University of York Music Press

We are delighted to read a timely Europadisc review of two of Sadie’s Afghanistan-inspired CDs - The Rosegarden of Light (Toccata Classics) and The Light Garden (Metier/Divine Art). Sadie has had a 20 year relationship with the music and musicians of Afghanistan and over this time has written 15 works for various ensembles and solo performers celebrating her love of the ancient and contemporary cultures of the country.

UYMP is delighted that the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Bramwell Tovey, will be including Elisabeth Lutyens’ music for the horror film ‘The Skull’ in its Prom programme on 2nd September, alongside works by Vaughan Williams, Carwithen and Malcolm Arnold (arr. C. Palmer).  The concert of 20th century British film music will take place at the Royal Albert Hall at 7.30pm.     

Thomas Simaku’s new album ‘con-ri-sonanza’, released in November 2020 by the Swedish label BIS records, has won international acclaim. Excellent reviews have been published by some of the most prestigious music magazines; the two most recent have been published in the UK and France. Following the review in the Cambridge University Press magazine Tempo in July 2021, another review has been published in the ‘Discs of the month’ column of the July-August 2021 issue of the Paris-based Classica magazine. 

Thomas Simaku’s work con-ri-sonanza for piano & strings will receive its UK premiere at the 2021 North York Moors Festival on 14th August.

The piece will be performed by internationally renowned artists Daniel Lebhardt (piano), Benjamin Baker and Sasha Raikhlina (violins), Bryony Gibson-Cornish (viola), and Claude Frochaux (cello) at Welburn Manor in North Yorkshire.

We are delighted that the Divine Art/Metier recording of Sadie’s new chamber work Fire in Song has received another excellent review, this time by Paul Conway in Musical Opinion. Conway writes: 'In Sadie Harrison’s Fire in Song, for clarinet, viola and two clapstick-playing narrators (2020), the creation story about fire is told by the Yolngu group of Aboriginal Australians. The work was written during the catastrophic bush fires that swept much of Australia in 2019-2020 and reflects on the Aboriginal approach to these fires.

We were very pleased to see Frederick Viner’s new work ‘Chase’ performed on Paul Barton's YouTube channel this week. A Feurich artist, Paul has amassed more than half a million subscribers on YouTube, and many of his performances have been viewed over a million times. 

https://snapemaltings.co.uk/music/residencies/creative-retreats/

We are delighted that Sadie has been granted a Creative Retreat at the Red Studio as part of the Snape Maltings Britten Pears Arts initiative. Creative Retreats say: 'For Benjamin Britten, a quiet place to compose was absolutely essential. He was fortunate enough to achieve this for most of his life, spending his last two decades at The Red House, down a quiet lane on the outskirts of Aldeburgh.

Thomas Simaku’s CD album on BIS Records, con-ri-sonanza, has received another great review, in July 2021’s Tempo magazine.  The review begins with a challenging remark from Simaku himself:

‘‘Life isn’t easy,’ said British-Albanian composer Thomas Simaku, ‘why should my music be?’  In con-ri-sonanza, an album for piano and string quartet, individually and together Joseph Houston and Quatuor Diotima bridge this implied difficulty admirably, producing genuine and vivid recordings.’

Distinguished UYMP composer David Lumsdaine has recently been in conversation with Frederick Viner.  In a most interesting discussion, Lumsdaine talks about his musical education, growing up in Australia, his lifelong fascination with birdsong and soundscapes.  Lumsdaine describes how he was drawn to composition, his childhood influences and the process of musical discovery.  He reminisces about studying for his degree in Sydney, in the early days of the Music course there, and his subsequent more formal study in England. 

French National Radio, France-Musique, have chosen Thomas Simaku’s new album in their list of best CDs (coup de coeur) of the 2020-21 season. A special programme is to be broadcast on Sunday, 4th July and can be heard here.

France Musique featured Simaku’s CD in their programme of 7th February 2021 and described his music as ‘astonishing’.

David Lancaster’s choral work Apocalypse has been recorded for future CD release on the Resonus Classics label.  Working over three days, the Ex Corde Vocal Ensemble (conducted by Paul Gameson) explored the vivid, sometimes violent, musical imagery of the score, which portrays the final fifteen days of the world as depicted in some of York’s medieval stained glass.  Alongside Apocalypse on the recording will be a new work, which similarly draws upon aspects of York’s rich medieval history.

On June 22nd at 7.30pm (this evening!) London New Wind Festival will broadcast an Association for the Promotion of English Composers concert, which will include Elisabeth Lutyens’ Footfalls Op. 128 for flute and piano and her Fantasie Trio Op. 55 for flute, clarinet and piano.  The concert was recorded on 9th June at the Craxton Studios.  It may be accessed via this YouTube link, or through the London New Wind Festival website.