Jeremy Dale Roberts
Encyclopedia
Jeremy Dale Roberts is an English
composer
.
His compositions have been performed worldwide at the Edinburgh
and Aldeburgh Festival
s, the Venice Biennale
, the Diorama de Geneve, and the festivals of Avignon and Paris. They include
After early contact with Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gerald Finzi, Dale Roberts studied with William Alwyn
and Priaulx Rainier
at the Royal Academy of Music
, London. He retired as Head of Composition at the Royal College of Music
, London in 1999, and was a Visiting Professor of Composition at the University of Iowa
for the 1999-2000 academic year.
His compositions have received attention in the last decade in the context of a 70th-birthday portrait concert given at the Purcell Room in London by the ensemble Lontano in 2004, the release of an associated CD by the same group in early 2005, and most recently by the long-awaited release of a complete commercial recording of Croquis by NMC Recordings
. One writer has described his style as 'a kind of ascetically sumptuous exoticism', and has further characterised Dale Roberts' music in terms of:
A recent review of the CD recording of Croquis noted: "Dale Roberts’s miniatures are brilliantly able to condense a familiar image, such as the reel or the fugue, and accumulate into a substantial, 54-minute statement."
Publisher: University of York Music Press
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
His compositions have been performed worldwide at the Edinburgh
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
and Aldeburgh Festival
Aldeburgh Festival
The Aldeburgh Festival is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on the main concert hall at Snape Maltings...
s, the Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
, the Diorama de Geneve, and the festivals of Avignon and Paris. They include
- the cello concerto Deathwatch, written for Rohan de Saram;
- Tombeau for Stephen KovacevichStephen KovacevichStephen Kovacevich , who has also been known as Stephen Bishop and Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich is an American classical pianist and conductor.-Biography:...
; - Croquis for string trio, written for members of the Arditti QuartetArditti QuartetThe Arditti Quartet is a string quartet founded in 1974. The quartet is associated particularly with contemporary music.-Early history:The quartet was founded in 1974 by violinist Irvine Arditti together with John Senter, Levine Andrade and Lenox Mackenzie...
(BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
commission); - In the Same Space, nine poems of Constantin Cavafy, written for Stephen VarcoeStephen VarcoeStephen Varcoe is an English classical bass-baritone singer, appearing internationally in opera and concert, known for Baroque and contemporary music and a notable singer of Lieder.- Professional career :...
; - Lines of Life, lyric episodes for ensemble, written for LontanoOdaline de la MartinezOdaline de la Martinez is a Cuban-American composer and conductor, currently residing in the UK. She is the artistic director of , a London-based contemporary music ensemble which she co-founded in 1976 with New Zealander flautist , and was the first woman to conduct at the BBC Promenade Concerts ...
(BBC commission); - Casidas y Sonetos — del amor oscuro, for solo guitar (Arts CouncilArts councilAn arts council is a government or private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing events at home and abroad...
commission) for Charles Ramierez; - Hamadryad for alto fluteAlto fluteThe alto flute is a type of Western concert flute, a musical instrument in the woodwind family. It is the next extension downward of the C flute after the flûte d'amour. It is characterized by its distinct, mellow tone in the lower portion of its range...
, violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
and guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
; - Stelae, a work for gamelanGamelanA gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
; - Nightpiece for sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
and two bass viols; - Tristia for violin and piano, written for Peter Sheppard Skaerved and Aaron Shorr.
After early contact with Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gerald Finzi, Dale Roberts studied with William Alwyn
William Alwyn
William Alwyn, CBE, born William Alwyn Smith was an English composer, conductor, and music teacher.-Life and music:...
and Priaulx Rainier
Priaulx Rainier
Ivy Priaulx Rainier was a South African-British composer. Although she lived most of her life in England and died in France, her compositional style was strongly influenced by the African music remembered from her childhood. She never adopted 12-tone or serial techniques, but her music shows a...
at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, London. He retired as Head of Composition at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
, London in 1999, and was a Visiting Professor of Composition at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
for the 1999-2000 academic year.
His compositions have received attention in the last decade in the context of a 70th-birthday portrait concert given at the Purcell Room in London by the ensemble Lontano in 2004, the release of an associated CD by the same group in early 2005, and most recently by the long-awaited release of a complete commercial recording of Croquis by NMC Recordings
NMC Recordings
NMC Recordings is a British recording label which specialises in recording works by living British composers.-History:The composer Colin Matthews founded NMC in 1988, with financial assistance from the Holst Foundation. NMC is an abbreviation for "New Music Cassettes", which refers to the intended...
. One writer has described his style as 'a kind of ascetically sumptuous exoticism', and has further characterised Dale Roberts' music in terms of:
- the miniature form and associated possibilities of extended structuring;
- reference to artists and works in other art-forms (in particular sculpture and painting);
- the occasional use of quotation from other composers’ music (albeit in the context of a rather 'pure' modernist idiolect); and
- a fondness for unusual instrumentations.
A recent review of the CD recording of Croquis noted: "Dale Roberts’s miniatures are brilliantly able to condense a familiar image, such as the reel or the fugue, and accumulate into a substantial, 54-minute statement."
Publisher: University of York Music Press