Catalogue

Summary:

“This‚ then is a brilliant portrait disc of a composer with a very clear focus yet still expanding her range. The performances are uniformly excellent and Andrew Keener’s sound is rich if a touch bright. I cannot commend this disc strongly enough.” – Gramophone

“Wallen is a brashly creative, open-minded composer striding with delighted abandon from jazz, to Schoenbergian negation, to Mediterranean mystery, to spirituals, to the sort of lyric escape offered by early Tippett. Those open to discovery must get this disc.” – MusicWeb International

Errollyn Wallen is one of Britain’s most exciting and inventive composers, “bright, funky, irreducible”, according to What’s On. Also a pianist and singer/songwriter of great depth and originality, her theatrical music is a brilliant fusion of the traditions and forms of classical, popular and jazz. Her music has been performed in Europe, the United States, South America, Africa and Australia, alongside such notable musicians as Evelyn Glennie and Emanuel Ax. Errollyn’s Avie debut is a perfect representation of her motto: “I don’t break down barriers in music because I don’t see any”.

Tracklist:

ERROLLYN WALLEN (b. 1958)

1. Dervish (7:24)
Matthew Sharp, cello | Dominic Harlan, piano

Are you Worried about the Rising Cost of Funerals? (Five Simple Songs)
2. I. Beehive (3:33)
3. II. Mary (3:03)
4. III. White Christmas (1:57)
5. IV. Guru (4:37)
6. V. End Of My Days (5:16)
Patricia Rozario, soprano | Ensemble X

7. Louis’ Loops (4:01)
Margaret Leng Tan, toy pianos

Horseplay (21:55)
8. I. Dark and Mysterious (6:03)
9. II. Lively (3:01)
10. III. Larghetto (6:58)
11. IV. Dark and Mysterious – Presto! (5:53)
The Continuum Ensemble | Philip Headlam, conductor

12. In Our Lifetime (7:40)
Mike Henry, baritone

13. The Girl in my Alphabet (10:31)
Errollyn Wallen and Douglas Finch, pianos

Total time: 70:11

Recorded March 1990, Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason Centre, San Francisco, California, (Louis’ Loops); 25 March 1999, Wallen Music Centre, London, (In Our Lifetime); 8 and 9 October 2000, Potton Hall, Suffolk, England
Producer: Andrew Keener