Concerto For Bass Clarinet & Chamber Orchestra

John McCabe's Concerto For Piano And Wind Quintet. Commissioned by the Birmingham Chamber Music Society for first performance by the Venturi Ensemble (Sebastian Bell Philip Jones Roy Jowitt Alan Hammond James Diack and John McCabe) on 21 February 1970.

'My music is influenced by all kinds of polyphonic writing - meaning both vocal and instrumental varieties. Recently I have become interested in the ways in which musical forms based on rhythmic processes can enablelayering to emerge so that harmonies and textures coexist rather than resolve. Chamber Concerto scored for seven players (Flute Clarinet Bass Clarinet Horn Piano Violin Cello) works with this idea in apiece conceived for the virtuoso musicians of The New Music Players. The work is in four movements.' - Ed Hughes Chamber Concerto was first performed by The New MusicPlayers conducted by Patrick Bailey Kings Place London Out Hear Series 27 September 2010.

The solo group consists of a sextet of the woodwind instruments which are normally doubled with more regular members of the orchestra: these six strangers now brought to the fore are piccolo and alto flute cor anglais Eb andbass clarinets and contrabassoon. They make a motley group diverse in colour as in register and one of the tasks of the piece sets itself is to have them blend and cohere both together as an ensemble and in partnership with thestring orchestra (which itself is used with unusual variety and subtlety). Another evident task of the work is to provide fine solos for each member of the woodwind sextet: bright dances for the piccolo recitatives for thealto flute a stoical song from the contrabassoon in the extreme bass. The work is cast as a single movement which begins in the composer's first-movement style of rapid regeneration. This is interrupted by slow interventions including one for divided strings which gives rise to a sextuple cadenza for the soloists. Out of this comes a slow movement or sequence of short slow movements followed by a dancing finale with its own slow episodes. Altogetherthis is music of songs and dances heavily tinged with Scottish rhythms and tonalities: one might think of a magic bagpipe having six chanters and a drone of variegated string texture.This work for woodwind instruments andstring orchestra was commissioned by the Strathclyde Regional Council and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. It is the ninth of ten concerti to be written for principal players of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The first performancewas given in February 1995 by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by the composer.

Chamber Music 2: Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano Op.9; Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano Op.35; Fantasy Pieces for Oboe and Piano Op.2; Canto Serioso; Serenata in vano; Quintet for Flute Oboe Clarinet French Horn and Bassoon Op.43; Three Pieces for Langeleik; Allegretto for two Recorders.With Carl Nielsen Danish musical life moved into the 20th century. Composing works in almost every genre - opera and music for the stage orchestral music concertos choral works chamber music organ and piano music and songs - he created a prominent position for himself in international musical life. Carl Nielsen stands out as one of the most significant symphonists of thiscentury. His concertos and chamber music also have an important place in the international repertoire and his two operas have won considerable recognition not only in Denmark but throughout the world.Since his death there has been a grooving demand for modern practical editions of his music. Therefore for the first time a complete edition of his works suitable for both the performer and the scholar will now be published organised according to critical scholarly principles.The Collected Works of Carl Nielsen comprises both publisher and as yet unpublished compositions.

Piano flute oboe clarinet horn trumpet trombone percussion 2 violins viola cello dbass

Chamber Concerto No 1 was written in the winter of 1961-62. It is scored for oboe clarinet bassoon horn trumpet trombone violin viola and cello. It is dedicated to Robin and Margaret Orr and was commissioned by theUniversity of Glasgow.

In Circles - 16 Imaginary Dances for 18 Players (2010). Parts are available on hire: hire@ewh.dk Instr.: FluteOboeClarinet in BbBass ClarinetBassoonHorn2 Trumpets In BbTenor-Bassposaune2 PercussionistsPiano2 ViolinsViola2 CellosDouble Bass Programme note About five years ago the Ensemble Modern commissioned a composition giving me relatively free rein over instrumentation duration and completion date. I was very excited about the opportunity and eager to start work but first I had to finish asymphony and a cello concerto. However when I wanted to begin writing the piece for Frankfurt inspiration became silent and remained silent for the next three years apart from the two works for chamber orchestra: I experienced my first writer’s block. This was not my first commission but the first time that I was seriously worried about a piece and started thinking about the commissioning ensemble and its expectations. If anything I held the Ensemble Modern in too high esteem. The ensemble is notorious for being a group of all-rounders who have already seen and done everything. However it was simply time for me to challenge my self-belief as composer and to search out what kind of composer I really am. Whatever the true reason was I still didn’t get anything down on paper. Nothing would gel. In 2008 a stipend from a New York foundation led me to an Italian lavender-castle from the 15th century far away from everything else deep in Umbria. The deadline for my first opera moved dangerously closer but was barely started. The next commission for an orchestra was also waiting in addition to the piece for EM: only empty sheets.  When I came home six weeks later though I hadn’t finished anything the spell was broken. Behind the massive walls drafts had been created for what within the

A work for solo violin and orchestra commissioned by Donald McDonald for the 21st birthday of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the 60th birthday of the composer. It was first performed in November 1993 in Glasgow by JamesClark and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Maxwell Davies.The spell is one quoted by George Mackay Brown in his book An Orkney Tapestry: 'Let not plough be put to acre except a fiddle cross first the furrow.'Davies's dancing concerto imagines the fiddler following a route from field to field from dance to dance accompanied by a bunch of companions in the form of an orchestra. As the music goes on so it gets brighter and livelier moving from the dark colouring of clarinets bassoons and strings to full ensemble with prominent brass and (solo) tuned percussion as if the dancers as much as the fields were beginning to glow with new life.Score(miniature). Duration c. 20mins.