A short composition with a text from the Bible (Psalm 51, "New English" translation) performed by the Latvian female vocal ensemble "Putni"

Truth In Darkness

8 women (vocal ensemble "Putni") sing text excerpted from The Art of War by Sun Tzu (John Minford's translation used with permission) accompanied by alto sax (Nic Gotham), piano (Normunds Kalnins) and string bass (Kristaps Petersons). Composition by Nic Gotham

Strategy

Duet for alto sax and piano, composed by Nic Gotham in 2008. Nic Gotham, Rihard Plešanovs performing 

Returning

Nic Gotham's 2004 composition for the Latvian quartet Altera Veritas, instrumentation: flute, accordion, 2 kokles (Latvian psaltery)

Heliotrope

A piece for wind orchestra commissioned and premiered by the Riga Professional Wind Orchestra (conductor, Andris Poga), composed by Nic Gotham in 2010. "Every Day" (or "Tous les jours") takes its name from the famous phrase coined in 1920 by French pharmacist/psychologist Émile Coué: "Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better." (In the original French: "Tous les jours à tous points de vue je vais de mieux en mieux.") Coué had his patients repeat this phrase to themselves, mantra-like, many times each day in order to cure themselves of any malady. He is credited with the discovery and first successful use of what became known as the placebo effect. Can music have a similar, positive, healing effect? Many people believe so - I will leave it as an open question. In my piece, every new musical phrase is a setting of the same text: Tous les jours, etc. The mantra is heard in many forms and contexts: some hopeful, some full of doubt.

Every Day

I wrote Bacchanale on commission for the Riga Saxophone Quartet in 2007. The first performance was at the World Saxophone Congress in Ljubljana, Slovenia and featured the RSQ and the Slovenian Army Orchestra under Alain Crepin. This recording is by the RSQ and the Riga Professional Wind Orchestra with Jānis Puriņš conducting. 


Bacchanale

Up From Under was composed in 2005 for the Riga Saxophone Quartet. The piece is dedicated to the City of New Orleans, and the title refers to my hope for the quick recovery of that great city, the birthplace of jazz, from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. The music imagines New Orleans completely submerged, then leaping up out of the aquatic depths to dance wildly. 

Up From Under

This work was composed specially for the string quartet “Diference”. Because this ensemble enjoys performing in France, I thought a French title would be appropriate. The saying refers to and celebrates the difference between the sexes. Celebration of social differences of all kinds – race, age, religion and sexuality for example – is necessary in a civilized society. It is the art of being happy to live with other people. Of course, music is also an art of difference: high and low, quiet and loud, fast and slow. Without difference, there would be no music and no happiness, so: Vive la différence! 

Vive la différence

I'm a composer and saxophone-player. Born in the UK, I've spent most of my life in Canada but lived in Riga, Latvia from 1998 to 2012. I now live in Toronto again.  As a musician, I split my time evenly between writing "contemporary classical" music and writing and playing jazz and jazz-related music. (Please visit NiMo Jazz here on SoundCloud to hear some of this.)

Nic Gotham

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