Adam de la Cour
Encyclopedia
Adam de la Cour is a British
composer
and performer. He studied composition under Rodney Newton, Kit Turnbull and Michael Finnissy
. de la Cour gained his Ph.D. from the University of Southampton
in 2006.
de la Cour has written for various ensembles and soloists across the UK, the US and Europe including Michael Finnissy
, Ah! you sitting comfortably (Vicky Wright/Peter Willcock), Laura Moody, Mark Knoop
, The Calculators, Arco Collective, Anne Rhodes, Matthew Knowles, Libra Duo (Mark Knoop/Carl Rosman
), IXION Ensemble.
de la Cour's music embraces a wide range of influences including elements of the New Complexity
and avant-garde metal, the visual aspect of his work is of great importance showing a strong affinity to dada
and surrealism
especially in reference to the role of the 'object' with pieces such as Three Boxes and a Cube. de la Cour often creates performance scenarios of an absurdist or 'Pataphysical nature and has a keen interest in Comics
, producing a series of comic (graphic notation
) scores the first of which entitled The Real Imaginary Framed Existence of Ringhead and Loon, was performed by Adam de la Cour, Michael Finnissy and Alan Witts and is available for download online.
, the Barbican Centre
, Spitalfields, Expo, Soundwaves, and Borealis (Norway) festivals, Rational Rec., guested with members of Ensemble Plus Minus, mimicked animal noises for artist Anna Best been broadcast on Resonance FM and recorded for BBC Radio 3
premiering works by Michael Finnissy
and Chris Newman
. He also performs in the bands Zipperface, Nostrilatu, The Bishop of ****, and is a composer/performer for Arco Collective.
de la Cour has projected work at the Institute of Contemporary Arts
(ICA) as part of Comica 2008, and has exhibited at Southampton's Artvaults and the Centre for Recent Drawing
(C4RD).
Benny is a traditionally made up whiteface (grotesque) clown, with oversize shoes, gaudily coloured baggy trousers and an enormous red fright-wig. Benny has his own unique facial make-up. He is often heard to speak in a broad Brooklyn accent, which can be heard in his early "...play this with your eyes closed" videos.
In November 2007, Benny appeared with his new sidekick Percy the Ringmaster at the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall to perform a specially choreographed 8 minute skit to music composed by de la Cour.
Benny and Percy have since appeared at the launches of the Spitalfields Festival (December 2008, Spitalfields Market, London - with pianist Mark Knoop
) and Brighton's Soundwaves Festival (Brighton Station main concourse, June 2008 - with a band featuring Alan Bates on Double Bass and Mr Pump on Keyboard).
's article "The Stubborn Art" in the Financial Times
Drawing supplement, and was interviewed in the online magazine CrushtoPulp.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and performer. He studied composition under Rodney Newton, Kit Turnbull and Michael Finnissy
Michael Finnissy
Michael Finnissy is an English composer and pianist. His music is characterised by the range of extremes often found in his work; opposing binary structures are found commonly, often seen as juxtaposing textures, register and tempi...
. de la Cour gained his Ph.D. from the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
in 2006.
de la Cour has written for various ensembles and soloists across the UK, the US and Europe including Michael Finnissy
Michael Finnissy
Michael Finnissy is an English composer and pianist. His music is characterised by the range of extremes often found in his work; opposing binary structures are found commonly, often seen as juxtaposing textures, register and tempi...
, Ah! you sitting comfortably (Vicky Wright/Peter Willcock), Laura Moody, Mark Knoop
Mark Knoop
Mark Knoop is an Australian pianist.Knoop was born in Hobart, Tasmania. He studied piano at the Victorian College of the Arts and later in Europe with Stephen McIntyre, Herbert Henck, James Avery and Peter Feuchtwanger, as well as conducting with Robert Rosen...
, The Calculators, Arco Collective, Anne Rhodes, Matthew Knowles, Libra Duo (Mark Knoop/Carl Rosman
Carl Rosman
Carl Rosman is an Australian clarinettist.Rosman studied with Phillip Miechel in Melbourne, then with Peter Jenkin at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music...
), IXION Ensemble.
de la Cour's music embraces a wide range of influences including elements of the New Complexity
New Complexity
In music, the New Complexity is a term dating from the 1980s, principally applied to composers seeking a "complex, multi-layered interplay of evolutionary processes occurring simultaneously within every dimension of the musical material" ....
and avant-garde metal, the visual aspect of his work is of great importance showing a strong affinity to dada
Dada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a...
and surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
especially in reference to the role of the 'object' with pieces such as Three Boxes and a Cube. de la Cour often creates performance scenarios of an absurdist or 'Pataphysical nature and has a keen interest in Comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
, producing a series of comic (graphic notation
Graphic notation
Graphic notation is the representation of music through the use of visual symbols outside the realm of traditional music notation. Graphic notation evolved in the 1950s, and it is often used in combination with traditional music notation...
) scores the first of which entitled The Real Imaginary Framed Existence of Ringhead and Loon, was performed by Adam de la Cour, Michael Finnissy and Alan Witts and is available for download online.
Performances
de la Cour has performed as a vocalist/guitarist/clown at the Queen Elizabeth HallQueen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
, the Barbican Centre
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
, Spitalfields, Expo, Soundwaves, and Borealis (Norway) festivals, Rational Rec., guested with members of Ensemble Plus Minus, mimicked animal noises for artist Anna Best been broadcast on Resonance FM and recorded for BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
premiering works by Michael Finnissy
Michael Finnissy
Michael Finnissy is an English composer and pianist. His music is characterised by the range of extremes often found in his work; opposing binary structures are found commonly, often seen as juxtaposing textures, register and tempi...
and Chris Newman
Chris Newman (artist)
Chris Newman is a contemporary composer, painter, author and performance artist.- Life and work :Chris Newman is an experimental interdisciplinary artist using the medium of music, painting, video, drawing and literature. From 1976 to 1979 he studied music at King’s College London, taking a...
. He also performs in the bands Zipperface, Nostrilatu, The Bishop of ****, and is a composer/performer for Arco Collective.
Selected works
- Three Boxes and a Cube (2004–2007) comprising Box 1: The Amputee (2004), Box 2: The Foetus on the Sofa (2007), Box 3: The Mirror Dwarf (2006) and Cube (2007). Collapsible steel frame notated scores.
- The Real Imaginary Framed Existence of Ringhead and Loon (2005). Large comic book score, first performed and recorded by de la Cour, Michael Finnissy and Alan Witts.
- Clown, a circus (2006), scored circus show using Cut-up techniques influenced by William S. BurroughsWilliam S. BurroughsWilliam Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
. Utilizes midget piano-stool pushers, surreal violence, 'throat percussionists' and quotations from the Marquis de SadeMarquis de SadeDonatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat, revolutionary politician, philosopher, and writer famous for his libertine sexuality and lifestyle...
. - H: Tokyo Dwift (2006) for solo piano. Japanese Hentai, commissioned and first performed by Michael Finnissy.
- Nursery Rhyme piano miniatures (2006), first performed by Mark KnoopMark KnoopMark Knoop is an Australian pianist.Knoop was born in Hobart, Tasmania. He studied piano at the Victorian College of the Arts and later in Europe with Stephen McIntyre, Herbert Henck, James Avery and Peter Feuchtwanger, as well as conducting with Robert Rosen...
. - Tic (2007), solo for cello vocal. Written for Laura Moody. First performed at the Jack Lyons concert hall, YorkYorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. - Beat me (Cut and Perm' no.1) (2007) for solo piano and rape alarm. Written for Mark Knoop. First performed as part of the BMIC's Cutting Edge series.
- Verscharfte Vernehmung/Cowboy George (2008) For B flat clarinet/Bass clarinet/actor. Written for Vicky Wright and Peter Willcock. First performed at the National Portrait Gallery (London).
- L'Exorcisme du Momo (2008) for pipe organ/piano/contrabass clarinet/B flat clarinet/voice/drum for Libra Duo Mark Knoop and Carl Rosman.
de la Cour has projected work at the Institute of Contemporary Arts
Institute of Contemporary Arts
The Institute of Contemporary Arts is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch...
(ICA) as part of Comica 2008, and has exhibited at Southampton's Artvaults and the Centre for Recent Drawing
Centre for Recent Drawing
Founded by Andrew Hewish in 2004, the Centre for Recent Drawing is a non-commercial curatorial space in London, UK, for the exhibition of recent drawing and providing access and discussion for current drawing practice, and to foster the audience for drawing within the general public.Since 2004...
(C4RD).
Benny the Clown
de la Cour appears in many of his public performances – particularly with Zipperface – as his alter ego Benny the Clown.Benny is a traditionally made up whiteface (grotesque) clown, with oversize shoes, gaudily coloured baggy trousers and an enormous red fright-wig. Benny has his own unique facial make-up. He is often heard to speak in a broad Brooklyn accent, which can be heard in his early "...play this with your eyes closed" videos.
In November 2007, Benny appeared with his new sidekick Percy the Ringmaster at the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall to perform a specially choreographed 8 minute skit to music composed by de la Cour.
Benny and Percy have since appeared at the launches of the Spitalfields Festival (December 2008, Spitalfields Market, London - with pianist Mark Knoop
Mark Knoop
Mark Knoop is an Australian pianist.Knoop was born in Hobart, Tasmania. He studied piano at the Victorian College of the Arts and later in Europe with Stephen McIntyre, Herbert Henck, James Avery and Peter Feuchtwanger, as well as conducting with Robert Rosen...
) and Brighton's Soundwaves Festival (Brighton Station main concourse, June 2008 - with a band featuring Alan Bates on Double Bass and Mr Pump on Keyboard).
Additional information
de la Cour was a featured artist in Richard CorkRichard Cork
Dr Richard Cork is a British art historian, editor, critic, broadcaster and exhibition curator. He has been an art critic for the Evening Standard, The Listener, The Times and the New Statesman. Cork was also editor for Studio International. He is a past Turner Prize judge.-Life and work:Richard...
's article "The Stubborn Art" in the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
Drawing supplement, and was interviewed in the online magazine CrushtoPulp.