VOX BY OTHERS

BASCA

Contemporary Classical Women Composers

Untitled Playlist

Fight music

Emily Carr String Quartet - Il Dottore (from Commedia dell'arte by Ana Sokolovic)

Tansy Davies - Spine

for baritone saxophone and percussion (2014-15)
Live recording from NonClassical, September 2022
(Amy Gray on Percussion)
Duration: 13'

Leviathan (live) - Emily Howard

Single from Avant-Singer-Songwriter/Cellist Laura Moody's album "Acrobats'
Release date: 23rd March 2015
© Laura Moody/Surbiton Lagoon Records

Call This Time Love

From the PRISM Quartet CD, Pitch Black (innova recordings)

Jesus Is Coming by Jacob TV

An Unexpected Light for solo violin, string ensemble and percussion (2003)
Sadie Harrison 

An Unexpected Light explores the folk musics from four countries, Lithuania, Georgia, Khojent (now Russian Ferghana) and Armenia, and is intended as a comment on the gradual transformation of musical cultures that once thrived in all their variety in the early Twentieth Century.
The concerto opens with a harvesting song, Pute Vejas, from South Aukstaitiya, a plaintive melody which recurs only on the solo violin, linking the two main transcriptions of the work. The first of these is a transparent, dreamlike version of a ghostly song from Khojent called Soki Sini Khorosh, the second is a lively and highly virtuosic, whirling Lezghinka dance from Tiflis in Georgia. The work closes with echoes of these musics overlaid by an Armenian song from Alexandropol - Alagyaz Badzr sar E (Alagyaz is a high mountain) and A-a, a-a, Mazulyte, a beautiful lullaby, also from South Aukstaitiya.
Surrounding these folk musics are passages of aggressive modernist writing, dark and rhythmic where every instrument is treated as a soloist. The conjunction of apparently unrelated musical styles creates the structure of the concerto and acts as a metaphor for the struggle between cultures.
The score is prefaced with a lyrical text by the Russian poetess Marina Tsvetaeva, taken from her ‘Poem of the End’. It expresses the pain of loss whilst rejoicing in the beauty of a song which shines despite the darkness. This provides a perfect analogy for my own work, giving the concerto its title, An Unexpected Light. The piece has a dual dedication, to Rusne Mataityte, Donatas Katkus and the Saint Christopher Chamber Orchestra who premiered the work, and to my daughter, Freya. (SH)

..as stars rise often and go out again..
so many eyes have risen and died out
in front of these eyes of mine.

and yet no such song have
I heard in the darkness of night before..
here, on the ribs of the singer.


[The work received its first performace in the City Hall, Vilnius, Lithuania on 20 February 2004, performed by Rusne Mataityte (vln) Donatus Katkus (cond) and the St. Christopherus Chamber Orchestra of Vilnius. The work was commissioned as part of the Orchestra’s 20th Anniversary Gala concert and was broadcast on Lithuanian Television and Radio on 26 February 2004.
The work was released on NMC in Spring 2007 alongside other related chamber works by Sadie Harrison.]

An Unexpected Light - concerto for violin, percussion and string orchestra

13 VICES - Irresponsible Science  (extract) 
Jennifer Walshe (vocals), Red Note Ensemble: Jackie Shave (violin), Max Baillie (viola), Robert Irvine (cello)

"Irresponsible Science" - 13 Vices (extract)

For solo violin and live electronics.
Performed by Phil Granell.

I am here, but I am also there (2015)

Fred Thomas - composition, arrangement, pianos, guitar, percussion, organ
Ellie Rusbridge - voice
Liam Byrne - viola da gamba
Dave Shulman - clarinet

Mixed by Alex Bonney
Mastered by Jon Astley
Produced by Fred Thomas

Fall, Leaves, Fall (Emily Brontë)

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

Fall, Leaves, Fall - 2015

THE LONG-AWAITED VINYL REISSUE OF AIM’S CLASSIC DEBUT ALBUM 'COLD WATER MUSIC'. REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL TAPES. RELEASE FORMATS : VINYL (2X12” 140g ICE-BLUE WAX) / DIGITAL / LIMITED EDITION COMPACT CASSETTE.

BUY DIRECT FROM ATIC RECORDS - https://www.aticrecords.com/product/aim-cold-water-music-2016-re-master/

PRESS RELEASE

When Aim’s Cold Water Music dropped in 1999 on cult Manchester label Grand Central Records, it was an underground sensation. Preceded by a string of well received 12”s and EP’s the album was eagerly anticipated and Aim delivered in a big way, elevating his trademark sound to new heights with a collection of uplifting cinematic soundscapes, dark jazz fuelled breaks and hard hitting hip-hop beats (featuring guest rap legends QNC, AG and YZ). Uniquely, there was a sense of nostalgic sentimentality running through the record and the whole thing was underpinned by a musicality often missing in sample based production.

Pushed on by organic, word-of-mouth promotion and the success of the Aim Live band that sold out Shepherds Bush Empire and smashed Glastonbury’s Jazz World stage in 2007, Cold Water Music went on to shift over 100,000 units and is now seen as a ground-breaking, genre defining UK classic that has inspired legions of bedroom beat-makers.

The original vinyl pressing sold out within weeks of it’s release making it a sought after collectors piece with rocketing Ebay prices for clean copies. After years of fan requests, both ATIC and Aim felt the time was right to finally repress the wax. Says Andy Turner (Aim), “Rather than just repress the original album, we remastered and recut it from scratch using the original DAT master tapes.”

Every now and then an album comes along that both resonates and endures. An album that stays with those first to hear it and one that is discovered and treasured by generations to follow. Seventeen years on from it’s initial release Cold Water Music sounds as fresh, as inventive and as necessary as it ever did.

For more information please contact Nicole@aticrecords.com

Cold Water Music

Journey To The End Of The Night

Recorded live at the RNCM Carole Nash Recital Room 

Emily Howard Sky and Water for Solo Piano (Live)

Composer: Helen Grime
Artists: Hallé | Jamie Phillips

Helen Grime: Night Songs

Night Songs

Extract from Errollyn Wallen's fabulous/fiendish, earthy/ethereal cello concerto - written for me, released on NMC Records 2016.

Errollyn Wallen Cello Concerto (extract2)

To hear this music at it's best download from iTunes or buy the CD from Amazon.

Steve Reich : Different Trains : 1 America, Before The War

for bassoon with distortion pedal and amplifier

axeman

For orchestra and two improvisers
Paul Dunmall- sax /Paul Rogers - bass/Ulster Orchestra

My cow's not pretty... but it's pretty to me - dunmall/rogers version

Brian was born in Belfast. His huge body of work reflects an obsessive love of music creation in all its forms. It includes operas, orchestral works, large-scale community oratorios, film and dance scores as well as numerous ensemble, solo, chamber pieces. 

His music has been performed all over the world and commissioned by many international artists and organisations including: Welsh National Opera, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, RTE National Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Wexford Festival Opera, Northern Sinfonia, BBC Radio 3, BBC Concert Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Scottish Ballet, Opera Theatre Company, Bath International Music Festival, Glasgow International Music  Festival, Lyric Youth Opera, Music Network, London 2012 Olympics Festival, Roald Dahl Foundation, 4-mality percussion ensemble, Belfast Festival at Queens, Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Live Music Now, Sonorities Festival of New Music, Homecoming Music Festival (Moscow).
Together with his own 12 -piece ensemble (BBC Radio 3 music award winners) he has toured extensively throughout USA, Russia, France, Portugal, Germany, Scotland, Malta, Cyrus, Poland, Scotland, Ireland, England, Belgium, and the Netherlands and has appeared at some of the world’s leading international music festivals/venues including several appearances at the Bath International Music Festival (UK), Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank (London,UK), Gulbenkian Institute (Portugal) , Washington National Library of Congress (USA), Ouest Nord Ouest Festival, (France), Glasgow International Festival (UK), Kościół Św. Jana, Gdańsk (Poland), Festival d'été de Valence (France), Novgorod Municipal Theatre (Russia), Festival Sous les Pommiers, (France) Homecoming Festival (Russia), Dublin Festival (Ireland), Moving on Music Festival (UK), Sonorities Festival of New Music (UK) and The International House of Music (Moscow, Russia).

For the last four years he has been the Associate Composer with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast and is currently Visiting Professor of Creative Arts at the University of Ulster. 
Brian has also collaborated with and written for some of the worlds most internationally established artists across many different genres including Seamus Heaney (poet), 4-mality percussion ensemble, Joanna MacGregor (piano), Billy Jenkins (guitar), Keith Tippet (piano), Paul Dunmall (saxophone/reeds), Roman Mints (violin), Matthew Bourne (piano), David Holmes, Snow Patrol, Duke Special, Keiji Haino (guitar), Joe Morris (guitar), LAU (BBC Folk award winners) as well as film makers, sculptors and animators including Eduard Bersudsky, Jari Neimenin, Joel Simon, John McCluskey and John Mcilduff.
He has won a number of awards for his work including a British Composers Award for Opera, BBC Radio 3 Jazz award for best new work, Major Individual Artist Award (Arts Council of Northern Ireland), First Trust/University of Ulster Distinquished Graduate Award, the MCPS Joyce Dixey Award for Composition and the Bass Ireland Award. Recently his opera Shelter Me form the Rain won the 2011 Irish Allianz Arts and Business Award for “best use of creativity in the community” and his large scale children’s oratorio Rain Falling Up was shortlisted for a 2011 British Composers Awards.  The junk opera Postcards from Dumbworld was also shortlisted for a 2011 Irish Times Theatre Award. 
Last year together with writer/director John Mcilduff he was awarded the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad Artist Taking the Lead award for the enormous sonic installation Nest. Brian also recently completed the score to John McIlduff’s debut feature film Behold the Lamb as well as the short film opera: To Do List. 
His recent orchestral works have included:
Strange Attractors (40’) for orchestra and LAU commissioned by the Sage Gateshaed/ PRS foundation; My cow’s not pretty, but it’s pretty to me - recorded for BBC Radio 3 Hear and Now performed by the Ulster Orchestra and Praise aloud the trees for double orchestra and choir, a collaboration with Nobel laureate poet Seamus Heaney commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and premiered by the Ulster Orchestra/RTE Concert Orchestras and Horizon voices in Belfast 4 March 2012
He is currently working on Nest (60’): a multi media installation for symphony orchestra, chorus, sonic processing, 5000 objects and film (commissioned by London 2012 Festival); an opera with writer Owen McCafferty (commissioned by  Northern Ireland Opera) and a violin concerto for violinist Darragh Morgan (commissioned by the RTE National Symphony Orchestra). 

His latest 8 - piece ensemble Melonhead makes its debut appearance at the Moving on Music festival in March 2012.




"Irresponsible Science" - 13 Vices (extract)

Brian Irvine