This is second half of Part 1 of Samuel Coleridge Taylor's famous poem 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner'. In this section, the mariner is describing being stranded in Antarctica having been blown off course. He spots an albatross tracking the ship, but in a fit of frustration shoots it with his crossbow!

This piece was premiered by a student ensemble on 9th March 2022 at the Victoria Rooms, Bristol as part of Contemporary Music Venture.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Computer Mockup of 'Afternoon Circus' - an original composition for British Brass Band.

One of four pieces shortlisted for the UniBrass Composition Competition 2024.

Afternoon Circus - Brass Band (mockup)

Performed by the Bristol University Chamber Choir in All Saint's Church, Bristol, under Will Brockman.

Joint winner of the Chamber Choir's carol competition and performed in their Christmas Concert, Friday 9th December 2016. Check this out as well: https://soundcloud.com/bevandgr/it-came-upon-the-midnight-clear

To Winter - Claude Mckay

Stay, season of calm love and soulful snows! 
There is a subtle sweetness in the sun, 
The ripples on the stream's breast gaily run, 
The wind more boisterously by me blows, 
And each succeeding day now longer grows. 
The birds a gladder music have begun, 
The squirrel, full of mischief and of fun, 
From maples' topmost branch the brown twig throws. 
I read these pregnant signs, know what they mean: 
I know that thou art making ready to go. 
Oh stay! I fled a land where fields are green 
Always, and palms wave gently to and fro, 
And winds are balmy, blue brooks ever sheen, 
To ease my heart of its impassioned woe.

To Winter

An arrangement of Tchaikovsky's infamous waltz from his final symphony. Performed Wednesday 3rd May 2017 by the cellos of Bristol University at Tyndale Baptist Church, Bristol:
George Owen
Mitchell Quinn
Ronan Agnew
Augusta Lazenby
James Wedge
Rafaella Barratt
Joe Samrai
Samuel Robinson

Tchaikovsky Symphony 6, Mvm ii

This was my second work for solo cello, written during my final year at the University of Bristol. I have performed it in Bristol, London, Somerset, and Hong Kong. It comes in three main sections which end on Eb, D, and C respectively. Each section is split into a fast part and a slow part.

The principal motif is stated right at the start of the piece: E-G-Bb, and this comes back in each of the three sections.

I use a variety of extended techniques in the piece including tremolo, sul ponticello, artificial harmonics, double-stops, and the full range of the cello including the altissimo register. It is a fun piece to play and I really enjoy performing this.

Recording taken Summer 2017, Kingsdon Village Hall, Somerset, UK.

Blue Dawn, for solo cello

A miniature for solo tuba, written for and performed by Jack Adler-McKean as part of the CoMA Summer School 2020. Premiered over conference call 1st August 2020.

This work utilises the microtonal valves on this particular instrument and explores the incredible register and unexpected agility of the instrument when in the hands of an expert performer.

Microtubal

Godowsky's piano adaptation of Bach's Suite 2 in D minor for Unaccompanied Cello is fantastic at fleshing out the inner lines in the piece. A single instrument can't manage, so by arranging for piano, Godowsky was able to bring Bach's masterpiece to a higher level. I've arranged this piano adaptation for cello octet, in part reclaiming the piece for the cello, and in part because the cello ensemble contains such a huge range of sounds. The warmth and richness of massed cellos lends well to the key of D minor, too.

I have performed each part separately before stitching it together in Audacity. There are imperfections inherent from recording in this way: I can't adjust intonation on the fly, so there are some small sections where it simply isn't perfect. Additionally, the need to wear headphones for tempo reasons means my playing posture is skewed, adding to the challenge. When the pandemic is over, I hope to play this as part of a group again for the improvement in sound (as well as, you know, being able to play music with other people again).

Weirdly, my free recording software chose to arbitrarily speed up my recording so I had to slow it back down again at the end, which probably doesn't help the quality either...

Bach-Godowsky: Suite 2 Sarabande arr. George Owen

Composer, conductor, and cellist from the South of England.
Having studied at Wells Cathedral School with Paul Whitmarsh (compos.), I have graduated from Bristol University with a First Class Honours in Music (BA), where I was principal cellist of the Symphony Orchestra, conductor of the Chamber Orchestra, and I ran the weekly meetings for the Composition Society.

First professional premiere: Venetian Postcards, for String Orchestra, performed June 6th 2014 by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Strings at Purbeck Arts Week, Swanage.

Second professional premiere: Approaching Bristol, for Chamber Orchestra, performed November 28th 2014 by English Young Artists Symphonia at the Apothecaries Hall, London


To commission me, please email georgehaowen@gmail.com and I will get back to you!

George Owen

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