Judith Weir

Eleven short reflections on Bist du bei mir by G.H. Stölzel arr J.S. Bach for piano (easy to intermediate)Judith Serota was Executive Director of the Spitalfields Festivals in east London until late 2007. As asurprise leaving present to her the then Artistic Director of the Festival Diana Burrell conceived the idea of assembling a set of Piano pieces of easy to intermediate difficulty for her to play. These were to be variations ona theme: Bist du bei mir a song for voice and continuo in J.S. Bach's second Klavierbüchlein or 'Little Keyboard Book'.The variations were written by the Artistic Directors of the Spitalfields Festival all composers with whom Judith had worked over the preceding 20 years. Since then several more composers linked to the Festival during those years have contributed pieces. The result is Variations for Judith 'eleven short reflections' on the theme.

Judith Weir's Day Break Shadows Flee for solo Piano.This 10 minute work was commissioned by BBC Radio 3. It was first performed by Benjamin Grosvenor on 1st September 2014 as part of the PromsChamber Music Series at Cadogan Hall.'Day Break Shadows Flee written for Benjamin Grosvenor is a Two-Part Invention a Piano solo composition in which the two hands work in close co-ordination butindependently. My intention was generally to avoid using thick chords (although octaves and other clear sonorities are included) while allowing both the right and left-hand lines to be free mobile and expressive. The treble andbass sectors of the keyboard are clearly contrasted and often widely separated. In atmosphere and expression the music is another kind of two-part invention contrasting bright upwards-arching phrases (heard at the opening andevoking the arrival of light at the beginning of the day) with veiled mysterious scurryings suggesting the stranger more nervous life lived at night and in the early morning.' - Judith Weir

This work was commissioned by William Howard with funds provided by the Arts Council of Great Britain and was first performed in the Wigmore Hall 31 May 1983. Duration: c.10 minutes.

This work is a free transcription of the aria Wer Bist Du? Frage Dein Gewissen from J.S.Bach's Cantata No 132 Bereitet die Wege bereitet die Bahn. First performed by Nicholas Hodges at the British MusicInformation Centre London on 1st October 1992. Duration: c.3 minutes.