Justin Connolly - composer

<BODY> <H1>Justin Connolly</H1> <H2>News:</H2> <H3>New CD!</H3> <P>A new CD of music by Justin Connolly - the first entirely devoted to his music - will be released shortly on the Metier label. It includes four works: </P> <UL> <LI><A HREF="works/op26.htm">Sonatina no.2: Ennead</A>, op.26, piano solo, 2000 </LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op33.htm">Nocturnal</A>, op.33, fl, pf, cb, perc, 1991</LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op15f.htm">Tesserae F</A>, op.15f, bass clarinet solo, 1999 </LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op37.htm">Scardanelli Dreams</A>, op.37, MS, pf, 1997-8</LI> </UL> <P>...performed by Sue Anderson (mezzo), Corrado Canonici (double-bass), Nicolas Hodges (piano), Nancy Ruffer (flutes), Andrew Sparling (bass clarinet) and Julian Warburton (percussion).</P> <H3>Piano Concerto</H3> <P>Justin Connolly is currently working on a piano concerto commissioned by the BBC for Nicolas Hodges and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, to be premiered sometime in 2002/3.</P> <HR> <P><B>Justin Connolly</B> was born in London on 11 Aug 1933, and was educated at Westminster School. He was at the Middle Temple before entering the Royal College of Music in 1958, where he studied composition (with Fricker) and conducting, winning prizes for both activities; simultaneously he had frequent informal contact with Gerhard. The music he wrote during this period was fluently composed in a Schoenbergian 12-note serial style, but was all subsequently withdrawn. In 1963 he went to Yale University on a three-year Harkness Fellowship, as a student of Mel Powell and later as a teacher, during which he found his individual voice and consolidated his outstanding technical mastery.</P> <P>His earliest acknowledged works proceed largely by the scintillating play of small motifs within complex textures. They employ space-time notation and grace-notes as well as traditional metre in a virtuosic mixture. The series of <I>Triads</I> exemplify this, and also provide an example of his penchant for groupings of highly diverse instruments, which is carried through into the concertante textures of his works for larger forces. By the time of <I>Anima</I> and <I>Diaphony</I> (both commissioned for the Proms) Connolly had expanded his expressive range to encompass an increased directness and simplicity as well as the fragmentary motivic working typical of earlier works. </P> <P>Ill health led to a period from 1978 to 1988 during which he produced only revisions of earlier works. His next new work, <I>Spelt from Sybil's Leaves</I>, came in 1989 in response to a BBC commission, and is for a typically unusual scoring. The vocal lines display sensitive and expressive word-setting (a characteristic of all his vocal music), but also a more sustained melodic impetus hinted at in his work of the late 1970s. During the 1990s, Connolly completed a steady stream of works, both substantial and occasional, culminating in <I>Scardanelli Dreams</I>, a formally and rhythmically complex work in which five fragments of Hölderlin are sung in parallel with ten solo piano movements of various sizes. The resulting work has unusual poetic power, providing ample proof of Connollys sustained ability to steer a course between technical brilliance and expressive import. </P> <P>He is an experienced and respected broadcaster and teacher (RCM 1966-1988, RAM 1989-1996) In 1982 he was visiting lecturer in composition at the University of Melbourne, and in 1979-80 visiting lecturer in composition at UC Santa Barbara.</P> <HR> <UL> <LI><A HREF="works/op1.htm">Sonatina in Five Studies</A>, op.1, piano, 1962, rev.1983</LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op2.htm">Triad I</A>, op.2, tpt, vla, pno, 1964</LI> <LI>Obbligati I, op.3, 13 insts, 1966, rev. pending</LI> <LI>Antiphonies, op.4, orch, 1966</LI> <LI>Cinquepaces, op.5, brass quintet, 1965</LI> <LI>Triad II, op.6, dbass, perc, piano, 1965, rev.1982</LI> <LI>Prose, op.7a, SATB, 1967</LI> <LI>Verse, op.7b, SSAATTBB, 1969</LI> <LI>Triad III, op.8, ob, va, vc, 1966</LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op9.htm">Poems of Wallace Stevens I</A>, op.9, S, 7 insts, 1967</LI> <LI>M-Piriform, op.10, S, vln, fl, tape, 1968 (lost)</LI> <LI>The Garden of Forking Paths, op.11a, two pianos, 1968, rev.1983/pending </LI> <LI>Studies from The Garden of Forking Paths, op.11b, piano, 1968-</LI> <LI>Triad IV, op.12, fl, 2 perc, tape, 1969</LI> <LI>Obbligati II, op.13, fl, cl, vln, vcl, tape, 1967, rev. pending</LI> <LI>Poems of Wallace Stevens II, op.14, S, cl, pno, 1970</LI> <LI>Tesserae A, 15a, ob, hpd, 1968, rev.1983/pending</LI> <LI>Tesserae B, 15b, fl, pf, 1970</LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op15c.htm">Tesserae C</A>, 15c, cello solo, 1971</LI> <LI>Tesserae D, op.15d, tpt, tape, 1971</LI> <LI>Tesserae E, op.15e, fl, db, 1972</LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op15f.htm">Tesserae F</A>, op.15f, bass clarinet solo, 1999 </LI> <LI>Poems of Henry Vaughan, op.16, 1&3: SATB. 2: SSATB, 1970</LI> <LI>Rebus, op.17, orch., 1971 (withdrawn)</LI> <LI>Poems of Wallace Stevens III, op.18, sop, accord, fl, cl, vla, 1971, rev. pending</LI> <LI>Triad V, op.19, cl, vln, vc, 1971</LI> <LI>Obbligati III, op.20, 20 inst., 1971, rev. pending</LI> <LI>Triad VI, op.21, vla, pf, tape, 1974, rev. pending</LI> <LI>Tetramorph, op.22, strings, tape, 1972 (withdrawn)</LI> <LI>Divisions, op.23, wind band, 1972 (withdrawn)</LI> <LI>Waka, op.24, mezzo, pf, 1972, rev. 1981</LI> <LI>Sestina A, op.25a, pf, fl, ob, cl, hn, bsn, 1972 (lost)</LI> <LI>Sestina B, op.25b, fl, ob, bcl, vln, vc, hpsd, 1972, rev.1978</LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op26.htm">Sonatina no.2: Ennead</A>, op.26, piano, 2000 </LI> <LI>Anima, op.27, vla, orch, 1974</LI> <LI>Obbligati IV, op.28, ensemble (?), 1974, rev. pending</LI> <LI>Ceilidh, op.29a, 4 vln, 1976</LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op29b.htm">Collana</A>, op.29b, vc, 1995</LI> <LI>Celebratio, op.29c, 3 vla, accordion, 1994</LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op31.htm">Diaphony</A>, op.31, organ and orchestra, 1977 </LI> <LI>Spelt from Sibyl's Leaves, op.32, S, MS, T, Bar, B, 3hn, 2hp, pno, bgtr, 2perc, 1989</LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op33.htm">Nocturnal</A>, op.33, fl, pf, cb, perc, 1991</LI> <LI>Sonatina no.3, op.34, piano, 1996-</LI> <LI>Sapphic, op.35, S, 12 players (fl, ob, bcl, tpt, trb, 2perc, 2 vln, vla, vlc, cb), 1991</LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op36.htm">Piano Trio</A>, op.36, 1999-</LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op37.htm">Scardanelli Dreams</A>, op.37, MS, pf, 1997-8</LI> <LI>Poems of Wallace Stevens IV, op.38, MS, vla, pno, 1992, rev. pending</LI> <LI>Gymel A, op.39a, fl, cl, 1993</LI> <LI>Gymel B, op.39b, clarinet, cello, 1995</LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op40.htm">Remembering the butterfly...</A>, op.40, fl, pf, 1998</LI> </UL> <P>No opus number:</P> <UL> <LI><A HREF="works/vars.htm">Variations</A>, tape, 1968</LI> <LI><A HREF="works/Brahmsarr.htm">Brahms: Variations op.23</A>, arranged for wind band by Justin Connolly, 1985</LI> </UL> <HR> <H4>Metier MSV CD92046 (summer 2001 release)</H4> <UL> <LI><A HREF="works/op26.htm">Sonatina no.2: Ennead</A>, op.26, piano solo, 2000 </LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op33.htm">Nocturnal</A>, op.33, fl, pf, cb, perc, 1991</LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op15f.htm">Tesserae F</A>, op.15f, bass clarinet solo, 1999 </LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op37.htm">Scardanelli Dreams</A>, op.37, MS, pf, 1997-8</LI> </UL> <H4>Minna Keal 90th Birthday Concert (private release)</H4> <UL> <LI>MK lives! [early version of <A HREF="works/op36.htm">Piano Trio</A>, op.36, 1999-]</LI> </UL> <H4>NMC D025</H4> <UL> <LI>Poems of Wallace Stevens II, op.14, S, cl, pno, 1970</LI> </UL> <H4>Metier MSV CD92008</H4> <UL> <LI><A HREF="works/op1.htm">Sonatina in Five Studies</A>, op.1, piano, 1962, rev.1983<UL> <LI>Steven Neugarten, piano</LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <H4>Argo ZRG 747 (LP)</H4> <UL> <LI>Cinquepaces, op.5, brass quintet, 1965</LI> <LI>Prose, op.7a, SATB, 1967 </LI> <LI>Triad III, op.8, ob, va, vc, 1966</LI> <LI><A HREF="works/op9.htm">Poems of Wallace Stevens I</A>, op.9, S, 7 insts, 1967 </LI> </UL> <H4>Soma 781 (LP)</H4> <UL> <LI>Tesserae D, op.15d, tpt, tape, 1971<UL> <LI>John Wallace, trumpet</LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <HR> <UL> <LI>Justin Connolly: Review of Antony Gilbert <I>Missa Brevis</I>, <I>Tempo</I> </LI> <LI>Justin Connolly: Havergal Brian review, <I>Tempo</I> No. 167 (August 2000) </LI> </UL> <UL> <LI>"Justin Connolly interviewed by Keith Potter and Chris Villars", <I>Contact</I>, 1 (1971), 16-20</LI> <LI> A. Payne: Justin Connolly, <I>MT</I>, cxii (1971), 335-7</LI> <LI> M. Oliver: 'Miscellany' in <I>British Music Now</I>, ed. Lewis Foreman (1975), pp.162-178, esp. pp.162-4</LI> <LI> A. Payne: 'Justin Connolly', <I>New Grove</I> (1st edition)</LI> <LI>N. Kenyon: <I>The BBC Symphony Orchestra: 1930-1980</I>, London: BBC, 1981, pp370-1 (discussion of circumstances surrounding premiere of <I>Tetramorph</I>) </LI> <LI>Padmore, Susan: Interview with Justin Connolly on <I>Spelt from Sibyl's leaves</I> (BBC Radio 3 broadcast, 1989)</LI> <LI>A. Ford: <I>Composer to composer</I> (1993) (Boulez comments on Connolly on p.21)</LI> <LI> N. Hodges: 'Justin Connolly', <I>New Grove</I> (2nd edition)</LI> </UL> <P>The Andrew Kurowski interview with Justin Connolly at the ISCM event celebrating his 60th birthday will be transcribed shortly and parts will appear on this site.</P> <HR> <H3>Record companies</H3> <P><A HREF="http://freespace.virgin.net/metier.records/" TARGET="_blank">Metier Records</A></P> <P><A HREF="http://www.nmcrec.co.uk/" TARGET="_blank">NMC Recordings Ltd</A> </P> <H3>Performers</H3> <P><A HREF="http://orpheus-1.ucsd.edu/dept.music/musicdept/harkins.html" TARGET="_blank">Edwin Harkins</A></P> <P><A HREF="http://www.nicolashodges.demon.co.uk" TARGET="_blank">Nicolas Hodges</A></P> <P><A HREF="http://www.binghamquartet.net/" TARGET="_blank">Bingham String Quartet</A></P> <H3>Other collaborators</H3> <P><A HREF="http://www.cs.concordia.ca/~faculty/grogono/ems.html" TARGET="_blank">Peter Grogono</A> (technician for some of JC's early electronic works)</P> </BODY>