`When Worlds Collide’ is now published
I am very please to announce that `When Worlds Collide’ is now available from Studio Music Company.
Studio Music Company, Cadence House, Eaton Green Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU2 9LD. United Kingdom
I am very please to announce that `When Worlds Collide’ is now available from Studio Music Company.
Studio Music Company, Cadence House, Eaton Green Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU2 9LD. United Kingdom
Nigel conducts the Middle Tennessee State University Wind Ensemble on the 08/02/13 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnfgPEfN7Kg[/youtube]
The Ridgewood Concert Band Season Finale Concert
The Ridgewood Concert Band (a community wind orchestra from Ridgewood, New Jersey USA) under the baton of Chris Wilhjelm closed its 30th Anniversary Season with their Grand Finale Concert on May 10th. The concert featurured Nigel’s powerful wind orchestra work `Samurai’. Other composer featured in the concert were: John Barnes Chance (Variations On a Korean Folk Song), Rufus Reid (Joy in the Oasis), Frank Ticheli (Nitro) and Carl Heinrich Hubler (Concerto For Four Horns).
The Victoria & Albert Museum have just posted a short film `Music for the Cast Courts’ – On the 14 September 2012, violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved brought two composers, Nigel Clarke and David Gorton, with a virtuoso horn-player, Carly Lake, to the Cast Courts at the Victoria & Albert Museum. They set music old and new, from North and South, in the dramatic context of this wonderful space and its unmatched collection.
Music by Nigel Clarke, David Gorton, Michael Alec Rose, Bach, Biber, Messiaen and Jolivet. Interviews with Peter Sheppard Skærved, Marjorie Trusted (Senior Curator of Sculpture at the V&A), Carly Lake, David Gorton and Nigel Clarke.
Brass Band Buizingen under the baton of Luc Vertommen. Works to be performed on the two discs are: Swift Severn’s Flood, The City in the Sea (Euphonium: Glenn Van Looy), Earthrise (European Brass Band Champoinships Own Choice Test Piece 2010), When Worlds Collide (European Brass Band Champoinships Own Choice Test Piece 2013), Mysteries of the Horizon (Cornet: Harmen Vanhoorne) and Tilbury Point. Also there is specially commissioned poetry by Martin Westlakeread by Frank Renton. More information on availability will follow shortly.
Dedicated to the Memory of James Watson
INTRODUCTION TO DISC
My approach to composing has been strongly influenced by a long-term collaboration with the violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved. We met as fellow students at the Royal Academy of Music and had many conversations about what music might be, echoing Beethoven’s ‘note to self’ in his Tagebuch: “Every day share a meal with musicians, where one might discuss instruments and techniques and such….” (1812). We have taken our discussion of ‘techniques and such’ to many countries, and over time the theme of colour has emerged as dominant. This long-term exploration of colour has also been vital to my writing for virtuoso brass players. Indeed, I would say that I write for brass as if they were string instruments!
My first piece for brass band was written during a period as Composer in Residence to the Black Dyke Band (1994-1997) with the then Director of Music, James Watson. He asked me to compose music that would challenge his band in every conceivable way.
After my residency with Black Dyke Band, I had something of a sabbatical from brass band writing until I met the Belgian conductor and brass pedagogue, Luc Vertommen. He asked me to compose for Brass Band Buizingen (BBU) and ultimately I became their Associate Composer. All of the works on this disc, with the exception of my Euphonium concerto, The City in the Sea, have been written for BBU between 2009 and 2013. Each work has been developed by trying out sketches and experimenting with the players. I have profited greatly from Luc and BBU’s creative energy. The two concertos on this disc include my latest work written for the Belgian virtuoso Harmen Vanhoorne, with whom I worked extensively in the composition process, and the second dates back to my Black Dyke days, on this recording played by Glenn Van Looy. Two recordings on this CD are live performances, Swift Severn’s Flood performed at the 2009 World Music Contest in Kerkrade in the Netherlands and Earthrise performed at the 2010 European Brass Band Championships in Linz, Austria.
For each work I commissioned an original piece of poetry by the Brussels based poet Martin Westlake, with the exception of Swift Severn’s Flood, which has as its starting point William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1.
This disc brings together many different artistic disciplines – the high calibre musicianship of Luc Vertommen and BBU, the imaginative poetry of Martin Westlake dramatised by the voice of Frank Renton, and lastly the musical composition itself.
I would like to give a special mention to Luc Vertommen for his support, encouragement and enthusiasm in the making of this disc.
This double CD collection is dedicated to the memory of the late James Watson who was a great inspiration to me when first writing for brass band.
Nigel Clarke
Hear an extract from `When Worlds Collide’
Nigel’s latest brass band work `When Worlds Collide’ was performed at the 2013 European Brass Band Championships in Oslo, Norway by Brass Band Buizingen of which Nigel is Associate Composer. Conductor Luc Vertommen and the band came 4th overall in Oslo and came in front of some great bands including Black Dyke performing `When Worlds Collide’.
Iwan Fox for 4barsrest.com wrote 10/05/13) in their 2013 European Brass Band Championships Retrospective:
“Meanwhile, Buizingen also threw caution to the wind (from the word go in fact) with ‘When World’s Collide’, in a performance that put a huge smile of engaged curiosity on the faces of listeners in the hall and revealed without doubt that Nigel Clarke is one of the most inventive brass band composers of the age.”
[vimeo width=”430″ height=”298″]http://vimeo.com/65460113[/vimeo]
Peter Sheppard Skaerved is to perform Nigel Clarke’s solo violin work `Pernambuco’, as well as works by David Gorton, Haflidi Hallgrimsson & Ole Bull at Bergen’s Logen Theatre for tonight’s ‘Vibber’ (19/04/13). To see a previous performance of `Pernambuco’ given by Peter Sheppard Skaerved Youtube see clip below:
[youtube width=”430″ height=”329″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLeIh_ivTOY[/youtube]
Peter Sheppard Skaerved’s well used performance copy of `Pernambuco’ !!
Nigel has been invited to be the first Composer-in-Residence to the Marinierskapel der Koninklijke Marine (Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy) one of the great, great wind orchestras of the world!!
The first project will be to create a new concert work which will be premiered at the annual Marine Corps concert in November 2013 in Rotterdam. More information to follow shortly.
See the Marinierskapel der Koninklijke Marine conducted by Major Harmen Cnossen give an impressive rendition of Ottorino Respighi’s symphonic poem`Feste Romane’ on Youtube below. The Dutch jazz trumpeter Eric Vloeimans joins the band for a stunning second half programme.
[youtube width=”430″ height=”329″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EebOCZd_cLo[/youtube]
Australian conductor Ingrid Martin is to conduct my portrait overture `Tilbury Point’ on 1st May at the University of Minnesota, USA.
I wrote Tilbury Point as a short “whizz-bang” portrait overture for band. The idea came to me after visiting many of East London’s ancient riverside pubs along the River Thames. For many centuries these pubs have harboured smugglers, pirates and artists as well as London’s infamous Execution Dock. Tilbury Point refers to a site downriver where the pirate Captain Kidd’s body was displayed. His sentence was carried out in 1701 at `Execution Dock’. He was hung, dipped in hot tar to preserve his body and left for three tides to cover his body before being put in a metal cage and taken to Tilbury Point and displayed as a warning to other pirates sailing towards London. This appalling ritual was commonplace during these times! Tilbury Point makes use of the old Ballad of Captain Kidd, which became popular soon after his death. The overture conveys the vibrant feel of the River Thames at Tilbury Point.
Die Stadtmusik Endingen (City Music Endingen) will perform Nigel’s space epic ‘Gagarin’ on Saturday March 23rd conducted by Martin Baumgartner in the Stadthalle Endingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.
– Concert Programme –
Drei Georgische Fabeln – Robert Sheldon
Ruslan und Ljudmila – Mikhail I. Glinka
Gagarin – Nigel Clarke
Ukrainische Rhapsodie – Friedrich Deisenroth
Adagio aus Spartacus – Aram Chatschaturjan
Moskau Tscherjomuschki – Dmitri Schostakowitsch