Ian Pace Nancy Ruffer
| Ian Moore | Flute Sonatine |
| James Erber | Flourish |
| Chris Dench | Vier Darmstädter Aphorismen |
| James Clarke | Entfernung |
| Brian Ferneyhough | Cassandra’s Dream Song |
| Giacinto Scelsi | Cinque Incantesimi |
| Roger Redgate | Pas au-delà |
Ian Moore’s Flute Sonatine opens the programme with a compact, likely gestural work exploring timbral possibilities on the flute. As a composer less well-known in mainstream circles, Moore’s inclusion suggests a focus on emerging or underrepresented voices in modernist idioms.
James Erber’s Flourish may suggest something more expansive or virtuosic, potentially aligning with his complex but lyrical writing style. Erber is associated with the British “New Complexity” movement, a theme that recurs throughout this programme.
Chris Dench’s Vier Darmstädter Aphorismen references the Darmstadt School—known for its promotion of serialism and post-war avant-garde aesthetics. The term “Aphorismen” (aphorisms) suggests brief, dense, highly structured musical statements, characteristic of Dench’s intellectually rigorous and often physically demanding style.
James Clarke’s Entfernung (“distance” or “removal” in German) likely alludes to abstraction or spatial concepts in sound. Clarke's music often explores spare textures and intense concentration, contrasting with the more gesturally elaborate styles of Dench or Ferneyhough.
Brian Ferneyhough’s Cassandra’s Dream Song is a seminal work in the solo flute repertoire. It embodies the complexity, notational intricacy, and psychological intensity that characterise his music. Written in the 1970s, the piece asks the performer to make interpretative decisions—some passages are notated without bar lines or strict rhythm—thus demanding a deep, intuitive connection to the work.
Giacinto Scelsi’s Cinque Incantesimi (“Five Spells”) represents a stark contrast to the British modernists. Scelsi’s music is more focused on microtonality, timbral subtlety, and spiritual depth, often meditative in nature. His work provides a moment of introspection in a programme otherwise rich in complexity and density.
Roger Redgate’s Pas au-delà (“Step Beyond”) closes the programme, likely a nod to transcendence or philosophical abstraction. Redgate, like Erber and Dench, is aligned with the New Complexity school, known for pushing the boundaries of instrumental technique and musical structure.
The concert draws together key figures from the New Complexity movement (Ferneyhough, Dench, Erber, Redgate), showcasing music that demands both technical virtuosity and intellectual engagement. These works are often rhythmically unstable, harmonically dense, and heavily notated.
In contrast, Scelsi’s inclusion represents a different modernist lineage—his emphasis on single-note development, overtones, and spiritual mysticism stands apart from the more cerebral and hyper-notated British works. His music, though complex in sound, emerges from a very different philosophical approach.
Clarke’s aesthetic occupies a middle ground: less florid than Ferneyhough, more austere, but still imbued with abstraction and conceptual clarity.
Meanwhile, Ian Moore and James Erber introduce variety within the flute repertoire, though Erber’s stylistic affinities with Redgate and Dench situate him within the concert’s dominant theme of complexity and post-serialism.
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