TWO DOWSON POEMS (2021 - 24)

An earlier work, described by one reviewer as "louring", with all the focus on the organ's most baleful, menacing and rebarbative sonorities, heard in chordal progressions of prolonged duration. I played the first performance of this myself in Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, on 13 February 1994 and the piece was subsequently published by Éditions Henry Lemoine & Cie in 1999.

ANIMUS VI (1994)

"The Land Of Silence" was commissioned by and is dedicated to Kimberley Lynch & Adrian Foster, who gave the work its first performance on 30 May 2021 in a concert broadcast from the majestic church of Saints-Anges Gardiens de Lachine in Montréal, Canada. 

The work is a setting for amplified soprano, live electronics & organ of the 1896 poem 'Beata Solitudo' by Ernest Dowson (1867 - 1900).

Beata Solitudo

What land of Silence,
   Where pale stars shine
On apple-blossom
   And dew-drenched vine,
   Is yours and mine?

The silent valley
   That we will find,
Where all the voices
   Of humankind
   Are left behind.

There all forgetting,
   Forgotten quite,
We will repose us,
   With our delight
   Hid out of sight.

The world forsaken,
   And out of mind
Honour and labour,
   We shall not find
   The stars unkind.

And men shall travail,
   And laugh and weep;
But we have vistas
   Of gods asleep,
   With dreams as deep.

A land of Silence,
   Where pale stars shine
On apple-blossoms
   And dew-drenched vine,
   Be yours and mine!

THE LAND OF SILENCE (2021)

This track is dedicated to the writer and artist Psymon Marshall who passed away in November 2021.

PORTALS (2021) - In memory of Psymon Marshall

A setting of the 8th Advent Antiphon "O Virgo Virginum, quomodo fiet istud? Quia nec primam similem visa es nec habere sequentem. Filiae Jerusalem, quid me admiramini? Divinum est mysterium hoc quod cernitis" performed here by the Merbecke Choir of Southwark Cathedral under the direction of Huw Morgan, with Peter Wright, organ, July 2012.

O VIRGO VIRGINUM  (2011)

A deep and immersive manifestation of the second movement of my recent work 'PRAYER & EXALTATION'. Here, 'EXALTATION' has been transposed down in pitch by an  augmented fourth (tov33300Hz) and is played at an expansively slow pace.

EXALTATION (Deep Version) (2022)

Organ + fixed media electronics piece incorporating vocal and pipe organ sampled sounds with heavy distortion.

OGRAL (2022-3)

Commissioned by and dedicated to Manfred Grob, who gave the first performance of 'Prelude, Interlude & Postlude XIV' on March 4, 2023 at the Marienkirche, Dortmund, Germany.

INTERLUDE XIV (2022)(live performance by Manfred Grob on 4 March 2023)

INTERLUDE XV (2022)

Solo organ piece conceived for large spaces with generous acoustics. The main body of music is built from broad, majestic chordal 'mantras' and has a richly ceremonial and ritualistic feel. It was premièred at Ripon Cathedral, England, in September 2023.

The piece also exists in an alternative transposed version with fixed media electronics.

OMEGA (2023)

Piece for organ and fixed media electronics. The first performance was given by Vladimir Magalashvili in his concert 'Organ . Light . Percussion . Electronics' on 26 May, 2024 at the Kirche Zum Guten Hirten, Berlin-Friedenau. 

A majestically broad cycle of chordal 'mantras' propels the main body of the music, with visceral synth tones weaving in and out of the organ texture.

OMEGA (organ + electronics) (2023)

THE SONORITY CABINET VII
The 'MAGIC CABINET'

Michael Bonaventure, organ/piano
Grote Kerk, Oosthuizen, The Netherlands
September 28, 2023

The MUIZ Collective (Michael Bonaventure & Luiz Henrique Yudo) this year presented the seventh edition of THE SONORITY CABINET, 'The MAGIC CABINET', once again in the magnificent Grote Kerk in Oosthuizen, The Netherlands, with its magickal late 14th Century organ and fine, glowing acoustic. The programme was a musical journey through the realms of magic, imaginary worlds, illusion, spells, sacred geometry, mysterious codes, folk magic and mythical creatures. There were new compositions for organ, piano & electronics by Michael Bonaventure, Luiz Henrique Yudo and guest composers Huw Morgan (UK), Lauren Redhead (UK) and Adrian Foster (Canada). Complementing these works was music by Guillaume de Machaut, anonymous 14th & 16th Century pieces and a Traditional Scottish melody arranged for the organ. 

Playlist:
00:03 - Huw Morgan - from Book Of Spells (2023): no. 4 (for love) *  
05:08 - Lauren Redhead - Curse tablets (2022)    
11:58 -  Huw Morgan - from Book Of Spells: no. 3 (for immortality) *   
15:00 - Attr. Thomas Preston (1542-63) - Uppon La, Mi, Re   
18:02 - Guillaume de Machaut - Ma fin est mon commencement    
19:38 - Huw Morgan - from Book Of Spells: nr. 5 (for protection) *    
25:24 - Anon. c. 1320 Robertsbridge Codex - Estampie I    
27:16 -  Michael Bonaventure - NUMEN (2023) *    
35:51 - Trad. Scottish - The Magic Glen    
41:10 -  Luiz Henrique Yudo - ESCHER'S RELATIVITY I    *    
43:57 - Luiz Henrique Yudo - ESCHER'S RELATIVITY II   *    
48:04 - Luiz Henrique Yudo - ESCHER'S RELATIVITY III. *   
52:22 - Luiz Henrique Yudo - ESCHER'S RELATIVITY IV. *   
1:02:08 - Adrian Foster - V.I.T.R.I.O.L. (2023) *   
1:08:57 - Anon. ca. 1320 Robertsbridge Codex - Estampie 'Retrové'

* world première performance

THE SONORITY CABINET VII - The MAGIC CABINET (2023)

Originally heard as a solo electronic 'work in progress' at a Scottish Arts Trust concert in May 2023, "Celestial Objects II" was re-drafted and finalised with a significant organ part made for Lauren Redhead & Alistair Zaldua to perform in a concert during their residency at the 2023 Festival Registri in Venice. Here is their performance on 27 October 2023 featuring the 1745 Nachini organ in the Chiesa Isola di San Servolo.

The electronic part is punctuated by a 'phaser choir' singing short sequences of chords around a powerful 64' reed drone, over which the organ delivers slow-spreading clusters of light.

The piece has been performed many times subsequently in Europe and the UK by other artists and was broadcast on Spanish National Radio in December 2024.

https://laurenredhead.eu/post/Festival-Registri-2023-residency
https://www.rtve.es/play/audios/tercera-via/intersecciones-031224/16356431/

CELESTIAL OBJECTS II (2023) (Live performance Lauren Redhead & Alistair Zaldua)

CHAINS (2024)

A recording of Vladimir Magalashvili's recent performance at Alt-Pankow Kirche, Berlin, on April 20 this year from his 'Organ.Percussion.Light.Electronics' project.

CELESTIAL OBJECTS II (Live performance Vladimir Magalashvili, Alt-Pankow, Berlin)

THE SONORITY CABINET VIII: a collection of strange, rare and unusual pieces of music from ancient and contemporary times, brought together as a 'cabinet of curiosities', often mixing the glorious sound of Oosthuizen's historic organ with new, electronic textures. 
Our previous editions include the Mass (2013), Gothic (2014), Fun (2016), Love (2017), Dream (2018), Time (2019) and Magic (2023). 
Michael Bonaventure (1962, Edinburgh) is an organist and composer whose passion lies in unusual and experimental music and the blending of organ with electronic sounds. 
In this year's edition, The SECRET CABINET, Michael performs works by Erik Satie, Loo(p)cy (aka Lucia Caiazza), Adrian Foster, Frédéric Inigo, Geoffrey King, Luiz Henrique Yudo, as well as his own music and a selection of pieces from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

THE SONORITY CABINET VIII - The SECRET CABINET 
Live recording 
Grote Kerk, Oosthuizen, Netherlands
10 October 2024

Michael Bonaventure, organ & electronics

1. Modéré (1893) - Erik Satie
2. The Secret Cave (2024) - Loo(p)cy (aka Lucia Caiazza)
3. Worster Braules - Thomas Tomkins
4. Barafostus' Dreame - Anonymous
5. V.I.T.R.I.O.L. (2023)  - Adrian Foster
6. Dr. Bull's Myselfe - John Bull
7. Dr. Bull's Juell - John Bull
8. Nowell's Galliard - Anonymous
9. Centon, set (2001) - Frédéric Inigo
10. Organ Postlude-Recessional (2024, première) - Geoffrey King
11. Encounters (2016) - Michael Bonaventure
12. Air de l'ordre (1892) - Erik Satie
13. Path Of Secrets (2020) - Michael Bonaventure & Loo(p)cy
14. ON WORDS: Q (2001) - Luiz Henrique Yudo
15. Felix Namque - Anonymous c. 1450
16. ORACLE (2024, première) - Luiz Henrique Yudo/Michael Bonaventure
17. Estampie (2024) - Huw Morgan



= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

THE SONORITY CABINET VIII - The SECRET CABINET (Live, Oosthuizen, Netherlands, October 2024)

ORACLE (2024) for organ & electronics
by Luiz Henrique Yudo & Michael Bonaventure

'ORACLE' came about because Luiz and I decided to create together something that has a certain 'out there' vibe and to make both oblique and direct references to topical issues. The organ part that Luiz made is based entirely on the binary coding system and follows a path of ascension while my tape part illustrates another, perhaps, contrary path...

-------------------

SONORITY CABINET VIII - the SECRET CABINET
Grote Kerk, Oosthuizen, The Netherlands
10 OCT 2024 (world première)

Michael Bonaventure, organ & electronics

ORACLE (2024) (Yudo & Bonaventure)

A live performance of Set XI of my Preludes, Interludes & Postludes for organ, given at the Orgelpark, Amsterdam, on 16 November 2024 as part of the concert 'Until Now', presented by video maker Thomas Mohr, bassist Dario Calderone and myself.

PRELUDES, INTERLUDES & POSTLUDE SET XI (live performance, Orgelpark, Amsterdam 16.11.24)

OUR YESTER DAYS (2024)
for amplified soprano, live electronics & organ

A recording made in September 2024 at the Ascension of Our Lord Church, Westmount, Québec, Canada by the dedicatees of this work, Kimberley Lynch (soprano/live electronics) & Adrian Foster (organ) who gave the first performance on 25 July at the Church of St. Andrew & St. Paul, Montréal. The work is a setting of Ernest Dowson's "In Tempore Senectutis" and makes use of various echo & voice duplication effects to convey its moods of dreamy, joyous remembrance and reflection on lost youth, resignation and departure.

Recording © Adrian Foster 2024
Image of Kimberley Lynch © Joel Peters 2024

OUR YESTER DAYS (2024)

Composed for Huw Morgan's "Mainly Slow Organ Music" project in Bristol UK and first performed by him in March 2024.

"DISSENTERS" album available on Bandcamp -
https://michaelbonaventure.bandcamp.com/album/dissenters

DISSENTERS - part 2: THE PROJECT (2023/25)

Composed for Huw Morgan's "Mainly Slow Organ Music" project in Bristol UK and first performed by him in March 2024.

DISSENTERS - part 1:THE STATION (2023)

Performance given by Huw Morgan on 5 October 2024 in "mainly slow organ music" #35, St. John-on-the-Wall, Bristol, UK.

CELESTIAL OBJECTS II (Mainly Slow Organ Music, Bristol, October 2024)

Recorded live performance on 24 October 2015, Orgel-Mixturen Festival, Kunst-Station Sankt Peter, Cologne.

EXIT (live performance, October 2015, Cologne)

'Elevation' music created for Automatronic's 'Vespers with music for organ & electronics', commissioned by St. Laurence Church, Catford, London, and performed by Lauren Redhead on 22 November, 2015.

DIVINE RADIATION (2015)

'Arc of divine cacophony'. Premiered on 21 September 2016 by Automatronic at the Hexham Abbey Festival of Music & Arts. Subsequently performed at the Canterbury Festival 2016, North York Moors Chamber Music Festival 2017, St. James United Church Montréal 2019, Ypres Cathedral 2019 and broadcast a number of times on Resonance.fm (UK), Radio Onda Rossa (Italy) and Concertzender (NL).

CELESTIAL OBJECTS (2016)

Piece for solo carillon, premiered here by Neil Thornock in his recital at Brigham Young University's Centennial Carillon Bell Tower, 2016, Provo, Utah, October 4, 2016.

Castellations

CASTELLATIONS (2015)(Live performance by Neil Thornock, October 2016)

Live recording of a performance given on 22 February, 2017 at the Lovekyn Chapel, Kingston-Upon-Thames, London by the duo Melanie Henry (saxophone) & Sally Mays (piano), for whom the piece was written.

Published by Firehead Editions, 2017.
(https://fireheadeditions.com/downloads/seven-days-complete-score/)

THURSDAY (2016) (Live performance, February 2017)

Works 2008 - 2017

Interlude VI

INTERLUDE VI (2017)

Dedicated to and first performed by David Pipe in a live BBC Radio 3 broadcast of Choral Vespers from Leeds Cathedral, 13 February 2019.

POSTLUDE IX (2018)

Piece for 10 handbells (5 players), written in 2017 for an anthology of handbell music published by Firehead Editions (www.fireheadeditions.com).

THE ONES WHO REST (2017)

Musician based in Edinburgh & Amsterdam. 
https://eighthtowerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/in-tenebris-ratione-organi
https://cantimagnetici.bandcamp.com/album/darenth
www.FireheadEditions.com
https://britishmusiccollection.org.uk/composer/michael-bonaventure 
www.scottishmusiccentre.com/michael-bonaventure

Michael Bonaventure

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