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Sonic Art Oxford 2009
2nd April @ 3pm, Jaqueline du Pre Building, St Hilda's College, Cowley Place, Oxford, OX4 1DY Okeanos perform new music for Japanese and western instruments by students at Oxford Brookes University. Programme also to include traditional Japanese music. Radio 3 'In tune' Tuesday 21 July from 5.15pm Melissa Holding - koto & Clive Bell - Shakuhachi perform Kumoijishi: 'The Cloud & the Lion' - solo for shakuhachi flute. Haru No Umi: 'The Sea In Springtome' by Michio Miyagi,for shakuhachi and koto. Radio 3 Promenade Concert Interval Talk Friday 24 July from 8.15pm Robin Thompson talks about the traditional Japanese instrument, the sho. Dartington International Summer School Monday 24th August @ 10.30pm GREAT HALL A programme of Japanese ghost stories & folk tales, with storyteller Kumiko Mendl. Improvisation from Japanese instrumentalists. Dartington International Summer School Tuesday 25th August @ 8.15pm GREAT HALL Dai Fujikura: Touch of Breeze; Cutting Sky; Okeanos Breeze Traditional: Kumoijishi (The Cloud & the Lion) Michio Miyagi: Haru No Umi (The Sea in Springtime) Howard Skempton: Fragments Also works by Somei Satoh, Judith Bingham and Akiko Ogawa. And traditional Edo music including Rokudan Kumoijishi and Midare Glasgow University Chaplaincy Tuesday 29 September, 6.30 pm Japanese classical music, Clive Bell & Melissa Holding Edinburgh Central Library Wednesday 30 September 1pm Japanese classical music, Clive Bell & Melissa Holding Bmic The Cutting Edge @ The Warehouse Thursday 19th November at 7.30pm Electro-acoustic collaboration with combined forces of Okeanos and [rout] ensemble. Featuring new works by Ray Lee, Makiko Nishikaze, Paul Newland, Paul Whitty, Fumiko Miyachi, Nick Fells, Ryusuke Koarishi, Paul Dibley & Yumi Hara Cawkwell
2008 Concerts and Events
2007 Concerts and Events
• 25 October, Music Hall, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Silk Street, Barbican EC2Y
Music for mezzo soprano, oboe, clarinet, viola, cello & harp Nicola LeFanu - Lament (1988) Elizabeth Maconchy - Reflections (1960) Nicola LeFanu - Mira Clar Tenebras (2002) ' 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, 3 Choirs Festival, St Mary de Lode, Gloucester 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 • 28 July, Music at Leasowes Bank, Ratlinghope, Shropshire 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, Grassington Festival, Scargill House, Kettwell 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 INCLUDED: 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.” • 24 & 25 Febebruary, Jacqueline du Pré Music Building 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.
2006 Concerts and EventsOKEANOS @ Oxford Contemporary Music Series • 18 November 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) 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. • 9 November Bmic Cutting Edge Tour 2006 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 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 • 20 July CAMBRIDGE SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL Music for oboe, clarinet, viola & harp Howard Skempton Gleams & Fragments (2003) Elizabeth Maconchy Reflections (1960) Robin Holloway Serenade in Db (2004) 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**
"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, Spitalfields Festival, Wilton's Music Hall, London E1 8JB • 8 June, York Late Music Festival, St Margaret's Church, Walmgate, York YO1 9TL • 13 June, RNCM Manchester, 124 Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9RD 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. 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)
Vale of Glamorgan ReviewRian Evans The
Guardian (5th September 2005)
OKEANOS 2nd September 2005, Ewenny Priory Vale of Glamorgan Festival Review **** "At Ewenny Priory, the two premieres were given by the group Okeanos were for
oboe, clarinet, viola and harp. It is a combination in which the viola’s
role is both distinctive and tricky, since it shares some of the clarinet’s
lower register, while its plaintive timbre echoes the oboe.
BMIC Cutting Edge Review
Clive Bell THE WIRE
BMIC cutting edge series 2005 - The Warehouse Joe Cutler - Songs of the Kioti Paul Archbold - new work (WP) Anthony Powers - Interludes i-v Howard Skempton - Fragments Akiko Ogawa - Fantasia (WP) Dai Fujikura - Touch of Breeze Gabriel Jackson - A Piece of Sky Phillip Neil Martin - Shattered Spectra Yumi Hara Cawkwell - Moon viewing in Lee Valley (WP) Dai Fujikura - Okeanos Breeze (2001) "The largely female Okeanos quintet has a unique selling point: traditional Japanese instruments are offered to composers alongside oboe, clarinet and viola. The result is a kaleidoscope of vivid colours and some wonderfully lyrical writing. Judging by tonight’s collection of concise works by nine British and Japanese composers, the project is flourishing. Jinny Shaw’s mellifluous oboe starts the evening on a balcony over our heads, unravelling Joe Cutler’s “Songs Of The Kioti”, inspired by images in Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel An Artist Of The Floating World. “Song Swan”, Paul Archbold’s brand new piece, integrates the koto into a quartet that ambles through delicious chords – a woodwind section with a hint of acid from the koto. A sudden, well-timed entry from Robin Thompson’s sho mouth organ intensifies the colours further. There’s more patient chordal work in Howard Skempton’s “Fragments”. Skempton, a pupil of Cornelius Cardew, is famous for mixing simplicity and wry humour, a combo that makes him, for my money, Britain’s most beguiling composer. “Fragments” sounds like a lost Scottish air, heard years before and now recreated from memory by Japanese court musicians. Melissa Holding’s koto sits at the centre of what Okeanos are doing, both literally at the front of the stage, and in the sense that her coolly poised, subtle playing underpins so much of the music. In some hands the koto can be twanging and aggressive, angrily rattling the bars of its traditional confines. But Holding’s approach goes deeper, finding a kind of ancient wisdom in this Japanese equivalent of the Western piano. Young Japanese composer Akiko Ogawa places memories of her mother’s koto playing at the centre of her “Fantasia”. It’s a charming piece full of pastel shades, driven along by swooping koto glissandi. Gabriel Jackson refers to his “A Piece Of Sky (After Yoko Ono)” as an ‘instruction piece’. Tolerance and the fragility of the planet are the ideas underlying this unashamedly pretty composition. Seductive melodies and carefully timed ambient percussion make Jackson’s music irresistible – it’s too robust to be kitsch, and recalls Harold Budd’s pursuit of beauty. Bridget Carey throws herself bodily into an earthy, exhilarating viola solo which sounds informed by traditional styles. The composer is Phillip Neil Martin, recently returned from studying Gagaku court music in Japan. Pete Furniss’s solo clarinet (standing in for Okeanos’s usual Kate Romano) makes a fluent and convincing case for Anthony Powers’s “Interludes”: astringent, haiku-like snatches inspired by Wittgenstein. Finally, an Okeanos signature piece: Dai Fujikura’s “Okeanos Breeze”. Full of tension, colour and ensemble drama, the work is recognisably Japanese from a mile off, but it was Fujikura’s first work to include traditional instruments." |
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