Frida Sketches 						
for string quartet 
by Paul Max Edlin

Programme Note:
The Mexican painter Frida Kahlo had an extraordinary life.  Born in 1907, she died at middle age in 1954.  At six she developed polio and a terrifying bus accident in her teens meant that she suffered life-long physical and health problems.  She married the Mexican artist and muralist Diego Rivera, who was twenty years her senior.  They had a tempestuous marriage, divorced and remarried.  No doubt due to her illness and her confinement to bed or being strapped in a body cast, Frida became self obsessed and made many extraordinary self-portraits.  These self-portraits tell us as much about Mexican culture, religion and symbolism, about the tragedy of the country at that time, its politics and its history as they do about Frida and her love-hate relationship with Diego.  Frida also kept a diary, and that is yet another fascinating glimpse into this surreal artist’s equally surreal world.

As a composer who has been surrounded by visual art all my life and for whom surrealist painting is particularly relevant, Frida Kahlo’s work excites me.  Furthermore, I have a love for symbolism in music and enjoy transferring extra-musical ideas into music itself – thus a piece becomes even more than its apparent surface.  A piece ‘becomes’ what it is because of what inspires it and what drives it.  Using ciphers, Frida’s name, the names of those who were around her, the name of her home, etc all ‘create’ the musical notes.  The diary inspires the musical structure – especially the passages which are ‘stream-of-consciousness’ that are actually highly poetic and highly rigorous in design.  Finally, the music of Lotti’s ‘Crucifixus’ permeates passages, and so it should as this is music that alludes to Frida’s world and her own crucifixion as a result of that tragic accident.

Frida Sketches is a sketch about the woman and her world, and it is a starting point for me to track a new path.  The work was written for the Arditti Quartet to whom it is dedicated.  

This performance, by the Arditti Quartet, was first broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 3rd June 2012.

© Paul Max Edlin 2012 

Frida Sketches (2012) - Arditti Quartet

Composer, mathematician, visual artist. 
Seeks collaboration with performers and choreographers.

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Thanks for visiting. 
What's new:  I have completed my violin sonata. It is posted first in line to your left.  My new symphony, "Symphony for Chamber Orchestra," is posted and waiting for you.  rjb

Scores and parts for many of my works are available from my publisher Creative Spirit Music Publications. Go to  https://www.creativespiritonline.com and select "Robert John Brooks." There, you can also follow the score while listening to a recording.

My music is fully notated and is intended for live performance by live musicians.

After completing my doctorate in composition in 1979 from UNT, I took 30 years off from composing to join the computer software revolution as a software engineer.  In 2010 I began composing again and have not stopped. So, I find myself beginning (restarting?) a composition career rather late in life...but that's OK.  Most of the works posted here were written since 2010. 

Thanks for visiting.

Paul Max Edlin's music is published by Composers Edition. 

Paul Max Edlin, 2016/2017 Composer in Residence for the London Chamber Orchestra, has a career that combines composing with higher education, artistic direction and performing.  

His works have been performed by many leading artists including Alison Balsom, Arditti Quartet, Britten Sinfonia, David Campbell, Cantus Ansambl, Dame Sarah Connolly, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Rolf Hind, Johannes Möller, London Chamber Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Olga Pasiecznik, Psappha, Silesian Quartet, Southbank Sinfonia, Gabriella Swallow, John Wallace and The Wallace Collection and Bede Williams. 

He studied with Edwin Roxburgh, Richard Blackford and Joseph Horowitz (Royal College of Music) and Michael Finnissy (University of Sussex). He has won many prizes including Premio Internazionale Ancona, Harriet Cohen Memorial Award and United Music Publishers Prize. His music explores symbolism and often derives its inspiration from extra musical material. From the mid 80’s to mid 90’s many works were inspired by the art and architecture of South-East Asia, especially Indochina. From 2000 onward symbolism of a wider range of sources guided his music, from the chiastic structures of J.S. Bach to the writings of Gabriel García Márquez and Federico García Lorca and visual work of Frida Kahlo.

Paul Max Edlin is former Director of Music at Queen Mary University of London. He was Artistic Director of Deal Music & Arts (formerly Deal Festival) from 2004 to 2021, Sounds New (2007 to 2013), Director of International Composer Pyramid (2008-2013) and was founding Chair of the Board of Trustees of Ora Singers. He is current Executive Chair of W.E. International Music Festival, which brings eastern and western cultures together.  From 2012 to 2013 he was President of the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM), the UK's leading association for professional musicians.

Economou's work is concerned with notions of time and perception. His music deals with the audio aspects that occur from disruption, interference, looping and distortion of sequential transformations and various textural developments, suggesting a textural approach with minimum, often gestural, material in his works. His music illustrates the paradox that exists with the simulation of a post-digital aesthetic in the composition of acoustic music, embracing and interrupting causality at the same time.

Dimitris Economou studied composition with Christos Samaras at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (BA/MA, PhD in Composition) and with William Brooks at the University of York (MA in Composition). He is a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Music Studies, School of Fine Arts, A.U.Th., where he has taught for many years. He teaches Composition and Advanced Music Theory at the Music College Conservatory of Thessaloniki and at the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki.

He has received national and international awards such as the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize 2009 (UK), the Charities Philharmonia Young Composers Award 2009 (UK), Honorary Mention Award in the 34 Concurs Joves Compositors Premi International F. Mompou 2013 (ES) and was also the Winner of the Sounds New / Coups de Vents project: International Composer Pyramid 2009-12 (UK). He has also received the: 8th Composition Competition Y. A. Papaioannou 2007 - 2nd Prize (GR), Contemporary Music Workshop in Thessaloniki Concert Hall 2006 - 1st Prize (GR), 3rd International Competition for Composers 2006 by the Mediterranean Music Centre - 2nd Prize (GR), Composition Competition for the 20 Years of Foundation - School Of Fine Arts - A.U.Th 2006 - Prize (3 equal, GR), Contemporary Music Workshop in Athens Concert Hall 2005 - Prize (3 equal, GR), 1st National Chamber Music Festival 2003 - Prize (3 equal, GR) among others.

Economou’s works have been published by Edition Peters and have been commissioned by orchestras such as the Athens State Orchestra (GR), Thessaloniki State Orchestra (GR), Philharmonia Orchestra (UK), Charities Philharmonia (UK), the Greek National Opera, and ensembles such as the Berlin PianoPercussion (DE), Trio IAMA (GR), dissonArt Ensemble (GR), Piandaemonium Ensemble (GR), Contra Tempo (GR), Lontano Ensemble (UK) Chimera Ensemble (UK), Ossian Ensemble (UK), Hellenic Ensemble for Contemporary Music (GR) among others. His works have been presented with numerous performances worldwide and released in collections by Dissonance Records, Irida Classical and Phasma Music.

https://dimitris-economou.com/

Impro on piano and synth. recorded at home. prepared by classical piano practice a long time ago. no great planning, maybe some thought about the setting, some breathing and body exercise, or waiting for the moment of being clear after overfatigue. accepting my limits w/no regret. 
to do is to prepare myself for the next step. 
a iki michi: i am and so i walk the small and unknown path

Composer/Guitarist
www.peternanasi.com
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Hi, 

I am Ray Charles a Dutch composer and hope you enjoy my music.


Thanks for listening and support on my music.

*** Be strong, focussed and creative and make music from your heart **

Cheers
Ray