John Holland
2 performances.
Forthcoming Performances
No forthcoming concerts currently listed.
Past Performances
Audio
Rondo Octango A short, slightly peculiar piece for eight, maybe not executed in traditional rondo or tango style, but certainly containing elements of both to lend it a characteristic flair! More often than not, the performers are playing against each other, but this helps to create a rhythmical momentum that is built and sustained throughout the piece.
December 2006
Green Sky Winner of the Making Music Award (British Composer Awards 2008)
The sky’s various colours have long been used to foretell change in the weather and seeing green sky - particularly in the heartland of America - can mean the impending arrival of storms, cyclones or other torrential phenomena.
The piece has an unusual musical atmosphere of tension, turbulence and most of all, release; the orchestra is invited to explore alternative instrumental sounds and venture out of familiar comfort zones. The style is unashamedly cinematic and helps to conjure up images of nature at it most violent, tranquil and unpredictable - mostly at the same time.
Like a Twisty, Turny Thing... A short, but frantic, movement suitable for occasions of extreme silliness or indeed, highbrow seriousness...
Inspired by the little twisty, turny things in life that make it seem more fun, like roller coasters, country roads or fusilli.
Shake, Relax, Jump! A fun piece for five instruments (Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon) in the style of an aerobic workout - without the players leaving their seat!
The energetic 'Shake', a sort of limbering up; the soothing 'Relax', a chance for expressive solos and long notes; the pulsating 'Jump!', taking advantage of leaps and turns to truly highlight the players' abilities...
Elegy for my father Dedicated to the memory of Ivor Stuart Holland (1930-1991)
After years of writing for others, this piece seemed right to happen when it did and it is the first that I have composed based on an aspect of my own life experience. It is by no means a representation of my father, but more an atmospheric tribute to his indelible effect on me as a child and now, through reflection, as an adult.
While there is a certain amount of expression and melancholy within, the relentless metre helps to move things along until the final, limping, moments. The overall mood of the piece is one of motion and fortitude – the two traits that my father embodied most exceptionally in life.
List of Works
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Sheet music by John Holland