I can't find a NZ composers thread having checked Lethe's helpful index of threads and the search facility. So apologies if one already exists. If so I'll delete this one.
I already like the music of Douglas Lilburn (1915-2001) very much - or more specifically his earlier orchestral music and there is already a Lilburn thread. If you don't know him and like Sibelius and VW I'd strongly recommend symphonies 1-3, The Song of the Islands and the marvellous Aotearoa Overture. However, on a NZ composers compilation album I came across what I thought was a very fine work 'The Hanging Bulb' by a modern composer called Anthony Ritchie (born 1960). On the strength of this I looked him up and found that there are several symphonies by him plus other works on CD. 'The Hanging Bulb' is tonal but contemporary, reminding me in places of Copland's more modernist works. The symphonies have been very well reviewed on Musicweb and I've ordered symphonies 3 and 4. I just wonder if anyone out there knows his music. Also welcome any views on NZ composers - a country I'd love to visit one day:
Here (should the images appear) are some of the Ritchie CDs plus some of my favourite Lilburn releases:
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I have this:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51BBsaAXRqL._SS500.jpg)
https://www.amazon.com/Landscapes-New-Zealand-Orchestral-Music/dp/B004S45284
and am quite fond of it. Very good music and well performed. I like Ritchie's Symphony No. 3 too.
Quote from: relm1 on March 13, 2017, 06:22:17 AM
I have this:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51BBsaAXRqL._SS500.jpg)
https://www.amazon.com/Landscapes-New-Zealand-Orchestral-Music/dp/B004S45284
and am quite fond of it. Very good music and well performed. I like Ritchie's Symphony No. 3 too.
Thanks for that. I'm looking forward to hearing Ritchie's Third Symphony.
Here's an enthusiastic review of Symphony 4 with links to reviews of the earlier symphonies:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2015/Feb/Ritchie_sy4_ACD314.htm
Yes, I remember the Lilburn symphonies on Naxos as being quite good.
I also have an old Oryx LP with Lilburn works and a symphony (No.1) by David Farquhar (1928-2007), who wrote 2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Farquhar
I didn´t know Ritchie.
Quote from: Turner on March 13, 2017, 07:09:28 AM
Yes, I remember the Lilburn symphonies on Naxos as being quite good.
I also have an old Oryx LP with Lilburn works and a symphony (No.1) by David Farquhar (1928-2007), who wrote 2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Farquhar
That's a fine LP with the best performance of Aotearoa Overture (featured I think on the first CD cover I posted above) I also had the LP.
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on March 13, 2017, 10:02:44 AM
Lilburn is NZs classical icon.
I love his 3rd Symphony, many of late piano pieces are very interesting. He was a composer trying to find a place between the major innovations going on with the European composers and tradition.
I don't know the piano music. I think that my favourite of his symphonies is No.1.
I've got two discs of New Zealand composers' music. The three symphonies of Douglas Lilburn, and one of music by Lyell Cresswell, including his Piano Concerto.
New Zealand has never really factored into any of my listening, but I think this is partly because there really aren't too many composers that interest me from this country.
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on March 15, 2017, 09:34:51 PM
If you like Ligeti, Boulez and more texturally based stuff you'll LOVE this:
https://vimeo.com/154125362 (https://vimeo.com/154125362)
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Great Post :)
John Psathas:
https://www.youtube.com/v/KkvjT6fuIgs&index=2&list=PLoqtRwP847NJRzFFvJr3HOFPZ5yszKfoJ
Cool! What was he like?
I wat to add Gareth Farr's name to the list but can't find links to my favorite pieces.
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on March 29, 2017, 12:24:56 AM
Michael Norris (the head of classical composition here) is also very awesome, I've met him too and he shares passion of the Darmstadt school. You can hear echoes of Ligeti and Boulez in his work :D
I do really like him both as a person and as a composer. Am very rarely down there these days though, which means I also tend to miss the Stroma concerts. Kind of annoying as there's not (yet) anything really comparable round here, which I honestly suspect is because there simply isn't anyone as passionate and dedicated re new music as Michael anywhere else in the country.
Jack Body is stylistically inconsistent but always interesting, and I'm very fond of Annea Lockwood's work as well. And Anthony Watson's three string quartets, which would probably appeal to fans of Bartók. I don't listen to nearly as much NZ music as I should though, very unpatriotic.