๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐! ๐๐
๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ. ๐
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| Photo credit: PhotoArtTeam (main photo), smaller pics unknown / edit by Silke |
๐ข ”I have known the band socially for many years because we have several friends in common in London, and we used to meet at gigs before Placebo became hugely successful and their tours took them away for long periods. Brian remembers seeing me playing violin with Michael J Sheehy about 10 years ago at the 12-bar club in London. At the time I was playing and writing with various bands, including Dream City Film Club. Coincidentally I was also in the band Tram for a while, and Bill Lloyd was in this band before me! Small world… But our musical paths didn’t officially merge until the band decided to use strings on the 'Meds' album. They asked me to write with them, and we found musical material and a sound that could add something to the songs without overpowering them. It worked well and after this I collaborated with Stefan on the strings for the Hotel Persona album.”
(Interview with Niki Phaser, January 2010)
๐ฌ ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ผ – ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ (๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ต)
๐ต https://bit.ly/2YyTkB3 ๐ต
♦️๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐♦️
๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ช ๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ก๐ง๐ข ๐๐ข๐ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐?
๐ข “I started creating music from the age of four, when my mum gave me an old tape recorder with a microphone. I started making up songs and recording them. I don’t come from a musical family but I learnt recorder, piano and violin whilst at primary school, and I was encouraged by the excellent teachers at the county music service in Northamptonshire (NMPAT), playing in the Youth and Chamber Orchestras. This exposed me to the world of classical music and I fell in love with the String Orchestra repertoire, writing for chamber ensembles from 11 onwards with pieces performed by my peers. I went on to study at Kings College London and the Royal Academy of Music, studying composition with Silvena Milstein and Sir Harrison Birtwistle, but I found the academic world there creatively stifling, so I started playing with London-based rock bands instead.“
๐ช๐ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ '๐ฃ๐ข๐ฆ๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ', ๐๐ข๐ช ๐ช๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ ๐ช๐๐ข ๐๐๐ฆ๐ก'๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐?
๐ข “Thank you! It is chamber music for piano, violin and cello. Reflective, consonant, relaxing. It is inspired by travel and each piece was conceived in the city it is named after. It represents my emotional response to that location at that particular time. I am not attempting to represent the place itself, just me within it.“
๐ช๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ช ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ช๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐จ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ '๐ฆ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ ๐ค๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ง ๐ก๐ข. ๐ญ', ๐ช๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ช๐๐ฌ. ๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐ช๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ฆ๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ก ๐๐ก๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐?
๐ข “I was approached by Brother Tree Sound, led by fellow violinist Anna de Bruin, to see if I had anything they could perform at their debut concert. I had been working on a string quartet that was nearly finished so I offered to finish it for them to premiere. They gave me the incentive I needed to complete the work, basically. I love writing for string quartet because it is the perfect capsule ensemble. I have the players in mind when I am writing, always asking myself ‘How would it feel to play this?’ I want it to be exciting and satisfying for the performers. I am inspired by the quartet repertoire in general, and by the love of playing that music.“
๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐จ๐ฃ ๐ง๐ข, ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐-๐ช๐๐ฆ๐, ๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ง?
๐ข “I’m currently working on music for a BBC documentary, and I am close to finishing my second solo album, which is a lot more sonically ambitious than “Postcards From”. I have a new work being released by the Thesis Project in the new year, and will continue writing orchestral arrangements for bands and touring with different artists.“
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| Photo credit: stagr.de |
๐ข “Yes particularly my early influences.. Bartok, Prince, Shostakovich, Blondie, Lennox Berkeley, Bach, Mozart, The Velvet Underground, Debussy. The genre distinction was irrelevant to me, I didn’t hear ‘pop’ or ‘classical’, I just connected with their music. Obviously my musical tastes have developed with age and I listen to a wide range of music but I know that these artists have informed my writing and arranging style.“
๐ฌ ๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ – ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐๐จ)
๐ต https://bit.ly/3ln3HRe ๐ต
๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ฉ๐. ๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ง ๐๐ก ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ข ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ?
๐ข “Performing with Placebo at Angkor Wat temple, Cambodia for MTV was pretty special. It was my first gig with the band, and I went on to tour with them for nearly a decade. I’m also particularly proud of some of the recording work I have done with John Grant, especially the violin line on ‘Mars’. It was a good day when I came up with that. Performing with Roy Harper is always a memorable experience and it is a privilege to be onstage with him. Actually, whenever I go into an orchestral session at Abbey Road or Air, I feel proud of the musical heritage, the lineage running through those great studios, and I don’t ever take that work for granted.“
๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ก๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ช๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ข๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ก๐ง๐ข ๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ง๐ข ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐/๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐๐?
๐ข “Be humble. Be polite. Be on time. Listen. Don’t be scared of silence. Serve the song, not your own ego.“
๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ?
๐ข “Music is a vital language, an important form of communication. Composing allows me to create a tranquil space, to process my emotional responses to this world in an abstract but hopefully meaningful way.“
(Contemplative Classical, January 24th 2019)
Post by Silke
