8
PROMETHEAN EDITIONS NEW EDITION G ARETH FARR continues to be one of New Zealand’s most diverse compos- ers, having completed a characteristical- ly wide variety of national and interna- tional projects in 2008-09. Chief amongst these was his violin solo Wakatipu, commissioned as the set work for semi- finalists in the prestigious 2009 Michael Hill International Violin Competition, held in Queenstown and Auckland, New Zealand, in June. Farr attended the eight- een performances of the work, and was present when competition finalist Yoo Jin Jang was awarded the prize for best performance of the work. At the other end of the spectrum, music for stage and screen formed a large part of Farr’s work over the past year; his music for Kia Ora Khalid, a chil- dren’s opera, received praise throughout its New Zealand tour in March and April 2009. Other stage works included music for the plays Heat, and Blood Wedding. Farr’s 1992 work Pagan Prayer was integrated into a production featuring live orchestral music with innovative dance during Vancouver’s International Dance Festival in March 2009. Kokoro Dance collaborated with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to present the work alongside music by Scott Good and Arvo Pärt. Globe and Mail reviewer Elissa Poole commented on the “apocalyptic intensity” of Farr’s work, concluding that the col- laboration was “not a normal night at the symphony”. Most recently, Farr participated in a collaborative composition and perform- ance project for Susan Lei’ataua’s theatre work Breaking the Surface at Skirball Theatre, New York City on 16 April 2009. The latter was presented by the Asian/ Pacific/American Institute of New York University. Farr’s works have received a wide lis- tening over the past year. In November 2008, he was the featured composer on KUSC Classical, Los Angeles. Well-known host Jim Svejda presented a five hour programme on the composer’s life and work, introducing Farr to a huge new audience. The programme included works from Farr’s September 2008 album release Tangaroa (MMT2058), featuring percus- sionist Jeremy Fitzsimons. Tangaroa spent eleven consecutive weeks in the Radio New Zealand Classical Chart after its release in September 2008. Works on the album include the title piece, Tangaroa, (marimba solo), the well-known and much-played Kembang Suling (marimba and flute), Tuatara (per- cussion and piano), Dialogue (marimba and vibraphone) and Spook (marimba). A variety of prominent performers continue to promote Farr’s music in New Zealand and worldwide. In November 2008, renowned pianist Henry Wong Doe gave the North American premiere per- formance of The Horizon from Owhiro Bay at Carnegie Hall, New York. The work was originally commissioned as part of a cycle of short piano works by New Zealand composers and premiered by pianist Stephen De Pledge in February 2008. In February, Farr’s He Poroporoaki, for the New Zealand String Quartet and Richard Nunns, received its New Zealand premiere. In May, percussionists Jeremy Fitzsimons and Pedro Carneiro took Farr’s Dialogue to Portugal, where it was per- formed at the Lisbon Festival of Music. PROMETHEAN EDITIONS LIMITED ~ WELLINGTON ~ NEW ZEALAND | SEPTEMBER 2009 www.promethean-editions.com Promethean Editions Limited • PO Box 10-143, Wellington, New Zealand • P +64 4 473 5033 • F +64 4 473 5066 • [email protected] Publisher & Managing Director Ross Hendy • Promotion Executive Charley Davenport • Music Editor Alison Grant Production Coordinator Jared Commerer Not a normal night at the symphony Photo: Chris Randle REPERTOIRE RECOMMENDATION Vector Wellington Orchestra, 12 July 2008 BERNstEiN: Chichester Psalms FARR: Triple Concerto Rimsky-kORsAkOv: scheherezade Pagan Prayer performed by Kokoro Dance & Vancouver Symphony players Roundhouse Theatre, Vancouver

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Page 1: New Edition September 2009

P R O M E T H E A N E D I T I O N SNEW EDITION

GARETH FARR continues to be one of

New Zealand’s most diverse compos-

ers, having completed a characteristical-

ly wide variety of national and interna-

tional projects in 2008-09. Chief amongst

these was his violin solo Wakatipu,

commissioned as the set work for semi-

finalists in the prestigious 2009 Michael

Hill International Violin Competition,

held in Queenstown and Auckland, New

Zealand, in June. Farr attended the eight-

een performances of the work, and was

present when competition finalist Yoo

Jin Jang was awarded the prize for best

performance of the work.

At the other end of the spectrum,

music for stage and screen formed a

large part of Farr’s work over the past

year; his music for Kia Ora Khalid, a chil-

dren’s opera, received praise throughout

its New Zealand tour in March and April

2009. Other stage works included music

for the plays Heat, and Blood Wedding.

Farr’s 1992 work Pagan Prayer was

integrated into a production featuring

live orchestral music with innovative

dance during Vancouver’s International

Dance Festival in March 2009. Kokoro

Dance collaborated with the Vancouver

Symphony Orchestra to present the work

alongside music by Scott Good and Arvo

Pärt. Globe and Mail reviewer Elissa Poole

commented on the “apocalyptic intensity”

of Farr’s work, concluding that the col-

laboration was “not a normal night at the

symphony”.

Most recently, Farr participated in a

collaborative composition and perform-

ance project for Susan Lei’ataua’s theatre

work Breaking the Surface at Skirball

Theatre, New York City on 16 April 2009.

The latter was presented by the Asian/

Pacific/American Institute of New York

University.

Farr’s works have received a wide lis-

tening over the past year. In November

2008, he was the featured composer on

KUSC Classical, Los Angeles. Well-known

host Jim Svejda presented a five hour

programme on the composer’s life and

work, introducing Farr to a huge new

audience. The programme included works

from Farr’s September 2008 album release

Tangaroa (MMT2058), featuring percus-

sionist Jeremy Fitzsimons.

Tangaroa spent eleven consecutive

weeks in the Radio New Zealand Classical

Chart after its release in September 2008.

Works on the album include the title

piece, Tangaroa, (marimba solo), the

well-known and much-played Kembang

Suling (marimba and flute), Tuatara (per-

cussion and piano), Dialogue (marimba

and vibraphone) and Spook (marimba).

A variety of prominent performers

continue to promote Farr’s music in New

Zealand and worldwide. In November

2008, renowned pianist Henry Wong Doe

gave the North American premiere per-

formance of The Horizon from Owhiro

Bay at Carnegie Hall, New York. The work

was originally commissioned as part of

a cycle of short piano works by New

Zealand composers and premiered by

pianist Stephen De Pledge in February

2008. In February, Farr’s He Poroporoaki,

for the New Zealand String Quartet and

Richard Nunns, received its New Zealand

premiere. In May, percussionists Jeremy

Fitzsimons and Pedro Carneiro took Farr’s

Dialogue to Portugal, where it was per-

formed at the Lisbon Festival of Music.

PROMETHEAN EDITIONS LIMITED ~ WELLINGTON ~ NEW ZEALAND | SEPTEMBER 2009

www.promethean-editions.com Promethean Editions Limited • PO Box 10-143, Wellington, New Zealand • P +64 4 473 5033 • F +64 4 473 5066 • [email protected]

Publisher & Managing Director Ross Hendy • Promotion Executive Charley Davenport • Music Editor Alison Grant • Production Coordinator Jared Commerer

Not a normal night at the symphony

Pho

to: C

hri

s R

and

le

REPERTOIRE RECOMMENDATION Vector Wellington Orchestra, 12 July 2008

BERNstEiN: Chichester Psalms

FARR: Triple Concerto

Rimsky-kORsAkOv: scheherezade

Pagan Prayer performed by Kokoro Dance & Vancouver Symphony players Roundhouse Theatre,

Vancouver

Page 2: New Edition September 2009

Collaboration has been a key feature

of John Psathas’ recent work. In July

2008, Psathas arranged the music of New

Zealand psychedelic rock band Little

Bushman for their performance with the

Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra. The

performance was one of a series of well-

received concerts the APO has presented

in recent seasons featuring prominent

New Zealand bands of various types. In

October 2009, the New Zealand Orchestra

will present another programme featur-

ing the combined talents of Psathas and

the band.

Following on from the success of the

APO performance, Psathas was once again

engaged by the APO to work with Serj

Tankian, solo artist and unconventional

frontman of System of a Down. The per-

formance on 16 March 2009, featured

works from Tankian’s multifaceted solo

album Elect the Dead, scored by Tankian

and arranged by Psathas. Describing

the process of collaboration at the time,

Psathas said ‘the arrangements and

orchestrations keep getting bigger and

bigger. We’re scoring for a big orchestra,

and the APO certainly have their work

cut out for them. Serj is totally clear

about how he wants this to sound, and I

love that he’s been pushing me to come

up with ways to create an energy that is

different from, but as powerful as, the

performances on the Elect the Dead CD.’

The concert was filmed for eventual DVD

release.

Psathas’ works continue to excite

audiences around the world, with many

performers introducing his music to

new audiences. The New Zealand String

Quartet took Kartsigar on their 2008

European tour, and Giunter Percussion

and the Lithuanian State Symphony

Orchestra gave the European perform-

ance of the intense and exciting 2002 work

Psyzygysm. New Zealand percussionist

Jeremy Fitzsimons, an experienced per-

former of Psathas, joined forces with the

renowned percussionist Pedro Carneiro

to present Ukiyo in Portugal in May 2009.

Carneiro also played One Study One

Summary at the Percussive Arts Society

International Conference in Austin, Texas

in November 2008. Other North American

performances have included the Flexible

Music Ensemble’s performance of Mal

Occhio in New York City in March this year.

The Boston Crusaders recently performed

an arrangement of Psathas’ Maenads, the

final movement of his double concerto

View from Olympus, as part of their Drum

Corps International World Championship

show “The Core of Temptation”.

Psathas’ rich Greek musical heritage

will once again be front and centre in

Zeibekiko II, an update to his major 2004

work (conceived as an entire programme)

for the Nederlands Blazers Ensemble

and Greek traditional instrument solo-

ists. The wind ensemble toured Holland

with Zeibekiko in 2004 and it featured

in the Bath Festival (UK) later the same

year. New Zealand contemporary music

ensemble Stroma picked up the pro-

gramme and presented it in the 2006

New Zealand International Festival of the

Arts, with the original soloists. Zeibekiko

received immense praise, The Guardian

(UK) describing it as “an intoxicating col-

laboration … [that] balanced nostalgia

with celebration”. The NBE will premiere

Zeibekiko II in 2010. Zeibekiko II will

encompass 2500 years of Greek music,

from the Byzantine era to contemporary

Greek sounds. The programme will once

again feature and draw on the talent of

Manos Achalinotopoulos (clarino trum-

pet) and percussionist Vanelis Karypis.

Among the most prominent perform-

ers of Psathas’ music is the Takács Quartet,

who will tour Psathas 2008 commission A

Cool Wind to a number of US centres in

March-April 2009, including the New York

premiere at Carnegie Hall. Quartet mem-

ber András Fejér said of the work during

its premiere tour of New Zealand “it’s very

convincing… It certainly feels as though

it is looking back to the great tradition

of string quartet music. It’s deeply felt,

a thoroughly thought through composi-

tion.”

A number of commissions and oppor-

tunities will demand the composer’s

attention in late 2009 and 2010. Psathas

received the top bid in a SOUNZ Centre

for New Zealand Music fundraising auc-

tion to commission five prominent NZ

composers, and will compose a work for

the commissioner’s choice of performer in

the coming months. He is currently com-

pleting work on a new marimba concer-

to, the result of a collaboration between

Pedro Carneiro and a consortium of New

Zealand’s four major regional orchestras.

The new work will be performed around

the country.

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Composer news

Jeremy Fitzsimons

REPERTOIRE RECOMMENDATION NZSO, Olympic Cultural Festival, Beijing27 August 2008

PsAtHAs: Olympiad XXVIII

ELGAR: Cello Concerto

siBELius: symphony No.2

Page 3: New Edition September 2009

CHRISTOS HATZIS’ In the Fire of

Conflict has been wowing audienc-

es in many forms since its premiere

by Denise Djokic and Scott Ryan (with

dance by Peggy Baker), on 5 August

2008 during the Toronto Summer Music

Festival. The work, in two continuous

movements, was originally scored for

cello and percussion, accompanied

by a digital audio part sourced from

American rapper Steve Henry (a.k.a.

Bugsy H., of Christian rap group Poetik

Disciples). In March 2009 the work was

performed in Brooklyn, New York, by

Seth Woods and Bill Solomon. It has also

been reworked as a marimba solo, and

performed by Beverley Johnston at the

Nebojsa Zivkovic International Summer

Music Academy, in Germany (she also

performed Hatzis’ Fertility Rites), and

as a percussion quartet performed by

TorQ Percussion Ensemble, in Toronto,

Canada. Hatzis said of the collaboration

with Henry; I have always been fascinated

by the prosodic rhythmic discourse of hip-

hop music, but certainly not by its implicit

endorsement of misogyny and violence that

one so often encounters in hip-hop lyrics.

Poetik Disciples used the same musical tech-

niques to essentially create devotional songs

and that was very inspirational to me.

Following the successful commission

of Tongues of Fire for Beverley Johnston

and Dame Evelyn Glennie in 2007, Hatzis

has again composed a major work for

Glennie, commissioned by the Canadian

Broadcasting Corporation. Mirage?, for

solo percussion and chamber orchestra,

will be premiered in Winnipeg, Canada,

on 9 September 2009 by Glennie and

the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and

toured around Canada over the next three

weeks.

Hatzis has another major work being

premiered in the same week – Arabesque,

for solo violin, piano and string orches-

tra receives its first performance; Angèle

Dubeau will perform with La Pièta in

Mont-Tremblant, Canada. The work, which

Hatzis calls ‘autobiographical’, draws on a

variety of musical genres in the course

of its four movements. The work will be

performed in a number of Canadian and

US cities in late September and October

2009.

In October, Hatzis Redemption: Book 1

receives its world premiere in Ohio from

the Grammy Award winning Pacifica

Quartet with CityMusic Cleveland. The

work, 35 minutes in itself, is part of an

ambitious set of works. The Redemption

cycle, featuring five standalone works for

a variety of instrumental combinations,

is based on the theme of human redemp-

tion as expounded by turn-of-the-century

American seer Edgar Cayce. Redemption:

Book 5 is Hatzis’ well-received 2004 work

Sepulchre of Life, for soprano, Middle-

Eastern singer, SATB choir and symphony

orchestra. The complete set is expected to

encompass eight movements and some

two hours of music. Redemption: Books

2-4 are yet to be written.

Hatzis older works continue to receive

wide acclaim, with many receiving repeat

performances by prominent ensembles.

Vancouver Cantata Singers with Anne-

Julie Caron performed the 2000 work

Everlasting Light last October, while

Hatzis’ 2004 horn concerto Winter Solstice

was performed by the Camerata Orchestra

of Athens with Constantinos Siskos

(horn) and conductor Alexander Myrat

in January this year. The oboe concerto

Telluric Dances will receive its French

premiere from Gilles Loulier (oboe) and

Orchestre National de Montpellier in

November 2009. Hatzis’ percussion con-

certo Tongues of Fire has recently been

reworked for wind band by composer

Kevin Lau. The arrangement is the result

of a commission from a World Association

for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles

consortium, and will be first performed

by Rod Squance with the University of

Calgary Wind Ensemble early next year.

With such a wealth of performances,

of which these are only a small selec-

tion, it is no surprise that Hatzis was

the recipient of the 2008 Jan Matejcek

Concert Music Award. The prize, part of

Canada’s Juno Awards, is awarded to the

most performed and broadcast Canadian

composer, a testament to the breadth of

Hatzis’ appeal.

Angele Dubeau & La Pietà

REPERTOIRE RECOMMENDATION Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, 6 December 2008

COPLAND: three Latin-American sketches

HAtZis: Rebirth

BERNstEiN: Halil-Nocturne for Flute & Orchestra

BERNstEiN: symphonic Dances from West side story

Page 4: New Edition September 2009

Composer briefs

Promethean Editions’ published composers continue to

receive acclaim for their work.

Mike Nock, whose works feature in Firestarters 3, was

inducted into the Australian Jazz Hall of Fame at a ceremony

in Melbourne in 2009. Nock’s twenty-minute four-hand piano

work, Southern Suite, was premiered in May by New Zealand

pianists Michael Houstoun and Diedre Irons. In June, Nock’s

Fictional Realities was performed by the Apollo Trio, and broad-

cast live by the Australian Broadcasting Corporations, and pian-

ist Simon Tedeschi recorded two of Mike’s piano pieces for an

upcoming ABC classics album.

Helen Fisher’s choral and flute work Pounamu, first per-

formed in 1990, continues to draw performers and audiences

and students. A popular item in Promethean Editions’ Education

series, the work was performed in July and August by the

Auckland Choral Society, with conductor and flautist, Uwe

Grodd. Promethean Editions looks forward to adding three new

composers to the catalogue when Firestarters 4 is released early

2010.

Australian composer Katy Abbott has

recently returned to Melbourne from Dubai,

where she has been living. Since her return,

the composer has had her first sympho-

ny, Souls of Fire, broadcast in Australia and

Canada. Abbott has also been Composer-in-

Residence at the Conservatorium of Music at

the University of Tasmania in 2009.

New Zealand-based Gao Ping will contribute a piano work,

in addition to a busy year of composing, teaching and perform-

ing. In June, he played a recital with cellist Edith Salzmann at

Beijing’s Capital Normal University. NZTrio premiered the com-

poser’s new work Su Xie Si Ti (Four Sketches), in early July. A

piano quintet, mei, lan, zhu, ju, was also performed in August by

pianist John Chen, with the Singaporean T’ang Quartet.

Chris Gendall is a young New Zealand

composer currently undertaking the

D.M.A. programme at Cornell University,

New York. Gendall won the prestigious

SOUNZ Contemporary Award in 2008, one

of the youngest composers to do so. In

2009, Gendall was one of five composers

selected for a commission auction to raise

funds for SOUNZ Centre for NZ Music.

Stuart Greenbaum celebrated a recent success by winning

the Australian Music Centre/APRA ‘Orchestral Work of the

Year Award’ 2008 for his work 90 Minutes Circling the Earth. In

October 2009, he will be Composer-in-Residence for the Port

Fairy Spring Music Festival, which will include performances

of his works: Falling By Degrees, Evocation, Coventry Cathedral,

800 million heartbeats and Nelson Interludes. Greenbaum is also

the recipient of the 2009 Trans-Tasman composer residency, in

which he will travel to Auckland, NZ to work with NZTrio in

September.

Los Angeles and New York welcomed the music of Matthew

Hindson with the Adelaide Symphony’s tour and performance

of Kalkadunga, a concerto for didjeridu co-composed with

virtuoso William Barton in January this year. As Composer-in-

Residence with the Queensland Orchestra, Hindson was fea-

tured for a Composer Portrait concert on 31 August last month,

including performances of his orchestral works Rave-Elation,

Balkan Connection, two movements from A Symphony of Modern

Objects and a new version of Didjeribluegrass. On 23 September,

Hindson’s major new work Symphony No. 2: E=mc2 is to be pre-

miered by the Birmingham Royal Ballet in Birmingham, UK.

James Ledger continues to enjoy symphonic premieres as

Composer-in-Residence with the West Australian Symphony

Orchestra. In May they presented the world premiere of Arcs

and Planes. This month they are to present the world pre-

miere of Chronicles. In 2008, Ledger was awarded the Churchill

Fellowship for a research trip to Estonia, examining current

compositional practice.

The Westminster Philharmonia in London showcased com-

poser Anthony Ritchie with the performance of Symphony No.

1 ‘Boum’ in March this year. As Composer-in-Residence with

the Manukau Symphony Orchestra, Ritchie’s Piano Concerto

No.3 was premiered with soloist Emma Sayers in June. Another

notable performance this year was Widow’s Songs for choir, pre-

sented at the Asia Composers League in Korea.

This month, four works by Paul Stanhope feature at the

internationally renowned Vale of Glamorgan Festival in (Old

South) Wales: The Arch Window, Mularra, Yamihndi and the

Takemitsu prize-winning work Fantasia on a Theme of Vaughan

Williams to be performed by the BBC National Orchestra of

Wales.

Performer spotlight

DAME EVELYN GLENNIE has been a long-time sup-

porter of Promethean Editions’ composers. As the first

person to successfully create and sustain a full-time career

as a solo percussionist, Glennie was an early promoter of

the composers’ extensive list of percussion works. As well

as introducing works such as Psathas’ Drum Dances and

Matre’s Dance to her regular repertoire, she has premiered

works for solo percussion and orchestra, such as Farr’s Hikoi

(New Zealand Symphony Orchestra), Psathas’ View from

Olympus (Hallé Orchestra) and Percussion Concerto. Most

recently, she performed Christos Hatzis’ Tongues of Fire with

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Vancouver Symphony

Orchestra. In September 2009, Glennie will add another

major work from a Promethean composer to her repertoire

when she premieres Hatzis’ new concerto for percussion and

orchestra, Mirage? with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra in

Winnipeg, Canada.

Glennie writes, “Over the years it has been a terrific

Page 5: New Edition September 2009

experience for me to collaborate with composers from New

Zealand. They all have their own distinctive voices and

approaches, all extremely exciting and all deserve worldwide

recognition. Thanks to the internet and the dedicated support

from Promethean Editions people from all over the world are

able to tap into the exciting talent that NZ is producing includ-

ing other non national composers that are supported through

Promethean.

“The percussion concerti I have been involved with by

John Psathas, Gareth Farr and Christos Hatzis have all been

extremely worthwhile additions to the percussion repertoire.

The impact these pieces have had on not only myself but many

other percussionists, orchestras, conductors and audiences has

been extensive which is why we return to these composers

asking them to write more and more for our medium!

“I have really adored how Christos, John and Gareth have

totally embraced and understood the participation of the audi-

ence – they have understood the need to deliver something

memorable, exciting, intriguing, thought-provoking. Their

music has no boundaries and one cannot easily categorize

their styles or voices which is why they seem to strike at the

heart of all people.”

HAVING COMPLETED the first five volumes of the his-

torically important Larry Pruden Collected Edition,

Promethean Editions is beginning work on the publication

of another important collection, the complete piano works of

Douglas Lilburn (1915-2001). Lilburn occupies a pre-eminent

position in New Zealand music, with a legacy extending well

beyond his compositional output. As a composer, a teacher,

and later as an encouraging background presence, he presided

in innumerable ways over the artistic growth of this country.

His music, from the early works redolent of the influence of

Sibelius and Vaughan Williams, to the electro-

acoustic pieces of his later years, makes up a

corpus of works that has been instrumental in

establishing a genuinely vernacular voice in New

Zealand classical music.

The youngest of seven children, Douglas

Lilburn spent his early years on Drysdale, the

family sheep station in the central North Island.

After winning a prize offered by Percy Grainger for

a new New Zealand orchestral piece, he enrolled

in 1937 at the Royal College of Music in London,

where his teachers included R.O. Morris and

Vaughan Williams. On his return to New Zealand

he taught composition at the Cambridge Summer Music Schools,

and in 1947 joined the staff of the newly-established music fac-

ulty at Victoria University of Wellington. Here, until his retire-

ment in 1981, he established a centre for composition, bringing

to his own music and to his students the fruits of his investiga-

tions into international trends in contemporary composition. He

established Waiteata Music Press

in 1967, and in 1984 founded the

Lilburn Trust, which continues to

support and promote New Zealand

Music.

The collection will draw on

the expertise of Series Editor

Robert Hoskins, who contribut-

ed in the same capacity to the

Pruden Collected Edition. Hoskins

will be joined by

Contributing Editor

Rod Biss. As well as

being a composer himself, Biss has extensive expe-

rience in the publishing industry, having worked

for Schott London and later Production Director of

Faber Music, and one of the co-founders of Price

Milburn Music Ltd. Biss is well-known in New

Zealand as a discerning reviewer and music jour-

nalist for many of the country’s most prominent

magazines and newspapers. Biss and Hoskins work

alongside an editorial panel yet to be confirmed.

The complete works will encompass some 26

individual standalone works and suites (the Occasional Pieces

for Piano suite alone includes some twenty short works), over

three volumes of music. The first two volumes will be released in

late 2009, with the remaining four volumes expected by the end

of 2010. The series will also comprise of a best of collection and

a special version with edited selections for young players.

Douglas Lilburn Complete Piano Music

VOLUME 5Works for String Orchestra

DOUGLAS LILBURN Piano Music 1

Publication news

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Page 6: New Edition September 2009

Promethean Edition Series

GARETh FARR

DiALOGuE – viBRAPHONE AND mARimBA (PE083)

Dialogue was commissioned for Jeremy Fitzsimons to perform on a recording devoted to marimba music by Gareth Farr. it is set in three movements: introduction, kotekan, moto Perpetuo. this work explores the sonic interplay of the two instruments, from blending together as one sound to contrasting textures. ‘introduction’ is a development of a chord progression; ‘kotekan’ includes Balinese interlocking techniques (kotekan); and ‘moto Perpetuo’ surges forward with the two instruments interweaving in counterpoint, parallel motion and in canon.

tHREE EtuDEs – sOLO mARimBA (PE092)

Three Etudes was written while Farr was performing regularly as a marimba soloist. ‘From Duggan’ was created from the title theme music for the New Zealand television series Duggan for which Farr composed the soundtrack for two pilot episodes and the eleven one-hour episodes made subsequently. Duggan was a police-drama series in which Detective inspector John Duggan (played by John Bach) was given grisly murder cases to solve set against the scenic backdrop of New Zealand’s marlborough sounds. the second and third etudes were written for fellow percussionists Jeremy Fitzsimons and suzanne Warner respectively. Three Etudes showcases the many potential rhythmic and sonic possibilities of the marimba by exploiting virtuosic playing techniques (such as the double lateral stroke) and contrasting moods with seamless chordotonal melodies.

tHE HORiZON FROm OWHiRO BAy – sOLO PiANO (PE091)

The Horizon from Owhiro Bay was commissioned by the James Wallace Arts trust for pianist stephen De Pledge, as part of his programme of works by New Zealand composers, collectively titled ‘Landscape Preludes,’ first performed and presented this programme the New Zealand international Arts Festival on 28 February 2008. Farr writes: ‘this prelude is a musical representation of the view i see at twilight from my studio on the south Coast of Wellington - the moody dark green depths of Cook strait, the inky blue sky, and the endless unbroken horizon dividing the two. Fishing boats sit on the horizon all lit up, looking like little gleaming gemstones in the darkness. the occasional gust of wind stirs up wild eddies on the surface of the water, and the odd rogue wave hurls itself onto the rocks and up into the air in a spectacular explosion of sea spray.’

ChRISTOS hATZIS

OLD PHOtOGRAPHs – PiANO tRiO (PE104)

Old Photographs is a stand-alone movement for piano trio from the multimedia music theatre work Constantinople. Within the context of the larger work, it provides an antidote to the heartrending intensity of several of the other movements. unlike the rest of Constantinople, Old Photographs is totally based on western musical idioms and opens with an introspective theme for solo piano which is stylistically akin to the music of Robert schumann. As the work progresses the violin and cello enter and the music slowly drifts away from the classical/romantic mould of the opening towards early 20th-century popular idioms reminiscent of the music of Astor Piazzolla.

iN tHE FiRE OF CONFLiCt – sOLO PERCussiON WitH DiGitAL AuDiO (PE108)

In the Fire of Conflict is named after the theme for the 2008 toronto summer music Festival for which it was written. set in two continuous movements, ‘Rescue me’ & ‘i Call your Name,’ the live percussion part is performed with the rap music in the digital audio part, sourced from American rapper steve Henry a.k.a. ‘Bugsy H.’, of the Christian rap group Poetik Disciples. the live percussion weaves constantly around the rap lyrics, often drawing melodic contours from the prosodic contours of the spoken text.

JOhN PSAThAS

FRAGmENt (ARR. FitZsimONs) – viBRAPHONE & mARimBA (PE089)

this short work is an adaptation of a piano duet originally written to commemorate the retirement occasion of the composer’s first piano teacher, Peter Williams. At the time of its composition, Psathas was engaged in writing his double concerto for percussion, piano and orchestra, View From Olympus, and in mood and musical material, Fragment is related to the second movement of that work. this version for marimba and vibraphone was arranged by percussionist Jeremy Fitzsimons.

ONE stuDy ONE summARy – mARimBA, JuNk PERCussiON AND DiGitAL AuDiO (PE087)

One Study One Summary is a work for solo percussionist and digital audio, having been written for Pedro Carneiro, takes advantage of the performer’s collection of ‘junk percussion.’ As the title suggests, it is cast in two movements, and while the work exhibits the ‘busy’ motoric textures for which Psathas is well-known, reflective, atmospheric textures predominate throughout. this edition features two options for performance: one version with the junk percussion in the Digital Audio part (enabling performers to perform without live junk percussion), and another version without for performers to utilise their own battery of junk percussion. One Study One Summary was commissioned by Pedro Carneiro with funding support from Creative New Zealand.

sLEEPER – sOLO PiANO (PE090)

Sleeper was commissioned by the James Wallace Arts trust for pianist stephen De Pledge, as part of his programme of works by New Zealand composers, collectively titled ‘Landscape Preludes.’ De Pledge first performed and presented this programme at the New Zealand international Arts Festival on 28 February 2008. the composer writes: sleeper – noun, person who is asleep, a train carrying sleeping cars, a railroad tie. Sleeper is dedicated to the memory of young Fergus schulz, an intrepid traveler, still traveling…

Massey Edition

RAlPh VAuGhAN WIllIAMS

sCENEs FROm BuNyAN’s PiLGRim’s PROGREss (PmE14)

Edited by Nathaniel Lew

Published for the first time, Scenes Adapted from Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress contains the complete script and extant musical numbers from the 1907 and 1908 productions in London. this publication is edited and considered for modern readers and performers. the script is restored and clarified, and includes detailed music cues. the score draws on several primary sources, and existing gaps are filled with additional music selections and fabrications in the Appendix. in the preface, Nathaniel Lew explains the sources and editorial decisions leading to this publication, all of which makes for both a scholarly and practical work.

JOhN RITChIEPAPANui ROAD – ORCHEstRA (PmE11)

Rich with kaleidoscopic images, Papanui Road gives a vivid ‘snapshot’ of bustling central Christ-church during the 1950s – one that encompasses not only the cityscape but much of the composer’s own experience and spirit. the composer writes: ‘Having lived near Papanui Road for most of my life – having cycled, driven and walked on it, having shopped, eaten and prayed in or on it, i feel at home there. As young people say, it has ‘vibes’ for me. it certainly has memories... this concert overture tries to hint at the bustle, the vitality and the peace of Papanui Road; an impression rather than a picture... For all its pictorialism this concert overture is a serious, even a solemn and nostalgic work. its aim is to evoke memories and the atmosphere of an important, busy thoroughfare in the composer’s home town.’

The Massey University Music Edition is published by

Promethean Editions Limited

John RitchiePAPANUI ROADOrchestra

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The Massey University Music Edition is published by

Promethean Editions Limited

Scenes Adapted from Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress

By Evelyn U. Ouless

Music composed and selected by Ralph Vaughan WilliamsEdited by Nathaniel G. Lew

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Recent Editions

Page 7: New Edition September 2009

23 July 2008AuCkLAND tOWN HALL, AuCkLAND, NZJohn Psathas – A Cool Wind

takács Quartet

5 AuGuST 2008tORONtO summER musiC, WALtER HALL, tORONtO, CANADAChristos hatzis – In the Fire of Conflict

Denise Djokic (cello)Ryan scott (perc)

25 AuGuST 2008ZivkOviC iNtERNAtiONAL summER musiC ACADEmy, NEuWiED-ENGERs, GERmANyChristos hatzis – Fertility RitesChristos hatzis – In the Fire of Conflict

Beverley Johnston (percussion)

28 SEPTEMBER 2008AuCkLAND tOWN HALL, AuCkLAND, NZJohn Psathas – Four Ancient Greek SongsJohn Psathas – Abhisheka: String Orchestra

Auckland Chamber OrchestraPeter scholes (conductor)

17 OCTOBER 2008RyERsON uNitED CHuRCH, vANCOuvER, BC, CANADAChristos hatzis – Everlasting Light

vancouver Cantata singersAnne-Julie Caron (marimba)Eric Hannan (conductor)

5 NOVEMBER 2008DEvENtER, NEtHERLANDsJohn Psathas – Kartsigar

New Zealand string Quartet

8 NOVEMBER 2008PAsiC, AustiN CONvENtiON CENtER, AustiN tX, usAJohn Psathas – One Study One Summary

Pedro Carneiro (marimba)

17 NOVEMBER 2008WEiLL RECitAL HALL, CARNEGiE HALL, NEW yORk, Ny, usAGareth Farr – The Horizon from Owhiro Bay

Henry Wong Doe (piano)

5 DECEMBER 2008CENtRE iN tHE sQuARE, kitCHENER, ON, CANADAChristos hatzis – Rebirth

kitchener-Waterloo symphony stephen Dann (viola)Joana Carneiro (conductor)

8 JANuARy 2009WALtER HALL, tORONtO, ON, CANADAChristos hatzis – In the Fire of Conflict: Percussion Quartet

torQ Percussion Ensemble

20 JANuARy 2009AtHENs CONCERt HALL, AtHENs, GREECEChristos hatzis – Winter Solstice

Camerata Orchestra of Athens Constantinos siskos (horn)Alexander myrat (conductor)

24 JANuARy 2009viLNius CONGREss HALL, viLNius, LitHuANiAJohn Psathas – Psyzygysm

Giunter Percussion

6 FEBRuARy 2009ADAm CHAmBER musiC FEstivAL, st. JOHN’s mEtHODist CHuRCH, NELsON, NZGareth Farr & Richard Nunns – He Poroporoaki

New Zealand string QuartetRichard Nunns (taonga puoro)

14 –21 MARCh 2009CAPitAL E NAtiONAL ARts FEstivAL, tHE OPERA HOusE, WELLiNGtON, NZGareth Farr – Kia Ora Khalid

Dave Armstrong (writer)sara Brodie (director)

16 MARCh 2009AuCkLAND FEstivAL, BAPtist tABERNACLE, AuCkLAND, NZGareth Farr – Kembang Suling

Bridget Douglas (flute)Jeremy Fitzsimons (marimba)

20 MARCh 2009ROuNDHOusE tHEAtRE, yALEtOWN, vANCOuvER, BC, CANADAGareth Farr – Pagan Prayer

kokoro Dance Evan mitchell (conductor)vivian Houle (soprano)

26 MARCh 2009muNiCiPAL tHEAtRE, NAPiER, NZJohn Psathas – Olympiad XXVIII

New Zealand symphony Orchestra Pietari inkenen (conductor)

27 MARCh 2009tENRi CuLtuRAL iNstitutE, NEW yORk, Ny, usAJohn Psathas – Mal Occhio

Flexible music

3 APRIl 2009City RECitAL HALL ANGEL PLACE, syDNEy, NsW, AustRALiAJohn Psathas – Stream 3

modern music EnsembleDaryl Pratt (director)

28 APRIl 2009siCHuAN CONsERvAtORy OF musiC, CHENGDu siCHuAN, CHiNAJohn Psathas – Helix

NZtrio

30 MAy 2009BANG, CRAsH, sPLAsH, PERCussiON mARAtHON, PORtuGALGareth Farr – DialogueGareth Farr – TangaroaJohn Psathas – Ukiyo

Pedro Carneiro (percussion)Jeremy Fitzsimons (percussion)

30 JuNE 2009ZELtsmAN mARimBA FEstivAL 2009, HARPER HALL, APPLEtON, Wi, usAChristos hatzis – In the Fire of Conflict: Solo Percussion

Beverley Johnston (percussion)

29 July 2009sONNtAGskONZERtE im sPiEGELsAAL, BERLiN, GERmANyChristos hatzis – Old Photographs

Jung trio

30 July 2009GuitiNG FEstivAL 2009, GuitiNG POWER viLLAGE HALL, GuitiNG POWER, ukJohn Psathas – One Study One Summary

simone Rebello (percussion)

31 July 2009WALtER HALL, tORONtO, ON, CANADAChristos hatzis – String Quartet No. 2, The Gathering

Penderecki string Quartet

8 AuGuST 2009CHRistCHuRCH CAtHEDRAL iN tHE sQuARE, CHRistCHuRCH, NZGareth Farr – Illumina

the Jubilate singersGrant Hutchinson (director)Helen Charlton (soprano)

6 SEPTEMBER 2009LA FEtE DE LA musiQuE At tREmBLANt, DOWNtOWN mONt-tREmBLANt, QuEBEC, CANADAChristos hatzis – Arabesque

Angèle Dubeau (violin)La Pièta

9 SEPTEMBER 2009WEstmiNstER CHuRCH, WiNNiPEG, mANitOBA, CANADAChristos hatzis – Mirage?

manitoba Chamber Orchestra Dame Evelyn Glennie (percussion)Anne manson (conductor)

14 OCTOBER 2009HENRy H stAmBAuGH AuDitORium, yOuNGstOWN, OH, usAChristos hatzis – Redemption: Book 1

Pacifica QuartetCitymusic ClevelandDavid Allan miller (conductor)

31 OCTOBER 2009ELDER HALL, ADELAiDE, sA, AustRALiAJohn Psathas – Olympiad XXVIII

Elder Conservatorium symphony Orchestrakeith Crellin (conductor)

27 & 29 NOVEMBER 2009OPERA BERLiOZ, mONtPELLiER, FRANCEChristos hatzis – Telluric Dances

Gilles Loulier (oboe soloist)Orchestre National de montpellierLawrence Foster (conductor)

Premieres and selected performances

Photographs, clockwise (overleaf): Christos Hatzis

dawns his new ‘Aussie’ hat • martyn Wood from Kia Ora

Khalid, Gareth Farr’s new children’s opera, march 2009 •

Serj Tankian with John Psathas, march 2009 (Photo: Carla

Psathas) • Promethean Editions feature in Victorious,

spring 2009, Alumni magazine for victoria university of

Wellington, NZ • Percussionists Lenny Sakofsky, Thomas

Guldborg, Larry Reese, Pedro Carneiro, Jeremy Fitzsimons

& Lance Philip after performance of Psyzygysm by John

Psathas, Wellington, NZ, June 2008. (Photo: michael

Norris) • Pianist & composer Mike Nock enters Australian

Jazz Hall of Fame, melbourne, Australia, April 2009

(Photo: timothy Bateson)

Page 8: New Edition September 2009

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