Howard Skempton - featured composer 2006/07

The Addison Singers Chamber Choir have enjoyed singing a number of Howard Skempton's beautifully crafted choral works, including He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven and We Who With Songs. In addition Howard was one of the composers commissioned to write a work to mark David Wordsworth's 10th anniversary as Musical Director - 'The Great Breath', one of the Anniversary commissions, was premiered in March 2005. It seems fitting that this close working relationship should be extended to involve the Oratorio Choir and for for both choirs to feature Howard's music during the 2006/07 season, to celebrate the composer's birthday.

Works to be performed will include:

Carol: Adam lay y-bounden
The Greath Breath, plus the world premiere of a companion piece also setting poetry by George Russell
Rise up, my Love
That Music Always Round Me - world premiere of the version for choir & organ

Howard Skempton was born in Chester in 1947 and has worked as a composer, accordionist and music publisher. He studied in London with Cornelius Cardew from 1967 and Cardew helped him consider a musical language of great simplicity. Since then he has continued to write, undeflected by compositional trends, producing a corpus of more than 300 works, many pieces being miniatures for solo piano or accordian. Skempton calls these pieces the central nervous system of his work.

Many works have been recorded, including the hugely successful Lento for orchestra, piano works by John Tilbury and an acclaimed choral collection performed by the choir of Queen's Colllege. During the coming year, EXAUDI and BCMG will record a new disc of choral and ensemble works for NMC. In edition the Bozzini Quartet will tour and record Skempton's award winning works for string quartet Catch and Tendrils.

Future plans include a new works for Liverpool's new music group 10/10 and a major song-cycle for James Gilchrist and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

Chorales for Orchestra
'Mesmeric stillness, beautiful orchestral colour - this music is not really expressive. It is just - there ' (Irish Times)

Lento for Orchestra
' . . . heading for cult status - captivating in its simple wistfulness' (BBC Music Magazine)
'Lento exercises a spell of hypnotic calm where simplistic means are transcended by visionary ends' (The Spectator)