Edward Longstaff
Studied at Royal Holloway College and Goldsmith's College and was appointed Assistant Director of Music at the Purcell School in 2002. His work has been broadcast on BBC television and Radio 3 - most recently, his orchestral piece That Short Thing was broadcast on Performance on 3 - and he has had pieces published by Novello's and Maecenas. Recent commissions have included pieces for Chaconne Brass, Exaudi, the New London Chamber Ensemble and the Royal Northern College of Music Wind Band.
"I've known Sarah since her days at the Purcell School and her playing immediately impressed me. Not only was she already in possession of a formidable technique, she was also already an immensely committed performer who displayed a great desire to communicate with audiences. She has always had an ability to throw off virtuosic passages with panache coupled with a gift of producing the softest, sweetest sounds.
The first piece I wrote for her was the Nocturne. This was for the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. My aim in the piece was to write something that showed off both her musicality and her virtuosity. At the time I composed the Nocturne my firstborn son was still a baby who woke up in the nights. I think that some of the Nocturne's more agitated music could have been inspired by those moments!
Similarly, the Prelude was written when Sarah needed another piece for the last round of the BBC competition….. The Prelude makes outrageous demands on the clarinettist - demands that Sarah revels in!
... Emboldened by Sarah's successes with the other pieces, I threw everything at her in the concerto. It is a real virtuoso concerto; it is also, I hope, fun! ….
The first performance of the concerto was given by Sarah in Sheffield in 2003, accompanied by the Sheffield Symphony Orchestra conducted by
my brother, John Longstaff."
Click here to read more of Edward’s comments and about his concerto
Joseph Phibbs -
The first piece Joseph wrote for me - Arc de Soleil - was premiered at a Wigmore Hall recital in 2008. Joseph said of the piece:
"In writing this piece I sought to make use of the clarinet's versatility, unmatched among wind instruments: its unusually wide range; it's unique ability to produce loud or soft notes in all registers; and its suitability for playing both fast music and soft sustained passages (the latter explored particularly in the instruments neutral lower-middle register). Arc de Soleil was also shaped specifically by Sarah's wonderfully varied styles of playing: at times impassioned, exuberant and carefree, and at other times deeply lyrical and introverted - all aspects of which I hope are reflected in this work"
The second piece was his Clarinet Concerto - the work was actually commissioned by David Curtis and the Orchestra of the Swan who continually champion new music from some of the most outstanding composers - and was premiered in the Cadogan Hall in 2009.
Joseph's work is scored for clarinet with strings, harp and piano, and is inspired by light forms: 'The work seeks to explore the versatility of the clarinet: its unique wide range among the wind instruments, its agility, and its broad dynamic possibilities... As with previous works of mine, aspects of the piece seek to represent "light in sound"- the gradual shifting of light, as well as the contrast between natural light and artificial light, and the psychological differences these might represent.'
There is a very interesting feature about the concerto in Musical Opinion , November-December 2009 issue , entitled My new music - Note for Clarinet Concerto by Joseph Phibbs
www.josephphibbs.com
www.orchestraoftheswan.org
Philip Grange
I collaborated with Philip and the National Youth Wind Ensemble to perform his unusual and compelling work, Sheng Sheng Bu Shi (Concerto for Radical Clarinet and Wind Band). I was fortunate to be able to perform this work a number of times in the UK and at the WASBE conference in Killarney. I had a fantastic time with the NYWE, and it was a wonderful experience. Subsequently we recorded the work for Campion.
Click here to read Philip's overview if this compelling work with its influences from China
"The performances and recording of my Clarinet Concerto Sh?ng Sh?ng Bù Shí by Sarah Williamson demonstrate breathtaking technique, and an impressive ability to project a complex 20-minute musical design in a profoundly musical manner."
"Sarah Williamson …gives her all here in the Concerto for Clarinet Radical (2000). Its subtitle, "Ever growing, never stopping", defines the nature of a piece whose soloist incites the symphonic wind band to music of explosive energy before the inevitable collapse"
Michael Daugherty
I am very much looking forward to giving the UK premiere of Brooklyn Bridge with conductor Keith Allen and the Birmingham Symphonic Winds in March 2010 at the CBSO Centre, Birmingham