concert repertoire includes East Timor multimedia:
Tekee Tokee Tomak Using photographs by various people, this brand new piece will be premiered on this tour. Like all of Wesley-Smith's recent multimedia pieces, it requires a Macintosh computer (which we will bring with us), an LCD or DLP data projector (readily available these days - we might be able to bring one of those, too), some sort of screen, and a stereo sound system.	cl & CD-ROM [2003]	Martin Wesley-Smith images by various photographers, including Kathryn Morgan & Alice Wesley-Smith "Tekee Tokee Tomak" means, in a rough translation from the Tetum, "Let's get together and enjoy ourselves". This is what the East Timorese people are now trying to do in order to re-build their shattered lives and country.	12'
Welcome to the Hotel Turismo ... they went mad - they cried, and cheered (four times back to the stage, and I was beginning to get emotional too), and were spellbound. A couple of times - like in the cadenza, and right at the end before the 'Welcome to the Hotel T' comes back), it was SO quiet - it freaked me out ... I had complete strangers coming up, with tear-stained faces (saying) how powerful it was ... cellist Rachel Scott after her recent performance of Turismo in London	bass cl & CD-ROM [2000] review	Martin Wesley-Smith images by various photographers David Vance in The Sydney Morning Herald, August 13 1998, writing about Wesley-Smith's Timor piece Quito: "(His) music has never been far removed from political or social comment, and his gift for pastiche has served him well in adopting familiar styles, often (but not always) drawn from popular music, to ironic or satiric purposes." from a Timorese listener in Darwin to the ABC broadcast of Quito, May 6 1997: "It is a masterpiece of music. I cried my eyes out until no tears were left. I felt the tragedy of East Timor perforating my bones as I never felt before. I'm going to buy the CD." ** to download and view a short Shockwave movie (2.6MB) of the last section of this piece, click here	16'
X Commissioned by American clarinettist F. Gerard Errante, this piece has been performed, by him and by Ros, many times in the USA. It was composed in 1999 as the Indonesian military-promoted militia carnage was raging across East Timor. At the time, resistance leader Xanana Gusmão (the "X" of the title) was in Cipinang Prison, Jakarta. see separate web page	cl & CD-ROM [1999] review	Martin Wesley-Smith images by various photographers An audio-only version of this piece will be included on Ros Dunlop's new CD, X, which will be released by the time she arrives in London. A web page about this CD is currently under construction.	12'
audio-only pieces:
25 Measures Written for Australian clarinettist Peter Jenkin, this piece is short, succinct, quirky and lighthearted.	cl solo [1996]	Elena Kats-Chernin was born in Tashkent, in the former USSR, in 1957. In 1975 she migrated with her family to Australia, where she studied at the NSW Conservatorium. After studying with Helmut Lachenmann in West Germany, she remained in Europe for over a decade, writing incidental music for State theatres in Berlin, Vienna, Hamburg, and Bochum. She returned to Australia in 1994 and is now resident in Sydney where she is frequently commissioned and performed.	1'
Aurora Margery Smith: "At the time this piece was created, I was in the middle of a Canadian winter. I wanted to create the feeling of huge space, the continual shift of focus suggesting the flickering lights of the Aurora Borealis."	bass cl & CD [2001]	Margery Smith/Will Frasier Margery is an accomplished clarinettist as well as composer. Her solo engagements have included appearances with the Sydney Symph as soloist on clarinet and saxophone. Her latest work, T(F)ree Radicals for 3 Bass Clarinets, was composed for Touchbass.	10' 30"
Bastard's Broth commissioned by English saxophonist Kyle Horch, Steve arranged, in 2000, the saxophone part for bass clarinet; with the format of a jazz medley, the piece whizzes through many different styles very quickly with a zaniness reminiscent of Frank Zappa	bass cl & CD [1993]	Steve Ingham studied at the University of York with Bernard Rands, the University of Bloomington, Indiana, with Donald Erb, and, later, with Klaus Huber and Brian Ferneyhough at the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik, Freiburg. He now teaches at the University of Wollongong in New South Wales.	5' 34"
Cut to the Chase the title refers to early vaudeville routines when the vaudeville artist, upon realising that the audience is not responding or something has gone wrong on stage, "cuts to the chase" when he or she is chased around to close the act ...	cl solo [1996]	Richard Vella Australian composer. At one time Professor of Music at the now-defunct Music Department at the University of Latrobe, Richard now lives in Queensland.	45"
Hauturu This piece ("Where the Winds Rest") was written as a response in sound to a visit to the rugged island of Little Barrier (Hauturu), a bird sanctuary in the Hauraki gulf. John marvelled at the largely unspoilt grandeur of this fascinating environment with its extremely rough beeches, huge trees amid thick jungle, and the many varieties of indigenous birds.	bass cl & CD-ROM [1992]	John Rimmer John Rimmer recently retired from Auckland University where he held the position of Chair of the School of Music. One of New Zealand's leading composers, he now divides his time between composing and conducting.	9'
NRG composed for Dutch bass-clarinettist Henri Bok and Bass Instincts; "Some time before I had composed Bisoux, a rather languid nocturne for cor anglais and bass clarinet. However I now wished to compose something a little more up-tempo. Another nacht-stucke, yes, but this time much more funky and dance-like, perhaps even carnal. Certainly not a piece to be performed before retiring!"	bass cl [1996]	Gerard Brophy Australian composer living in Queensland; frequently commissioned, broadcast and performed in Australia, Japan, the USA and Europe; his works have been selected many times for performance at ISCM World Music Days.	5'
Worldwhorls Reflections, Os and Sinfin are works for woodwind and vibraphone reflecting aspects of the three great Rose windows of Chartres Cathedral. Worldwhorls, which completes the tetralogy, has its origins in the Labyrinth beneath the West Rose, which itself has strong connections with that window. The Labyrinth seems to me to be a metaphor for life itself. "Worldwhorls" bases its structure and wayward energy on the experience of walking the Labyrinth with this metaphor in mind.	bass cl [2000]	Anthony Gilbert English composer; recently retired as Head of Composition and Contemporary Music at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester; wide-ranging output; influence of Indian music in The Chakravaka-Bird, Towards Asavari, Vasanta with Dancing, Upstream River Rewa and other pieces; spends a lot of time in Australia	8'
in Europe only:
Iza with clarinettist Natascha Briger Natascha is an Australian clarinet/bass clarinet player with international orchestral and chamber experience; founder and director of the London-based contemporary group Bennelong Ensemble; performances in the Purcell Room and at Cheltenham and Aldeburgh Festivals; education workshops at schools and universities; live broadcasts for BBC Radio 3	two bass cls [1995]	Gerard Brophy Gerry's music has been performed and commissioned by some of the world's leading ensembles, including the Residentie Orkest, the St.Louis and Sydney Symphony Orchestras, ANUMADUTCHI, the Nash Ensemble, Nieuw Ensemble, Elision, Het Trio, Ensemble Modern, Chicago Pro Musica, Bang on a Can, Da Capo, 145 East, the ASKO Ensemble, Ensemble l'Itineraire, Duo Contemporain, de Ereprijs and 2E2M.	8' 30"
Lament with clarinettist Natascha Briger "In this piece, which was written in response to the death of a friend, I wanted to spin a long line of wordless lamentation. I was aiming to explore what one could say within quite strict limitations. Spinning out a few notes at a time: twisting and turning, keeping up a sense of momentum and a sense of progression. Underneath, the bleak intervals of 4ths and 5ths at cadence points are used to underpin the line, but also to unsettle it with uneasy independent movement."	cl & bass cl [2002]	Jennifer Fowler Australian composer living in London, where she works as a free-lance composer. Her 50' song cycle Eat and Be Eaten was premiered by The Song Company in 2001. She writes: "My aim is to convey a sense of direction in music which is guided by an evolving logic such that one cannot foresee the next step, since there are many possibilities open, but which will have a sound of inevitability when it arrives. I like to build-in a bias which allows change while retaining inner consistency. One needs to stimulate the imagination, step off the known paths, see a vision. Then one can communicate a sense of excitement!"	9'
Merry-Go-Round with bass-clarinettist Natascha Briger about Afghanistan	multimedia: cl, vlc & CD-ROM [2002] review	Martin Wesley-Smith photography by George Gittoes and Alice Wesley-Smith (model: Hollie-Berrie)	16'
Mitchell's Principles Based on Albanian Laws with clarinettist Natascha Briger First performed by Ian Mitchell and Colin Lawton at Goldsmiths College, this work explores musical styles derived from areas around Albania. Definitely "Klezmer" ...	two cls [2000]	Dave Smith Born in 1949, Dave Smith was a member of the Scratch Orchestra. He has since played in several composer/performer ensembles as well as with the English Gamelan Orchestra and Liria, specialising in Javanese classical music and Albanian folk music respectively. He has visited Albania many times and has written articles on the music as well as arranging Albanian compositions for performance.	4' 30"
Panama with clarinettist Natascha Briger The title refers to the 1930s jazz standard of the same name. The tape part has a strong rhythmic drive with a traditional jazz band rhythm section, computerised hi-hat and acoustic bass.	cl, bass cl & electronics [1991]	Steve Ingham Panama was commissioned by Roger Heaton and Ronald Woodley with funds from Northern Arts UK in 1991.	6' 07"

a review of a Dunlop/Wesley-Smith concert (with cellist Julia Ryder):

Charisma Leichhardt Town Hall, November 28 2002 reviewed by Harriet Cunningham written for The Sydney Morning Herald, but for reasons of "space limitations" not published In March and July this year, clarinettist Ros Dunlop gave concerts in East Timor. She was so concerned and inspired by what she saw that she set up a concert series, the 2002 Tekee Tokee Tomak Tour, to raise awareness and funds for the East Timorese cause. On the way, she roped in a number of other willing participants for a spirited and thought-provoking evening of words, music and pictures. Composer Martin Wesley-Smith has been a staunch supporter of the East Timor cause for many years, and this event was an ideal forum for three of his compositions, inspired by recent world events. Welcome to the Hotel Turismo tells of Dili's main hotel, where journalists, soldiers and homeless Timorese sheltered during the violence following the 1999 independence vote. Like all Wesley-Smith's works presented here, the acoustic part was accompanied by images and sounds on CD-ROM ... Generations of artists have struggled to find a language to give meaning to the senselessness of war. In X, a work for clarinet and CD-ROM dedicated to Xanana Gusmao, Wesley-Smith has taken up the challenge with every modern resource available to him, including extended techniques (brilliantly delivered by Ros Dunlop) and electronics. The result is genuinely confronting and moving: one cannot hope (or wish) to recreate the horror of East Timor in 1999, but this work is an important historical document. Perhaps not surprisingly, although the music is a fascinating patchwork of interwoven ideas, the most chilling moments are marked by silence. Merry-Go-Round was commissioned by Ros Dunlop and Julia Ryder for cello, clarinet and CD-ROM. Its inspiration is photographer George Gittoes' collection of images from a recent trip to Afghanistan, including a series of poignant shots of kids playing on a crude wooden merry-go-round. The music is rich in tone colours and drones evoking the traditional music of Afghanistan. My one criticism here would be that the stunning images deserved more measured presentation. The impact of the multimedia ephemera in the two previous works was enhanced by slick digital magic, but the haunting music and images of Merry-Go-Round needed no such hi-tech packaging. for more information about this concert, click here

lecture/demo topics include:

Musical Activism

Current Trends in Australian Music

New Australian Music for Clarinet

Carrollian Musical Processes

concert repertoire | review | lecture/demo topics | Dunlop & Wesley-Smith bios | pics | top of page

enquiries: e-mail Martin Wesley-Smith

schedule:
Tues Jan 14	SYD-LON
Thurs Jan 16	travel to Manchester; lunchhour concert, Royal Northern College of Music
Fri Jan 17 - Sun 19	concert (Fri night), master classes, workshops etc, Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester
Mon Jan 20	travel to London; rehearsals (with Natascha Briger)
Tues Jan 21	rehearsals
Wed Jan 22	meetings, rehearsals
Thurs Jan 23	concert at Sandwich Technology School, Kent (with Natascha Briger)
Fri Jan 24	concert at Oratory School, Reading (with Natascha Briger)
Sat Jan 25	meeting, drive to Liverpool
Sun Jan 26	concert at St Michael's Parish, Liverpool
Mon Jan 27	drive to Glasgow
Tues Jan 28-31	meetings, concert, seminars etc, University of Glasgow
Sat Feb 1	meetings, drive to Oxford via Edinburgh
Sun Feb 2	concert, Trinity College, Oxford
Mon Feb 3	concert, University of Kingston; drive to York
Tues Feb 4 - Wed 5	concert, master class at University of York; drive to London
Thurs Feb 6	concert for the British Music Information Centre, St Cyprian's Church, London NW1
Fri Feb 7-Sat Feb 8	LON-HKG
Sun Feb 9	rehearsals
Mon Feb 10	concert, lecture at University of Hong Kong
Tues Feb 11	Ros: HKG-SYD
Wed Feb 12-Fri 14	Martin: classes, lectures, Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts

Ros Dunlop has recently performed X and Welcome to the Hotel Turismo at the Community College of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, USA (Sept 28 2002), and the Academy of Music in Vilnius, Lithuania (Oct 1). She performed X, and Julia Ryder (cello) performed Welcome to the Hotel Turismo, on the 2002 Tekee Tokee Tomak Tour to Leichhardt, Mittagong and Kangaroo Valley (Australia). Together, Ros and Julia comprise the chamber duo Charisma; they have recently performed Merry-Go-Round, which they commissioned, in Berlin (Oct 7), Amsterdam (Oct 9), Gent (Oct 10), Darmstadt (Oct 13), and Weimar (Oct 14) as well as on the 2002 Tekee Tokee Tomak Tour. Dunlop and Wesley-Smith are grateful to the Australia Council for assisting, financially, the current tour.

concert repertoire | review | lecture/demo topics | bios | pics | top of page | schedule

enquiries: e-mail Martin Wesley-Smith | Dunlop's home page | Wesley-Smith's home page

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