DROUGHT - Excerpts

Sample Portfolio

A song cycle setting words by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 

Commissioned by Glyndebourne for the Jerwood Young Artists' Recital Series 2019 as part of Balancing the Score

Recorded by Myles Eastwood of Eastwood Records https://www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk/

Photo by Chris Dawson https://www.chrisimages.co.uk/

FROM THE RIVER - Stephanie Wake-Edwards & Matt Fletcher - Glyndebourne 11.08.19

Part of my Fridge Poetry song cycle - named after the process of modular rearrangement (as with fridge magnets) that I used to write the poems and the music. 

PORT BAN - Piano: Jonathan Powell; Voice: Taya Smith

A new string quartet movement which I composed in 2013-14 especially for The Cavaleri Quartet during their residency at the University of Oxford. This residency was generously supported by the Radcliffe Trust. The recording was by Sennheiser and the performance took place at the Holywell Music Room in Oxford on the 5th March 2014.

Violin I: Martin Jackson
Violin II: Ciaran McCabe
Viola: Ann Beilby
Violoncello: Rowena Calvert

ESCHATON - String Quartet No. 1 - The Cavaleri Quartet @ University of Oxford

Drought - BBC Philharmonic - Recording

An excerpt from 'Drought' featuring soloist Lila Chrisp and the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Jack Sheen

DROUGHT [Excerpt] - BBC Philharmonic conducted by Jack Sheen with Lila Chrisp (mezzo)

'Dust Mouth' - a string quartet that forms the opening of the opera 'Drought'

DUST MOUTH / DROUGHT [Excerpt] - BBC Philharmonic conducted by Jack Sheen

Radio Glitch - DROUGHT Scene 5 - featuring Prism-SampleRNN

Radio Song - DROUGHT Scene 3

DROUGHT - Scene 4 - featuring Lila Chrisp and Sally Pitts

DROUGHT - Scene 6 - featuring Sally Pitts

DROUGHT - Scene 7 - featuring Lila Chrisp

FUTURE DREAM - Track for Electric Voice Theatre

IF I HAVE NOT LOVE - 1 Corinthians 13 - The BBC Singers (workshop recording)

A new Christmas Carol commissioned by North East choir Voices of Hope, conducted by Simon Davies-Fidler, with Kris Thomsett on organ. Produced by Ian Stephenson in 2018.

BEHOLD - Voices of Hope

13.8 Billion Years - Amy Green (soprano saxophone)

BRIDGES - Young Sinfonia conducted by Helen Harrison

ELECTRIC AEROPLANES - Laefer Quartet

A commission for the RNCM Gold Medal competition. Premiered by A4 Brass Quartet in the RNCM Concert Hall, 13th June 2015.

DAWN HORIZON - A4 Brass Quartet - RNCM Gold Medal Final 13/6/15

The world premiere of my first orchestral piece, inspired by Virgina Woolf's novel of the same name. It was performed by the RNCM Brand New Orchestra in the RNCM Concert Hall on Thursday the 8th October, 2015, conducted by the fantastic Carlos Agreda.

TO THE LIGHTHOUSE - RNCM Brand New Orchestra '15 - Conductor: Carlos Agreda

A song which challenges gender stereotypes and binary conceptions of gender. Libretto by Janet Appleby. Performed in the RNCM Concert Hall on 1st March 2016.

DEFINITIONS - Charlotte Mason & RNCM Brand New Orchestra - Conductor: Thiago Santos

The Second is a response to the opening bars of Mendelssohn's 'Song without words' op. 19b, no. 2, in A minor. Mendelssohn's falling melodic line and lilting accompaniment are heard as though half-remembered in this quartet. While this material flourishes and develops in the original piece, its appearance in The Second is faltering and incomplete. 

A deliberate lack of development in my piece was inspired by hearing about the life of Felix Mendelssohn's sister, Fanny Hensel, a promising and inventive composer with a striking and individual voice. Fanny was discouraged by Felix and her father (and by 19th Century society's expectations of women) from writing larger-scale works or from publishing her music in her own name. Her husband, the painter Wilhelm Hensel, encouraged her to publish some of her smaller-scale works but she never fulfilled her potential in the way that Felix did. She was always seen as 'the other' or 'the second' Mendelssohn. 

This piece is my second composition for string quartet, and can be thought of as the next work in a succession of short pieces or movements. 


THE SECOND - The Vandepeer Quartet - RNCM Chamber Music Festival 6/3/16

FEDERALIZING ZOO - [live recording] The Royal Northern Sinfonia cond. Lars Vogt 22/01/2016

All Of My Music At Once In Ten Seconds

Excerpts from 'Imaginary Situations', created for Julie Cunningham & Co's production 'your ten thousand eyes' which premiered on the roof of the Southbank Centre in August 2017

IMAGINARY SITUATIONS [EXCERPT] - created for choreographer Julie Cunningham

DUST - World Premiere - The Sunday Boys cond. Michael Betteridge - Reykjavik 15/3/18

HYPOMANIA - [workshop recording] The Royal Scottish National Orchestra

THREE MINIATURES - [workshop recording] Het Balletorkest (The orchestra of Dutch National Ballet)

A setting of 1 Corinthians 13, performed by the choir of St David's Episcopal Church, Baltimore.

IF I HAVE NOT LOVE - St David's Choir, Baltimore cond. Douglas Buchanan

A song cycle setting words by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 

Commissioned by Glyndebourne for the Jerwood Young Artists' Recital Series 2019 as part of Balancing the Score

Recorded by https://www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk/

Photo by Chris Dawson https://www.chrisimages.co.uk/

III - Go From Me - Stephanie Wake-Edwards & Matt Fletcher - Glyndebourne 11.08.19

II - How Do I Love Thee - Stephanie Wake-Edwards & Matt Fletcher - Glyndebourne 11.08.19

I - A Musical Instrument - Stephanie Wake-Edwards & Matt Fletcher - Glyndebourne 11.08.19

Commissioned by Carolyn Bolton for OperaEstate Festival 2019, Bassano del Grappa. Photo by Jack Thomson: https://www.jack-thomson.com/

SHELL - created for choreographer Carolyn Bolton

Commissioned by Carolyn Bolton for OperaEstate Festival 2019, Bassano del Grappa. Photo by Roberto Cinconze. http://www.operaestate.it/category/operaestate-festival/

SUNKEN CITY - created for choreographer Carolyn Bolton

Anna Appleby (1993-) is a Manchester-based composer. www.annaappleby.com

Anna Appleby Composer

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks