Composers: Tom Armstrong and Madeleine Shapiro. Performer: Madeleine Shapiro (cello/improvisation). The Gramophone Played for cello, spoken word and fixed media electronics was inspired by the works of the British poet Edward Thomas (1878-1917) and by the writings about him in Robert Macfarlane’s book ‘The Old Ways’, in particular a fictionalised account of his final months at the Western Front where Thomas, serving as an artillery officer, was killed during the battle of Arras. Macfarlane writes of the gramophone records heard in the officers’ billets and we have woven some of these, alongside two of Thomas’ poems, into the fabric of the piece. The cello part is improvised in response to them using melodic skeletons from the songs. The recordings and the singers who perform on them - ‘Wait Till I’m As Old As Father’ (Billy Williams), ‘D’Ye Ken John Peel’ (Peter Dawson), ‘On The Banks of Allan Water’ (Adelina Patti) - are auditory windows onto a time long distant; these and Madeleine’s improvised responses lend our piece something of the character of a threnody so if our piece has a message it is a decidedly anti-war one - a threnody for Edward Thomas himself and for the victims of all wars, both military and civilian.

The Gramophone Played

Download the free EP at www.cny15.com

This is a new work from composer Andy Leung with virtuoso Erhist Wan Pin Chu (www.wanpinchu.com).

The music is characterised with eclectic beats, pulsing rhythms and a stroke of jazz drumming as a foundation, decorated with experimental samples, ‘chiptune’ synthesizer and inspired by multiple electronic music sub-genres.

Erhu is re-imagined for the 21st century. Armed with a foot-controller effects pedal, the traditional erhu is able to produce a growling bass-line, distorted tone and ‘out-of-this-world’ special effects.

Erhist Wan Pin Chu ‘Hendrix-like’ virtuoso performance has dazzled audiences around the world with his fast-paced melodic line, intricate and innovative articulations.

This is a pioneering collaboration marks a new era for the erhu.

Cookie Monsta

O'ROURKE

Composer: Neil Gow (1727 – 1807 , Scotland)
Arrangement by David Russell. 

A beautiful Scottish lament by Neil Gow written for his second wife, Margaret Urquhart. Story has it that deeply hurt by her death, Neil Gow stopped playing the fiddle for while. Convinced by friends to pick it up again, the lament was the first thing he played. 

“ Niel Gow was born in 1727 in the town of Inver, 60 miles north of Edinburgh. He became one of the most important violinists and composers in Scotland. He and his son Nathaniel spread the strathspey style of violin playing throughout Scotland at a time when traditions were changing rapidly. The harp and bagpipe were being replaced by the popularity of the fiddle. This beautiful melody was written as a lament to Margaret Urquhart of Perth to whom he was happily married for thirty years. “ [from Celtic Music vol. 1 – D. Russell]

Sound Engineer: Ignacio Lusardi Monteverde

Niel Gow's Lament For The Death Of His Second Wife

Chamber concerto for solo violin and orchestra
Rafal Zambryzycki, violin, Szymon Bywalec, conductor, The New Music Orchestra, NOSPR Katowice, Poland.
February 2018

Fora

Lee Fraser - Reliq Ens (Ge-stell 09)

Excerpts of Michael Ellisons Mevlana Opera "Say I am You" - Hezarfen Ensemble with VocaalLAB from Holland. Conductor Lucas Vis. Recorded at MIAM Studios ITÜ in Istanbul. Tonmeister Pieter Snapper. June 2012

"Say I am You" Michael Ellison - Tableaux 6, 7

Rhinoceros - a poem by Jo Shapcott from Her Book. US soprano Caroline Kouma and Rhys Burgess perform, written specially for Caroline as part of a cabaret set - quite different from Liz Johnson's other Jo Shapcott Settings Elephant Woman, Pig, Watching Medusa and Cabbage Dreams....

Rhinoceros - Liz Johnson / Jo Shapcott

Ji Liu plays the Beethoven Moonlight Sonata Op. 27 no. 2 score, exchanging the speeds and characters of the movements. Please visit https://challengingperformance.com/the-book-23/ for explanation and questions that follow.

Beethoven/Leech-Wilkinson/Liu: Moonlight Sonata

written, played, song and produced by Anne van de Star & David Helbich

with @bugbrand synths, home studio recordings, desperate fun and too much time during lock down in Brussels, April 2020.

We published the song first on Anne's profile here:
https://soundcloud.com/annevandestar/homework-anne-van-de-star-david-helbich

@annevandestar

non mastered bounce

HOMEWORK (Anne van de Star & David Helbich)

"Heroes" from the cycle "Für uns. Für uns" by Hannes Seidl, in an interpretation by Anne van de Star and David Helbich

Hannes wrote scores for people playing together at home. Perfect for Corona times. 

The songs are based on pop songs, this one on a song by David Bowie. 

The score only mentions piano and voice. The heavy pedal usage inspired us to make a very reverby version with an e-git and an Oud replacing the grand piano (I got a bed instead...). 
The added  electronics are (most unfortunately) hiding our amazing singing talents. 

The score of the whole cycle is available here: editionjulianeklein.de

Or have a look at the score of only "Heroes" here: https://archive.org/details/fuer-uns-fuer-uns_heroes

Hannes' own interpretation together with singer-composer Julia Mihály
https://vimeo.com/399988242

http://www.hannesseidl.de/

@hgs @juliamihaly @annevandestar

The Gramophone Played

Modernist Tom

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