RASP: Anselm McDonnell
Onyx Brass
Alan Thomas · trumpet
James Fountain · trumpet
Andrew Sutton · horn
Amos Miller · trombone
David Gordon-Shute · tuba
Music of Our Time (JAM's opening season concert)
20 March 2024, 7:30pm
St Bride's Church, Fleet Street, London
www.jamconcert.org
The inspiration for Rasp was an exploration of rough, rasping sounds on brass instruments and juxtaposing these with smoother effects. I had a clear idea in my head of the opening gesture, a descending growl in the trombone, and the material develops out of this moment, often returning to this gesture to launch the piece forward. Commissioned by New Music Dublin and the Royal Irish Academy of Music, this short quintet was the preparatory work for a 9-minute work for full brass band, which was premiered at New Music Dublin 2022 by the 1st Old Boys Band Belfast and then recorded with support from Help Musicians UK.
Anselm McDonnell is an Irish/Welsh composer who has composed over ninety pieces for orchestra, chamber groups, choirs, soloists, and electronics. His music has been performed in thirteen countries and includes commissions by the London Symphony Orchestra, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, BBC Concert Orchestra, the Crash Ensemble, BBC Radio 3, British Council, and NCH Dublin. His music features on eleven CDs, including two self-released albums: Light of Shore and Kraina. In 2023 he had portrait concerts dedicated to his music in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand, by the TACETi Ensemble. His music has been played at NCH Dublin, LSO St. Luke’s (4 performances), Wigmore Hall, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Hugh Lane Gallery (4 performances), and New Music Dublin Festival (10 performances).
He is a Jerwood+ resident composer with the LSO for 23/24 and was recently resident composer at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris (Oct/Nov 23). His compositions have been described as ‘abrasive and compelling’ (Irish Times), ‘bright as fluorescent light’ (Journal of Music) and ‘perhaps the contrasts and complexities that it contains are a musical reflection of the multi-layered nature of what it means to be a composer in a community as complex as Northern Ireland.’ (Robert Hugill)
www.anselmguitar.co.uk
Film by Gareth Kay
www.garethkay.co