I have again the honour and pleasure to share with you a beautiful piece by Christopher Larkins (CPJL), I hope you will enjoy listening....

To listen to more by Christopher please follow this link

https://soundcloud.com/cpjl

Winter Rain by Christopher Larkins

A clarinet concerto in three movements. 
An angular 1st movement building to a climax before moving into a more reflective section. 
Gentle and atmospheric 2nd movement begining and ending with solo clarinet. The harp is heavily featured. 
The 3rd movement is dance like and joyous.

Daniel Gillingwater's Album

Dan Gillingwater's Clarinet Concerto 2021 edit

This piece is about a life. A musical representation of a life from birth until old age. The opening chords and the short violin solo mark the end of birth and the breaking of the connection with mum. Then we have the long tune, which is the person - their nature, their potential. What follows is a set of variations, representing connections, influences; marked by different harmony and orchestration. The Faster section (not a variation) is wild youth, followed by love - the joys and trials of it. Then back to the tune and a reserved but confident, more settled variation. To finish the realsation of the tune is grander, more dignified. The little fast bit at the end is so the audience know when to clap.

Ad Fontem 2021

Computer-generated audio

Myrkviðr (Mirkwood) is the Old Norse word for “dark wood” or “black forest” and occurs in several folktales of Germany, Norway, Sweden and related forms of the name occur across Europe and may be a general term for a dark and dense forest. 

The name was anglicised by Sir Walter Scott (in Waverley) and William Morris (in The House of the Wolfings) and later popularized by J. R. R. Tolkien as "Mirkwood". 

Tolkien comments on Myrkviðr in a letter to his eldest grandson: “Mirkwood is not an invention of mine, but a very ancient name, weighted with legendary associations. It was probably the Primitive Germanic name for the great mountainous forest regions that anciently formed a barrier to the south of the lands of Germanic expansion. In some traditions, it became used especially of the boundary between Goths and Huns.” 

In the Norse tradition 'crossing the Black Forest' came to signify penetrating the barriers between one world and another, especially the world of the gods and the world of fire, where Surtr, the god of fire, lives. The old Norse manuscripts describe Surtr as the first of the fire giants to emerge from the flames of Muspelheim, the realm of fire, holding an immense fire sword. 

Although the work is not intended to be overtly programmatic, the opening chords reveal the awesome, dark majesty of the forest before settling into the almost complete absence of light and, as the mists clear, they may encounter evil spirits, dwarves forging metal into weapons, the gathering of elven armies, battles, the fair Melusine bathing and meeting her prince before her secret is discovered and she wreaks her terrible vengeance, the games and tricks of sprites and goblins, the arrival of Oberon and Titania (or, possibly, Gandalf) to restore order and even the occasional dragon, breathing fire and spitting sparks before a bacchanal draws the work to its conclusion. It is for the listeners and performers to conjure up whatever images they will as everyone’s perception of Myrkviðr (Mirkwood) is different.

This work is dedicated to the memory of Walter White, long-time conductor of the Ystradgynlais Silver Band. Walter was my first trumpet teacher (later my classroom teacher for both ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels) and introduced me to the world of brass bands. It was Walter who encouraged me to compose and to apply to study with Alun Hoddinott at University College, Cardiff. I owe this mild and generous man everything.

Duration: 17 minutes

Myrkviðr (Mirkwood)

featuring Deryn Cullen on cello https://soundcloud.com/deryncullencellist

2016

Elegy for Cello (featuring Deryn Cullen - Cello)

Instrumentation:
1 Flute (doubling Piccolo)
1 Oboe
1 Clarinet in Bb
1 Bassoon
1 Horn
1 Trumpet in Bb
1 Trombone
Percussion (2 players)
Strings

March of the Pioneers

Une histoire d'amour à Paris
Composed by Franco Forconi
© All rights reserved 2019

Une histoire d'amour à Paris

After taking a long break last summer and fall from composing, I started again in earnest at the end of the year.  Rather than rush a piece out, I decided to take time and really invest in a work.  This first movement of my 4th Symphony is the result - and other movements are well underway too.  I hope that the end result will be a Symphony that I can finally be proud of.  Time will tell.

During the development of this movement, I had the good fortune to receive the very generous and insightful guidance from the marvelous and rightfully accomplished composer John Hopkins @john-hopkins-941786350, particularly with regard to the movement's structure.
 
I am very thankful to John.  I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the other people that have helped me along the way.  Starting with my wonderful twin sister Catherine who showed me how to start playing the piano.  My dear and kind friend Jonathon Chappell who wrote out my first score.  The wonderful person and composer Rob Wilsmore who gave me great encouragement. Nerissa Dando, the violaist who so kindly was first to play a piece of mine.  The violinist Claire Sharpe and the composer John Webb @webb-john who played my piano and violin piece, and also especially to Claire who introduced me to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.  It was watching the CBSO and Simon Rattle's face from student seats behind the orchestra that taught me so much about symphonic music.

From more recent years I will like to thank Tom Foley who gave me my first DAW software so I could finally start writing what I could not play.  Then I would very much like to thank all the SoundCloud community for their generous support and wonderful feedback.  I would particularly like to mention the very talented composer Joseph Haspel @joseph-haspel who has so generously performed a piano work of mine and has helped clean up several piano scores.  Finally, I would like to thank the superb composer Paul Max Edlin @paulmaxedlin who has given great advice and encouragement, has so generously worked on scores of mine and was planning to have a piece of mine performed until Covid19 came along.

Given that I have never studied music, nor was ever taught to play an instrument, I greatly appreciate  everyone who has helped and encouraged me along my musical journey. Thank you.

Finally, I would like to especially thank my amazing and beautiful wife, and my lovely sons and stepsons.

Hope you enjoy the work.  And as always, thank you so much for listening.

Be well.
Christopher

Larkins | Symphony No. 4, Movement 1

Concerto for harpsichord and six players commissioned by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society for
Mahan Esfahani and Ensemble 10/10
Conductor: Yalda Zamani
Certain techniques and themes are common to Piet Mondrian's paintings and this piece muses on his employment of non-symmetrical repeated patterns in the formative works that lead to the more familiar late vertical/horizontal line paintings which are most closely referenced in the prelude to the final movement. If one work non-representationally encapsulates MONDRIAN, it is probably the artist's Broadway Boogie Woogie.

There are four movements:
Inquieto	is restless and unsettled. The ensemble colours the harpsichord’s material but becomes increasingly active. There are three long form repetitive lines that interleave in a largely irrational fashion.
Andante	is a gentle A-B-A-B-C-A form. The harpsichord leads whilst lyrical woodwind lines predominate.
Scherzando	begins with a hyperactive harpsichord solo. The ensemble gradually usurps the soloist’s predominance but gives way to a contemplative middle section for harpsichord alone which in turn leads to a scherzo da capo (of sorts!).
Agitato begins with no real sense of pulse and references Mondrian at his most abstract – indeed the opening held chord is a brief realisation of Mondrian’s description of what, for him, the future music would be. The ‘agitato’ however is a virtuosic tour de force ever more extreme and unrelenting in its demands for both soloist and ensemble!
Programme note © Gary Carpenter 2019

Mondrian

Written for Claire and Andy Moxon's wedding. This is a reorchestration for chamber orchestra.

'Panida'

Allegro Maestoso Dec 2020

CHRISTOPHER PAINTER - SOUNDCLOUD


Christopher Painter was born at Port Talbot, South Wales in 1962 and studied music at University College, Cardiff. His composition studies were initially with Timothy Taylor and Richard Elfyn Jones and in 1984 he began to study with Alun Hoddinott,  He studied full-time with Hoddinott until 1989 and complemented these studies with consultations and masterclasses with Samuel Adler (Eastman School of Music, New York); George Benjamin; John McCabe; Edward Gregson; Robert Saxton; Robert Simpson and Marek Stachowski (Warsaw University). In addition to his composition studies, Christopher also studied conducting with Edward Gregson; Stanley Saunders (University of Guelph, Canada); Rod Walker (University of Texas, USA); and latterly, with Christopher Adey.

Christopher Painter was the first recipient of the Afan Thomas Composer's Award and has also won the National Eisteddfod Composition Prize (Newport 1988) and was featured in the Welsh Arts Council's "Young Welsh Composer Forum" in 1987. In 1997, Christopher Painter was the first Welsh winner of the "Gregynog Composer Award of Wales" which was given for his "Sonata for Harp" which was premiered on June 28th at the 1997 Gregynog Festival by Elinor Bennett.

In October 1997 Christopher was appointed as Composer-in-Association with North Wales based Ensemble Cymru and wrote a number of works for this ensemble, including the children's dance work, Yggdrasil, a Millennium Commission/Techniquest commission as part of the “Sounds for Science” project. Christopher's tenure with Ensemble Cymru came to an end in 2000 but he has maintained a keen interest in their activities and continues to write for them on a regular basis. His most recent work for them, Cad Goddeu, was premiered at the National Assembly for Wales in February 2003.

In 1999 Christopher Painter was Composer-in-Residence with both the National Youth Orchestra and National Youth Brass Band of Wales. His work, Invisible Cities, for the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, not only received four performances but was also subsequently released on CD by the orchestra.

I n December 2003, Christopher Painter was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts.

In August 2005, Christopher won the prestigious "Tlws y Cerddor" (Musicians Medal) at the National Eisteddfod of Wales for his chamber work, Yr Hanes Swynol (A History of Charms). He won the award for the second time in 2010 for his work for baritone, violin and harp entitled Syniadau'r Serch (Thoughts on Love).

In January 2006 his "Forest of Dreams" was premiered with great success by the Thueringen Phiharmonie, conducted by Alun Francis, and broadcast on German television.

Alun Francis also premièred Painter's Symphony No.3 "Fire in the Snow" with the Orquesta de la UNAM in Mexico City in June 2010. 

In 2011 his "Furnace of Colours" was premièred by the soprano Claire Booth with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Jac van Steen. The performance was also broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Christopher has taught composition at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and was, for eleven years, Secretary of the Welsh Music Guild.

In 2014 he was made a Life Member of the Welsh Music Guild.

His works are published by Maecenas Music, Oriana Publications and Vanderbeek & Imrie.

www.christopherpainter.co.uk
www.orianapublications.co.uk
http://www.mapamundimusic.com/christopherpainter.html

Myrkviðr (Mirkwood)

Christopher Painter

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