“Triumphant Technophonia!”, “momentous achievement”, “brilliantly conceived” and “astonishing demonstration”. Just a few of the many glowing comments we’ve received from audiences and Music Critic Ken Walton’s fantastic four star review (full text below) of Technophonia – our New Music 20×12 world premiere at the Queen’s Hall on Friday.
There are only two further opportunities to see and hear the piece performed live – so don’t miss out and get your tickets now for…
Technophonia Unpacked
Friday 22 June, 7:30pm
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Tickets £6 (£4 conc)
Box office: 0141 332 5057
New Music 20×12 Weekend Celebration
Sunday 15 July 2012, 12 noon
Southbank Centre
Free Event (+ online and phone booking fee)
Box Office: 0844 875 0073
www.ticketing.southbankcentre.co.uk
Photos from the event on Flickr
★★★★ Review of Technophonia by Kenneth Walton
The Scotsman, Saturday 16 June 2012
Last night’s concert celebrating 15 years of Drake Music Scotland – the charity that creates opportunities for people with disabilities to develop musical skills – was an astonishing demonstration of music’s power to release expressive creativity where you mighty least expect it.
The first half featured music played by, and more impressively composed by, pupils involved in the project, utilising an amazing assortment of technology and software that gave the youngsters full control of the live performance, and nuances that brought the music spontaneously alive,
Among the most sophisticated moments was a performance of Chris Jacquin’s Sea Sanctus, a sensitively textured composition written as his Higher Music submission.
But the most momentous achievement of the evening came in a second half dedicated to the world premiere of Scots composer Oliver Searle’s Technophonia, a linked series of “microscopic dances” written as one of this year’s 20 UK-wide Cultural Olympiad works commissioned by the Performing Rights Society.
Searle has spent the past year creating it in situ. And he, himself, conducted what is a brilliantly conceived fusion of the technology-based instruments played by the Drake Music Scotland kids with the conventional ones of the supporting City of Edinburgh Music School pupils.
Much of it is funky, rock-inspired and loaded with gutsy energy. All of it hung superbly together.
And what an eye-opener it was for us.
Download Technophonia
You can buy a recording of Technophonia via NMC Recordings Online shop (£0.79 mp3), Amazon and itunes.
Watch a 12 minute film made by Paul Maguire about our New Music 20×12 Technophonia Premiere at Queen’s Hall Edinburgh on 15 June 2012.
and a short item about the event broadcast on BBC Reporting Scotland on 27 June 2012.
About New Music 20×12
We are delighted to have been chosen as one of the twenty participants of the New Music 20×12, an independent commissioning programme initiated by Jillian Barker and David Cohen, delivered by PRS for Music Foundation in partnership with the BBC, The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, and Sound and Music.
On 10 December 2010, PRS for Music Foundation announced twenty outstanding pieces of new music which will feature centre stage of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad as London hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The twenty works commissioned for New Music 20×12 each last 12 minutes and offer a snapshot of the quality and diversity of new music in the UK. Each piece will be broadcast by BBC Radio 3 and tour the UK – ensuring as many people as possible have the opportunity to enjoy excellent new music as part of the 2012 celebrations.
Composer Oliver Searle (pictured above) has been commissioned to write Technophonia which will be scored for a new kind of ensemble that brings together cutting edge music interfaces used by Drake Music Scotland, the nation’s leading arts organisation providing music making opportunities for people with disabilities. Including an exciting partnership with the The ensemble will consist of 3 musicians playing music technology instruments and 14 musicians from the City of Edinburgh Music School. Oliver Searle’s music will inspire the young musicians to combine their individual talents to achieve a unique team performance, which will challenge how the audience defines musical instruments and performing musicians.
Drake Music Scotland on Twitter
New Music 20×12 is a UK-wide commissioning programme initiated by Jillian Barker and David Cohen, and delivered by PRS for Music Foundation in partnership with the BBC, London 2012, Sound and Music and NMC Recordings.
Special thanks to Creative Scotland for making this New Music 20×12 commission possible.
New Music 20×12 is generously supported by the following committed patrons and funders: Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, John S. Cohen Foundation, PRS for Music Foundation, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Wales, Columbia Foundation Fund of the Capital Community Foundation, Incorporated Society of Musicians, Musicians Benevolent Fund, Jerwood Charitable Foundation, RVW Trust, Charlotte and Dennis Stevenson, Tolkien Trust, The Leche Trust, The Bliss Trust, Finzi Trust, The Worshipful Company of Musicians, Lilian Slowe, John and Ann Tusa, John Wates Charitable Trust, Richard Walduck, Honeymead Arts Trust, and Sir Anthony Cleaver.
Funders and patrons websites are as follows (NB: Funders and patrons not listed here do not have a website):
Arts Council England: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/
Creative Scotland: http://www.creativescotland.com/
PRS for Music Foundation: http://www.prsformusicfoundation.com/
Arts Council of Northern Ireland: http://www.artscouncil-ni.org/
Arts Council of Wales: http://www.artswales.org.uk/
Incorporated Society of Musicians: http://www.ism.org/
Musicians Benevolent Fund: http://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/
Jerwood Charitable Foundation: http://www.jerwoodcharitablefoundation.org/
RVW Trust: http://www.rvwtrust.org.uk/
The Tolkien Trust: http://www.tolkientrust.org/
The Leche Trust: http://www.lechetrust.org/
The Bliss Trust: http://www.blisstrust.org/
Finzi Trust: http://www.geraldfinzi.org/
The Worshipful Company of Musicians http://www.wcom.org.uk/