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Tansy Davies (1973-     )

Tansy Davies, composerTansy Davies rose to prominence on the British scene with a sequence of ensemble works for the Composers Ensemble, the London Sinfonietta and The Brunel Ensemble, all of which bear the hallmarks of her apprenticeship under Simon Bainbridge and Simon Holt. Her work has been described as "the response of an intensely musical mind and an acute ear to ideas conveyed from a different part of the brain, reinterpreted and then transmitted as pure music". At times "its energy is infectious, achieved Stravinsky-fashion by insistent repetition, crisp rhythmic unisons and deep, sudden contrasts of perspective". Davies has found an accommodation between the worlds of the avant-garde and experimental rock, between - in the words of one critic - Xenakis and Prince. Filled with sounds of cracking, slapping, whipping and scraping, it is music that is utterly contemporary, inhabiting the same urban landscape as industrial techno and electronica.
-  BMIC/British Music Information Centre & Stephen Walsh

COMPOSITIONS                                    Tansy Davies Links     ~ ~ ~     Works by Genre    ~ ~ ~    Tansy Davies Reviews
Keep On Keepin' On, brass quintet (1995)
Receiver, flute (1996/97?)
Two Part Invention in Unison, piccolo, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano and percussion (1999, withdrawn)
Undertow, flute, clarinet, violin, viola and piano (1999)
Picking Raspberries at Eagles Nest Lake (3 parts), soprano, cl/Eb cl, bass cl, va, vc and db (1999)
Patterning, piccolo, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion (2000)
Torsion, chamble ensemble/14 players (2000)
Loure, violin (2000)
Small Black Stone, viola and piano (2000)
The Void in this Colour, chamber orchestra (2001)
Gin Trap, 2 bass cl, viola, cello, double bass and piano (2001)
Spindle, horn and piano (2001)
Loopholes and Lynchpins, piano (2001)
Trio, clarinet, viola and piano (2002)
inside out 1, trumpet, elec guitar, elec bass guitar, hammond organ, elec keyboard(clavinet) and double bass (2002)
Arabescos, oboe and piano (2002)
inside out 2, bass cl, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello and piano (2003)
Fern, alto fl, Eng hn, cl, bass cl, contrabsn, horn and percussion (2003)
Greenhouses, female voice, soprano sax, percussion and double bass (2003)
Residuum (after Dowland), 2 violins, cello and string orchestra (2004)
Spiral House (Trumpet Concerto), trumpet and orchestra (2004)
Iris, soprano saxophone and chamber ensemble/15 players (2004)
make black white, concert of viols (treble viol, 2 tenor viols, 2 bass viols) (2004)
neon, bass cl w/ampl, soprano sax, perc(1), elec kybd(clavinet), violin w/ampl, cello w/ampl and double bass w/ampl (2004)
Tilting, orchestra (2005)
spine, chamber ensemble/11 players (2 afl, 2 bfl, 1cl/bcl, 3 bcl, cimbalom, bass marimba and harp) (2005)
salt box, bass cl, soprano sax, violin, cello double bass, elec kybd/harmonium, and percussion (1) (2005)
Dark Ground, solo percussion (2005)
Women in Love, soprano and percussion (1 player) (2005)
Streamlines, orchestra (2006)
Contraband, harpsichord, alto fl, ob/Eng hn, bass cl, marimba, violin, viola and cello (2006)
Falling Angel, chamber ensemble/17 players (2006)
The Oven in the Underworld, children's choir and piano (2006)
Elephant and Castle, multi-media installation (2007) [in collaboration with film director Tim Hopkins]
kingpin, chamber orchestra (2007)
grind show, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano/prepared & processed (2007) [electric]
grind show, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano/prepared (2007) [unplugged]
Rift, orchestra (2008)
Hinterland, chamber ensemble/10 players (2008) [inspired by "Elephant and Castle", 2007]
Adorned, bass cl, cimbalom, harmonium, violins, hardanger fiddles, shetland fiddles, violas, cellos and double basses (2008)
Feather and Groove, unspecified mixed ensemble (2008)
Forgotten Game 2, oboe and piano (2009)
Destroying Beauty, soprano and piano (2009)
Static, tenor and piano (2009)
This Love, tenor and piano (2009)
Wild Card, orchestra (2010)
As with Voices and with Tears, chorus, string orchestra and electronics (2010)

white mule, hammond organ (????)


WORKS BY GENRE                                                Tansy Davies Links    ~ ~ ~    Tansy Davies Reviews     ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
Elephant and Castle, multi-media installation (2007) [in collaboration with film director Tim Hopkins]

Orchestra
The Void in this Colour, chamber orchestra (2001)
Tilting, orchestra (2005)
Streamlines, orchestra (2006)
kingpin, chamber orchestra (2007)
Rift, orchestra (2008)
Wild Card, orchestra (2010)

Soloist(s) w/Orchestra or Ensemble
Residuum (after Dowland), 2 violins, cello and string orchestra (2004)
Spiral House (Trumpet Concerto), trumpet and orchestra (2004)
Iris, soprano saxophone and chamber ensemble/15 players (2004)
Contraband, harpsichord, alto fl, ob/Eng hn, bass cl, marimba, violin, viola and cello (2006)

Chorus w/Orchestra
As with Voices and with Tears, chorus, string orchestra and electronics (2010)

Choral
The Oven in the Underworld, children's choir and piano (2006)

Large Ensemble
Torsion, chamble ensemble/14 players (2000)
Iris, soprano saxophone and chamber ensemble/15 players (2004)
spine, chamber ensemble/11 players (2 afl, 2 bfl, 1cl/bcl, 3 bcl, cimbalom, bass marimba and harp) (2005)
Falling Angel, chamber ensemble/17 players (2006)
Hinterland, chamber ensemble/10 players (2008) [inspired by "Elephant and Castle", 2007]
Adorned, bass cl, cimbalom, harmonium, violins, hardanger fiddles, shetland fiddles, violas, cellos and double basses (2008)

Chamber
Keep On Keepin' On, brass quintet (1995)
Two Part Invention in Unison, piccolo, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano and percussion (1999, withdrawn)
Undertow, flute, clarinet, violin, viola and piano (1999)
Patterning, piccolo, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion (2000)
Gin Trap, 2 bass cl, viola, cello, double bass and piano (2001)
Trio, clarinet, viola and piano (2002)
inside out 1, trumpet, elec guitar, elec bass guitar, hammond organ, elec keyboard(clavinet) and double bass (2002)
inside out 2, bass cl, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello and piano (2003)
Fern, alto fl, Eng hn, cl, bass cl, contrabsn, horn and percussion (2003)
make black white, concert of viols (treble viol, 2 tenor viols, 2 bass viols) (2004)
neon, bass cl w/ampl, soprano sax, perc(1), elec kybd(clavinet), violin w/ampl, cello w/ampl and double bass w/ampl (2004)
salt box, bass cl, soprano sax, violin, cello double bass, elec kybd/harmonium, and percussion (1) (2005)
Contraband, harpsichord, alto fl, ob/Eng hn, bass cl, marimba, violin, viola and cello (2006)
grind show, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano/prepared & processed (2007) [electric]
grind show, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano/prepared (2007) [unplugged]
Feather and Groove, unspecified mixed ensemble (2008)

Solo Instrument
Receiver, flute (1996/97?)
Loure, violin (2000)
Small Black Stone, viola and piano (2000)
Spindle, horn and piano (2001)
Arabescos, oboe and piano (2002)
Forgotten Game 2, oboe and piano (2009)

Piano/Organ
white mule, hammond organ (????)
Loopholes and Lynchpins, piano (2001)
Dark Ground, solo percussion (2005)

Vocal
Picking Raspberries at Eagles Nest Lake (3 parts), soprano, cl/Eb cl, bass cl, va, vc and db (1999)
Greenhouses, female voice, soprano sax, percussion and double bass (2003)
Women in Love, soprano and percussion (1 player) (2005)
Destroying Beauty, soprano and piano (2009)
Static, tenor and piano (2009)
This Love, tenor and piano (2009)

Electronic
Elephant and Castle, multi-media installation (2007) [in collaboration with film director Tim Hopkins]

TANSY DAVIES  LINKS                                               Works by Genre    ~ ~ ~    Tansy Davies Reviews      ~ top of page ~
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group Performs at CBSO Centre, Birmingham (Stephen Walsh, The Arts Desk)
Elephant and Castle (Richard Morrison, Times Online)
I Love to Work Out After a Hard Day Composing (Ivan Hewett, Telegraph)
Proms 2010: Prom 72 - Tansy Davies’s Wild Card (Ivan Hewett, The Telegraph)
Proms 2010: Tansy Davies - Wild Card (World Première) (5 against 4)
She's Got the Funk (Tom Service, The Guardian)
Tansy Davies' New Work "As with Voices and with Tears" (Stephen Pritchard, The Guardian/Faber Music)

Composer's website        . . . contact Tansy Davies: here

Tansy Davies @ Wikipedia
Tansy Davies @ Answers.com
Tansy Davies @ BCMG
Tansy Davies @ BMIC/British Music Information Centre - no longer online
Tansy Davies @ Classical Archives
Tansy Davies @ Classical Composers Database
Tansy Davies @ ClassicsToday
Tansy Davies @ composition:today
Tansy Davies @ Critical Notice
Tansy Davies @ Curious Planet
Tansy Davies @ Faber Music    also    here
Tansy Davies  @ Facebook
Tansy Davies @ Integra
Tansy Davies @ Kings Place
Tansy Davies @ London Sinfonietta
Tansy Davies @ MusicWeb International
Tansy Davies @ MySpaceMusic
Tansy Davies @ Naxos
Tansy Davies @ NMC Recordings
Tansy Davies @ nonclassical
Tansy Davies @ Orchestra of the Swan
Tansy Davies @ Paul Hamlyn Foundation
Tansy Davies @ Sound and Music

Publisher
Tansy Davies @ Faber Music    also    here
Tansy Davies @ Sound and Music - The Collection: Contemporary Voices

Streaming Audio
Tansy Davies @ Composer's website
Tansy Davies @ Classical Archives
Tansy Davies @ last.fm
Tansy Davies @ MySpaceMusic
Tansy Davies @ Rhapsody

Recordings
Tansy Davies @ ArkivMusic
Tansy Davies @ ClassicsOnline
Tansy Davies @ Discogs
Tansy Davies @ NMC Recordings
Tansy Davies @ nonclassical

Video
Tansy Davies @ YouTube
Tansy Davies @ Google Video

Selected Reviews
Stephen Pritchard, The Guardian (22 November 2010)
'...[Tansy Davies] chose the words of Walt Whitman for As with Voices and with Tears, a work for choir, string orchestra and electronics that used the spacious acoustic of Portsmouth Cathedral as an instrument in itself. Whitman tells a chilling tale of a double grave for a father and son, killed side by side in combat. Davies extracted her music from this moving text using a system that assigned a different pitch to each letter of the alphabet, further moulding or sculpting the notes and enriching the harmonies into tonal clusters, so that the vocal lines are often only a semitone apart – difficult to sing but both arresting and mysterious in effect. While bells, birdsong and footsteps murmur in and out in electronic interjections, singers and orchestra move as separate flocks on the wing, forming and reforming in large shapes that stream across the desolate landscape of the poem. The young choir sang this haunting, richly textured, mesmerising requiem with a flair and precision way beyond their years under the assured direction of Andrew Cleary in a most remarkable act of remembrance.'


Stephen Walsh, The Arts Desk (6 December 2010)
The double centrepiece, on either side of the interval, was a pair of brilliant works for largeish ensemble by the waifish-looking but hyper-talented Tansy Davies. Falling Angel is an ebullient response to the painting of that name by Anselm Kiefer; Iris, which I first heard at the Cheltenham Festival six years ago, is an evocation of the winged messenger goddess of the rainbow. Both are works which react to visual images, but in a way that transmutes those images into sound structures; they are the response of an intensely musical mind and an acute ear to ideas conveyed from a different part of the brain, reinterpreted and then transmitted as pure music. Both are vivid and exciting creations. With a pen in her hand, Davies is like an over-stimulated teenager, but one who has learnt – as Cocteau so memorably put it – how far it is permissible to go too far. Her writing for brass is typical. She seems to hurl the music at them, defying them to catch it. But when they do (as of course they do, because they’re the wonderful BCMG), they discover that it is not a rough old stone but a piece of sculpture they can study and enjoy, “black and shiny”, as Davies revealingly describes the sound she wants. But this music dances as well as shines. Its energy is infectious, achieved Stravinsky-fashion by insistent repetition, crisp rhythmic unisons and deep, sudden contrasts of perspective.  [Davies' other piece] Iris forms rainbow bridges (this is the composer’s description) between an antique string chorale-gone-wonky and vibrant episodes for the whole ensemble, linked by a soprano saxophone and signalled by sharp percussion strokes. The sense of space is almost tangible, the pace jolting but exhilarating. I loved both works and look forward to hearing other things by this gifted composer.


Proms 2010: Prom 72 - Tansy Davies’s Wild Card (Ivan Hewett, The Telegraph)
Every Proms season needs its wild card, and with only three days to go before the Last Night, we got it. Tansy Davies’s Wild Card was the certainly the most startling, ear-tickling of this season’s premieres — only Simon Holt’s percussion concerto (which was not actually a proms commission) topped it for sheer strangeness. Davies tells us in her programme note that she’s always been fascinated by allegorical figures of the Tarot, and this piece is a whirling parade of 17 of them. The composer helpfully gave us a checklist: the Moon and Sun were opaque metallic sounds; the Lovers were two sinuous lines; Justice starts mercurially but soon develops a "grinding groove". But I soon gave up trying to spot the card and just enjoyed the parade of brilliantly etched musical images. Each was about a minute long, and was made of piled-up rhythmic tics clothed in low growling sonorities, with angular melodies tiptoeing above. The piece was as ingeniously proportioned as a mobile, and there were enough fleeting musical interconnections to make this savage parade hang together as a whole.

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