Thomas Simaku at the ISCM World Music Days 2012

Posted on 5 February 2012

Thomas Simaku’s work ‘Soliloquy V – Flauto Acerbo’ has been selected by the International Jury and will be performed at the 2012 ISCM – World Music Days. More details can be found in the announcement of the ISCM British Section.

As the title suggests, this piece is part of the Soliloquy Cycle – a series of virtuoso works for various instruments that Simaku has composed over the last decade. It was commissioned by the BBC Performing Arts Fund and Christopher Orton, who gave the world premiere at the 2008 Greenwich International Early Music Festival. It won a British Composer Award in 2009 from BASCA; the judging panel ‘unanimously agreed that the winning work redefines the instrument in a visionary and entirely original way. They praised it for its virtuosity, depth of expression, and powerful imagination.’ You can hear the piece performed by the dedicatee on Youtube.

World premiere of Thomas Simaku's String Quartet No 4 at HCMF

Posted on 22 November 2011

The String Quartet, written for and dedicated to Quatuor Diotima, will receive its world premiere at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival on 26 November 2011. As the composer writes in his programme note, “the piece consists of four movements and two virtuoso interludes strategically ‘positioned’ on either side of the slow third movement. A network of interconnections is established throughout the work and each movement ends in silence, whose role is not only to bring their respective ‘chapters’ to a close, but at the same time to create a necessary breathing space – there is no break (!), as such, between movements – they are linked by silence" http://www.hcmf.co.uk/event/show/213/

Thomas Simaku’ s music will also be featured at the 32 Encontre Internacional de Compositors 2011, in Spain. His music will be featured in six concerts between 17 November and 2 December 2011, including Soliloquy IV for Bass Clarinet performed by David Romero at Fundació ACA, Plenilunio by the Orquestra Simfònica de les Illes Balears at the Conservatory Superior in Palma, whilst Lluïsa Espigolé will give the world premiere of Hommage à Kurtag for piano at the Conservatory of Music in Barcelona. http://www.diariodemallorca.es/sociedad-cultura/2011/11/05/giorgio-netti-simaku-sanchez-verdu-festival-internacional/717717.html

Simaku at Cervantes Institute, Vienna

 May 2010 - Three Premières for Simaku

Thomas Simaku’s work Ed e’ subito sera, based on the poem by the Nobel Prize-winning Sicilian poet Salvatore Quasimodo, was given its American premiere on 2 May 2010 at the University of Minnesota by Nickolai Kolarov (cello) and  Jill Dawe (piano). Whereas his other work Soliloquy IV was given its first performance at Cervantes Institute in Vienna on 3^rd May 2010 by the Bass Clarinet player Carlos Galvez.

“As the title suggests, this is the fourth piece of a series of works for solo instruments. After the première of Soliloquy I for violin at the 2000 ISCM Festival, the idea of composing a series of solo works materialized itself – the cycle so far consists of seven works. With each piece the aim was to create different characters within the same protagonist who narrates in different languages, as it were. In this particular work, the linear contours based on ‘white modality’, but constantly ‘surrounded’ by chromatic inflections, are at the heart of the musical discourse. The idiosyncratic quality of the piece is perhaps to be found in the textural dynamism and the high degree of virtuosity, as well as the rich sonorities of the instrument.”

Dr Thomas Simaku also gave a lecture on his award-winning works Radius – String Quartet No 2, and Soliloquy V – Flauto Acerbo at the Vienna Conservatoire on 5 May 2010.

As part of the York Spring Festival, Simaku’s new song Locked Door, based on the poem of the same title by Visar Zhiti, will be given its world première at the National Centre for Early Music on 14^th May 2010 by Marja Liisa Kay and Mark Hutchinson.

Simaku on BBC Radio 3

Thomas Simaku’s String Quartet No 2 – Radius was featured on BBC Radio 3's flagship contemporary music programme Hear and Now, on Saturday 2 January 2010. The programme, Highlights from the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival 2009, will be available to listen to online on the Radio 3 website for seven days after broadcast, as part of the 'listen again' feature. The performance is by the Paris-based Diotima Quatuor.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tnsx/episodes/player

Awarded Honorary Prize by the Accademia Costantiniana di Lettere, Arti e Scienze in Rome, Radius was first performed by the Kreutzer Quartet at the 2003 Augsburg Festival in Germany. The work was subsequently selected by the international jury for the 2004 World Music Days – ISCM Festival in Switzerland, where it was performed by the Arditti Quartet, and it is included in Simaku’s CD portrait on Naxos records.

Simaku Wins BASCA Award

The winner of the 2009 BASCA Award in the category of Instrumental Solo/Duo is Thomas Simaku. The judges unanimously agreed that the winning work redefines the instrument in a visionary and entirely original way. They praised it for its virtuosity, depth of expression, and powerful imagination.

His piece, Soliloquy V Flauto Acerbo, is for alto and tenor recorders, and was composed during the summer of 2008. It was commissioned by Christopher Orton with funds provided by the BBC Performing Arts Fund.

Simaku writes:

As the first part of the title suggests, the piece belongs to a series of works for solo instruments. After the première of Soliloquy I at the 2000 ISCM Festival, the idea of composing a cycle of solo pieces — the aim was to create different characters within the same protagonist who 'narrates' in different languages, as it were — materialized itself.

With each piece, the soloistic idea operates on a different instrumental canvas and is elaborated according to the expressive qualities and the technical potentiality of each instrument. In this work, the linear contours based on 'white modality' but constantly 'surrounded' by chromatic and microtonal inflections, as well as the contrapuntal dynamism and the variety of textural formats stemming from it, are at the heart of the musical discourse. The idiosyncratic quality of this work is to be found perhaps in the second part of the title, Flauto Acerbo!

UYMP is proud to support the music of Thomas Simaku and wishes to congratulate him on this award.

World Première in Cologne

Thomas Simaku visited Germany for the world première of his work Insomnio for 15 Players on 24th March 2007 given by the Dutch Ensemble Insomnio, conducted by Ulrich Pöhl. The work is a joint commission by the German radio Deutschlandfunk and the Insomnio Ensemble - the 2007 ISCM Ensemble in Residence. The concert was part of the 2007 Forum neuer Musik Festival and took place at the Kammermusiksaal – Deutschlandfunk in Cologne. The programme, which included works by Dutch and East European composers, will be broadcast by Deutschlandfunk on 3rd April 2007 at 21.05. Ensemble Insomnio will give several performances of Simaku’s work during this year – the next concert is on 11th April at the Musica Viva International Festival in Weimar.

Earlier this month, Thomas Simaku was the Chairman of the International Jury of the First European Competition in Composition organized by the State Conservatoire and the Symphony Orchestra of Thessaloniki (8 -10 March 2007).

2008 marks Simaku’s 50th Birthday. UYMP is encouraging performances and features on the man and his music to celebrate this occasion.

Success in Dublin

Thomas Simaku has just returned from Dublin where attended a performance of his chamber piece 'Réflexions de la Croix I'. The performance, by the Concorde Ensemble, was held at the Gallery of Modern Arts, Dublin, and was very well received by ensemble and audience alike. The concert will be broadcast on Irish national radio.

Simaku is looking forward to the American premiere of his widely-performed 'Soliloquy I' for solo violin in February, and the world premiere of a new commission for the Insomnio Ensemble in March, in Germany.

Premières in York, Stuttgart, London and Miami

• The Ensemble 10/10 of the Liverpool Philharmonic conducted by Clark Rundell gave the UK première of Simaku’s Réflexions de la Croix I for Chamber Ensemble in the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall in York on 1st February 2006. This is the first piece of a tritptych of the same title - Réflexions de la Croix II & III being for Large Ensemble and Violin & Ensemble respectively.
• On 18th July, Réflexions de la Croix III will be performed at the ISCM - World Music Days Festival in Stuttgart by MusikFabrik – one of Gemanry’s leading ensemble of modern music, conducted by Peter Rundel. A specialist in contemporary music, Mr Rundel regularly conducts the Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Recherche and Ensemble Intercontemporain, among others.
• Members of the Uroboros Ensemble will give the London première of Ed e’ subito sera for cello & piano on 31 May 2006 at the Warehouse, Waterloo. Based on the famous poem by the Nobel-prize winning Sicilian poet Salvatore Quasimodo, this piece has now been performed across Europe. Most recently, it was performed at the 3rd Mediterrenean Contemporary Music Festival.
• The internationally acclaimed cellist Madeleine Shapiro will give the American première of Simaku’s Soliloquy II at the New Music Miami ISCM Festival on 8th April 2006. Based in New York, Ms Shapiro has performed both as soloist and member / director of the Consort Ensemble. She has toured the United States and Europe, and has participated in numerous première performances of works by such eminent composers as Cage, Wuorinen and Davidovsky.

Copenhagen Première

Réflexions de la Croix III was given its world première by Peter Sheppard Skaerved & the Copenhagen Sinfonietta on 30 April 2005 at Den Sorte Diamant Hall in Copenhagen. The main Danish newspaper Politiken described the piece as follows:

This work was written for the brilliant Sheppard Skaerved, whose virtuoso violin playing fascinated the audience as it penetrated the ensemble's dynamic, streaming energy. The music is tumultuous and glistening, with a deeply convincing inner strength, structural integrity and an impressively thunderous character.

Anniversary Lectureship Award

Simaku has recently been awarded an Anniversary Lectureship Award from the University of York for the 2005-06 academic year in order to pursue his research in composition.

World-Premières in Zagreb, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Huddersfield

• Thomas Simaku's new work for orchestra Hyllus has been selected by the International Jury for the ISCM - World Music Days / Zagreb Biennale 2005. The world-première will be given by the Slovenian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sian Edwards on 21 April at the Lisinski Concert Hall Zagreb.
• His other work Réflexions de la Croix III for Violin & Ensemble will be premièred by its dedicatee Peter Sheppard Skaerved and the Copenhagen Sinfonietta, conducted by Franz Rasmussen, on 30 April at Den Sorte Diamant Hall in Copenhagen.
• Having won the 2nd Prize of the Lutoslawski Award 2004, Simaku’s “Voci Celesti - String Quartet No.3" was given its première by the Rubinstein Quartet at the Lutoslawski Forum Festival on 14th February 2005 at the Warsaw Philharmonic.
• Also on 14th Feburary, his Radius for eleven solo strings was given its first performance at St. Paul’s Hall in Huddersfield. This work was commissioned by the Goldberg Ensemble who gave four further performances (Leeds, Manchester, Bristol and Wolverhampton) in their 2005 Contemporary Music Festival in February. Reviewing the concert at St George’s Hall in Bristol, The Guardian wrote: ... the work’s periodic climactic outbursts achieved striking effect.

International Success for Simaku

• Thomas Simaku visited Switzerland for the performance of his String Quartet No 2 at the ISCM - World New Music Days Festival, which tool place from 3rd to 12th November 2004. The Arditti Quartet, the world's leading ensemble of contemporary music, performed his piece on 10th November, with great success. Simaku's attendance at this festival was made possible by a grant from ISCM-Britain. This is the sixth time that the international juries have selected his works at this prestigious festival.
• On 13th November, his 'Soliloquy' was performed at the Musikhost International Festival in Denmark by Peter Sheppard Skaerved at a concert featuring the Trilog Ensemble of Munich. "Politiken", Copnehagen's main newspaper, described the work as follows:"In Simaku's Soliloquy, the expressive and technical potential of the solo violin is brilliantly transformed into an intense dramatic flow, where everything makes sense". This virtuoso piece was premiered at the 2000 - ISCM Festival in Luxembourg and has now been performed in several countries across Europe.

Lutoslawski Award

Simaku has been awarded the second prize of the prestigious Lutoslawski Award 2004. His piece Voci Celesti - String Quartet No. 3 was selected from works submitted by 157 candidates from all over the world. The work will be given its world premiere by the Rubinstein Quartet on 14th February 2005 at the Lutoslawski Forum Festival in Warsaw. The concert will be broadcast live on Polish Radio and offered to all members of the European Broadcasting Union.

Thomas Simaku - Winner of the 2004 Serocki International Prize

The Jury meetings of the 2004 Kazimierz Serocki International Composer’s Competition took place in Radziejowice Palace near Warsaw from 14 - 16 May 2004. After the examination of 98 compositions sent to the competition from all over the world, the jury chaired by the distinguished Polish composer Zygmunt Krauze gave the First Prize of the Polish Society for Contemporary Music (USD 5.000), funded by the Ministry of Culture of Poland, to Thomas Simaku for his composition Plenilunio II per Orchestra d’Archi. Simaku received the award on 6th June at a special concert organised by the ISCM Polish Section in the Lutoslawski Hall in Warsaw where his work was performed by "Amadeus" Chamber Orchestra of the Polish Radio conducted by Agnieszka Duczmal. The concert was broadcast live on the Polish radio and offered to all members of the European Broadcasting Union.

CONCERT-PORTRAIT

• Simaku's music will be featured at the Begegnungen Festival of New Music in Innsbruck, Austria, where the TICOM (Tyrolean Ensemble of Contemporary Music) will give the world premieres of " Réflexions de la Croix II" and SOLILOQUY - COMPLETE CYCLE (I, II & III) on 30th November 2003.
• The London based Kreutzer Quartet gave the world premiere of " Radius"-String Quartet No. 2 at the Augsburg Festival of Contemporary Music, Germany, on 17th May 2003. This work won an Honorary Award at the 2002 International Competition "Mario Bernardo ANGELO-COMNENO" of the Accademia Costantiniana di Lettere, Arti e Scienze in Rome.
• The distinguished pianist Ian Pace performed " The Flight of the Eagle" at the Internatioanl Festival of New Music in Prishtina, Kosova on 26th April 2003.
• Simaku gave a lecture on his recent works, intitled "Integrating Modality into Contemporary Idioms" at the Vienna Conservatoire on 28th April 2003.
• Tyrolean Ensemble of Contemporary Music of Innsbruck, Austria performed Simaku's " Réflexions de la Croix " at the Zagreb Biennale Festival on 5th April 2003. This piece war written for them as part of an international project of 14 works by as many composers from different European countries. The UK-Premiere was given by the New Music Players at the York Spring Festival of New Music on 10th May 2003.