David Matthews composer
 
 
   

In July 1990 I was staying at the conductor Norman Del Mar's house in Millook on the north coast of Cornwall, finishing my large orchestral piece The Music of Dawn. Each evening there were spectacular sunsets, and I used to go up on the cliff to paint them in watercolours.

The Music of Dawn is concerned with the sun in all its aspects, and I am sure that these paintings assisted the compositional process: the one above was painted on 15th July, and next morning I wrote the music you can see and hear, in its final orchestral form, on the website introduction page.

 
 

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Recent and Forthcoming Performances

17/06/2009, 1pm  --  Eight Duos for Two Violins

Retorica Duo: Philippa Mo and Harriet Mackenzie | St James' Church, Piccadilly, London

Related works: Op.79 - Eight Duos

17/06/2009, 7.45pm  --  String Quartet No.11

World premiere.

Carducci Quartet | St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb

Related works: Op.108 - String Quartet No.11

26/06/2009  --  Winter Journey, Four Australian Birds, Three Studies for Solo Violin

Peter Sheppard Skaerved, violin | Kuusamo, Finland

Related works: Op.84a - Four Australian Birds | Op.39 - Three Studies | Op.32 - Winter Journey

27/06/2009  --  Sevilla!, Prelude & Fughetta, Monte Maggio, La Caccia

Works for 2 violins. World premiere of Sevilla! and La Caccia.

Peter and Marius Sheppard Skaerved, violin | Kuusamo, Finland

Related works: Monte Maggio

12/07/2009, 7.30pm  --  Eight Duos for Two Violins

Retorica Duo: Philippa Mo and Harriet Mackenzie | West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge

Related works: Op.79 - Eight Duos

13/08/2009, 3.30pm  --  Happiness for soprano and recorder

World premiere.

Lesley-Jane Rogers, soprano | John Turner, recorder | St Martin's Church, Bowness-on-Windermere, Lake District Summer Music

29/08/2009, 11.30am  --  Journeying Songs

First Welsh and first complete performance of a Presteigne Festival co-commission.

Gemma Rosefield, cello | St Mary's Church, Kinnerton, Presteigne Festival

Related works: Op.95 - Journeying Songs

30/08/2009, 4.45pm  --  String Quartet No. 11

Carducci Quartet | Church of St Mary Magdalene, Leintwardine, Presteigne Festival

Related works: Op.108 - String Quartet No.11

30/08/2009, 7.30pm  --  Haydn Fantasies for John McCabe

World premiere of seven new piano pieces by various composers to celebrate John McCabe's 70th birthday.

Huw Watkins, piano | St Andrew's Church, Presteigne Festival

11/10/2009, 3pm  --  Songs and Dances of Mourning

Rohan de Saram, cello | Little Missenden Church, Little Missenden Festival

Related works: Op.12 - Songs and Dances of Mourning

17/10/2009, 12pm  --  Two Dionysus Dithyrambs

James Kreiling | Little Missenden Church, Little Missenden Festival

Related works: Op.94 - Two Dionysus Dithyrambs

27/01/2010  --  Concerto in Azzurro

Conducted by Jac Van Steen | Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff

Related works: Op.87 - Concerto in Azzurro

24/04/2010  --  World premiere of Symphony No.7

Full news item details

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra | Conducted by Gianandrea Noseda | Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

Other news

26/02/2009  --  A new CD of orchestral works on Chandos is out now

BBC Philharmonic under Rumon Gamba with Guy Johnston, cello. You can download the disk for only £7.99 or buy the CD for £12.71 from the Chandos website.

Full recording details including samples and reviews | Sleeve notes (PDF)

Related works: Op.60 - A Vision and a Journey | Op.87 - Concerto in Azzurro | Op.50 - The Music of Dawn

06/03/2009  --  CD of Symphonies Nos.1, 3 & 5 out now

Performed by BBC NOW under Martyn Brabbins. Available on the Dutton record label.

Full recording details including samples and reviews | Buy from Dutton

Related works: Op.9 - Symphony No.1 | Op.37 - Symphony No.3 | Op.78 - Symphony No.5

21/06/2009  --  New recording of Plover's Peak out now

Appears on The NMC Song Book CD box set.

Full recording details

Related works: Plover's Peak

20/07/2009, 5.15pm  --  Stephen Johnson talks to David about Mahler

BBC Proms with Stephen Johnson talking to David and author and lecturer Jeremy Barham about Mahler's Symphony No.9.

BBC Proms | Royal College of Music

28/08/2009, 4.30pm  --  The Inspiration of Dreams

A talk given by David and James Francis Brown.

Arkwright Hall, Kinsham, Presteigne Festival

 
   

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