Gavin Bryars Introduces
Gavin Bryars Provides Introductions to Many of his Prominent Compositions
Monday, April 18, 2011
As part of our deep dive into the music of English composer Gavin Bryars, we offer on-demand insight and commentary on numerous pieces from the composer himself. Hear the exclusive introductions throughout Never Failed Me Yet followed by the related pieces or listen to the unabridged versions of the composer's commentary in our permanent archive below.
Given the extent of Bryars's current repertoire, we've grouped pieces by the form of their original instrumentation. Performance details are taken from gavinbryars.com and Bryars's publisher, Schott Music.
Browse by genre: Stage | Orchestra | Concerto | Keyboard | Chamber | Vocal
Stage
Amjad (2007)
Dance by Edouard Lock, after Tchaikovsky for two violas, cello, piano
BIPED (1999)
ensemble and pre-recorded tape
G, Being the Confession and Last Testament of Johannes Gensfleisch, also known as Gutenberg, Master Printer, formerly of Strasbourg and Mainz (2001)
Opera for soloists and orchestra
Medea (1982; rev. 1984 and 1995)
Opera for soloists, chorus and orchestra
Orchestra
After the Requiem (1990, rev. 2003)
electric guitar and strings
The Archangel Trip (1993)
ensemble
Epilogue from Wonderlawn (1994, rev. 2006)
double bass choir and piano
Four Elements (1990)
large ensemble
The Porazzi Fragment (1999, rev. 2006)
string ensemble
The Sinking of the Titanic (1969)
digital tapes and ensemble
Concerto
Allegrasco (1983, rev. 1998)
clarinet or soprano saxophone and string orchestra
By the Vaar (1987)
double bass, bass clarinet, percussion and strings
Cello Concerto, "Farewell to Philosophy" (1995)
solo cello and orchestra
Double Bass Concerto, "Farewell to St. Petersburg" (2002)
solo double bass and orchestra
The Green Ray (1991)
soprano saxophone and chamber orchestra
The Old Tower of Lobenicht (1987)
violin or viola and chamber ensemble
Piano Concerto, "The Solway Canal" (2009)
solo piano, male choir and orchestra
Violin Concerto, "The Bulls of Bashan" (2000)
violin and orchestra
Keyboard
Ramble on Cortona (2010)
piano
Chamber
Alaric I or II (1989)
saxophone quartet
The Last Days (Die letzten Tage) (2002)
two violins
One Last Bar Then Joe Can Sing (1994)
5 percussion
The South Downs (1995)
cello and piano
String Quartet No. 1, "Between the National and the Bristol" (1985 )
string quartet
String Quartet No. 2 (1990)
string quartet
String Quartet No. 3 (1998)
string quartet
Sub Rosa (1986)
six players
The North Shore (1995)
viola and piano
Vocal
The Black River (2000)
soprano and organ
Cadmium Requiem (1989)
male voices and strings
Glorious Hill (1988, rev. 2005)
choir
The Summons (2008)
a capella male choir
Super Flumina (2000)
four unaccompanied voices or male choir
Three Poems of Cecco Angiolieri (1997)
mixed choir with soli
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Comments [4]
PorterAnderson -
I am at your service any time.
Richard -
You're too kind, surely, but thanks for your note, and I do get your point. I tend to carry on here at q2live.org in an attempt to get across my gratitude for what the outfit is doing. What we're hearing takes a lot of work to produce, as you know. As for widening the choir, I am, in fact, working on an idea in that regard and would love to be in touch with you about it once I have things firmed up a bit.
Always appreciate your good thoughts here, too -
-Porter
Porter-
You are a good writer with substance to your comments. But, here, you are preaching to the choir. You should be doing a blog to reach a wider world.
If the smartest, most comprehensive, and mind-bracing delivery of new music isn't enough for you, Q2 will win you over with its site's mushrooming body of archived material. Greatest and latest entry: This killer compendium of Gavin Bryars' eloquent, engaging commentaries heard during Q2's weeklong Never Failed Me Yet celebration of his work. This is a signal service, unequivocal evidence of Q2's commitment to its mission, a substantial investment of time and work, and a green ray on the horizon toward which Q2 is wooing us 24/7.
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