Kevin Volans

For Bob. arranged for Viola 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. But beforeand 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. Its naturalmétier 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 power and poseas 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 I invitethe listener to mentally add the silent part(ner). - Kevin Volans

7 Flutes is a composition by Kevin Volans for seven Flutes. The work lasts around 9-10 minutes and this is the Full Score & Parts.

for 2 clarinets-Kevin Volans' clarinet:solo is preferably played with the Clarinet soloist onstage playing the upper stave while the lower stave is played offstage on a prerecorded track triggered by thesoloist. The offstage part could be played by a second Clarinettist and the whole could be played onstage if the division proves too difficult to arrange. The name ‘solo’ refers more to a state of mind than aliteral description of the piece. Composed for one Clarinet in B flat. 

Gathering (Set of parts)-String Quartet No.2 Hunting: Gathering was commissioned by Doris and Myron Beigler and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for the Kronos Quartet. It was first performed by them in December 1987 San Francisco. Duration 24minutes. Score available: CH60972

POD- Kevin Volans' Abhaya for four percussionists. Score and parts.This work was commissioned by Hamiruge the Louisiana State UniversitySchool of Music's percussion group. Abhaya's first performance took place at the university in 2015.

Commissioned by the Wigmore Hall for the composer's 60th birthday with funds from ACNI.'viola:piano is one of a set of 6 pieces which I wrote in 2008 and 2009. Two of the others violin:piano and cello:piano requirethe instrumentalists to play at different tempi from each other throughout. In this piece the players are playing together but their material is for the most part quite different and for the first 12 minutes the two partshave little in common. It is only after this that they begin a more conventional contrapuntal relationship. This is the first of these pieces to be premiered. It was commissioned by the Wigmore Hall with funding from the ArtsCouncil of Ireland. The piece is dedicated to Mary R?rich.'????????????- Kevin Volans

Commissioned by Frankfurt Ballet and first performed on 31st January 1997 at the Schauspielhaus Frankfurt by Robyn Schulkowsky.

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.

Akrodha meaning ‘freedom from anger’ in Sanskrit was commissioned for international Percussion soloist Jonny Axelsson and written in 1998. Of this work composer Volans says ‘What would appear as a fairly moderate piece forKeyboard is amplified a hundredfold in difficulty and effect when translated into drum music…I had it turned out written an unspeakably difficult piece.’ The sheet music includes specific instructions on instrumentation andtonality ‘A pentatonic or diatonic scale is to be avoided’ though it is clear that the performer has some leeway to make his own choices of elements to create the sounds.Kevin Volans is a twentieth century composer andpianist who was born in South Africa and has had a variety of inspirational experiences including time spent studying with Karlheinz Stockhausen association with the New Simplicity movement research into African music andmany non-musical friendships and influences. Some of his most celebrated work have been his String quartets.

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.