ðð ððððð ðððððððð ð
ðððð! ðð
ðð ð°ðĒðŽðĄ ðēðĻðŪ ððĨðĨ ððĄð ðððŽð. ð
 |
| Photo credit: PhotoArtTeam (main photo), smaller pics unknown / edit by Silke |
ðĒ ”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)
ðŽ ððķðžðŧðŪ ððķððĩ ðĢðđðŪð°ðēðŊðž – ðĶð―ðēð°ðķðŪðđ ð (ððžðŧðąðžðŧ ðŪðŽðŽðĩ)
ðĩ https://bit.ly/2YyTkB3 ðĩ
♦️ððððððððð ðððð ð ðððð♦️
ðŠððð§ ððĶ ðŽðĒðĻðĨ ð ðĻðĶðððð ððððððĨðĒðĻðĄð ððĄð ððĒðŠ ððð ðŽðĒðĻ ððð§ ððĄð§ðĒ ððĒð ðĢðĒðĶððĄð ð ðĻðĶðð?
ðĒ “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.“
ðŠð ððĒðĐð ðŽðĒðĻðĨ ððððĻð 'ðĢðĒðĶð§ðððĨððĶ ððĨðĒð ', ððĒðŠ ðŠðĒðĻðð ðŽðĒðĻ ðððĶððĨððð ð§ðððĶ ððððĻð ð§ðĒ ðĶðĒð ððĒðĄð ðŠððĒ ðððĶðĄ'ð§ ððððĨð ðŽðĒðĻðĨ ð ðĻðĶðð ððððĒðĨð?
ðĒ “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.“
ðŠð ðĶððŠ ð§ððð§ ðŽðĒðĻ ððĒðððððĒðĨðð§ðð ðŠðð§ð ððĨðĒð§ðððĨ ð§ðĨðð ðĶðĒðĻðĄð ððĒðĨ ðŽðĒðĻðĨ ð§ððĨðð ðĢðððð 'ðĶð§ðĨððĄð ðĪðĻððĨð§ðð§ ðĄðĒ. ð', ðŠðððð ðŠð ð§ðððĄð ððĶ ððĄððĨððððððŽ ððððĻð§ðððĻð ððŽ ð§ðð ðŠððŽ. ðŠððð§ ðŠððĶ ð§ðð ððĒðððððĒðĨðð§ððĒðĄ ðĢðĨðĒðððĶðĶ ðððð ððĄð ððĶ ð§ðððĨð ððĄ ððĄðĶðĢððĨðð§ððĒðĄ ððĒðĨ ð§ðððĶ ðĢðððð?
ðĒ “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.“
ðŠððð§ ðð§ðĨð ðŽðĒðĻ ðĻðĢ ð§ðĒ, ð ðĻðĶðð-ðŠððĶð, ðð§ ð§ðð ð ðĒð ððĄð§?
ðĒ “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.“
 |
| Photo credit: stagr.de |
ðĒ “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.“
ðŽ ð ðĒðĻð§ð ððŦðĒðð – ðððĨðĨððŽ (ððððĒððĒððĨ ðŊðĒðððĻ)
ðĩ https://bit.ly/3ln3HRe ðĩ
ðŽðĒðĻðĨ ððððððĨðĒðĻðĄð ððĶ ð ðĐððĒðððĄððĶð§ ððĶ ðĐððĨðŽ ðð ðĢðĨððĶðĶððĐð. ððĶ ð§ðððĨð ð ð ðĒð ððĄð§ ððĄ ðŽðĒðĻðĨ ðððĨðððĨ ðĶðĒ ðððĨ ð§ððð§ ðĶð§ððĄððĶ ðĒðĻð§ ððĶ ð ððððððððð§ ððĒðĨ ðŽðĒðĻ?
ðĒ “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.“
ððĶ ð§ðððĨð ððĄðŽ ðððĐððð ðŽðĒðĻ ðŠðĒðĻðð ðððĐð ð§ðĒ ðĶðĒð ððĒðĄð ððĒðĒðððĄð ð§ðĒ ððð§ ððĄð§ðĒ ð§ðð ð ðĻðĶðð ððĄððĻðĶð§ðĨðŽ ð§ðĒ ðð ð ððĒð ðĢðĒðĶððĨ ððĄð/ðĒðĨ ððĨðĨððĄðððĨ ðððð ðŽðĒðĻðĨðĶððð?
ðĒ “Be humble. Be polite. Be on time. Listen. Don’t be scared of silence. Serve the song, not your own ego.“
ðŠððð§ ððĶ ð§ðð ð ðððĄððĄð ðĒð ð ðĻðĶðð ððĒðĨ ðŽðĒðĻ?
ðĒ “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
