissioned by the Callino Quartet with funds from The Arts Council of Ireland and first performed at the National Concert Hall in Dublin in 2012.

Commissioned by Sisu with the assistance of the Arts Council of Ireland and the Fond for lyd og bilde Oslo.Written for Sisu.Each player has 8 drums played with sticks (one high set and one lower set) chosen for theirnon-ethnic sound quality and 1 bass drum played with a footpedal. The drums should be tuned in equal steps of roughly a tone apart each set of drums (starting with the highest set of player 1) being roughly a tone lower than theone above so that all the drums notated on the second lowest line of the stave (for example) should have the same pitch. The drums should be tuned in a scale of equal steps each slightly smaller than a whole tone. There shouldbe no minor thirds if possible. The higher set of 4 drums are notated in the spaces and should be roughly equivalent to rototoms or bongos the lower set is notated on the lines of the stave and should be roughly equivalent totom-toms or congas. The bass drum is notated at the bottom of the stave with stems facing downwards.

For String Quartet and taped natural sounds. Dedicated to and premiered by the Duke Quartet.

A Walk In The Gardens Of Solitude is a work by composer Kevin Volans for Solo Cello. A full performance of this solo work lasts around 24 minutes.

Kevin Volans' String Quartet No. 9: Shiva Dances was commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and first performed by the Smith Quartet at the 2004 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.Kevin Volans (the composer) notes on the piece:In the past I have been interested in trying to go beyond historicism (1970s) beyond style(1980s) and beyond form (1990s) in my work. Looking back over the music of the twentiethcentury I was struck by the fact the nearlyall of it is extremely 'busy' almost cluttered. Italmost seemed that composers felt compelled to look industrious. In the new millennium Ithought it would be interesting to try and eliminate content. I also aspired to movingfrommusic (sound as art) to art (art as sound). This of course has already been done by a numberof composers (many from New York Phil Niblock and La Monte Young to name but two) butit was something I had never tried.AlthoughI found it annoying that the label 'minimalist' was given to my African-based work and fearing this would make the label stick I set out to write a piece which reflected my loveof minimal painting and architecture. The Japanesehave a term 'wabi' meaning 'voluntarypoverty' or 'emptiness' to describe their restrained minimal aesthetic an aesthetic which however pays greatest attention to the quality of material and fine detail. I like to think thatthelack of excessive pitch material in this piece reflects a kind of voluntary poverty.When Shiva is portrayed dancing (as Nataraj) He is depicted in a circle of flames crushing asmall figure the ego underfoot.You get theimpression He dances on the spot not movingaround at all. I like that.The piece is dedicated to Pablo Pascual Cilleruelo.