BBC Radio 3's Pre-Hear features two works
On Saturday 27th February, two of Joe's works will be featured on BBC Radio 3's new music programme "Pre-Hear". On the programme, which starts at 10pm, you can hear recordings of Music for Cello and Strings played by Robin Michael with the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Charles Hazelwood, as well as Clavinova Music, played by Mary Dullea.
Commission for the Scottish Ensemble
Joe has been commissioned by the Scottish Ensemble to write a piece for solo violin, strings and electronics to be toured around Scotland in February 2011. The soloist will be the Scottish Ensemble's artistic director, Jonathan Morton.
CD Releases for Autumn 2010
Two of Joe's works are coming out on CD this coming autumn. The Smith Quartet are including "Folk Music" on their forthcoming disc on Signum, whilst Noszferatu's debut CD is coming out on NMC and will include Sikorski B.
Spring News
Joe is currently at work on a Piano Quintet commissioned by the Schubert Ensemble to be premiered in July at this year's Cheltenham Festival, and a solo guitar piece commissioned by Tom Kerstens, which will also be performed in Cheltenham in May before being played at the Wigmore Hall in London.
Cinnamon Street in the Donnatella Flick International Conductors' Competition
Cinnamon Street will be the set work in the semi-final of the 2010 Donnatella Flick International Conductors' Competition which takes place at the Barbican Hall, London in November 2010. The ten semi-finalists will rehearse and perform the piece with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Symphony Orchestra.
Autumn News
Joe has just completed September Music for Orkest de Ereprijs, his fourth piece for the group. It will be premiered on October 29th at Musis Sacrem in Arnhem. He has also completed a short work for solo guitar entitled September Fragments which will be premiered this month by Tom Kerstens at the Sage, Gateshead and at King's Place, London.
Over the next few months, he will be working on new commissions for the Schubert Ensemble for the 2010 Cheltenham Festival and an extended work for solo guitar for Tom Kerstens to be premiered at the Wigmore Hall in May 2010. He is also working on a short work for the Backbeat Percussion Quartet entitled Country and Western Music for this year's Sound and Music Cutting Edge Series to be performed at the Warehouse in December 2009.
Summer News
Joe is currently working with the librettist Peter Burt on a four minute opera for Tete-a-Tete entitled Toxic Assets, to be performed at Tete-a-Tete's "The Opera Festival" as one of their "Lite Bites". The festival runs from July 30th to August 16th at the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith and Toxic Assets will be performed throughout the festival
New York, Paris, Vienna and Shanghai
Over the next six weeks you can catch some of Joe's pieces in some exciting capital cities of the world. On May 8th and 9th, the Fidelio Trio and pianist Mary Dullea perform pieces by Joe as well as works by Ed Bennett, Claudia Molitor and Johannes Maria Staud at Die Alte Schmiede in Vienna. On May 31st, the Smith Quartet perform Folk Music at the Bang-on-a-Can Music Marathon in New York whilst on June 6th, the Barbirolli String Quartet perform Folk Music in Paris. And on June 7th the Fidelio Trio perform Archie at the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre Performance Hall.
NMC Songbook
Joe has contributed a song to the new NMC Songbook which celebrates NMC's 20th birthday through the commissioning of 96 new songs from a wide range of British composers. Joe's song is entitled Bands (setting a poem by Richard Cutler) and is performed on the disc by Daniel Norman (Tenor) and Andrew Ball (Piano). All 96 songs are being premiered at King's Place, London between April 1st and 4th.
Archie in China
In June, the Fidelio Trio are touring Archie (for Piano Trio) around China. The tour includes performances in Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan and Shenzhen (full details under performances)
Projects for 09/10
Joe has just completed Music for Sunflowers for Orchestra of the Swan. The piece will be be performed on May 4th at Spring Sounds Festival in Stratford conducted by David Curtis and with Viola soloist Philip Dukes. Forthcoming commissions over the next twelve months include a guitar commission for Tom Kerstens, a piece for Orkest de Ereprijs, and a new piano quartet for the Schubert Ensemble plus a number of shorter works including pieces for the Primrose Piano Quartet, Backbeat Percussion Ensemble, Oboist Christopher Redgate and Dutch ensemble To be Sung.
Award Success for Folk Music
Last night, (Tuesday 2nd December 2008) at the Law Society in London, Joe was presented with a prestigious British Composer Award for his work Folk Music.
What do Joe Cutler and Twiggy have in common?
Joe's CD, Bartlebooth is one of the "Critic's Choice - Chistmas gifts' in the December issue of Gramophone. Also, find out more about that Joe and Twiggy connection!
Double Nomination in British Composer Awards.
Two of Joe's recent pieces have been shortlisted for the 2008 British Composer Awards. Folk Music is shortlisted in the Chamber Category, whilst Akhmatova Fragments has been selected in the Vocal Category. The winners will be announced on December 2nd at the Law Society, London.
New Commissions for the Schubert Ensemble and Orchestra of the Swan
The Schubert Ensemble have recently commissioned Joe to write a Piano Quartet to be premiered in July 2009 at the Cheltenham International Music festival. This will be his second commission for the Schubert Ensemble, the first being "Piano Quintet" from 2002. He is also working on a new viola concerto for Rivka Golani and the Orchestra of the Swan to be premiered at the Springs Sounds festival in Stratford-on-Avon in May 2009.
Excellent reviews of Bartlebooth
Joe's new disk "Bartlebooth" has been receiving excellent reviews since it was released in June. The Guardian described it as containing "beautifully crafted music of great energy and creative energy" whilst the Scotsman mentioned "the one singular presence is Cutler's alluring musical personality". Gramophone described In Praise of Dreams as being "the most arresting English song-cycle for years" and the disc is Recording of the Month at musicweb.
August News
Joe recently completed a short song entitled Bands for the forthcoming NMC Songbook CD which will be recorded in late august by the tenor Daniel Norman and pianist Andrew Ball. At the beginning of September, Urban Myths will be released on the Dutch Attacca Babel label performed by Harry Sparnaay (bass clarinet) and Annelie de Man (Harpsichord). He is currently working on a short piece for cello and piano for Lionel Handy and Nigel Clayton entitled Music for Parakeets and a short piece for Orkest de Ereprijs entitled Chorale for Wim Megans, in memory of Wim Megans who was a co-founder of Orkest de Ereprijs.
Music for Cello and Strings on BBC Radio 3
Music for Cello and Strings will be featured on Saturday July 26th on CD Review on BBC Radio 3, whilst on Sunday July 27th the same piece will be the explored and performed, alongside Grieg's Holberg Suite on Discovering Music with Charles Hazelwood conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra. The soloist is Robin Michael.
CD Released on NMC on June 16th
Joe's first portrait disc will be released on NMC on Monday June 16th, The disc features the pieces Bartlebooth, Archie, Buckley's Hot Licks, Sal's Sax, In Praise of Dreams, Music for Cello and Strings and Clavinova Music. The performers are the Fidelio Trio (with Andrew Sparling), Mary Dullea, Orkest de Ereprijs, BBC Concert Orchestra with Charles Hazelwood and Robin Michael, Sarah Leonard and Stephen Gutman. For more details or to order a copy go to nmc records
New Commissions for 2008/9
New works for 2008 include a first choral work commissioned by Chin-Ju City Chorus in South Korea, a song for baritone and piano for the NMC 20th Aniversary Songbook, a piece for violist Rivka Golani and Orchestra of the Swan, a new work for Orkest de Ereprijs and a commission from Linz City of Culture 2009 for a piece for Toy Piano to be performed and choreographed in a circus!
Portrait CD released by NCM
Joe's portrait disc entitled Bartlebooth has now been fully recorded and will be released by NMC in early June. The CD includes the works Bartlebooth, Archie, Buckley's Hot Licks, Sal's Sax, In Praise of Dreams, Music for Cello and Strings and Clavinova Music. The performers are the Mary Dullea, Andrew Sparling, Darragh Morgan, Robin Michael, Orkest de Ereprijs, Sarah Leonard and Stephen Gutman and the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Charles Hazelwood.
New Commission for Sarah Leonard and the Goldberg Ensemble
Joe is about to start work on a new piece commissioned by the Goldberg Ensemble for their UK contemporary music tour in February and March 2008. The piece will be for the soprano Sarah Leonard and eleven solo strings and will set texts by the twentieth century Russian poet Anna Akhmatova. Sarah will also be performing Joe's song cycle In Praise of Dreams on December 6th at Cadogan Hall, with the pianist Malcolm Martineau.
BBC Concert Orchestra play Music for Cello and Strings
On November 29th, the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Charles Hazelwood will perform Music for Cello and Strings at the Watford Coliseum with Robin Michael as soloist. The concert is being recorded for BBC Radio 3's Discovering Music and will also be included on the debut all-Cutler disc to be released by NMC in March 2008. The concert is at 2.30pm and tickets are available from the BBC Ticket Line.
Three pieces featured at the 2007 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
This year's Huddersfield Contemporary Music festival features three pieces (by Joe). On Thursday 22nd November, the Hudderfield University New Music ensemble conducted by Barrie Webb will be performing Sal's Sax (alongside Louis Andriessen's De Stijl) and on Friday 23rd Novermber, SCAW are performing Urban Myths. Sunday 25th sees the world premiere of Folk Music performed by the Smith Quartet (alongside music by Louis Andriessen, Michael Gordon and Steve Martland).
Autumn news
The second half of 2007 has been a busy time with plenty ofnew piecesincluding Skempton's Law for string trio (premiered in July by Chroma),Comfortable Music for violin and piano (commissioned by Stratford onAvon Festival for Ruth Rogers and Martin Cousin), Two Songs of Colourfor soprano and cello (premiered by Sarah Leonard and Robin Michael atthe Warehouse in october), Folk Music for string quartet (to bepremiered at the 2007 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival by theSmith Quartet), and the finished touches are just being put to SikorskiB for alto saxophone, piano and percussion (to be toured by Noszferatuin December and early 2008).
CD of NMC
In April, recording gets underway for a new CD of Joe Cutler'sworks to be released in early 2008 on NMC.The CD will feature the works In Praise of Dreams performed by Sarah Leonard and Stephen Gutman, Bartlebooth and Archie with the Fidelio Trio and guest clarinetist Andrew Sparling, Urban Myths with Ephyra, Buckley's Hot Licks and Clavinova Music performed by pianist Mary Dullea and Music for Cello and Strings featuring soloist Robin Michaelwith the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Charles Hazlewood.
Cinnamon Street Premiere in Glasgow and Edinburgh
Cinnamon Street, a co-commission from theScottish and Swedish Chamber Orchestras, was premiered at City Hall, Glasgow and at the Queen's Hall, Edinburgh on March 24th and 25th respectively. The piece, which was inspired by the writings of the early twentieth Century Polish-Jewish writer Bruno Schultz, was performed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Joseph Swenson. The piece's next outing will be on November 16th when theSwedish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by HK Gruber, perform the work at the Konserthus, Orebro in a programme to include HK Gruber's Frankenstein and Steve Mackey's Percussion Concerto (with Collin Currieas soloist).
Commission from Orchestra Of The Swan
Joe has just been commissioned to write a new work for fluteand string orchestra by the Orchestra of he Swan to premiered onFebruary 27th 2007 at the Civic Hall, Stratford conducted by the Swan'sprincipal conductor David Curtis.
Ulf to receive Irish Premiere
Ulf, commissioned by the LSO, will receive its Irish Premiere on January 16th when the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland perform the work at the National Concert Hall, Dublin with Colman Pearce conducting. The programme has been programmed by Northern Irish composer Ed Bennett (in conjunction with Lyric FM) and features two works by Ed, and a work by Bryan Irvine.
Ulf premiered by the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican.
Ulf, a Sound Adventures commission from the London Symphony Orchestra sound adventures was premiered on May 5th at the Barbican, conducted by Paul Watkins.
Composer-In-Association with The London Strings
Joe has recently been appointed Composer-in-Association with The London Strings. The orchestra, whose principal conductor is Richard Llewellyn, gave the premiere of Joe's Music for Cello and Strings at St Johns Smith Square in June 2005 and will commissiontwo new works over the next three years. Joe will also be involved withcontemporary programming and outreach. In May 2007, the London Stringswill give the London premiere of a new work for String Orchestra.
