Noëlle-Anne Darbellay and Rene Camacaro at DMM 2019

  • On 20 Apr | '2019

    • April 20, 2019

    Fascinating concert last night as part of Days of Macedonian Music 2019 festival. Violinist Noëlle-Anne Darbellay performed my piece Fragments-Light beautifully, and cellist Rene Camacaro joined her for a programme of music by (mainly) Swiss and Macedonian composers: Jean-Luc Darbellay, Heinz Holliger, Georges Aperghis, Alfred Zimmerlin, Alek Pejovski and Bojana Petrovic Aleksova.

    Noëlle-Anne Darbellay and Rene Camacaro rehearsing in Daut Pašin Amam, Skopje.

    Edward Cowie’s ‘Particle Partita’

  • On 23 Mar | '2019

    • March 2019

    Performed by Peter Sheppard Skærved and Mihailo Trandafilovski
    an Optic Nerve production
    Director: Colin Still
    Editor: Jack Churchill
    Sound: Jonathan Haskell

    Edward Cowie and the Kreutzers in Cumbria

  • On 26 Feb | '2019

    • February 26, 2019

    We have just spent a wonderful weekend with Edward Cowie in Cumbria (home to the Lake District). In our concert at Kendal Parish Church last Saturday, we performed Edward’s 5th String Quartet (“Birdsong Bagatelles”), as well as Haydn’s “Bird”, “Lark” and Ravel’s quartets. Edward’s captivating world of birds, nature, music, art and science is an inspiration.

    ‘Music of the Spheres’ at the Guangzhou Triennal

  • On 17 Feb | '2019

    • February 2019

    Charlotte Jarvis’s ‘Music of the Spheres’ was exhibited the 2018 Guangzhou Triennial (China).

    The performance and installation cycle includes two compositions for string quartet: my Fibers AND Coils and Peter Sheppard Skaerved’s ‘Bubble Sequence’, as well as a middle movement: the bubbles in the photos contain a recording of an improvisaton by the Kreutzer Quartet encoded in specially made DNA.

    More about the project here:
    https://cgplondon.org/music-of-the-spheres/

    Recording Cowie’s “Particle Partita”

  • On 16 Jan | '2019

    • January 15, 2019

    Fantastic day recording / filming Edward Cowie’s insane violin duo “Particle Partita” with Peter Sheppard Skaerved. Watch this space for the film – produced by Colin Still / “Optic Nerve”.

    Recording “Particle Partita”. Photo by Peter Sheppard Skaerved.

    New SOKOM CDs

  • On 30 Dec | '2018

    • December 2018

    Two new CDs of Macedonian music have just been released by the Macedonian Composers’ Association – they include my pieces wind/hills/waves (for solo cello) and Fibers AND Coils (for string quartet). The performers are Yoni Gotlibovich (live recording of his brilliant performance at the DMM festival earlier this year), and the Kreutzer Quartet:

    Recording David Matthews’s 13th Quartet

  • On 27 Nov | '2018

    • November 27, 2018

    Great day recording David Matthews’s 13th Quartet with the Kreutzers and singers Rebecca Lea, Jessica Dandy, James Robinson and William Dawes. Here is a film of the premiere which we gave last July at Wilton’s:

    Hajdi Elzeser at Musikschule Lenze

  • On 13 Sep | '2018

    • September 13, 2018

    Coming up this Sunday: the brilliant Hajdi Elzeser performing at Musikschule Lenze, Germany – music by French and Macedonian composers, including my piece Ripples-Waves-Bells, which she premiered earlier in the year.

     

    Kreutzer Quartet at Wilton’s

  • On 21 Jul | '2018

    • July 21, 2018

    Fantastic to be back at Wilton’s Music Hall!

    Wonderful to work with singers Jess Dandy, William Dawes, Rebecca Lea and James Robinson on David Matthews’ 13th String Quartet, and many thanks to William Cole for his musical supervision.  Also on the programme: Bach/Michael Finnissy – Contrapunctus XIX and Continuation, Pavel Zemek (Novak) – Quartet 2 ‘Pizzicato’, Beethoven – Quartet Op 135, and Edward Cowie’s 6th Quartet ‘The Four Winds’.

    Here is a film of our peformance of the Cowie, recorded & directed by Colin Still:

    Kreutzers at the JDP centre, Oxford

  • On 3 Jun | '2018

    • June 3, 2018

    We had a fantastic time last night at the Jacqueline du Pre centre, St Hilda’s College, Oxford, presenting music and readings that explore the significance of music for the work of the Bloomsbury Group and Virginia Woolf in particular. The concert juxtaposed music that influenced Woolf – Bach Fugues, Mozart, Beethoven – with a new work by Jeremy Thurlow inspired by Woolf’s ‘Orlando’:

    http://www.ox.ac.uk/event/kreutzer-quartet-virginia-woolf%E2%80%99s-music

    Peter Sheppard Skaerved reading Virginia Woolf – Kreutzer Quartet at the JDP centre

    CD launch

  • On 8 May | '2018

    • June 1, 2018

    CD Launch

    at Craft Central (London, Isle of Dogs)

    Peter Sheppard Skærved – Violin/presenter

    Guest Artist – Mihailo Trandafilovski

    Music by Telemann, Bartók and Trandafilovski

    More info here: “Colours-Limits” at Craft Central

     

    Artwork Ensemble Piano Duo

  • On 6 Apr | '2018

    • April 6, 2018

    Two extraordinary musicians, Hajdi Elzeser and Nenad Lečić in Strumuca, Macedonia last night. Beautiful playing – playful, focused, intense, balanced.

    Music by Debussy, Schubert, Jana Andreevska, Kostadin Delinikolov, and my solo piano piece Ripples, Waves, Bells.

    Nenad Lečić


     

    Hajdi Elzeser

    Meitar Ensemble at DMM 2018

  • On 4 Apr | '2018

    • April 4, 2018

    Fantastic concert by the Meitar Ensemble at the Days of Macedonian Music Festival 2018. Music by Ari Ben-Shabetai, Angel Spiroski, Ayal Adler, Valentina Velkovska-Trajanovska, Ruben Seroussi, and myself.

    Here is a photo with cellist Yoni Gotlibovitch, after his performance of wind/hills/waves – he was just brilliant:

    With Yoni Gotlibovich

    DMM 2018

  • On 18 Mar | '2018

    • March 2018

    Looking forward to this year’s ‘Days of Macedonian Music’ festival. I will be working with cellist Yoni Gotlibovich from the Meitar Ensemble (Israel), and Macedonian pianist Hajdi Elzeser on two of my most recent pieces. Here is the brochure:

    Interfaces

  • On 3 Mar | '2018

    • March 2018

    Very exciting to be contributing towards this great project – Interfaces, coordinated by the Onassis Cultural Centre and supported by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union:

    “Interfaces is an international, interdisciplinary project focusing on bringing new music to an extensive range of new audiences. It involves a partnership of organisations from a wide range of European countries having a broad spectrum of experience in fields such as performing, multi-media exhibitions, new media, acoustic and electroacoustic research and education. This trans-sectoral approach is the key to opening up new perspectives on both the creative dimension of the project and the central objective, which is to engage new audiences of all ages and those potential audience segments which, for a variety of demographic or cultural reasons have not yet been exposed to the music of our time.”

    As part of this project, I have been asked by one of the participating institutions, the European University Cyprus, to write a set of pedagogical pieces: duos (student and teacher) – for two violins and four hands piano. Pedagogy is one of my passions as a musician, and as a composer, I have written for children before (e.g. my cycle Čekori), but not for a few years now – and it is very inspiring to come back to it.

    More information soon …

    Quatuor Diotima at Flagey, Brussels

  • On 27 Feb | '2018

    • February 20, 2018

    A few photos (by Francois de Ribaucourt) capturing the atmosphere at the wonderful concert given by Quatuor Diotima in Brussels (Flagey, Studio 1), as part of the ECSA (European Composer and Songwriter Alliance) ECCO project.

    With Diotima (Franck Chevalier, Yun Peng Zhao, Pierre Morlet, Constance Ronzatti) and selected composers Kimmo Hakola (Finland), Paul Pankert (Belgium), Andrea Tarrodi (Sweden), Malte Giesen (Germany), Helena Tulve (Estonia), and myself (Macedonia):

    Kreutzers at Goldsmiths 2018

  • On 20 Feb | '2018

    • February 1, 2018

    Back at Goldsmiths for a great day with student composers and a concert featuring works by Bach, George Holloway, Peter Dickinson, Edward Cowie and Michael Finnissy:

    Kreutzers at Goldsmiths

     

    Performing Finnissy at Goldsmiths – photo by Malene Skaerved

    ‘Composition & Craft’ at Craft Central

  • On 5 Dec | '2017

    • December 1, 2017

    ‘Composition & Craft’
    A first salon evening at the Forge, in association with Craft Central

    Peter Sheppard Skærved – Violin/presenter
    guest artist – jeweller Sylvia Edwards
    guest artist – Mihailo Trandafilovski-Violin

    A celebration of the links between making; between music and craft.
    Extraordinary 17th century instruments playing music of their own time and ours. New music responding to the artists at work at Craft Central, and by living composers. Dialogues; conversation with jeweller Sylvia Crawford, talking about her work and inspiration.
    Meet the artist, meet the composers.

    This event is inspired by the extraordinary archiecture and acoustics of the ‘The Forge’, which was part of the Victorian iron shipbuilding industry. After the decline of shipbuilding, The Forge was part of the box girder bridge building industry which exported bridges across the world. Manufacture finally ceased in the 1950’s. Although some alterations have been made to the structure, much of this exciting building remains intact.

    Hafliði Hallgrimsson – Paul Klee Studies (world premiere)
    Judith Bingham-The Lost Works of Paganini (2014)
    Roger Redgate-Caprice 1 (world premiere)
    Mihailo Trandafillovski-‘Colours/Limits’ and ‘Arc-en-Ciel’
    David Matthews- ‘Sibeliad’ & ‘Three Chants’ (world premiere)
    Sadie Harrison- ‘Tarab’ for Two Violins (World Premiere)
    Nigel Clarke-Pernambuco (1994) & Loulan (2003)

    And works by composers from the 1600s including Biagio Marini, Henry Purcell. Nicola Matteis, and more

    Played on instruments by NIcolo Amati, Antonio Stradivari

    Kreutzers recording Dickinson and Cowie

  • On 29 Nov | '2017

    • November 29, 2017

    Today and next Monday, we are recording quartets by Peter Dickinson and Edward Cowie. More information about upcoming CDs of their music soon.

    Kreutzers at All Saints, East Finchley. Photo by Peter Sheppard Skaerved

    New piece for Linda Merrick

  • On 25 Nov | '2017

    • November 23, 2017

    Great afternoon working with the wonderful clarinettist Linda Merrick at the RNCM – exploring the instrument and gathering material for a new piece (clarinet, violin and piano) that I am writing for her. Here we are earlier in the year – Linda rehearsing the solo movement from Michael Finnissy’s clarinet quintet, written for us:

    Photo by Peter Sheppard Skaerved

    Musical Orbit

  • On 12 Nov | '2017

    • November 12, 2017

    I am thrilled to have joined the roster of teachers at Musical Orbit – a great project led by Nicole Wilson, allowing for direct, person to person lessons online!

    If you are interested in a one off lesson, or in finding a regular teacher, you might want to check it out.  The teaching roster includes a number of internationally renowned professionals.

    Here is a link to my page on Musical Orbit:

    Musical Orbit – Mihailo Trandafilovski

    Photo by Claire Borley

    Preludes and Vollenteries 5

  • On 3 Nov | '2017

    • November 3, 2017

    Tonight, I am joining Peter Sheppard Skærved’s inspiring series ‘Preludes and Vollenteries’, exploring the baroque violin and the astonishing churches of London’s Square Mile.  We are playing music by Georg Philip Telemann, including his suite ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, several of my duos from ‘Čekori’, and my duo ‘Arc-en-Ciel’.  Details here:

    Preludes and Vollenteries 5 at St. Botolph without Bishopsgate

     

    Peter Sheppard Skærved at St. Botolph. Photo by Malene Skærved

    Hajdi Elzeser & Ensemble Horizonte

  • On 30 Sep | '2017

    • September 30, 2017

    Thrilled to be working with my friend and fantastic pianist Heidi Elsässer and Ensemble Horizonte – concert tonight in Detmold, Germany as part of the 8. Hörfest Neue Musik. On the programme is my TRI-O, and music by Jana Andreevska and Lang:

    [gview file=”http://www.ensemblehorizonte.de//bilder/Flyer%208.%20HF%202017.pdf”]

    Kreutzers & Linda Merrick at the RNCM

  • On 28 Apr | '2017

    • April 28, 2017

    Rehearsing with Michael Finnissy, Linda Merrick and the Kreutzers at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.  Today, premieres of thrilling new clarinet quintets by Paul Pellay, Adam Gorb and Finnissy, + my quartet ‘Star Factory’:

    Photo by Peter Sheppard Skaerved

    Photo by Peter Sheppard Skaerved

    Ensemble Horizonte at DMM 2017

  • On 15 Apr | '2017

    • April 12, 2017

    Having a fantastic time in my home country.  Great to work with violinist Mareike Neumann and flutist Dante Montoya from Detmold-based ‘Ensemble Horizonte’, and the Macedonian pianist Kristina Svetieva.  Tonight they are playing my TRI-O and music by Tairi, Combier, Mittmann, Krishino and Pande Shahov, as part of the Days of Macedonian Music 2017 festival.

     

    EH-2013-1

    Ensemble Horizonte

    Recording ‘Fibers AND Coils’

  • On 20 Mar | '2017

    • March 20, 2017

    Truly a privilege to be able to work with these three amazing musicians, collaborators and friends – today with Peter Sheppard Skaerved, Clifton Harrison and Neil Heyde, after recording my quartet ‘Fibers AND Coils’:

    Recording FC

    Here is an outtake:
     
    Recorded at Saint John the Baptist church, Aldbury.
    Sound: Jonathan Haskell

    Ana Gaceva at the Meridian Festival – Romania

  • On 8 Nov | '2016

    • November 8, 2016

    Ana Gaceva

    Ana Gaceva

    The wonderful Macedonian pianist and my close collaborator Ana Gaceva is giving a recital at the Meridian Festival of Contemporary Music in Bucharest, organised by the Romanian section of the ISCM. The programme includes my piece Ripple Effect, which she premiered in 2011.

    Full programme here:
    http://cimro.ro/meridian-2016/

    ‘Weaving Threads’ – Virginia Woolf and String Quartets

  • On 3 Nov | '2016

    • November 3, 2016

    Photo by Peter Sheppard Skaerved

    Rehearsing in the Robinson College Chapel, Cambridge. Photo by Peter Sheppard Skaerved

    Tonight we are playing in Cambridge (Robinson College Chapel). The concert explores Virginia Woolf’s interest in string quartets and features new work inspired by her writing. Programme includes new pieces by Jeremy Thurlow and Elliott Schwartz, Priaulx Rainier’s string quartet and Beethoven’s op.135:

    https://www.cambridgelivetrust.co.uk/tickets/events/weaving-threads-virginia-woolf-string-quartets

    Kreutzer Quartet at Tianjin Conservatory

  • On 23 Oct | '2016

    • October 16-22, 2016

    china-posterJust back from China, where we have had the most inspiring time, in residency at the Tianjin Conservatory of Music. A week of concerts, workshops, masterclasses and discovery – organised by our host, George Holloway (head of composition).

    The two concerts focused predominantly on British music:

    Programme One:
    Mihailo Trandafilovski – ‘Fibers AND Coils’ (2015)
    George Holloway – ‘Birds in Flight’ (2012)
    Laurie Bamon – ‘All the Summer Sea birds’ (2016)
    Sadie Harrison – ‘Broken Wing’ (2015)
    Richard Beaudoin – ‘You know I’m yours’ (2016)
    Giacinto Scelsi – ‘Arc en Ciel’ (1973)
    Michael Finnissy – ‘Nobody’s Jig’ (1981)

    Programme Two:
    David Matthews – 8th Quartet Op 75 (1998)
    Benjamin Britten – ‘Elegy’ (1930)
    George Holloway – ‘Tullochgorm’ (2016)
    Michael Finnissy – ‘Civilisation’ (2012)
    Holloway – ‘From Nothing to No One’ (2006)
    Robert Saxton – ‘3rd Quartet’ (2009-11)

     

    But, for me, it was the work with the students that proved most memorable – just wonderful to work with such talented, open, and humble musicians.  Here are some comments by the students:

    [gview file=”http://www.trandafilovski.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Kreutzer-Student-comments.doc”]

     

    And, some photos that capture the atmosphere:

    (more…)

    PSN 2016 Conference

  • On 16 Jul | '2016

    • July 16, 2016

    Tonight: keynote session at the Performance Studies Network Fourth International Conference, at Bath Spa University – Neil Heyde’s lecture entitled ‘Inventing an Ensemble Identity’ leading to a concert by the Kreutzer Quartet. The programme includes a new piece by Laurie Bamon, Michael Finnissy’s ‘Nobody’s Jig’ and ‘Civilisation’, and my piece ‘Fibers AND Coils’ (link below). Plus, interviews with all composers, led by Peter Sheppard Skaerved and Roger Heaton.
     

    Шаренило – for two violins

  • On 30 May | '2016

    • June 1, 2016

    My new piece for two violins – premiere at the British Museum on June 17th:

     

    About the piece

     
    Article by Angelina Dimoska in Macedonian daily newspaper “Nova Makedonija”:
    Да се пишува ангажирана музика значи да се има став
     
    Full programme for the event

    Workshop at Goldsmiths

  • On 6 May | '2016

    • May 5, 2016

    Great day with students at Goldsmiths:

    Photo by Peter Sheppard Skaerved

    Photo by Peter Sheppard Skaerved

    PSOGO Quartet performing ‘BLAZE-glow’

  • On 10 Mar | '2016

    • March 10, 2016

    Congratulations to the brilliant PSOGO Quartet (Julian Velasco, Mark Main, Jordan Lulloff, Joseph Herbst) who have been selected to perform in the final round of the prestigious 2016 NASA (North American Saxophone Alliance) saxophone quartet competition.  As part of their programme, they will give the first performance of my recent piece BLAZE-glow, written for them, and based on this image by Mark Sullivan, to whom the piece is dedicated:

    Mark Sullivan: Flamenco Lights 2

    Mark Sullivan: Flamenco Lights

    Welcome to Clifton Harrison

  • On 29 Jan | '2016

    • January 28, 2016

    Kreutzers+David MatthewsOur first concert with the brilliant American viola player Clifton Harrison, who has just joined us. Here we are, at Goldsmiths, with composer David Matthews. The programme, celebrating living composers, also included music by Michael Finnissy, Sadie Harrison, Richard Beaudoin and my piece ‘Fibers AND Coils’. More info here:

    http://www.gold.ac.uk/calendar/?id=9462