Isaac Shieh
Caprice Reimagined
Jacques-François Gallay, regarded by Fétis as the last great hand horn virtuoso in France, embodied the capabilities of the instrument in its most virtuosic form in his twelve ‘Grand Caprices’ in 1835. In the past few decades, stimulated by the Historically Informed Performance movement, there has been a renewed interest in hand horn playing. This doctoral project aims to create an extension of the hand horn playing tradition, reflecting a desire to push beyond the boundaries and perceived capabilities encapsulated by Gallay.
A set of 12 new works for solo hand horn are being commissioned from 12 composers. Isaac’s presentation focused on the collaborative processes behind two of the commissions: Michael Finnissy and Timo Andres.
Grace Evangeline Mason
Poetic Frameworks in Instrumental Composition
When composing a new piece of music, the first step in my creative process begins with my interaction with an extra-musical source, such as visual art, poetry, or literature. This personal interaction with artistic sources significantly aids the development of the concept behind each of my works, as well as facilitating the composition process itself. This doctoral project is a practical exploration into how the application of poetic frameworks, with a focus on their function as a prosodic resource, can aid in the creation of new musical material. As prosody is often considered a crucial concern when writing poetry, I will present a practical investigation through my pieces into how text-music relations can be enhanced by considering prosody when composing music.
Grace's presentation explored these themes through two short instrumental works, one chamber piece and one for large ensemble.
Ivan Moshchuk
Filming Music: the dialogue between music performance and camera
Western classical music continues to evolve amidst a visually dominant landscape, where audio and video production, as well as computer-generated alterations, play an inseparable role in affecting our conception, expression, and perception of both aural and visual elements of music performance. Furthermore, the early recording ideals of capturing unaltered expression have given way to a new aesthetic of post-production and portraying performance on screen.
To understand this rapidly expanding domain, Ivan’s presentation examined the myriad of processes hidden behind filming music, analysing a series of music films made using experimental techniques and discussing working methods that bridge the worlds of composer, performing musician, and film director.
Liubov Ulybysheva
Mieszysław Weinberg: Sonatas and Preludes for cello in context: a portfolio of recordings and user’s guide
Two key elements of my doctoral project are a new double disc of Soviet composers and a new edition of Weinberg’s Sonata No.2, Op.63. The discs present a “wide angle” view of Soviet music, built around Weinberg’s second Cello Sonata and contextualised with a range of works by composers who influenced his life and work in various ways. The new edition of the second Sonata aims to present the user with resources collected over a two-year period. It is closely based on the original manuscripts with the addition of previously missing composer’s markings.
Liubov’s presentation explored Rostropovich’s role as the first editor of this piece and his relationship with the composer.