Tansy Davies

Tansy Davies (born 29 May 1973, Bristol) is an English composer of contemporary classical music. She won the BBC Young Composers' Competition in 1996 and has written works for ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

Early life

Tansy Davies started out singing and playing guitar in a rock band. She developed an interest in composition in her teens[1] and studied composition and French horn at the Colchester Institute[2] followed by further study with Simon Bainbridge at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and with Simon Holt. Tansy Davies has been Composer-in-Residence at Royal Holloway, University of London (where she gained a PhD) and currently teaches at the Royal Academy of Music in London.[3] She also worked for three years as a freelance horn player and was a member of the Moon Velvet Collective.[2]

Commissions

Davies was a prize winner in the 1996 BBC Young Composers' Competition.[4] She has received a number of commissions from a number of organisations, for such works as the following:

Other works include Streamlines (CBSO Youth Orchestra/Paul Daniel); Contraband (Britten Sinfonia); kingpin (City of London Sinfonia), Adorned (Haugesund CO – Norway), Hinterland (Cheltenham Festival), Rift (BBC Concert Orchestra) and Elephant and Castle (a large-scale multi-media work for the 2007 Aldeburgh Festival, co-written with Warp Records DJ Mira Calix, and directed by Tim Hopkins). In February 2007, the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and Thomas Adès gave the premiere of Falling Angel, a 20-minute commission for large ensemble in Birmingham, and at the Présences festival in Paris. Her first commission for The Proms, Wild Card for orchestra, received its world premiere in September 2010.[11]

Musical style

Davies' music is informed by the worlds of the classical avant-garde, funk and experimental rock. As well, her scores contain unusual directions, such as 'urban, muscular', 'seedy, low slung', 'stealthy' and 'solid, grinding'. Other influences on her compositions have included the architecture of Zaha Hadid,[4] in her trumpet concerto Spiral House.[12] She has also collaborated with the video artist Zara Matthews.[13]

Recordings

Davies has been the subject of two portrait CDs, Troubairitz (Nonclassical Recordings, 2011)[14] and Spine (NMC Recordings, 2012),[15] both of which feature music composed over the last decade. Other compositions appear in various anthologies, notably on the NMC label.[16][17][18]

Compositions

  • The Void in This Colour (2001) – chamber ensemble of 13 players[19]
  • Inside Out ii (2003)[20]
  • Genome (2003)[13]
  • Spiral House (2004) – trumpet and orchestra
  • neon (2004) – chamber ensemble of 7 players[21]
  • Iris (2004) – soprano saxophone and chamber ensemble of 15 players[22]
  • Tilting (2005) – orchestra
  • Falling Angel (2006) – chamber ensemble of 17 players
  • Streamlines (2006) – orchestra
  • grind show (electric) – chamber ensemble of 5 players plus electronics[23]
  • kingpin (2007) – chamber orchestra
  • Adorned (2008) – strings, bass clarinet, cimbalom and harmonium
  • Hinterland (2008) – chamber ensemble[24]
  • Rift (2008) – orchestra
  • Leaf Springs (2008)[25]
  • grind show (unplugged) - (2008)[26]
  • Destroying Beauty (2008) – voice and piano [27]
  • This Love (2009) – tenor and piano [28]
  • Static (2009) – tenor and piano [29]
  • Troubairitz (2010) – soprano and percussion [30]
  • Wild Card (2010) – orchestra[31]
  • Greenhouses (2011) – female voice, alto flute, percussion and double bass[32]
  • Christmas Eve (2011) – mixed voice[32]
  • Aquatic (2011) – duet cor anglais and percussion [33]
  • Nature (2012) – concerto for piano and 10 players [34]
  • Delphic Bee (2012) – wind nonet [35]

References

  1. ↑ Ivan Hewett (1 February 2007). "I love to work out after a hard day composing". Telegraph. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  2. 1 2 Tom Service (18 June 2001). "She's got the funk". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  3. ↑ "A Recital for Voice and Percussion" (Press release). Royal Holloway, University of London. 19 October 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  4. 1 2 Femke Colborne (1 April 2005). "Tansy Davies". Musolife. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  5. ↑ Andrew Clements (7 July 2004). "London Sinfonietta (Cheltenham Festival)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  6. ↑ Andrew Clements (20 June 2005). "Birtwistle premiere (Aldeburgh festival)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  7. ↑ Geoff Brown (16 June 2005). "LSO/Previn". The Times. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  8. ↑ Rian Evans (12 November 2004). "Orchestra of the Swan (Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  9. ↑ Stephen Pritchard (21 November 2010). "Adriana Lecouvreur; Tansy Davies – review". The Observer. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  10. ↑ "Order of Service" (PDF). King's College Cambridge. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  11. ↑ Ivan Hewett (9 September 2010). "Proms 2010: Prom 72: BBCSO / Belohlavek". Telegraph. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  12. ↑ Rowena Smith (9 March 2006). "Davies, McPherson premieres (City Halls, Glasgow)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  13. 1 2 Andrew Clements (8 July 2003). "On Growth and Form (Institute of Child Health, London)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  14. ↑ Andrew Clements, "Davies: Troubairitz", The Guardian, 14 April 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  15. ↑ Andrew Clements, "Davies: Spine", The Guardian, 23 August 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  16. ↑ Andrew Clements (16 November 2001). "Mind your manners". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  17. ↑ Andrew Clements (26 April 2002). "The next generation". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  18. ↑ Matthew Rye (1 April 2006). "Classical CDs of the week: Foulds, Vaughan Williams and more". Telegraph. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  19. ↑ Paul Conway (23 June 2001). "Brunel Ensemble / Philarmonia, Spitalfields / RFH, London". The Independent. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  20. ↑ Tom Service (2 April 2003). "Bergamo Ensemble (St Paul's Church, Canterbury)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  21. ↑ Tim Ashley (21 February 2005). "Inventions 2005 (Queen Elizabeth Hall, London)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  22. ↑ Erica Jeal (11 December 2008). "Al Farabi Concerto (Queen Elizabeth Hall, London)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  23. ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=5575
  24. ↑ Tim Ashley (22 July 2008). "Festival Academy/Brabbins (Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  25. ↑ Stephen Pritchard (11 January 2009). "Complex, clever, ear-splitting at times – but always excellent". The Observer. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  26. ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=5577
  27. ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=5369
  28. ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=6282
  29. ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=6283
  30. ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=6689
  31. ↑ Erica Jeal (9 September 2010). "BBCSO/Bělohlávek (Royal Albert Hall, London)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  32. 1 2 http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=6322
  33. ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=6698
  34. ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=6323
  35. ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=6607

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