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Kevin Volans (1949-     )

Kevin Volans, composerAs a white man born in South Africa in 1949, trained largely in Europe in the 1970s, and eventually patriated in Ireland in the 1980s, Kevin Volans has often confronted in his music the issue of identity. "Like many white South Africans of my generation, I was brought up to think I was European," Volans wrote in 1986. "I went to live in Europe and found this was not true. I returned to Africa and was disappointed to find I could not really regard myself as African." It is this struggle with identity, however, that has contributed to his popular success as a composer. As multiculturalism spread into the mainstream consciousness via the world music boom during the last two decades of the twentieth century, Volans' mixture of African and European music styles (or often, stylizations) found resonance with classical music consumers eager to embrace the sounds of a "global community." Volans received his initial musical education in South Africa, where he received a bachelor's degree from the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, before leaving for Europe to undertake graduate studies. Volans spent the better part of a decade in Europe, studying composition with Karlheinz Stockhausen and music theater with Mauricio Kagel. During the late 1970s, Volans returned to South Africa several times to conduct field recordings and he returned again from 1981 to 1985 to take a teaching position and complete a doctoral degree at the University of Natal before returning to Europe. Having established himself as an important figure in the Neue Einfachkeit (New Simplicity) movement during the 1970s and early 1980s, Volans became increasingly interested in traditional African musics during his extended return to South Africa in the 1980s. A series of "African paraphrase" pieces (a term he invented but would later reject) reflected his interest in native African styles. Volans began to distance himself in the 1990s from the kind of explicit multiculturalism that had brought him such broad recognition. The 1990s also found Volans devoting considerable attention to collaborations with choreographers and dance groups.
-  Jeremy Grimshaw, All Music Guide

COMPOSITIONS                                                            Volans Links     ~ ~ ~     Works by Genre    ~ ~ ~    Volans on Volans
2 Songs, soprano and piano (1970; unpublished) [text: ee cummings]
Grafik, graphic score (1971; unpublished)
Module, graphic score with instructions, 4 players (1973; unpublished)
Nine Beginnings, 2 pianos (1976; rev. 1985)
Studies in Zulu History, electronic tape (stereo - originally quadrophonic) (1977-1979)
Renewed Music/Reviewed Music, 6 percussionists (1979; unpublished)
Delay in Glass, 2 singers, irish harp, 2 pianos and tape (1979; unpublished)
Delay in Glass, 2 singers, irish harp, 2 pianos and tape (1979; unpublished)
Kwazulu Summer Landscape, tape of natural sounds (stereo - originally quadrophonic) (1979)
Mbira, 2 re-tuned harpsichords and rattles (1980; unpublished) [withdrawn]
Matepe, 2 harpsichords and rattles (1980)
Monkey Music, piano (1976/1981; rev. 2005) [second version w/speaker]
Newer Music for Piano (1981; rev. 1992)
White Man Sleeps, 2 harpsichords, viola da gamba and percussion (1982)
    - White Man Sleeps, 3 guitars (1986) [arr. 1995 by Bernd Goldau]
Cover Him With Grass, tape of natural sounds (stereo) (1982)
Journal (Walking Song), chamber ensemble (12 players) (1984; unpublished) [withdrawn]
Walking Song, flute, harpsichord/virginal (or piano) and 4 hand-clappers/finger clickers (1984) [transcribed for organ, 1986]
Leaping Dance, 2 pianos (1984) [arr. 1995 for chamber ensemble/fl, ob, ca, 2cl, 2bthn, 2bsn 2hn]
Kneeling Dance, 2 pianos (1984) [arr. for 1992 for 6 pianos]
She Who Sleeps with a Small Blanket, solo percussion (1985)
String Quartet No. 1 "White Man Sleeps" (1986)
Into Darkness, chamber ensemble (1987; rev. 1989)
Movement for String Quartet (1987)
String Quartet No. 2, "Hunting: Gathering" (1987)
String Quartet No. 3, "The Songlines" (1988; rev. 1993)
String Quartet No. 4, "The Ramanujan Notebooks" (1990; rev. 1994)
    - Blue, Yellow (1995) [music from "String Quartet No. 4"] [a short dance film for Sylvie Guillem]
Correspondences, dance work (1990)
Chevron, chamber ensemble (1990) [choreographed by Siobhan Davies]
Bharatha Natyam, dance opera, baritone & str qt (????) [based on life & work of Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan]
One Hundred Frames, orchestra (1991)
Wanting to Tell Stories, dance piece (1992) [choreographed by Siobhan Davies] [also as chamber work, 1993]
Striding Dance, piano (1992) [transcribed by Yvar Mikhashoff; from "The Man With Footsoles of Wind", Act II]
The Man With Footsoles of Wind, chamber opera (1988-1993) [based on life & works of Arthur Rimbaud]
This Is How It Is, chamber ensemble (1988-93; arr. 1995) [fl.ob.ca.2cl+2bthn.2bn/2hn] [from "The Man With Footsoles of Wind"]
    - This Is How It Is (arr. 2009 for vln, vc & pf)
String Quartet No. 5, "Dancers on a Plane" (1994)
Cicada, 2 pianos (1994)
Plane-Song, string quartet and taped natural sounds (recorded by Volans in Southern Africa) (1994) [commissioned for BBC]
Duets (Duetti), dance piece, tape (or piano and tape) (1995) [co-composed w/Matteo Fargion]
Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments (1995)
L'isle Joyeuse (Debussy), chamber ensemble (arr. 1995)
5:4, dance piece, percussion and tape (1996)
Untitled ("in memoriam G. H.V."), piano and offstage wind ensemble (1996) [partly derived from "Duetti", 1995]
March, piano (1996)
Cello Concerto (1997)
Asanga, percussion (1997)
Things I Don't Know, dance piece, tape (1997/98)
Wild Air, dance piece (1998)
Surface, dance piece, harpsichord and tape (1999) [w/Juergen Simpson, electronics]
Double Violin Concerto, 2 violins and chamber ensemble (1999)
One Day Fine, 1 large and 2 smaller choirs (2000) [suitable only for Xhosa speakers]
String Quartet No. 6, double string quartet (2000)
Zeno at 4 am, theatre piece, shadow puppets, actors, bass, str qt & chorus (2000-01) [libretto: Jane Taylor]
Concerto for Double Orchestra (2001)
Confessions of Zeno, theatre piece, shadow puppets, actors, bass, 2 sop., str qt, video and tape (2002) [libretto: Jane Taylor]
Strip-Weave for Orchestra (2002; rev. 2003; rev. 2005)
1000 bars, violin, cello and piano duet (2002)
String Quartet No. 7 (2002)
Trumpet and String Quartet 1, Eflat trumpet and string quartet (2002)
Trumpet and String Quartet 2 (2002)
Piano Trio, violin, cello and piano (2002; rev. 2005)
Chakra, 3 percussionists (2003)
Desert Steps, viola, cello and 2 guitars (2003)
4 Guitars, 2 6-string and 2 Brahms guitars (2003)
passi leggieri, Hardanger fiddle (2003)
3 rhythmic etudes, piano (2003)
3 structural etudes, piano (2003/work in progress)
String Quartet No. 9, "Shiva Dances" (2004)
double take, clarinet solo, with accompaniment (unspecified) (2004)
Trio Concerto (2005)
Piano Concerto No. 2, "Atlantic Crossing" (2006)
Glosa a lo Divino, 7 live and 7 taped voices (2 sopranos, alto, contertenor, 2 tenors, bass) (2006) [text:San Juan de la Cruz]
Joining Up the Dots, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass and 2 pianos (2006)
String Quartet No. 10 (2006)
Shiva Dances, 2 pianos (2006)
Glosa a lo Divino, 7 live and 7 taped voices (2 sopranos, alto, contertenor, 2 tenors, bass) (2006) [text:San Juan de la Cruz]
violin:piano (2008)
viola:piano (2008)
Canciones del Alma, 12-part chorus and piano (2009) [text: San Juan de la Cruz ]
Trumpet, Vibe, Cello, Piano (2009)
Piano Trio No. 2, violin, cello and piano (2009)
No Translation: Six Sketches after Juan Uslé, 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos and 3 percussionists (2009)
Symphony: Daar Kom die Alibama, chamber orchestra (2010)


WORKS BY GENRE                                                            Volans Links    ~ ~ ~    Volans on Volans    ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
Bharatha Natyam, dance opera, baritone & str qt (????) [based on life & work of Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan]
The Man With Footsoles of Wind, chamber opera (1988-1993) [based on life & works of Arthur Rimbaud]
Zeno at 4 am, theatre piece, shadow puppets, actors, bass, str qt & chorus  (2000-01) [libretto: Jane Taylor]
Confessions of Zeno, theatre piece, shadow puppets, actors, bass, 2 sop., str qt, video and tape (2002) [libretto: Jane Taylor]

Dance
Correspondences, dance work (1990)
Chevron, chamber ensemble (1990) [choreographed by Siobhan Davies]
Wanting to Tell Stories, dance piece (1992) [choreographed by Siobhan Davies] [also as chamber work, 1993]
Blue, Yellow (1995) [music from "String Quartet No. 4"] [a short dance film for Sylvie Guillem]
Duets (Duetti), dance piece, tape (or piano and tape) (1995) [co-composed w/Matteo Fargion]
5:4, dance piece, percussion and tape (1996)
Things I Don't Know, dance piece, tape (1997/98)
Wild Air, dance piece (1998)
Surface, dance piece, harpsichord and tape (1999) [w/Juergen Simpson, electronics]

Orchestra
One Hundred Frames, orchestra (1991)
Concerto for Double Orchestra (2001)
Strip-Weave for Orchestra (2002; rev. 2003; rev. 2005)
Symphony: Daar Kom die Alibama, chamber orchestra (2010)

Soloist(s) w/Orchestra
Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments (1995)
Untitled ("in memoriam G. H.V."), piano and offstage wind ensemble (1996) [partly derived from "Duetti", 1995]
Cello Concerto (1997)
Double Violin Concerto, 2 violins and chamber ensemble (1999)
Trio Concerto (2005)
Piano Concerto No. 2, "Atlantic Crossing" (2006)

Choral
One Day Fine, 1 large and 2 smaller choirs (2000) [suitable only for Xhosa speakers]
Glosa a lo Divino, 7 live and 7 taped voices (2 sopranos, alto, contertenor, 2 tenors, bass) (2006) [text:San Juan de la Cruz]
Canciones del Alma, 12-part chorus and piano (2009) [text: San Juan de la Cruz ]

Large Ensemble
Journal (Walking Song), chamber ensemble (12 players) (1984; unpublished) [withdrawn]
Into Darkness, chamber ensemble (1987; rev. 1989)
Chevron, chamber ensemble (1990) [choreographed by Siobhan Davies]
Kneeling Dance, 6 pianos (1992)
L'isle Joyeuse (Debussy), chamber ensemble (arr. 1995)

Chamber
Grafik, graphic score (1971; unpublished)
Module, graphic score with instructions, 4 players (1973; unpublished)
Renewed Music/Reviewed Music, 6 percussionists (1979; unpublished)
Mbira, 2 re-tuned harpsichords and rattles (1980; unpublished) [withdrawn]
Matepe, 2 harpsichords and rattles (1980)
White Man Sleeps, 2 harpsichords, viola da gamba and percussion (1982)
    - White Man Sleeps, 3 guitars (1986) [arr. 1995 by Bernd Goldau]
Walking Song, flute, harpsichord/virginal (or piano) and 4 hand-clappers/finger clickers (1984)
Leaping Dance, 2 pianos (1984) [arr. 1995 for chamber ensemble/fl, ob, ca, 2cl, 2bthn, 2bsn 2hn]
String Quartet No. 1 "White Man Sleeps" (1986)
Movement for String Quartet (1987)
String Quartet No. 2, "Hunting: Gathering" (1987)
String Quartet No. 3, "The Songlines" (1988; rev. 1993)
String Quartet No. 4, "The Ramanujan Notebooks" (1990; rev. 1994)
This Is How It Is, chamber ensemble (1988-93; arr. 1995) [fl.ob.ca.2cl+2bthn.2bn/2hn] [from "The Man With Footsoles of Wind"]
    - This Is How It Is (arr. 2009 for vln, vc & pf)
Wanting To Tell Stories, clarinet, viola, double bass and piano (1993) [also as dance piece]
String Quartet No. 5, "Dancers on a Plane" (1994)
String Quartet No. 6, double string quartet (2000)
1000 bars, violin, cello and piano duet (2002)
String Quartet No. 7 (2002)
Trumpet and String Quartet 1, Eflat trumpet and string quartet (2002)
Trumpet and String Quartet 2 (2002)
Piano Trio, violin, cello and piano (2002; rev. 2005)
Chakra, 3 percussionists (2003)
Desert Steps, viola, cello and 2 guitars (2003)
4 Guitars, 2 6-string and 2 Brahms guitars (2003)
String Quartet No. 9, "Shiva Dances" (2004)
String Quartet No. 10 (2006)
Joining Up the Dots, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass and 2 pianos (2006)
violin:piano (2008)
viola:piano (2008)
Trumpet, Vibe, Cello, Piano (2009)
Piano Trio No. 2, violin, cello and piano (2009)
No Translation: Six Sketches after Juan Uslé, 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos and 3 percussionists (2009)

Solo Instrument
She Who Sleeps with a Small Blanket, solo percussion (1985)
Asanga, percussion (1997)
passi leggieri, Hardanger fiddle (2003)
double take, clarinet solo, with accompaniment (unspecified) (2004)

Piano
Monkey Music, piano (1976/1981; rev. 2005) [second version w/speaker]
Nine Beginnings, 2 pianos (1976; rev. 1985)
Newer Music for Piano (1981; rev. 1992)
Leaping Dance, 2 pianos (1984) [also arr. for chamber ensemble]
Kneeling Dance, 2 pianos (1984) [arr. for 1992 for 6 pianos]
Walking Song (1984) [transcribed for organ, 1986]
Striding Dance, piano (1992) [transcribed by Yvar Mikhashoff; from "The Man With Footsoles of Wind", Act II]
Cicada, 2 pianos (1994)
March, piano (1996)
3 rhythmic etudes, piano (2003)
3 structural etudes, piano (2003/work in progress)
Shiva Dances, 2 pianos (2006)

Vocal
2 Songs, soprano and piano (1970; unpublished) [text: ee cummings]
Delay in Glass, 2 singers, irish harp, 2 pianos and tape (1979; unpublished)
Glosa a lo Divino, 7 live and 7 taped voices (2 sopranos, alto, contertenor, 2 tenors, bass) (2006) [text:San Juan de la Cruz]

Film/TV
Plane-Song, string quartet and taped natural sounds (recorded by Volans in Southern Africa) (1994) [commissioned for BBC]
Blue, Yellow (1995) [music from "String Quartet No. 4"] [a short dance film for Sylvie Guillem]

Electronic
Studies in Zulu History, electronic tape (stereo - originally quadrophonic) (1977-1979)
Delay in Glass, 2 singers, irish harp, 2 pianos and tape (1979; unpublished)
Kwazulu Summer Landscape, tape of natural sounds (stereo - originally quadrophonic) (1979)
Cover Him With Grass, tape of natural sounds (stereo) (1982)


VOLANS  LINKS                                                            Works by Genre    ~ ~ ~    Volans on Volans     ~ top of page ~
Adam Roberts on "Blue, Yellow" (Adam Roberts, adamroberts.eu)
Conversation with Morton Feldman (Kevin Volans, cnvill.net)
Freedom and Rebellion (Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland)
How We Met: Elizabeth Chatwin & Kevin Volans (Interviews w/Sue Gaisford, The Independent)
Kevin Volans Day (Andrew Clements, The Guardian)
Kevin Volans Day, Preview (John Allison, The Telegraph)
Kevin Volans's String Quartet, Black Woman Rising (Tom Service, Music Matters/BBC3)
Kevin Volans Wins Royal Philharmonic Society Music Prize (newmusicsa.org.sz)
Wild Air: The Music of Kevin Volans (Bob Gilmore, The Journal of Music)

Composer's website   . . .   contact Kevin Volans:  here
Composer Website @ Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland

Volans @ Wikipedia
Volans @ Answers.com
Volans @ Aosdana
Volans @ BalletMet    also    here
Volans @ BCMG
Volans @ Classical Archives
Volans @ Classical Composers Database
Volans @ Classical Net (via google)
Volans @ ClassicsToday
Volans @ composition:today
Volans @ Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland
Volans @ Facebook
Volans @ GMN Classical Music Plus
Volans @ InstantEncore
Volans @ Irish Classical Recordings: A Discography of Irish Art Music (Axel Klein, Greenwood Pub)
Volans @ Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA)
Volans @ Los Angeles Philharmonic
Volans @ Modern Classical
Volans @ MSN Music
Volans @ MusicBrainz
Volans @ MusicWeb International
Volans @ The New York Times
Volans @ Oberlin Online
Volans @ XEBEC SoundArts6

Publisher
Volans @ Chester Novello
Volans @ G. Schirmer

Streaming Audio
Volans @ Classical Archives
Volans @ GMN Classical Music Plus
Volans @ last.fm
Volans @ NPR
Volans @ Rhapsody
Volans @ WQXR/Q2 Live Concerts

Recordings
Volans @ ArkivMusic
Volans @ ClassicsOnline
Volans @ Discogs

Video
Volans @ YouTube
Volans @ Google Video

                                                                                                                                                                                     ~ top of page ~
Volans on Volans: CMC Composer of the Month (VIDEO)







Volans on Volans: At Muthesius School of Arts, Kiel (VIDEO)







. . . and check out more    Composers Speak on the Web    at Pytheas

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