Bruised Rationals

Posted by Ken Edwards on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 Under: music
A text-music piece of mine from 1996, Bruised Rationals, is being revived next Tuesday (25 October) in a performance by the CoMA London Ensemble in their first concert of the autumn 2011 season.

As most composers will attest (and I am only a very part-time composer – writing the occasional song for The Moors being as much as I can manage right now), if getting a performance is hard, getting a second or third is almost impossible. I was fortunate enough at the time to be a member of the CoMA London group, then under the baton of Simon Foxley. He was very taken with my piece, a musical dramatisation of what had started out as a poem, and with his guidance and encouragement it was actually performed several times. But I didn't expect a revival 15 years later!

In the years since, the text itself has morphed into prose and found its final resting place as the fifth section of Nostalgia for Unknown Cities.

This time around, the speaking part will be taken by (soprano) Janet Oakes, not me. The music is partly written, partly a "guided free improvisation" by a large ensemble.

The conductor next Tuesday is Paul Burnell, and the concert, at St Leonards Church, Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JN, highlights the world premiere of "The Second Key" by Tansy Davies, as well as pieces by Michael Finnissy, Philip Cashian and others. It starts at 8.00pm and tickets cost £8 (£5 concessions) on the door.

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Ken Edwards This blog is written by Ken Edwards, co-founder and editor/publisher of Reality Street, and it's mainly about the press. Ken's personal blog can now be found at http://www.kenedwardsonline.co.uk