John Palmer

herbst 2008aktuelles...

October: die neue fassungen von You (für solo posaune und kammerorchester) und Legend (für solo harfe und kammerorchester) wurden beendet.

Juli: present otherness auf CD! John Palmers neues werk present otherness wurde auf die sargasso CD 'Other Presences' veröffentlicht. Die CD besteht aus neue werke von John Palmer, Jonathan Harvey und andere komponisten. CD Katalog Nr. SCD 28057

blurring definitions, hypothesis und antithesis: drei neue werke für quartett (flöte, violine, cello und schlagzeug) wurden in juni beendet. Die drei werke sind thematisch gebunden und wurden für die Cadillac Moon Ensemble von New York geschrieben.

June: John Palmer interviews Simon Emmerson: An interview with Simon Emmerson has just been completed in conjunction with Emmerson's new CD. The interview shall be released in "Tempo", British journal of Contemporary Music, in January 2009.

Mai: neuer auftrag von The New York Miniaturist Ensemble für ein duo für violine und klarinette. Die uraufführung wird in New York in November stattfinden.

Mai: neues werk transient, für soprano, präpariertes klavier und elektronik.
"Based on a text written in 1988 in memory of a friend, transient is scored for soprano, prepared piano and two electronic sources, one being processed live, the other consisting of the text - whispered, spoken and sung by the soprano - recorded and transformed in the electronic studio. Another vocal source is breathing, imagined as a surreal metaphor of life after life. The unfolding of the music is based on a relational system where a word (a phrase, or a concept) of the poem is associated to a specific pitch. Thus syntactic relations between pitch and word (meaning) become musical phrases articulated in six sections corresponding to the six verses of the text".

April: neues klavierwerk Three cadenzas on Mozart
"4th April 1990: I play Mozart's piano concerto in C-minor, KV 491, including my own cadenza for the first movement. 18 years later I accidentally find an old manuscript with the cadenza I had forgotten about and decide to add two variations to it. 4th April 2008: the three cadenzas now constitute a “self-contained” triptych unfolding in gradual tonal evolution and celebrating the art and joy of improvisation not only as an integral part of the old concerto performance, but also as a musical experience to be enjoyed beyond historical styles and as an independent and idiosyncratic practice."

Die Universität in Oldenburg hat John Palmer eingeladen ein Vortrag über seiner musik am 27. juni 2008 zu halten. (Colloquium Serie, Oldenburg)


fado: Domingos Costa und Yseult Yost in Montbeliárd

In the Temple: die 8-kanäle fassung (in vorbereitung) wird an der Harvest Moon Festival in Montreal am 3. oktober 2008 aufgeführt

neues werk: present otherness
Im auftrag von Jonathan Harvey (2007), present otherness wurde im january 2008 beendet. Es geht um ein akusmatisches werk für 2- or 8-kanäle. Bedingung des Auftrags war, nur die trompeteaufnahme gespielt von Markus Stockhausen für Harveys werk "other presences" als klangmaterial zu verwenden. Present otherness wird auf CD (sargasso, London) in May herausgegeben.

27. October: uraufführung der neuen fassung des werkes In the Temple, Arena Festival, Riga, Lettland.
27. October: interview an der Lettischen Nationalradio.

Proben von In the Temple in einer ex-sovietischen Fabrik, heute verwendet für das Arena Festival in Riga


15.-19. October: meisterkurs an der Lettischen Musikakademie, Riga, Lettland. Workshop des werkes nowhere.

Gedanken über das neue werk fado, für Klavier vierhändig, in Auftrag gegeben von dem Klavierduo Domingos Costa und Yseult Yost: "Sehnsucht, Nostalgie, Traurigkeit, Schmerz und das ist noch nicht alles: der portugisische Fado gleicht einem eindrucksvollen Schauplatz für Gefühle aller Art und beinhaltet auch Liebe und Glück. Aber es ist die "saudade", eine Sehnsucht nach einem anderen "Ort" und einem schwer fassbaren "Anderssein", die mich als bewegendstes Merkmal dieser Liedgattung berührt. Die Vorwegnahme, den Fado aus seinem ursprünglichen Hintergrund heraus, wie Text, Form und Instrumentation, fortzuschreiben, mag von den Puristen nicht entschuldigt werden. In dieser vielleicht surrealen Wiedergabe des Fados für zwei Pianisten sind Worte durch Fragmente aus Melodien und traditionelle harmonische Fortschreitungen, durch die Resonanzen des Klaviers erweitert, "ersetzt" worden. Diese Musik ist für Domingos Costa und Yseult Jost, denen das Werk gewidmet ist, geschrieben worden." Uraufführung am 9. November (siehe "konzerte")

28. Juni: In the Temple an die Elektronische Studios der Technische Universität, Berlin. http://www.kgw.tu-berlin.de/Studio/

26. Juni: uraufführung des werkes over, für violine, an der BKA in Berlin. Theodor Flindell, violine



Theodor Flindell, violine. over (uraufführung)

2 June: afterglow: the Michaelis Theatre, University of Roehampton, London. MFA Choreography: Laura Krasnic

22. Mai: inwards an der BKA in Berlin. Klaus Schöpp (bassflöte), John Palmer (live-electronics)


Klaus Schöpp (bass- und kontrabassflöte)


20. Mai: inwards in Brandenburg, Brandenburg Stadttheater. Klaus Schöpp (bassflöte), John Palmer (live-electronics)

7. April: uraufführung des werkes In the Temple, DeutschlandRadiosendung um 0.05 Uhr


Heidelberg Biennale für Neue Musik. Universität Heidelberg, Aula Magna, 5. November 2006: uraufführung des werkes without. Utae Nagakawa (violine)



Trossingen, Musikhochschule, 3. November 2006: inwards. Antje Langkafel (bassflöte), John Palmer (live-electronics)

London, 23. Juni 2006: uraufführung des werkes "afterglow"
The world premiere of afterglow is given by ELEVEN, Detta Danford (fl), Arianna Palin (pno), Rick Campion (electronics) with John Palmer (electronics) at The Space, Enterprise '06 festival (www.space.org.uk).

London, 18. Juni 2006: konzert in London mit "nowhere"
nowhere is performed in London on Sunday 18th June, 7.30pm. Bush Hall, Shepherd's Bush London W12. Sounds Underground concert (www.soundsunderground.org) with Katherine Spencer (clarinet), Iain Farrington (piano), Andrew Morgan and John Palmer (live electronics).

2006: neue CD mit waka, "...as it flies...", nowhere (www.sargasso.com)
For his new CD John Palmer has collaborated with the versatile and innovative Ensemble Omega in Germany. The three new compositions presented here go from the purely acoustic waka to the purely electronic ''...as it flies...'' and are all concerned with metric and perceptive correlation between musical and literary forms. John Palmer asks: ''Can music be perceived as poetry? Can sounds, as doors of perception, emulate, equal, or even surpass the evocative imagery of verbal description?''. Waka explores Japanese literary metric forms and applies them to the musical structures. By contrast, ''...as it flies...'' which is dedicated to composer Luc Ferrari who died last year, uses as its only sound source the words of William Blake's 'Eternity' poem. Finally, nowhere is inspired by a poem written by Palmer himself.

Neuer Auftrag: In the Temple
Deutschland Radio Berlin has commissioned a new work to be broadcast on 7th April 2007. The title of this acousmatic work is In the Temple and is inspired by an underground temple in the Italian Pre-Alps.


Tempelaufnahme in Norditalien, April-September
John Palmer has recorded several sessions of instrumental and vocal samples in the underground Temple of Humankind in Northern Italy (Federation of Damanhur) in conjunction with the new work In the Temple commissioned by DeutschlandRadio.

Stuttgart, 16. Juni 2006: uraufführung des werkes "Transfiguration"
The electronics for Transfiguration (for trombone and electronics) was completed at the end of May. The trombone part, originally played by Vinko Globokar, was recorded at the studios of the Technical University, Berlin, in December 1999. The world premiere took place 16th June 2006 in Stuttgart. Patrick Crossland (trombone) and John Palmer (electronics). See PERFORMANCES for details.

London, 23. Juni: uraufführung des werkes "afterglow"
ELEVEN, a London-based ensemble for contemporary music and multimedia have commissioned a new work for alto flute, piano, electronics. The premiere took place in London at The Space, on 23rd June.


Berlin, BKA, 27. Dezember 2005: uraufführung des werkes almost. Matias De Olivera Pinto (cello)

Rom, 16. November 2005, Goethe Institut: nowhere. Maria Carla Notarstefano (klavier), Federico Paci (klarinette), John Palmer (elektronik)

London, 24. November 2005: urauffürung des werkes "after silence (I)"
A SARGASSO:C CONCERT took place at London's Salon des Arts on 21st July 2005. John Palmer premiered the first movement of a new work for piano & electronics called after silence. On this occasion he created an ad hoc version for Fender Rhodes piano. He also joined flautist Paul Cheneour, Daniel Biro and Paul Chauncy in a final jam session.

London, 29. Oktober, Goldsmiths College, University of London
Harpsichordist Jane Chapman participated to a symposium at Goldsmiths College, University of London, called 'Listening to Others'. The symposium explored non mainstream influences on contemporary music. Jane Chapman discussed Encounter (for harpsichord, world percussion and electronics) and played some extracts of the work. The Ian Gulland Theatre, Goldsmiths College, New Cross, London SE14 6NW.

21. September: ende der aufnahme des Javanese Gamelans in Italien

John Palmer at the Javanese Gamelan in Montebello, Italy

On 21st September John Palmer and Giovanni Sciarrino have finalized the recording of the complete Javanese Gamelan orchestra. This is a unique collection of 548 original samples of Javanese Gamelan instruments, the first of this kind. The project began in September 2004. The Complete Javanese Gamelan Catalogue will be commercially available soon on the sargasso label.

London, 2. Juli: Spirits an der Sargasso: C CONCERT in London aufgeführt
Despite the bomb scare, the SARGASSO:C CONCERT took place at London's Salon des Arts on 21st July 2005. John Palmer performed his meditative Spirits for synthesizer. He also joined clarinetist Gareth Davis, Daniel Biro and Paul Chauncy in a group improvisation at the end of the concert.

Aufträge in 2005:
without, for solo violine, commissioned by Utae Nakagawa
Inwards, for bass flute solo or with live electronics, commissioned by Antje Langkafel and the Landesmuseum Stuttgart
from the lake, for oboe and piano, commissioned by Piet Van Bockstal
over for solo violine, commissioned by the Modern Art Sextet, Berlin
almost for solo cello, commissioned by the Modern Art Sextet, Berlin

Dissertation von Sergej Tchirkov über "Drang"
Russian young accordion virtuoso Sergej Tchirkov has recently written a thesis on Drang (for solo accordion), a work he is currently championing in Europe. The thesis was awarded with “distinction” by the State Conservatory of Music Rimsky-Korsakov in St.Petersburg. Here the details:
State Conservatory of Music Rimsky-Korsakov, St. Petersburg, Accordion Department. State Examination for the Degree of Master of Arts
Title: John Palmer's "Drang": A Methodic Analysis of Performance Techniques with Commentary, by Sergej Tchirkov.