Bassoon
Enno Poppe: Holz
Karlheinz Stockhausen: In Freundschaft
Angela Elizabeth Slater: On the Wind Colours Speak
From the Composer:
“On the wind colours speak was written in July 2020 for Ronan Whittern from Nevis Ensemble commissioned by Uist Hub: Sharon Clark, Samanta Groza, Maisie Wheeler and Zantay Brindley.
After my conversations with the Hub members in Uist I was struck by the different colours they described were present there in the sky, grass and water. I believe there is a deep connection between music and colour and this can be particularly explored in connection to timbre, density and texture. So taking the imagery conjured up from our conversations, shared photographs and pictures I have embarked on musically representing some of the beautiful subtleties of colours and the more dramatic sudden darker colours caused by Uist’s ever changing weather. The Balvanic beach was described as having as many shades of blue as you can imagine. Another student described Uist as being unpredictable like a Picasso painting and mentioned the colours yellow, dark grey and crimson.
In this piece I have started to explore the concept of colour theory – a theory that investigates the basic principles of primary colours, and how mixing colours at different denigrations, density, and textures can change our perception of a colour. I have taken these principles to explore how colour within music can be manipulated through timbre, harmony, and instrumental colour and help to convey and evoke the dramatic Uist coastal landscape.”
Conducting
The East Complex A Chamber Opera in Three Parts
Having escaped destitution and war in her hometown in the East, Agnieszka Petrowska, (referred to as AP00275S at work), now struggles in her work as a cleaning woman for a complex of buildings in her newly adoptive country. In moments between endless loops of cleaning, talking to her psychiatrist, taking medication, being overworked, she imagines herself as a powerful god-like being in search of a perfect physical manifestation of the Western ideal. The fantasy of her creation; where she controls the fate of her coworkers, becomes even more appealing one fateful day.
Live performance at Minard Schouwburg Ghent, Belgium 25.06.23
Written by Riles Walsh
with Yannick Verweij, Stage Design
Ronan Whittern, Conductor
Leonidas Kanavetsados, Costumes
Stefan Alexic, Libretto
Cast
Katie Koester, Odessa
Moa Karlsson, Agnes Noriko Yakushiji, Rito and The Receptionist
Thomas Vandenabeele, The Doctor
Florencia Molinero, Maria Eichler, & Vahe Harutyunyan as The Birds
Yan Rui, flutes; Ostap Bachynskyy, clarinets; Wouter Willems, percussion; Louis De Backere, accordion; Jose Pablo Zapata Usma, violin; Daniel Aztatzi, double bass
Quark Effect (former member)
Lithuanian-Irish trio born in Scotland “Quark Effect” (Kornelijus Pukinskis – alto saxophone, Dominykas Snarskis – drums, Ronan Whittern – electronics) focuses on experimental practice with sounds of acoustic instruments and electronics and are constantly looking for different approaches to create music. Their sound can be described as a mixture of spacious, minimalistic, and rationally intricate themes, followed by idiosyncratic Avant-garde stylistics. The music is inspired by the philosophy of theoretical physics (general relativity and quantum mechanics), the sincerity of human feelings, and exceptional life moments, events, items, and remarkable stories.