Strathclyde Concertos
Encyclopedia
The Strathclyde Concertos are a series of ten orchestral works by the English
composer
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
.
Commissioned by Strathclyde Regional Council, each work features an instrumental soloist and small orchestra. The first concerto, for oboe
and orchestra, appeared in 1986, with the tenth and last work, for full orchestra ten years later. Ironically Strathclyde Council was abolished that same year.
Funding was also supplied by the Scottish Arts Council
. The plan was that each concerto was to be used as a teaching tool. As each concerto was finished, a young composer chosen by the Council would visit the schools in a particular region of Strathclyde and would address the students concerning the concerto and the process of its composition. Then, the students would be asked to create compositions of their own. Also, the soloist for each concerto would visit the schools in the region and discuss the concerto from the performer's point of view.
Uniquely, Davies spotlights the soloists in each concerto by eliminating the instrument's counterparts in the orchestra. In the First Strathclyde Concerto for Oboe (1986), the orchestra does not include any oboes or bassoons. Likewise, in the Third Strathclyde Concerto for Horn and Trumpet (1989), Davies excludes all of the brass instruments from the orchestra. For the Sixth Strathclyde Concerto for Flute (1991), Davies went even farther by removing all of the flutes, oboes, and violins from the orchestra, and by severely limiting the trumpet parts. The most demanding of the solo parts most likely lies in the Second Strathclyde Concerto for Cello (1987). In the last two of the Strathclyde Concertos, Davies increased the number of soloists. The Ninth (1994) is scored for six woodwind soloists, while the Tenth (1996) is a concerto for orchestra whose finale is a sort of recapitulation of ideas heard in the earlier concertos.
The first two concertos were recorded by Unicorn-Kanchana
, with the composer conducting. The remainder were recorded by Collins Classics
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE is an English composer and conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music.-Biography:...
.
Commissioned by Strathclyde Regional Council, each work features an instrumental soloist and small orchestra. The first concerto, for oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
and orchestra, appeared in 1986, with the tenth and last work, for full orchestra ten years later. Ironically Strathclyde Council was abolished that same year.
Funding was also supplied by the Scottish Arts Council
Scottish Arts Council
The Scottish Arts Council is a Scottish public body that distributes funding from the Scottish Government, and is the leading national organisation for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland...
. The plan was that each concerto was to be used as a teaching tool. As each concerto was finished, a young composer chosen by the Council would visit the schools in a particular region of Strathclyde and would address the students concerning the concerto and the process of its composition. Then, the students would be asked to create compositions of their own. Also, the soloist for each concerto would visit the schools in the region and discuss the concerto from the performer's point of view.
Uniquely, Davies spotlights the soloists in each concerto by eliminating the instrument's counterparts in the orchestra. In the First Strathclyde Concerto for Oboe (1986), the orchestra does not include any oboes or bassoons. Likewise, in the Third Strathclyde Concerto for Horn and Trumpet (1989), Davies excludes all of the brass instruments from the orchestra. For the Sixth Strathclyde Concerto for Flute (1991), Davies went even farther by removing all of the flutes, oboes, and violins from the orchestra, and by severely limiting the trumpet parts. The most demanding of the solo parts most likely lies in the Second Strathclyde Concerto for Cello (1987). In the last two of the Strathclyde Concertos, Davies increased the number of soloists. The Ninth (1994) is scored for six woodwind soloists, while the Tenth (1996) is a concerto for orchestra whose finale is a sort of recapitulation of ideas heard in the earlier concertos.
The first two concertos were recorded by Unicorn-Kanchana
Unicorn-Kanchana
Unicorn-Kanchana was a British independent record label. Originally known as Unicorn Records, the name Kanchana was added later to distinguish the company from Unicorn Records of Montréal, Canada...
, with the composer conducting. The remainder were recorded by Collins Classics
Collins Classics
Collins Classics was a record label which specialised in classical music. It was founded in 1989.Artists who recorded for the label included Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, the Duke Quartet, choral group the Sixteen, Harry Christophers and Joanna MacGregor....
.
The Strathclyde Concertos
- Strathclyde Concerto No. 1 (1986) for oboe and orchestra (First performance: 29 April 1988, at the City Halls, Glasgow, by Robin MillerRobin MillerRobin Miller may refer to:* Robin Miller , also known as the "Sugarbird Lady", female Australian aviator and nurse* Robin Miller , American motorsports journalist* Robin Miller , British businessman and honorary knight...
and the Scottish Chamber OrchestraScottish Chamber OrchestraThe Scottish Chamber Orchestra is Scotland's national chamber orchestra, based in Edinburgh. One of Scotland’s five National Performing Arts Companies, the SCO performs throughout Scotland, including annual tours of the Scottish Highlands and Islands and South of Scotland. The SCO appears...
; conducted by the composer) - Strathclyde Concerto No. 2 (1987) for celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
and orchestra (1 February 1989, at the City Halls, Glasgow, by William ConwayWilliam ConwayWilliam Conway may refer to:*William Conway , Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland*William Conway , 19th century American sailor...
and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; conducted by the composer) - Strathclyde Concerto No. 3 (1989) for hornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
, trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
and orchestra (First performance: 19 January 1990, at the City Halls, Glasgow, by Robert Cook (horn), Peter Franks(trumpet) and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; conducted by the composer) - Strathclyde Concerto No. 4 (1990) for clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and orchestra (First performance: 21 November 1990, at the City Halls, Glasgow, by Lewis Morrison and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; conducted by the composer) - Strathclyde Concerto No. 5 (1991) for violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
and string orchestra (First performance: 13 March 1992, at the City Halls, Glasgow, by James ClarkJames ClarkJames Clark may refer to:* James Clark , Ambassador from the United Kingdom to Luxembourg* James Clark , Governor of Kentucky from 1836 to 1839* James Clark , Mayor of Auckland...
(violin), Catherine Marwood (viola) and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; conducted by the composer) - Strathclyde Concerto No. 6 (1991) for fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
and orchestra (First performance: 13 March 1992, at the City Halls, Glasgow, by David NicholsonDavid NicholsonDavid John Nicholson is a former Conservative politician in the United Kingdom and was Member of Parliament for Taunton from 1987 to 1997, being elected to the traditional Conservative seat after Edward du Cann left Parliament in 1987 and was elected again in 1992.He lost the seat in the 1997...
and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; conducted by the composer) - Strathclyde Concerto No. 7 (1992) for double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
and orchestra (First performance: 24 November 1992, at the City Halls, Glasgow, by Duncan McTierDuncan McTier-Biography:Born in Worcestershire, England, Duncan McTier studied a degree in mathematics at Bristol University before joining the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. McTier won the Isle of Man International Double Bass Competition in 1982 and since then he has performed...
and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; conducted by the composer) - Strathclyde Concerto No. 8 (1993) for bassoonBassoonThe bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
and orchestra (First performance: 24 November 1993, at the City Halls, Glasgow, by Ursula Leveaux and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; conducted by the composer) - Strathclyde Concerto No. 9(1994) for six woodwind instruments and string orchestra (First performance: 10 February 1995, at the City Halls, Glasgow, by David Nicholson (piccolo), Elizabeth Dooner (alto flute), Maurice Checker (cor Anglais), Lewis Morrison (Eb clarinet), Ruth Ellis (bass clarinet), Alison Green (contrabassoon) and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; conducted by the composer)
- Strathclyde Concerto No. 10: Concerto for Orchestra (1996) (First performance: 30 October 1996, at the City Halls, Glasgow by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; conducted by the composer)