"Rockets and Blue Lights" (Dec 2013) for symphony orchestra

Birmingham Conservatoire Students' Orchestra
Conductor - Edwin Roxburgh

The Concert took place on the 23rd of January 2014 at the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire.

Rockets and Blue Lights is a composition for symphony orchestra, which I wrote in December 2013. My inspiration was the painting "Rockets and Blue Lights (Close at Hand) to Warn Steamboats of Shoal Water" (1840) by Joseph Mallord William Turner. 
Turner’s idea of rockets, which people fire to warn everybody, inspired me to express those feelings of danger, dismay and excitement by means of music. Also Turner suggested me with his painting the best kind of counterpoint to these ‘exclamations’ – peaceful ambience, which we feel while observing the gorgeous and mighty ocean in the painting. We are taken aback in stare and wonder… 


"Rockets and Blue Lights" (for symphony orchestra)

"Maharajawana" merupakan karya komposisi oleh Teuku Umar Ilany untuk gamelan Melayu (kontemporari). Karya ini adalah berdasarkan kepada sebahagian ceritera teks Ramayana, 'Cherita Maharajawana' yang menceritakan kejadian Dewa Serajuk yang ingin meniduri isteri Dewa Berembun yang serba rupawan iaitu Siti Andang Dewi.

- "Maharajawana", composed by Teuku Umar Ilany  for Malay gamelan (contemporary) is based on the text (shadow play version) of Ramayana, 'Cherita Maharajawana' where the incident of Dewa Serajuk wants to sleep with Dewa Berembun's wife, Siti Andang Dewi.

Ini merupakan bahagian ceritera tersebut secara muzikal :
Musical sections :

I - "CERITERA - MAHARAJAWANA" 1'25
II - "PENAKLUKAN - SITI ANDANG DEWI" 3'25
III - "DERITA" 4'35
IV - "BUKA LANGKAH - DEWA BEREMBUN" 6'56

Karya ini dipengaruhi permainan gamelan Melayu, Jawa dan juga idea yang diserapkan dari ensembel Kelantan seperti Wayang kulit dan Mak Yong. Lagu ini dibentuk sebagai satu karya naratif yang disampaikan oleh gamelan, penyanyi dan jong dondang (suara ramai). Dengan motif utama | 2 6 5 6 | 3 6 5 3 | ini ianya dikembangkan menjadi satu simbol dan bayangan perjalanan ceritera epik Maharajawana.

- This work influenced by the Malay and Javanese gamelan, and also ideas absorbed from the Kelantanese  shadow play and Mak Yong music. This composition was created as a narrative masterpiece presented by the gamelan, singers and jong dondang (voices). The main motives : | 2 6 5 6 | 3 6 5 3 |  developed into a story, as a symbol and  reflections to the epic journey of Cherita Maharajawana .

Performed by ASWARA Gamelan
Sang by ASWARA Voices

Maharajawana (Contemporary Gamelan Composition)

Thanks to Sayyid Shafiee for lending the dictaphone (mine just did not work for some reason).

A Rehearsal Of My Gamelan Piece

Tearing apart those wings for Violin and Orchestra [excerpt]

Composer: Fang Fang
Conductor: Edwin Roxburgh 
Premiered by Birmingham Conservatoire Composers’ Orchestra, Adrian Boult Hall 19th Nov, 2015, UK.

Mountain Rite - Concerto For Orchestra

Impression from the Asian Composers League 2015 in Batangas, Philippine.

Disclaimer: If you have any problems regarding the content of this work, please let me know and I will delete this post right away.

Mga Alon sa Batangas

The idea to compose this piece is to explore the minimalist style of writing. The short melodic theme was written in a way to expose the basic musical element divided into sections. While using the same musical style, the central idea can be exposed and delivered by using different techniques and style. 

	Nevertheless, the development while composing this piece is important in a way to create the musicality idea throughout the VII variations.

VIIariations for Chamber Orchestra(2009)

Composed in 2011 for my final Degree Composition Showcase. Dedicated to my mum, Ruzaidah binti Aziz, who struggled through many waves of life by raising me as a single mother. Also dedicated to all single mothers out there who kept on surviving and fighting to make sure their children will be a good human being. Voice by Rabiatul Rabaah and mixed by Shakirin Shuhaimi

Hadiah (original version)

An excerpt from the first movement of Richard Lavenda's 2006 piano trio (I. Driving)

Christopher Janwong McKiggan, piano
Geoffrey Herd, violin
Kevin Downs, cello

Richard Lavenda - Piano Trio (2006)

An excerpt from Thai composer Narong Prangcharoen's 2007 piano trio

Christopher Janwong McKiggan, piano
Geoffrey Herd, violin
Kevin Downs, cello

Narong Prangcharoen - Śūnyatā (2007)

Sayyid Shafiee (b.1987) is a Malaysian composer currently based in Birmingham, United Kingdom. His music has been performed throughout the UK, Europe and Asia. His music has also featured in number of festivals including Druskomanija (Lithuania), China-Asean Music Festival, Startford On Avon Music Festival, Malaysian Contemporary Festival, Soundbridge Festival, Frontiers Festival and Risuonanze Festical (Italy). His recent work, Jinsei Kouro was selected to represent Malaysia f!or 33rd Asian Composers League 2015 in Philippines.
Sayyid received his MMus from the University of Manchester, studied with Kevin Malone and Philip Grange and currently working on a PhD in composition at Birmingham Conservatoire, where he studied with Joe Cutler, Howard Skempton and Sean Clancy. He also studied with Tazul Tajuddin and had a chance to work with Dieter Mack when he was completing his BMus at local u!niversity in Malaysia.
He has attended master classes from composers such as Peter Maxwell Davies, Michael Finnissy, Harrison Birtwistle, Carl Bergstrom-Nielsen, Pauline Oliveros, Xenia Pestova, Erollyn Wallen, Chinary Ung, Koji Nakano, Jonas Baes and working with numerous ensemble including Psappha, BCMG, KROCK (Sweden), Quatour Danel, Fidelio Trio, Solem Quartet, Accordion Ensemble ContemporAcco (Lithuania), Group 20/21 Modular Ensemble (Philippines) Malaysian Youth S!ymphony Orchestra and Birmingham Conservatoire Orchestra.
Involved with music since 13 as saxophonist, he started his musical journey as a member of local marching band and competed all around the world including Canada, Holland, Italy and France marching band competition and awarded with numbers of medals from 2000-2009 and later on he involved with Malaysian music industry and performed all across the country including Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. He had performed with various local and international artists from
2006-2012 before he decided to pursue his music in contemporary composition in the UK.

VIIariations for Chamber Orchestra(2009)

Sayyid Shafiee

Related tracks