R E C E N T C O N C E R T S
Thursday 25 October @ 1.05pm
Music Hall, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Silk Street, Barbican EC2Y
Further details: www.gsmd.ac.uk/events
Admission FREE
Music for mezzo soprano, oboe, clarinet, viola, cello & harp
Nicola LeFanu - Lament (1988)
Elizabeth Maconchy - Reflections (1960)
Nicola LeFanu - Mira Clar Tenebras (2002)
OKEANOS
Karina Lucas - mezzo
Sally Pryce - harp
Jinny Shaw - oboe
Kate Romano - clarinet
Bridget Carey - viola
Gemma Rosefield - cello
' An intellectual art... an impassioned argument, an intense but discaplined
expression of emotion.'
Elizabeth Maconchy's own remarks enshrine her elegant, radical and outstanding
contribution to British Music. This concert is part of the Elizabeth Maconchy Chamber Music Festival at the Guildhall School of Music, marking the centenary of her birth.
Generously supported by the Leche Trust and the Holst Foundation
8 August 2007, at 2pm
3 Choirs Festival, St Mary de Lode, Gloucester
Full details can be found at: www.3choirs.org/gloucester2007
Elizabeth Maconchy - Reflections
Ralph Vaughan Williams -Two Blake Songs i) Infant Joy ii) The Piper
Elizabeth Maconchy - Morning & Noon
Howard Skempton - Excursions (world premiere),
Nicola Lefanu - Songs for Jane (second performance)
Elizabeth Maconchy - Night
Gustav Holst - Two Hymns from The Rig Veda i) To the Waters ii) Hymn of the Travellers
Robin Holloway - Serenade in Db
OKEANOS
Karina Lucas - Mezzo Soprano
Sally Pryce - Harp
Kate Romano - Clarinet
Bridget Carey - Viola
Jinny Shaw - Oboe/Cor Anglais
28 July 2007, Music at Leasowes Bank
Ratlinghope, Shropshire
Full details can be found at: www.leasowesmusicfestival.co.uk
Music for oboe, clarinet, viola & harp
Howard Skempton - Gleams & Fragments (2003)
Elizabeth Maconchy - Reflections (1960)
John Joubert - Four Images (2003)
Adrian Williams - New Work (2007)*
Ross Edwards - Ulpirra (1999)
Robin Holloway - Serenade in Db (2004)
17 June 2007, Grassington Festival
Scargill House, Kettwell
further details www.grassington-festival.org.uk
OKEANOS present a colourful introduction to Japanese music. The koto (a large zither), the shakuhachi (a bamboo flute played by Zen Buddhist monks), the shamisen (three stringed lute) and sho (an imperial mouth organ) will play traditional, folk and contemporary music. The three performers will talk about these remarkable, little known instruments, and recount their experiences of learning music in Japan.
Clive Bell: shakuhachi
Melissa Holding: koto
Robin Thompson: sho and shamisen
PROGRAMME WILL INCLUDE:
Choshi, solo for sho mouth organ.
An ancient solo from the Heian period (800-1100 AD). The sho has its own section within the court Gagaku orchestra, the oldest extant orchestral tradition in the world.
Kumoijishi, solo for shakuhachi flute.
Translated as “The Cloud And The Lion”, the title combines symbols of success and magical power. This is one of the lighter pieces from the ancient Honkyoku solo repertoire. Originating in the Zen Buddhist tradition, where they were played by monks as meditation exercises rather than as music, these anonymous pieces were notated at the end of the 19th century.
Dan-mono, duo for two kotos.
This is one of a small corpus of solo instrumental pieces from the mid 17th century. It is attributed to Yatsuhashi Kengyo, founder of of the modern koto tradition. Formally the Dan-mono consist of sections known as dan, which are variations on the basic material of the piece.
Akatafu-bushi, for voice, sanshin (Okinawan lute) and koto.
For many centuries the kingdom of Ryukyu, whose main island Okinawa lies in the subtropical south of Japan, had its own independent government and cultural traditions. Robin Thompson’s deep investigation into classical Okinawan tradition is displayed as he plays the snakeskin-covered sanshin, Okinawa’s version of the Japanese shamisen lute.
Haru No Umi, by Michio Miyagi, for shakuhachi and koto.
“The Sea In Springtime” is one of the best known pieces by Miyagi, an accomplished koto player as well as composer. He wrote it in 1925 while visiting the seaside town of Tomo No Ura, near Hiroshima in west Japan.
Dundas, by Mike Adcock, for shakuhachi and koto.
Mike Adcock is a British composer and accordionist based in Gloucestershire. He studied composition with Gavin Bryars.
Improvisation, for the trio.
All members of the Okeanos group share an interest in contemporary composition and also improvisation, whereby a unique piece can spontaneously combust before an audience’s eyes. The traditional instruments stretch their legs into new musical areas.
Hanagasa Ondo, traditional song for trio.
“The Umbrella Hat Dance”. A well known song in praise of the Yamagata area, near Toyama. “Our pride in our country rests in our aubergines, our cucumbers and our dance with hats shaped like umbrellas. Please come to where I live – the rice (so much rice, it’s like a tree) will bow down to welcome you.”
REVIEWS:
“Okeanos - a kaleidoscope of vivid colours.” The Wire.
“This concert was superbly conceived to display the Japanese instruments in the ideal setting of St Lawrence - a high point of the City of London Festival.” www.musicalpointers.co.uk
Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 Feb From 10am
Jacqueline
du Pré Music Building
FREE
OF CHARGE
A chance over two days for composers and performers of any ability,
instrument or style to meet, discuss and have their pieces workshopped and
performed by high quality musicians. This years event also includes talks
and discussion on music for film.
Okeanos in collaboration with Ensemble Isis will workshop and perform new music
including improvisations and works for dance and film.
For full details :
www.ocmevents.org
or contact Tim Hand at OCM 01865 488 369
OKEANOS @ Oxford Contemporary Music Series
Bmic Cutting Edge Tour 2006
Saturday 18th November 2006 @ 8pm
£13.50 (£10 concessions)
Students and under 18’s: £5, Booking 0870 750 0659
Jaqueline du Pré Music Building, St Hilda’s College, Cowley Place, Oxford, OX4
1DY
New music for oboe, clarinet, viola, shakuhachi, sho, shamisen & koto
‘…a kaleidoscope of vivid colours…’
The Wire
‘…never less than intriguing, and often entrancingly beautiful. Dai Fujikura’s
Okeanos Breeze is a brilliantly virtuoso use of Okeanos’s rich palette…’
Ivan Hewitt The Telegraph
Dai Fujikura Touch of Breeze (2004)
Dai Fujikura Cutting Sky (2006)
Dai Fujikura Okeanos Breeze (2001)
Traditional Kumoijishi
Howard Skempton Fragments (2004)
Dan Goren New Work [WP] (2006)
Phillip Neil Martin Shattered Spectra (2001)
Akiko Ogawa Fantasia (2005)
Sadie Harrison Jinny’s Haiku [WP] (2006)
Paul Archbold Song Swarm (2005)
Traditional Choshi (Heian Period)
Dai Fujikura Rubi(co)n [UKP] (2006)
Toshi Ichiyanagi Transfiguration of Flowers II (1988)
OKEANOS
Clive Bell shakuhachi
Melissa Holding koto
Robin Thompson sho/shamisen
Bridget Carey viola
Pete Furniss clarinets
Jinny Shaw oboe/oboe d’amore
Much more than east/west fusion, the ensemble become one ‘superinstrument’ in
new music from Howard Skempton, Akiko Ogawa, Paul Archbold, including Dai Fujikura’s
recently completed trilogy featuring the cult classic Okeanos Breeze. Also featuring
world premieres from Dan Goren & Sadie Harrison and traditional works for shakuhachi & sho.
Original & compelling soundworld.
OKEANOS @ Oxford Contemporary Music Series
Bmic Cutting Edge Tour 2006
Thursday 9th November 2006 @ 5.45pm
£3 / £2 concessions - 2 under 10s free per adult - Booking: 01865
813800
Modern Art Oxford, 30 Pembroke Street, OXFORD OX1 1BP
New music for shakuhachi & koto
Oxford’s very own “gig-in-a-gallery happening” Nightshift
Traditional Kumoijishi, ‘The Cloud & the Lion’,
shakuhachi solo
Yatsuhashi Kengyo, Midare, koto solo
Mike Adcock, Dundas, shakuhachi and koto
Dan Goren, new work for shakuhachi WP
Michio Miyagi, Haru No Umi (The Sea In Springtime), shakuhachi and koto
Melissa Holding, new work for shakuhachi and koto. WP
Melissa Holding - Koto
Come along after work or before a night out
on thetown and experience some of the freshest
new music in the relaxed setting of MAO’s café.
You can visit MAO’s international art exhibitions too – they’re
open until the concerts start. We advise booking in advance as they are rather
popular.
Lively & engaging introductions and demonstrations of these fascinating
instruments.
Beautiful music for koto & shakuhachi played by virtuosi
Clive Bell & Melissa
Holding
OCM events supported by the PRS Foundation
R E C E N T E V E N T S
CAMBRIDGE SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL
Thursday 20th July
Music for oboe, clarinet, viola & harp
Howard Skempton Gleams & Fragments (2003)
Elizabeth Maconchy Reflections (1960)
Robin Holloway Serenade in Db (2004)
OKEANOS
Jinny Shaw oboe/cor anglais
Kate Romano clarinets
Bridget Carey viola
Sally Pryce harp
CITY OF LONDON FESTIVAL 2006
7th July @ 6 pm
St Lawrence Jewry, Gresham Street
Music for sho, koto, oboe, clarinet, viola, shakuhachi & shamisen
Broadcast on BBC Radio 3 Hear and Now
[ REVIEWS ]
of this concert
Dai Fujikura - Touch of Breeze
Dai Fujikura - Cutting Sky***
Dai Fujikura - Okeanos Breeze
Judith Bingham -The Cruelty of the Gods***
Toshi Ichiyanagi Hoshi no wa (galaxy)
Mai Fukasawa - Forgotten Psalm***
Toshi
Ichiyanagi - Transfiguration of Flowers II**
*** World Premiere ** UK Premiere
OKEANOS
Clive Bell - shakuhachi
Robin Thompson - sho/shamisen
Melissa Holding - koto
Bridget Carey - viola
Kate Romano - clarinet
Jinny Shaw - oboe
more details about the City of London Festival
"I fervently hope that there will be an opportunity
for audiences farther afield to savour what these adventurous musicians are
now doing, and its
real originality. Meanwhile, Okeanos Plus should not be missed at
City of London Festival on July 7th." Musical Pointers - [REVIEWS]
OKEANOS PLUS - SPNM - HIND SIGHT series directed by Rolf Hind
7 June 2006 - Spitalfields
Festival
at 19.30, Wilton's Music Hall, London E1 8JB £10/£5
8 June 2006 - York Late Music Festival
at 19.30, St Margaret's Church, Walmgate, York YO1 9TL £10/£8
13 June 2006 - RNCM Manchester
at 19.30, 124 Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9RD £10
READ THE REVIEWS OF OKEANOS PLUS
Western and Japanese sounds combine to explore traditional and contemporary
repertoire for a mixed ensemble. Soloists Etsuko Takezawa and Clive Bell
join leading contemporary music ensemble Okeanos.
The ensemble ran a "writing for" workshop on 15 November 2005.
Okeanos and guest Japanese artists, gave composers the chance to learn about
Japanese
instruments
and how to write for them.
Part of SPNM's Hind Sight series in collaboration
with Asian Music Circuit. Further information from SPNM
PERFORMERS:
Etsuko Takezawa, koto/bass koto/shamisen
Clive Bell, shakuhachi
Melissa Holding, koto
Robin Thompson, sho/shamisen
Sally Pryce, harp
Bridget Carey, viola
Pete Furniss, clarinets/perc
Jinny Shaw, oboe/oboe d’amore
PROGRAMME (for all 3 events):
Dai Fujikura - Okeanos Breeze
Nadja Plein - Sun Sleeping on River-Waves (awake at the waterfall) (world premiere)
Traditional
Christian Mason - under heaven: sometimes... (world premiere)
Toshio Hosokawa - Fragmente 1
Duncan MacLeod - Graffiti (world premiere)
Etsuko Takezawa - new work (world premiere)
Traditional shakuhachi solo
Basil Athanasiadis - Ithaka (world premiere)