Kenneth Hesketh

In Danceries by Kenneth Hesketh the melodies themselves are a mixture of old and new. Where the old occurs it has been adapted in mood and composition and is often interspersed with completely new material. The contemporary harmonies and rhythms bring a breath of new into these themes and add drama to the suite. The first movement Lull Me Beyond Thee is gentle and lilting almost a barcarole this movement is very much a reverie. The original tune had the name Poor Robin’s Maggot a rather disconcerting title. Maggot however in seventeenth-century parlance meant whim or fancy. The second Catching of Quails is acolourful buoyant scherzo on an original melody. The thematic material is shuttled around the band to contrast with full-blooded tuttis. The last few bars fade to almost nothing before a final surprise! My Lady’s Rest is a tender pavane also on an original melody with Moorish leanings. Beautiful solo passages expressive contrapuntal writing and warm tuttis provide an opportunity to show off the most lyrical of playing. The final movement Quodling’s Delight is a clever combination of the 17th century melody Goddesses with an original contrasting melody creating a rousing and exuberant finale to the work.

A Masque (short for Masquerade) has been defined by Historians as 'A revel in which Mummers or masked folk come with torches blazing into the festive hall and call upon the company to dance and dice' . The chaos of this dramatic dance is depicted in this Masque by Hesketh. The main theme is bravura and is often present in the background. The form of the piece is a simple scherzo-trio-scherzo. Colourful scoring (upper wind solos trumpet and horn solos alternating with full bodied tuttis) with a dash of wildness may tease both player and listener to let their hair down a little! Masque has been transcribed for wind band by Kenneth Hesketh from his Scherzo forOrchestra commissioned by the National Children's Orchestra in 1987.

The term ‘Danceries’ can be found in a copy of Playford’s Dancing Master, an extensive collection of folk and popular tunes of the seventeenth century (and no doubt earlier). This publication was used by master fiddle players to teach the various dance steps of the day to a nobleman’s house or a king’s court. Whilst this present set of ‘Danceries’ cannot be said to be an aid to terpsichorean agility, it will at least set feet tapping! The melodies themselves are a mixture of new and old—well, nearly. Where the old occurs it has been adapted in mood and composition and is often interspersed with completely new material. The harmonies and rhythms bring a breath of the new into these themes and add to the drama of the set. Movement 1: Lull me beyond thee. Gentle and lilting, almost a barcarole, this movement is very much a reverie. The original tune had the name ‘Poor Robin’s Maggot’ - a rather disconcerting title; maggot, however, in seventeenth-century parlance meant whim or fancy. This theme can also be found in The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay (first performed in 1728) under the title ‘Would you have a young lady’ (Air 21). Movement 2: Catching of Quails. A colourful, buoyant scherzo on an original melody. The thematic material is shuttled around the band to contrast with full-bodied tuttis. The last few bars fade away to almost nothing before a final surprise! Movement 3: My Lady’s Rest. A tender pavane, also on an original theme, with Moorish leanings. Solos for principal winds and brass contrast with warmer tutti passages. The movement culminates with a final presentation of the theme before evaporating in held flute and trumpet chords. Movement 4: Quodling’s delight. The final movement to the set combining one of the melodies from Playford’s Dancing Master (‘Goddesses’) with an original contrasting melody. A dramatic and exuberant ending to the set of ‘Danceries’.

Autumn’s Elegy is a consortium commission in celebration of the 75th birthday of the distinguished wind band conductor Timothy Reynish. The music derives from a youthful symphony written when Hesketh was 16 the same source as his popular Masque. Full of big tunes and bitter-sweet harmonies Autumn’s Elegy is a heartfelt thank you to a conductor who has done more than most to widen the vision of the wind orchestra movement. Brass Band Grade 5: 1st Section Duration: 7 minutes. Autumn's Elegy has been recorded by the Leyland Band conducted by Jason Katsikaris and is available on the CDPenlee.

A Masque (short for Masquerade) has been defined by Historians as 'A revel in which Mummers or masked folk come with torches blazing into the festive hall and call upon the company to dance and dice'. The chaos of this dramatic dance is depicted in this 'Masque' by Hesketh. The main theme is bravura and is often present in the background. The form of the piece is a simple scherzo-trio-scherzo. Colourful scoring (upper wind solos trumpet and horn solos alternating with full bodied tuttis) with a dash of wildness may tease both player and listener to let their hair down a little! 'Masque' has been transcribed for wind band by Kenneth Hesketh from his 'Scherzo for Orchestra' commissioned by the National Children's Orchestra in 1987.

A Masque (short for Masquerade) has been defined by Historians as 'A revel in which Mummers or masked folk come with torches blazing into the festive hall and call upon the company to dance and dice'. The chaos of this dramatic dance is depicted in this Masque by Hesketh. The main theme is bravura and is often present in the background. The form of the piece is a simple scherzo-trio-scherzo. Colourful scoring (upper wind solos trumpet and horn solos alternating with full bodied tuttis) with a dash of wildness may tease both player and listener to let their hair down a little! 'Masque' has been transcribed for wind band by Kenneth Hesketh from his Scherzo forOrchestra commissioned by the National Children's Orchestra in 1987.

In Danceries by Kenneth Hesketh the melodies themselves are a mixture of old and new. Where the old occurs it has been adapted in mood and composition and is often interspersed with completely new material. The contemporary harmonies and rhythms bring a breath of new into these themes and add drama to the suite. The first movement Lull Me Beyond Thee is gentle and lilting almost a barcarole this movement is very much a reverie. The original tune had the name Poor Robin’s Maggot a rather disconcerting title. Maggot however in seventeenth-century parlance meant whim or fancy. The second Catching of Quails is acolourful buoyant scherzo on an original melody. The thematic material is shuttled around the band to contrast with full-blooded tuttis. The last few bars fade to almost nothing before a final surprise! My Lady’s Rest is a tender pavane also on an original melody with Moorish leanings. Beautiful solo passages expressive contrapuntal writing and warm tuttis provide an opportunity to show off the most lyrical of playing. The final movement Quodling’s Delight is a clever combination of the 17th century melody Goddesses with an original contrasting melody creating a rousing and exuberant finale to the work.

Stimulé par mon amour des automates, ce travail pour hautbois solo tire son nom de l'invention de Wolfgang von Kempelen, qui à la fin du XVIIIe siècle construit un homme extraordinaire mécanique alimenté par une horloge, vêtu d'un costume turc élégant et capable de jouer aux échecs. Le joueur d'échecs s'est avéré être une fraude, mais a suscité beaucoup d'autres penseurs et inventeurs s'interrogent sur ce que les possibilités d'automatisation peut être. Dans le travail d'une grande virtuosité de Hesketh, la mélodie par-composé est soumis à une série de distorsions par poulies, cames, engrenages et manivelles. Il ya aussi les effets onomatopées de la liquidation et vrombissant bruits qui ajoutent à l'air de la mécanique. / Hautbois

Cette oeuvre en trois mouvements reflète le caractère de la wunderkammer, ou le Cabinet des Curiosités, qui a prospéré entre le 16ème au 18ème siècle: 'dans ce paysage labyrinthique, j'ai trouvé un cadre naturel pour construire ma propre collection privée d'objets musicaux, des chiffres, et des citations . Les textures volatiles et virtuose du travail sont créés en exigeant l'agilité soliste de chaque interprète. Tout en étant nécessaire pour s'intégrer parfaitement ensemble pour former des surfaces complexes musicaux les musiciens sont également définir les rôles belliqueux stridents et dramatique. La forme du concerto (Kammerkonzert) s'est révélée une arène naturelle pour ces tensions contradictoires qui cherchent résolution par la métamorphose.(Kenneth Hesketh) / Ensemble

Une suite de concert de trois pièces pour piano, clarinette et violon. Le compositeur a créé des images aural concis : fantaisiste, spirituel et pointu, ils font un ajout intéressant le répertoire de musique de chambre contemporaine. / Clarinette, Violon Et Piano