Peter Hannan (tba)

Biography

Peter Hannan

Peter Hannan has composed numerous works in both acoustic and electronic media. He has written more than 50 commissions over the past 20 years , including large scale works for the Vancouver Symphony, the Winnipeg Symphony, the CBC Orchestra and the Pacific Baroque Orchestra;  works for the experimental large ensembles Icebreaker (London) , the Hardrubber Orchestra, and Toronto based Hemispheres. His recent piece for the Vancouver Symphony, side with entropy received a raucus reception at its premiere in March 2005.His most recent work, written for the Vancouver Cantata Singers is called Happiness Index and explores the need that drives people  to understand and find happiness.

A very fruitful and inspiring collaboration of recent years has been with the director and playwright Peter Hinton. In recent years, Hannan and Hinton have created  two new operas together . 120 Songs for the Marquis de Sade  opened in Vancouver in March 2002, and The Diana Cantata appeared in February 2003, both works produced by Modern Baroque Opera . Hannan also wrote the music for Peter Hinton’s 2006 production of The Duchess of Malfi at the Stratford Festival of Canada. Hannan and Hinton are currently collaborating on a new music theatre work for the National Arts Centre.

As a performer, Hannan is well known for his work as an electronic instrumentalist and recorder soloist .  He has performed as a soloist on many major new music events and series including :  Ijsbreker Amsterdam,  the Holland Festival,  Almeida Festival, Freunde Guter Musik Berlin, the Bourges Electronic Music Festival, New Music America, New Music Concerts and Arraymusic.

In the 1980’s and 90’s he toured and recorded throughout North America and Europe with Suzie Leblanc and New World Consort . His recording Baroque Sonatas and Canzonas with harpsichordist Colin Tilney from 1985 is still played regularly on BBC Radio.

He is currently active as a performer of live electronic music, particularly in his work with Toronto composer Henry Kucharzyk in the duo PHH!K. His recordings include PHH!K Songs  with Henry Kucharzyk and Christine Duncan,  Breakdown, his solo CD of new recorder music, and numerous Canadian and international radio recordings, including CBC Radio, BBC Radio, WDR Koln, Radio Bremen, Radio France, and NOS Radio, Holland.
 His latest recording Rethink Forever won "Best Classical Recording" at the 2011 Western Canada Music Awards.

Christien Ledroit - Tinted

Biography

Christien Ledroit

I’m not fond of traditional composer bios because they don’t tell you what makes that person’s music really sing. If you really want to know what makes my music sound the way it does, it’s because of all the things in my life that feed my soul. In school I learned to appreciate the beauty of the creation and inner machinations of music. Outside of school I learned to appreciate the beauty of sound and passion. I grew up in the 80s and early 90s, so that should tell you something about what kind of pop culture influences me. My favourite music to listen to is punk rock, Beethoven, Debussy, Ligeti, Murray Schafer and a lot of what’s going on in NYC right now (David Lang, etc).  I can’t stand Mozart, with the exception of his two symphonies in G minor. Read into that what you will! I’m married to a wonderful woman and soul-mate, and we have two amazing young daughters.  I’m not much of a performer. I grew up playing violin, and picked up guitar and drums along the way. I play guitar in a rock band. I’m a bit of a foodie, and have an appreciation (if not always a budget) for good wines and single-malt scotch. I’m also have a thing for vintage sports cars.  There’s a direct correlation somewhere in there between the very fine inner workings of an internal combustion engine and the various notes, figurings and nuances of a composed piece of music, as well as the raw power and speed of a performance car, and the visceral emotions found in a lot of my music. What does all this mean as far as music? Nothing and everything, but what comes out of my pencil in my studio is always going to reflect bits and pieces of what makes me an artist.

Tinted
(by the composer himself)

The title Tinted refers to glass (Glass) that's been coloured - you see a different picture than if it were clear.  In this case, it's Glass's style tinted with my own.  The scalar patterns and regular 4-bar phrasing is all Glass.  The morphing of the scalar pattern (one note being removed at a time over several repetitions) is all me.  I start with something that could have been written by Glass, then gradually move it more towards something that couldn't possible be written by him - changing meters, clusters, etc.  The building process occurs twice, though the left hand constantly evolves throughout.  

You'll see x noteheads (indicating imprecise pitch - wherever your finger lands) gradually enter as it builds towards clusters.  You don't have to be precise about these.  It could be the top note of the chord, middle note, etc.  It doesn't even have to be that exact note - it could be the next, or previous.  It's just a guide as to when to introduce the imprecise notes, and how to build towards clusters, where they're all x's.  Around m. 23/24, the clusters in the right hand should overpower the scales in the left - that's ok.  The scales should emerge in m. 25 as the clusters fade away.