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Severnside

Composers

Alliance Presents:

String Theory

The Bristol Ensemble

Leader Roger Huckle

Conductors Geoffrey Poole,

Julian Dale and Jolyon Laycock

Saturday 5 April 2014 7.30pm Cresswell Theatre, Bristol Cathedral Choir School Part of Music on the Edge 2013-14

programme price £1

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Severnside Composers Alliance

Music on the Edge 2013-14

Presents “String Theory”

The Bristol Ensemble Leader Roger Huckle

Conductors Geoffrey Poole, Julian Dale and Jolyon Laycock

Saturday 5 April 2014 7.30pm

Cresswell Theatre, Bristol Cathedral Choir School

1st Violins:

Roger Huckle - leader

Naomi Rump

Simon Kodurand

Amelia Grenfelt

Lucy Anne Allen

2nd

violins:

Simon Howes

Marian Givens

Liz Whittam

Katie Wilson

Violas:

Carl Hill

Bernard Kane

Ben Kaminski

David Hedges

Violoncellos:

Robyn Austin

Richard Phillips

Chris Greenhalgh

Amy Jolly

Double basses:

Hannah Grimley

Julian Dale

Programme:

Arvo Pärt – Fratres with Roger Huckle – Solo violin

Frank Harvey – Lament for Lost Content

Jolyon Laycock – Tetractys

–Interval–

John Cage – Atlas Eclipticalis

Short pause

David Simmonds – Hafren Rhapsody for Strings

Julian Leeks – Wake

Julian Dale – Sixth Suite for Strings

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Fratres

Arvo Pärt

Fratres exists in versions for a wide variety of combinations of instru-

ments. It exemplies Pärt's “tintinnabuli” style of composition. Fratres

consists of a set of eight or nine chord sequences, separated by a recurring

percussion motif. The first version for string quintet and wind quintet

(early music ensemble) was written in 1977. Further versions were written

over the years until 1992. The work exists most prominently in versions for

solo violin, string orchestra, string quartet, percussion, and for violin and

piano. The work seems to exemplify Pärt's observation that “the instant

and eternity are struggling within us”.

Lament for Lost Content (World premiere) Frank Harvey

Houseman’s imagery of “the land of lost content” has a particular

resonance for me. During an uncertain wartime and post-war childhood,

my happiest memories were visits to an ancient great aunt who had hardly

ever left the village of her birth and seemed to live in a Victorian “time

warp”. All too soon this “paradise” vanished and “will not come again”. I

have often felt angry that this and other happy experiences are so short

lived but I now feel grateful for the memory which will not vanish. I have

tried to express all this in the piece, which may be regarded as a memorial

tribute to Great Aunt Alice, and all those who shared her life. (FH)

Tetractys for String Orchestra (1996 – revised 2012) Jolyon Laycock

1. Threnody

2. Rhapsody

3. Hymnody

4. Parody

Tetractys was written in 1996 and first performed under the title Sinfonia

for Strings at the Forum, Bath, by the Rainbow International Ensemble

conducted by Roger Heaton. In 2012 it was substantially revised and

reduced in length. Its four movements are based on the Tetractys, also

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known as the Decad, a mystical symbol attributed to Pythagoras (570 –

circa 495 BC). The Tetractys is an equilateral triangle formed from the

sequence of the numbers one to ten aligned in four rows. It is both a

mathematical idea and a metaphysical symbol which is said to embrace the

principles of the natural world, the harmony of the cosmos, the ascent to

the divine and the mysteries of the divine realm.

The four lines of the Tetractys can symbolize the four elements of earth,

air, fire and water. As a mystical symbol, it was important to the worship

of the Pythagoreans, who would swear oaths by it and even addressed a

prayer to it as if it were a god:

Bless us, divine number, thou who generated gods and men! O holy,

holy Tetractys, thou that containest the root and source of the eternally

flowing creation! For the divine number begins with the profound, pure

unity until it comes to the holy four; then it begets the mother of all, the

all-comprising, all-bounding, the first-born, the never-swerving, the

never-tiring holy ten, the keyholder of all.

The Pythagorean musical system was said to be based on the Tetractys,

and is still, with some modification, the basis of our diatonic scale. The

rows can be read as the ratios of 4:3 (perfect fourth), 3:2 (perfect fifth) and

2:1 (octave), forming the basic intervals of the Pythagorean scale.

Tetractys consists of four movements corresponding to the four lines of the

Tetractys. A long circular sequence of 8-note “sea-chords” is played 10

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times altogether: once in the first movement, twice in the second, three

times in the third and four times in the fourth. It is subjected to a variety of

textural variations, distributed throughout the four movements. The chord

sequence consists of two simultaneous layers of 4-note “Sea-chords”

forming a multiple 8-part canon. Each movement bears a title related to

Greek prosody. Beginning with the slow opening Threnody, successive

movements are progressively faster in tempo so that all four are roughly

the same length in performance. JL

Atlas Eclipticalis John Cage

Atlas Eclipticalis was originally used as music for a choreographed piece

by Merce Cunningham entitled Aeon, with stage decors and costume

design by Robert Rauschenberg. It was later used for Cunningham's

first “Events” performance, Museum Event #1. Atlas Eclipticalis was

commissioned by the Montreal Festival Society and first performed in

Montreal in August 1961. It consists of a series of sonic events each

containing from one to ten notes, divided randomly into two groups. In his

introduction to the score Cage writes: “The composing means involved I-

Ching operations together with the placing of transparent templates on the

pages of an astronomical atlas and inscribing the positions of stars.” For

this purpose the composer used the Atlas Eclipticalis 1950.0, a star atlas

published in 1958 by the Czech astronomer, Antonín Becvár (1901-1965).

In performance the passage of time is determined by the conductor whose

arms act somewhat like the hands of a clock. The score consists of four

pages of symbols with five lines of music on each page which may be

played in whole or in part by any number of players, up to the full 86

specified. Each page lasts approximately ten minutes. Tonight we will

perform the first page only. (JL adapted from 4’33” at johncage.org/)

Hafren – Rhapsody for strings (world premiere) David Simmonds

The opening pages of this work were made in 1996 following a visit to the

Hafren Forest in Mid Wales. The Hafren Forest is on the lower slopes of

Plynlimon and the infant Afon Hafren (River Severn) runs through the

forest. The Rhapsody does not depict the whole of the journey of the River

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Severn, from source to tideway, but rather attempts to capture the essence

of the effect that various sections of the river has had on me, over the years

as I have visited it. The work runs continuously for just over eleven

minutes and is in five sections without a break:

1. In Hafren Forest: is eerily depictive.

2. The Young Severn: evokes the fast flowing infant river as it runs

through the forest - where my son and I stood astride it and jumped over it

- and out into the surrounding countryside.

3. Salopian Reflection: is a very short duet for solo Violin & Viola, which

evokes the ancient pastoral nature of the Severn in Shropshire.

4. In The Marches: is a magisterial slow movement, which evokes the

history and atmosphere of the castles and knights of the Marches, a part of

the world which Elgar described as “that sweet borderland where I have

made my home”. The movement uses several compositional devices:

ground base or (passacaglia); canon; and palindrome (the movement being

in two, exactly mirrored halves).

5. Ashleworth Quay: is an orchestration of my piano composition

Ashleworth, which is written about the atmosphere of the area around the

Church, Tithe Barn, Manor House and quay at Ashleworth, between

Gloucester & Tewkesbury. (DS)

Wake (world premiere) Julian Leeks

The Wake of the title could mean “to emerge from slumber” or “to become

aware of an essential truth that was previously obscured”. It could also

refer to a gathering after the funeral of a loved one. An element common to

each of these definitions is the notion of contrasting states; the transition

from one condition to another. It was initially conceived as a companion

piece to Krzysztof Penderecki’s Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, in

which I had hoped to explore how one might attempt to reach

an accommodation with indescribable grief, in an effort to continue living.

Although, for practical reasons, I was unable fully to pursue my original

idea, the fundamental concept remains evident – that the seeds of renewal

are to be found in the ashes of the past; that grief can be absorbed and

assimilated but never conquered. The resulting music is characterised by

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passages of extreme contrast. While all the music is evolved from the

same basic intervallic material, it is presented as "viewed" from wildly

different perspectives. (JL)

Sixth Suite for Strings Julian Dale

Bass Riff; D for Drone; Cross Rhythm; Double Pedal; Scherzando

Tonight we are presenting 5 movements from a suite which is rather a

loose bundle of 8 short pieces: “Bass Riff” shows an influence from

popular idioms. In “D for Drone” solo players decorate a held D, forming a

slow introduction to “Cross-rhythm”, a movement with a sunny disposition

that generally uses, in effect, two different metres going on at the same

time. “Double pedal”, a sequence of chords in which two notes are kept the

same throughout is followed by “Scherzando”, a jaunty, almost-tuneful

finale. (JD)

What is “String Theory”?

In the last few decades, string theory has emerged as the most promising

candidate for a theory of gravity but, more than that, it attempts to provide

a complete, unified, and consistent description of the fundamental structure

of our universe: a “Theory of Everything”. The idea behind string theory is

that all the different fundamental particles of the Standard Model are

different manifestations of one basic object: a string. If string theory is

correct, then under an extremely powerful microscope we would see that

an electron as not really a point, but a tiny oscillating loop of string. A

string can oscillate in different ways. If it oscillates in one way, we see an

electron. If it oscillates in another way, we call it a photon, or a quark. If

string theory is correct, the entire universe is made of strings!

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Biographies:

John Cage (1912–1992) was an American composer, music theorist,

writer, philosopher and artist. He was pioneer of indeterminacy in music,

and of electro-acoustic music and experimented with unconventional

performance techniques leading to the invention of the prepared piano. He

was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde and one of the

most influential American composers of the 20th century. He was also

influential in the development of modern dance through his work with

choreographer Merce Cunningham. His teachers included Henry Cowell

and Arnold Schoenberg. His studies of Indian philosophy and Zen

Bhuddism were major influences. The I Ching, the ancient Chinese Book

of Changes, became Cage's standard composition tool. His influence

spread to Britain through the work of Cornelius Cardew and other

composers associated with the Scratch Orchestra.

Julian Dale is a former winner of the Huddersfield Young Composers’

Competition, whose music has been broadcast on Radio 3 & Channel 4

TV. He has written for diverse professional and amateur groups, including

a body of work in an extended-tonal idiom for amateur orchestras & string

ensembles. A number of his works have prominent parts for double bass

(his own instrument). He has also made many string arrangements of music

from Machaut to Satie.

Frank Harvey was born in Southampton in 1939. After studying the piano

as a child he joined the Army as a musician. He trained as a clarinet pupil

at the Royal Military School of Music, gaining valuable experience as a

pianist in orchestral and chamber combinations and studying harmony and

counterpoint with W. A. Bennett, a former organist of Rochester Cathedral.

After leaving the Army he studied Music as a mature student at

Southampton University under Professor Peter Evans, David Brown and

Jonathan Harvey from whom he developed an interest in contemporary

music and composition. Later studies for a Masters degree gave him an

interest in music and philosophy. Influences on his style have included

childhood memories of the Southampton blitz, absurd aspects of Army life

and the perception of the world by autistic people as a bewildering,

incomprehensible, and contradictory place. He has two autistic sons.

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Roger Huckle has been the inspiration and guide for the Bristol Ensemble

since its foundation in 1994. Born in Bristol, Roger studied at the

Birmingham Conservatoire and with Frederick Grinke, was a member of

Norway's Bergen Philharmonic, and now performs with leading UK

orchestras including co-leading the London Concertante and Opera Box

Orchestra. Roger appreciates Bristol Ensemble players' musical hunger

and real commitment to the group's per-formances. He always aims for

heart-felt music making. Although his favourite journey is Bergen to Oslo

by road, he loves Bristol's Downs, and describes the tip of Worms Head in

the Gower as his favourite place in the world.

Jolyon Laycock became SCA Chairman in May 2011. He was born in

Bath in 1946 and studied for B.Mus and M.Phil in composition at the

University of Nottingham. His composition teachers included Henri

Pousseur and Cornelius Cardew. During the 1970s he pursued a

freelance career as an experimental sound artist. In 1979 he took up the

post of Music and Dance Co-ordinator at the Arnolfini in Bristol, running a

programme regarded as one of the most innovative outside London. In

1990 he took up the post of Concert Director at the University of Bath and

the Michael Tippett Centre at Bath Spa University College where he

founded the award-winning concert series “Rainbow over Bath”. In 2004

he was appointed Senior Lecturer in Arts Management at Oxford Brookes

University until 2010. In 2012 he won the EPSS Composers’ Competition

with his setting of Philip Larkin’s poem The North Ship.

Julian Leeks grew up in Cheltenham, where his early musical experience

was as a singer and guitarist in a number of bands. He began his formal

music education in his twenties. He subsequently studied for a BMus

degree at Cardiff University, with Anthony Powers and Michael Robinson

and for an MA and PhD at Bristol University, under the supervision of

John Pickard. He also teaches classical and electric guitar at Bristol

Grammar School. His music bears witness to diverse musical interests,

which range from medieval liturgical music, through to the contemporary

avant-garde and “world music” (in particular Indian and African music), as

well as rock and electronica. Julian lives in a village near Bristol, with his

wife Kathryn and their three young boys.

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Arvo Pärt was born in 1935 in Paide, Estonia. He emigrated with his

family in 1980, first to Vienna, where he took Austrian citizenship, later re-

locating to Berlin. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, he returned

to Estonia and now lives in Tallinn. Pärt's early works were influenced by

Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Bartók. His adoption of Schoenberg's twelve-

tone technique earned strong Soviet disapproval. During the early 70s he

underwent periods of self-imposed contemplative silence immersing

himself in plain-song and Renaissance polyphony. His style changed

radically. Compositions such as Fratres, Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin

Britten, and Tabula Rasa exemplify what Pärt calls his tintinnabuli style.

Geoffrey Poole is best known as a composer and educator, but has a

considerable career as pianist, particularly presenting new music. For many

years he was piano music reviewer for The Musical Times. He sustained a

34-year University career, first at Manchester until 2001 then in Bristol,

becoming Professor in 2004. Retirement in 2009 allowed him to reappear

as piano soloist and conductor. In 2011 he introduced several of his recent

“I Ching” pieces in the Poole/Skempton Elektrostatic showcase in Colston

Hall 2. His CD of 20 pieces written as a tribute by former pupils, “Joyous

Lake” was issued by Prima Facie in 2012. He premiered his Mountain

Book in Bristol in the PianoPiano 1 concert. His Zygotic Variations for

symphonic winds was premiered in Ontario in May 2013.

David Simmonds was born in London, in 1953, and moved to the West

Country in 1976. He earns his living as a Chartered Building Surveyor, in

his own practice. David studied composition, privately, with Nicholas

Keyworth and, as a life-long learning student, in the Composers'

Workshop at the University of Bristol, with John Pickard, Jolyon

Laycock and Mark Henry. David sings tenor with the RSCM Voices and

New Bristol Voices. He is Musical Director of the Amadeus Singers in

Somerset and a member of the Association of British Choral

Directors. David's compositions range from instrumental to choral works,

both sacred and secular. His 1st String Quartet was performed by the

Emerald Quartet in 2007. His 2nd

Quartet was premiered by the Bristol

Ensemble, at the Arnolfini in 2012. His choral work My Spirit Longeth for

Thee was given by New Bristol Voices at Arnos Vale Chapel in May 2013.

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The Bristol Ensemble holds a pivotal position in South West music,

presenting eighty events per year in the region’s major venues. Formed in

1994 by Roger Huckle, Bristol Ensemble is a musicians’ collective,

bringing together the best of the region's performers. The group regularly

works with outstanding international artists and soloists. They are

particularly known for their cross-art collaborations, their film and media

work and their contemporary music series Elektrostatic, working with such

artists as Gabriel Prokofiev, Juice, Get the Blessing, Charles Johnston,

Jane Manning and the USA group Eighth Blackbird.

Severnside Composers Alliance was formed in 2002 by a group of

composers based in the Bristol and Bath area to promote performances of

their own music and to stimulate a wider interest in the composition and

performance of new music in the region. SCA promotes an annual series of

concerts and composers’ talks in the region, this year under the title “Music

on the Edge”. www.severnsidecomposersalliance.co.uk

Forthcoming SCA events Spring 2014:

Worlds Elsewhere Sarah Leonard – soprano, Stephen Gutman - piano

& Mary Barrett – clarinet with members of the Bristol Ensemble

22 May 2014 8.00pm The Lantern, Colston Hall

Sarah Leonard is one of this country’s most prominent singers of

contemporary vocal music. She joins pianist Stephen Gutman and

members of the Bristol Ensemble to perform songs by SCA composers

including Trevor Jones, Julian Leeks and Steven Kings. Her programme

includes John Cage’s histrionic Aria for voice and world premieres of two

song cycles written especially for her: Sulyen Caradon’s Elsewhere and

Jolyon Laycock’s Dark Seas to texts by Philip Larkin.

Composers Talking - Dr. Julian Leeks “Music and Words � The Remains of our Lives”

Thursday 29 May, 7.30pm Victoria Rooms, Queens Road, Bristol.

The music of Julian Leeks bears witness to diverse musical interests

ranging from medieval liturgical music, through to the contemporary

avant-garde and “world music” as well as rock and electronica. He talks

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about his approach to setting words to music, exemplified by The Remains

of our Lives performed on 22 May.

Clarinet in Close-up CoMA/SCA collaboration featuring Mary Barrett, clarinet,

and the CoMA Bristol Ensemble, conductor Jolyon Laycock

4 June 2014 8.00pm The Lantern, Colston Hall

CoMA Bristol (Contemporary Music for All) is a group of adventurous

instrumentalists who are enthusiastic about performing contemporary

music. Following the success of last year’s “Cello on the Edge”, SCA and

CoMA join forces again to work with Mary Barrett, virtuoso professional

clarinettist, to bring you cutting-edge music for solo clarinet and small

ensemble including works by members of SCA and CoMA Bristol.

www.coma.org/bristol

Piano Triets – 3 is the Magic Number Contemporary music for three pianists at one piano.

Curated by John Pitts

21 June 2014 8.00pm The Lantern, Colston Hall

Following the great success of our 2012 event, Triets are back with an even

more stunning programme spanning the whole gamut of music for three

pianists at one piano, presented with the added visual fascination of a video

display where you can marvel at the dazzling finger-work. This music is

hot off the press – part of a recent surge in composition of virtuoso works

by composers from six countries. All tickets from the Colston Hall box office: 0844 887 1500

Supported by the Hinrichsen Foundation.

We acknowledge the support of the Paragon Concert Society who administer funds left to them by the late Leo Baker.