Explore the music of English composer George Holloway
On March 30th 2024, I was honoured to participate in the C-Camerata International Festival for Contemporary Music, “Crossing Sounds”, both as a composer and a conductor. As the sole conductor for the festival, I had the chance to rehearse and conduct four world premieres, including my new work South of the Great Wall. The other works…Continue Reading “「跨響」-台北中央C國際當代音樂節：照片與媒體 C-Camerata International Festival for Contemporary Music “Crossing Sounds”: photos and media (March ’24)”
I answered this questionnaire for the pianist and musicologist I-Hsuan Olivia Tsai in March last year. She has been doing research into Western composers living and working in Asia, and has given presentations on my music alongside that of Paul San Gregory and Michael Timpson. Her next Lost in Diversity presentation will be at the…Continue Reading ““Lost in Diversity”- questionnaire response (from March ’23)”
購買票：https://www.opentix.life/event/176049… 節目介紹 本場現代室內⾳樂會之宗旨係以英國作曲家、指揮家—盧長劍的五⾸作品來呈現給台灣的藝 術⾳樂愛好者，其中四⾸作品皆是在國外曾受觀眾歡迎但尚未在台灣演出的作品，以及⼀⾸ 世界⾸演的⼗五重奏。盧長劍已來台將近五年，並已經引起了台灣的現代藝術性音樂愛好者的一定矚目。他希望能夠與大家分享他個⼈原創作品的肖像⾳樂會，來將⼀些他在來台以前所創作的重要作品呈現給台灣的觀眾，讓⼤家能更深入地認識他的創作世界。 曲⽬的編制、內容與背後的觀念包羅萬象，包含⼆、四、五、七以及⼗五重奏、有卡農、舞 台上和舞台下的演奏者、⼤⾃然中的靜⽌與流動的描繪、幾何性的拼貼、甚至有蛋⽩質分⼦ 微觀振動的聽覺化！ 盧長劍選⽤⽜津⼤學的哲學教授吉爾伯特・賴爾所創造的短語：「機械中的幽靈」（“ghost in the machine”）作為本場作曲家肖像⾳樂會的標題。儘管賴爾曾使⽤此短語來批 評哲學家勒內・笛卡爾⼼身⼆元論的觀念，因為他並不認為⼈類是⼀個有著靈魂和身體分開 的⼆元合體，但作曲家依然很著迷該比喻，並對他很有共鳴，因為它能貼切地形容本場⾳樂 會所選出的曲⽬均有的共通特點：這五部作品各⾃都有⾃⼰的公式或機械性的過程在背後運 ⾏著，但是它們仍然極其富有豐富的表情和戲劇性的表現⼒，這就是短語中的「機械」與 「幽靈」。 時間藝術工作室希望觀眾能接收到許多刺激與啟發，聽到從未聽過的聲響，藉此考 慮到新的⾳樂表現的可能性，並透過盧長劍有個性的⾳樂創作，重新認識現代⾳樂的語⾔。 演出曲目 ⟪德魯斯基寧卡農⟫ Druskininkanonas (2011) 為中音長笛、雙簧管、降E單簧管、低音管和中提琴而作 ⟪空城故事（第一篇）⟫ Novella (Chapter One) (2016-2017) 為大提琴和鋼琴而作 ⟪亞穩態⟫ Metastable （2019） 為弦樂四重奏而作 I. Godric of Finchale (c.1065-1170) II. Henry Purcell (1659-1695) III. Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) IV. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) V. Morton Feldman…Continue Reading “⟪機械中的幽靈⟫盧長劍作曲家肖像⾳樂會 “Ghost in the Machine”: George Holloway Composer Portrait Concert (April 9 2024)”
An update on the video/audio recordings of the pieces selected for inclusion in the “Symposium of New Works and Research into Contemporary Composers” (organised by Nanhua University Dept. of Ethnomusicology) : We have reached an important milestone. Po Wei Lai (violin), Yi-Chung Chang (violoncello) and Yun-Yao Kao (piano) (members of the Dominant5 piano quintet) worked…Continue Reading “Symposium of New Works: Recordings of Selected Compositions (July/Aug.’22) 當代作曲家新創作交流會：入選作品的錄影（2022年7至8月）”
I’m particularly proud of this interview I did with “The Inside Story”, published on the Parma Records blog, discussing my work for ‘cello and piano Novella (Chapter One), which is featured on the Thomas Mesa and Yoon Lee’s “Division of Memory” CD. In it I had a chance to explain some aspects of my compositional…Continue Reading “Interview with “The Inside Story” (Dec. 2021)”
Very happy to receive notification that the CD “Division of Memory”, featuring my duo Novella (Chapter One), won a bronze medal at the Global Music Awards 2021. Click on the link below to see the full name list. 很高興收到通知，包含我的二重奏《空城故事（第一篇）》的CD 「Division of Memory」 獲得了2021年的Global Music Awards的銅獎。可以打開以下的連結看看完整的名單： Global Music Awards – Music Competition Related Posts: 相關的貼文： …Continue Reading “CD 「Division of Memory」 獲得了Global Music Awards的銅獎（2022年2月）”
I’m delighted to announce that Thomas Mesa and Yoon Lee’s recording of “Novella (Chapter One)” for ‘cello and piano is finally being released this month. Read about the album here: Division of Memory The album is available on the following platforms: Spotify YouTube Apple Music I composed Novella (Chapter One) when I was living…Continue Reading “CD Release: “Novella (Chapter One)” for ‘cello and piano (Oct. 2021)”
Amazing performance today at the Atlantic Music Festival of my piece Dances in Time and Vertical Space. You can watch the full performance here (solo violin: Nicholas Hatt): For Chinese users: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzc5ODg0Mjk4OA==.html I took some videos of the dress rehearsal yesterday: For Chinese users: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzcxMDcwNjIzMg==.html For Chinese users: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzcxMDcwNjI0NA==.html …Continue Reading “Atlantic Music Festival- Dances in Time and Vertical Space- quintet version world premiere (7th July 2018)”
I finished my PhD at the University of Southampton in 2011, and passed the viva with minimal corrections in early 2012. It has been sitting on my computer (and in the Hartley Library at S’ton) all that time, and I thought I ought to put it up here, as it contains a lot of ideas…Continue Reading “PhD Portfolio and Commentary (2012)- download link”
In November/December 2017 I was honoured to visit Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, and rehearse my piece for cello and piano, Novella (Chapter One) with Fang Yijia and Li Xinyuan. They premiered the work on the 1st December, in what was one of the most enjoyable and awe-inspiring concerts I’ve ever seen (check out the…Continue Reading “Novella (Chapter One) for cello and piano (Premiere, Dec. 2017)”
You can see the documentary Tianjin International TV made about my rehearsals with the delightful Mulan Children’s Choir on this project here: Tianjin International TV: Hello! Tianjin documentary http://georgehollowaycomposer.com/?p=521 July 2018: Update I’ve got the videos of the three performances up online, you can see them here: For people in China, youku links below: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzcwNDY1OTk4NA==.html…Continue Reading “Opera for Children’s Choir: Cao Chong Weighs the Elephant 童声歌剧：曹冲称象 （2017）”
I worked with the director Cao Jing on her production of Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis in Summer 2015. I was so impressed by her imagination and talent, I was clear that I wanted to work with her on an improvised performance involving music, dance and theatre. This eventually became Ling, which we performed (each time utterly different)…Continue Reading “Ling 《灵》Improvised music, theatre and dance performance (2015/6)”
Dedicated to my mother. Performance in Southampton, 2012.
This vocal work sets the poetry of Li Po (Li Bai) in Chinese. The world premiere performance from my “Music for Voices” composer portrait concert in Southampton in 2012, was sung by English performers, and I did my best to coach them in the mandarin pronunciation (although of course Li Po’s own pronunciation is nothing…Continue Reading “Brief Journey (2007) for soprano, alto, erhu (or violin) and piano”
Setting of P.B. Shelley’s poem of the same name. During the first of my two years in Beijing (2012-3), I did not have many opportunities to make music. I was in the wilderness somewhat with my Chinese language learning. This was a welcome opportunity to perform my own music, although it was admittedly terrifying playing…Continue Reading “Mutability (2013) for solo soprano and piano”
This song cycle was written for, and premiered by soprano Ruth Hopkins. A Spark Lights the Void Within was written in memory of Lydia Press. I wrote the texts of the three recitatives in the wake of Lydia’s passing away, and later chose the Cavafy and Shelley poems to accompany my own. Southampton University Strings premiered…Continue Reading “A Spark Lights the Void Within (2009) for soprano and string orchestra (or piano and double bass)”
Bird Songs (2007-9) “Fifty-Nine Swans” (Yeats) “Black Rook in Rainy Weather” (Plath) “The Hierarchies of Sound” (Evans) I’ve uploaded 3 performances of my song cycle for mezzo and piano, “Bird Songs”. Each time working on this song cycle from scratch with a different singer was extraordinarily fun, and a tremendous challenge and learning experience. I…Continue Reading “Bird Songs (2007-9) song cycle for mezzo-soprano and piano”
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzE2NDE1ODcwMA==.html?spm=a2hzp.8253869.0.0 Program Note i. Chanson ii. Epitaphium The “Two Pieces for Violin and Piano” are actually two sections that together form one complete piece. In the first, the piano plays a systematically accelerating and decelerating sequence of rhythms, presenting a sequence of pitches based around the interval of a minor sixth; the violin…Continue Reading “Two Pieces for Violin and Piano (2008/10)”
Originalmelodie reflects upon lyricism in music, and upon the boundary between independent melodic line/contrapuntal ‘voice’ and figuration/accompaniment. It is also a tapestry of reminiscences, visiting Gustav Mahler, Charles Ives, Kaikhosru Sorabji, Ferruccio Busoni, traditional Taiwanese song, Jean Barraqué, Brian Ferneyhough and Felix Mendelssohn; only the last of these is quoted directly, whose Songs without Words were first published in London as Original Melodies for…Continue Reading “Originalemelodie (2010) for solo piano”
Oxonia, performed by Music Visualisation Laboratory, Profsajungu Rumai, Vilnius, Lithuania, 18th September 2009, as part of the Vilnius European City of Culture 2009. http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzE2NDE2Nzc0MA==.html?spm=a2hzp.8253869.0.0
This recording is Julian Jacobsen’s intensely expressive and exacting performance from 2007 (Turner Sims Concert Hall). This was the first piece I completed during my Masters study with Michael Finnissy; it was on the basis of this piece that I was chosen for the SPNM Shortlist (2006-9). The final form of the piece was…Continue Reading “Selected “early” works”