21.
ANDREW DOWNES PUBLISHED
WORKS
ORCHESTRAL Symphonic Centenary Firedances; Symphonies 1,2,3,4,5
CENTENARY FIREDANCES Opus 43 (1988) 20'
PLAY sample
track : movement I - Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra
conductor Jonathan Del Mar / Review
For full symphony orchestra including a large group of
percussion instruments (together with marimbas, bongos, cowbells,
tom-toms and an Irish drum) and two sets of timpani.
Commissioned in association with DRAGONFIRE LTD by the City of
Birmingham for its Centenary Celebrations 1989.
First performance in the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham, by the
Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jonathan
del Mar.
Major performance on June 24th 1989 in Cannon Hill Park,
Birmingham, with grand firework display by Dragonfire Ltd.
Subsequent performances of the work at midsummer events at Cannon
Hill Park in 1991 and 1992 to audiences of tens of thousands.
Subsequent performers of the work include the Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony
Orchestra under the direction of Leon Gee, Northamptonshire Youth Orchestra,
Exeter University Symphony Orchestra, Central England Ensemble and Haybridge
Community Orchestra.
'.....Then came the premiere of Centenary Firedances by Andrew Downes and what a
stunner it proved!
'A fourteen-man percussion section unifies five dances, the
sounds of the tom-toms, marimbas, cowbells and the rest all
clearly realised.
'As in other examples of this composer's music, there is the
occasional American impression, either of rugged simplicity, or
of driving energy.
'The audience loved it, and so did the performers under Jonathan
del Mar, and it is wonderful news that this terrific piece is to
be recorded.' BIRMINGHAM POST
A commercial cassette recording of the work was made and all
copies were sold out at the first Cannon Hill Park performance! A
re-release of this recording is now available on CD (see Discography).
The CD has received an excellent review on
www.musicweb.uk.net
(April 2001). The recording was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 "Listeners'
Choice" on September 22nd 2001.
Recorded
samples of Andrew Downes' music and how to order CDs and videos
SYMPHONY No.1 Opus 27 (1982) 35'
View Score
For organ, brass (8 trumpets, 4 horns, 3 trombones, tuba),
percussion (including vibraphone) and strings.
4 movements: Prelude and Fanfare; Ricercare Scherzo; Postlude
First performance given by the Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony
Orchestra in All Saints Church, Cheltenham, as part of the
Cheltenham Festival, in a concert to commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the death of Gustav Holst, former organist
at the church.
'...this is a brilliant work written as a cry from the heart for
recognition of the horror of nuclear war.'
BIRMINGHAM EVENING MAIL
'...a fine work laid out with the orchestral clarity that is a
salient feature of the composer's individual style.......this
symphony progresses with dignity from despair to a final ray of
hope expressed by Downes with an immediacy of communication
that lies at the heart of all musical inspiration.'
BIRMINGHAM POST
SYMPHONY No.2 Opus 30 (I984) 20'
View Score
For Chamber Orchestra (2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2
trumpets, timpani, strings)
3 movements
Commissioned by the Sutton Coldfield Chamber Orchestra to
celebrate the10th anniversary of their foundation.
First performed on November l7th 1985 at Sutton Coldfield Town
Hall.
Subsequent performances by the Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber
Orchestra conducted by Anthony Miller (who also conducted the
first performance), the Sinfonia of St Paul's, conducted by Fa Fa
Jin, and by the Leamington Chamber
Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Mogrelia.
The Central England Ensemble has performed the work at the CBSO Centre, Birmingham
(2001), at a Queen's Jubilee concert (2002) and twice in Paris at the American
Cathedral and American Church in 2007. Two performances by the Orchestra of the University of
Oldenburg, conducted by Rida Murtada, were given in Bremen and Oldenburg,
Germany, in 2002.
'The music is imaginatively laid out with interesting ideas
developed most skilfully. Another virtue, that of developing
these meaty musical ideas in concise fashion, gave this first
hearing immediate communication.'
BIRMINGHAM POST
'The Symphony no.2 Op. 30 is a splendid work. It is a very fine score noted for its clarity and textural integrity. Its quasi-classical design leads to an even greater enjoyment. It is a score with life and a contrast that is so well-judged that it does not sound episodic. The opening movement begins with a flute solo in a typical Downes's style, simple but telling. In fact, the themes of this movement are memorable. The rhythmic sections are invigorating and beautifully set out for the orchestra. The Vivace starts lightly with deceptively simple themes which make them all the more endearing; there are some clever contrasts and a welcome open-air feel about the music. The finale also has simple themes but they are never banal. The preoccupation with the interval of the fourth has an integral part to play and there is a simply stunning fanfare-like passage before the quiet close.' Dr David Wright, MUSICWEB
SYMPHONY No.3 "SPIRITS OF THE EARTH" Opus 45 (1992)
30'
View Score
For large symphony orchestra - 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 3
clarinets, 2 bassoons, contra bassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 2
trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, tuned percussion (crotales,
2 glockenspiels, 1 xylophone, 3 marimbas), percussion (a-go-go-
bell, 3 cowbells, Chinese blocks, whip, wood block, suspended
cymbal, cymbal, gong, tubular bells), drums (tom-toms;
frame drums - tuned and unpitched; large bongos; side drum; bass
drum; drum kit; about 6 unpitched drums; deep, hollow, pitchless
drums) and strings.
The work has 5 movements.
First performed by the Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony
Orchestra conducted by Andrew Mogrelia on 1st April 1993, in a
concert in aid of the NSPCC, in the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham.
The work is dedicated to the NSPCC.
'Two triumphant premieres in three days! After Thursday's
success of his eloquent Third Symphony, Andrew Downes heard his
deeply affecting St Luke Passion given on Saturday...
'Spirits of the Earth, his third Symphony, is probably the
most demanding work Andrew Downes has yet written.
"It assumes virtuosity from its players, a finely honed
sense of collective ensemble, and the capacity for various
sections of the orchestra to play in several independent tempi.
'As the substantial five movement work moves towards its
close these disparate elements come together in final
reconciliation.
'The premiere it received last night from the Conservatoire
Symphony Orchestra was nothing short of astonishing. Very few
inaccuracies marred this virile, sensitive performance...'
THE BIRMINGHAM POST
SYMPHONY No.4 - scored for Concert
Wind Band - See under Wind
Band - page 22
SYMPHONY No.5 - scored for Flute
Orchestra - See under Instrumental
Ensembles/Flutes - page 16
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