Petersfield Musical Festival’s ninth Festival of Young Composers showcased the wealth and diversity of musical talent in the area with entry compositions ranging from solo piano or solo voice (with piano and guitar) right up to full-scale symphonic orchestral works. The competition took place at the TPS Studio on 8th February and drew entries from musicians from a wide geographical area including Southampton, Godalming, Liphook and Petersfield.
Philip Young, former PMF Chair, congratulated all the entrants for their achievements and having the courage to tackle the difficult task of writing music to share with others. Jonathan Willcocks, renowned conductor and composer, commented that this year had seen the ‘strongest field of composers in the competition’s history.’ Philip and Jonathan were joined on the judging panel by Dr. Jill Jarman, a jazz pianist, composer and teacher.
All the competitors, who either performed live or had previously submitted audio recordings, were given expert analysis and feedback on their pieces by the judges. They were also given the opportunity to chat about their compositional process and sources of inspiration. Cash prizes – of up to £300 – were funded by the Michael Hurd Fund which is administered by PMF.
Toby Beckingham richly deserved his First Prize in the 17-years and under (live performance) for an extremely evocative composition for viola and piano. Titled Feuille d’Album, it was written idiomatically for both instruments and used adventurous harmonies to portray a romantic and elegiac mood. The piece was outstandingly performed by a professional viola player and pianist. The middle section formed a barcarolle and Toby described his main inspiration as Alexander Scriabin.
Ella Bowker’s piano piece entitled Rattentanz, and Lola Kerslake’s song with guitar and piano Wasn’t Love were both awarded certificates of Merit. Jill Jarman enthusiastically praised Lola’s command of lyrics and the song’s ‘conversational style’ – it was warmly received by the sizeable crowd of supporters, young musicians and general public present.
Otto Walker was awarded first prize in the 14 and under category with his orchestral recorded piece Misadventures in the Goblin Kingdom; Jill Jarman highlighted the ‘lovely textures and colours’ of the piece.
Brandenburg Bebop was a recorded jazz piece by Henry Milne, scored for small band. Henry is a drummer, and his instrumental skills were evidenced by an assured rhythmic grasp and idiomatic jazz-band writing. Inspired by Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto, the piece echoed other composers who have used Bach as the basis of jazz compositions. Henry shared joint first prize with Corey Wilson for his Hollywood Boulevard, which, as the name suggests, was a full-blown orchestral piece with sweeping melodies and rich colours for full orchestra.
Elliot Cundy, a sixth form student at Bedales School, performed his own highly sophisticated composition called Modus Tumultus. After a quiet and mysterious opening, the piece lived up to its name, developing a percussive style with motoric rhythms and motifs using complex whole-tone scales. According to Jonathan Willcocks the piece ‘came alive’ in Elliot’s technically confident and expressive rendition. ‘It’s one thing to write music, but an excellent performance adds another dimension,’ he commented.
Rosie Bamford’s Piano Quintet No.1 Movements 1 & 2, Water and Fire (recorded) received a Certificate of Merit. All competitors were also given adjudication notes from the judges which will enable them to develop their pieces going forward.
One theme to emerge from the competition, emphasized by the judges, is the importance of writing music which is practical: in other words it must be playable by real instrumentalists. Jonathan Willcocks said, ‘Computers can play anything, but you have to ensure real players can physically play the notes and articulation you have written.’
All the composers were encouraged to think about the technical and physical limitations of the instruments and musicians for whom they were writing, thereby ensuring that their music can be played by human beings!
Sarah Hard
