Andrew Toovey Photography © Morgan Hayes

Looking & Listening Log

"Toovey concentrated on achieving a fluent narration, moving in and out of actuality and dreamlike sequences with sureness and conviction. From the opening viola solo to the final song of the bird, his score was rich in reference to folk music — the opera was well made and striking." (The Guardian)


Looking/Listening Log for October 2015-August 2018 :


Abbreviations
BCU = Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
BH = Barbican Hall, BM = British Museum
ENO = English National Opera
RCM = Royal College of Music
RFH = Royal Festival Hall
ROH = Royal Opera House
SBC = South Bank Centre
WH = Wigmore Hall


SELECTED LISTENING LOG FOR 2015

Opera: Berg Wozzeck. Concert Performance. RFH SBC 02/10/2015.

Film: The Martians Cineworld Hammersmith 05/10/2015.

Concert: In Modern Dress. Kings Place presentation of City University. Classical music with technology. 7/10/2015.

Concert: Richard Ayres No.48 (Night Studio) BBCSO/Volkov - BH. 8/10/2015.

Opera: Shostakovich Lady Macbeth (Original version) ENO 10/10/2015.

Film: Macbeth. Cineworld Hammersmith 12/10/2015.

Concerts: Two electronic music concerts at BCU 13/10/2015.

Exhibition: The Celts BM 16/10/2015.

Concert: Stephen Isserlis (cello) and Richard Egarr (harpsichord) play Bach – WH 18/10/2015.

Concert: Bertrand Chamayou. Ravel Piano Recital WH 23/10/2015.

Concert: Elizabeth Watts – Soprano, Julius Drake – Piano – song recital of Liszt/Debussy/Hahn. WH 26/10/2015.

Concert: Piano Duet recital with Stephen Kovacevich and Marta Argerich WH 02/11/2015.

Concert: Frontiers Concert Series Philip Bates Prize for Songwriters 2015. BCU 03/11/2015.

Concert: Solo Violin Recital – Barnabas Kelemen Bach, Ysaye, Paganini, Piazzolla WH 09/11/2015.

Exhibition: Re-Form – Art by offenders from Koestler. SBC 12/11/2015.

Exhibition: London Potters at Morley Gallery, Waterloo, 14/11/2015.

Concert: The English Concert, Harry Bicket, Iestyn Davies, Andreas Scholl, Purcell WH 19/11/2015.

Concert: Feldman Piano Violin Viola Cello (1987.) Explore Ensemble. RCM Concert Hall 20/11/2015.

Concert: Michael Finnissy: Chi Mei Ricercari (2013). Neil Heyde/Zubin Kanga RAM 27/11/2015.

Film: Lobster (2015). – Curzon Cinema 20/11/2015.

Exhibition: Frank Auerbach . Tate Britain 03/12/2015.

Exhibition: Artist & Empire Tate Britain 03/12/2015.

Operas: Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci Operas ROH 03/12/2015.

Concert: Howard Skempton. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (2015). WH 05/12/2015.

Concert: A tribute to Pandit Sharda Sahai ji by Kaashi Arts - Indian Music Concert at The Tabernacle, Notting Hill 06/12/2015.

Film: The Lady in the Van (2015). Cineworld, Chelsea 07/12/2015.

Concert: Frontiers Composer’s Platform – BCU Recital Hall 08/12/2015

Film: Star Wars VUE Islington 21/12/2015


SELECTED LISTENING LOG FOR 2016

Film: The Dutch Girl Cineworld Fulham London 13/01/16

Concert: Robert Crehan Hymn to the Martyr for solo organ, St Paul’s Cathedral, London 23/01/2016

Concert: Piano Recital: Xenia Pestova Hans Otte The Books of Sounds Café OTO 27/01/2016

Concert: Vocal Recital: Kozene/Rattle WH London 29/01/2016

Film: Spotlight – Cineworld Hammersmith London 30/01/2016

Film: Room – Curzon Cinima Victoria London 15/02/2016

Opera: Philip Glass – Akhnaten – ENO London 08/03/2016

Concert: Patrick Giguere Orchestral piece LSO St Luke’s 11/03/2016

Concerts: Finnissy at 70 – Guildhall (GSMD) Days London 12 to 13/03/2016

Concert: The London Ear Festival – The Warehouse London 13/03/2016

Concert: Portrait Concert of Ed Bennett – Decibel BCU Birmingham 15/03/2016

Exhibition: Painting the Modern Garden - Monet to Matisse RAA London 21/03/2016

Concert: Samuel Bordoli, Anthem for St Paul’s Cathedral, London 22/03/2016

Concert: Ryan Latimer – Antiarkie! Orchestral piece. BBCSO Maida Vale Studios London 24/03/2016

Film: LGTB Shorts BFI SBC London 25/03/2016

Opera: Gerald Barry – The Importance of being Ernest, Barbican Theatre London 02/04/2016

Opera: Janacek – Jenufa – Mattila/Belohlavek Czech Philharmonic RFH London 18/04/2016

Opera: Wagner - Tannhauser ROH London 23/04/2016

Concert: Finnissy concert: at RCM London 04/05/2016

Opera: Tazul Tajuddin - Puteri Saadong - The Tabernacle, London 14/05/2016

Concert: Finnissy at Club Inegales London 19/05/2016

Concert: Finnissy/McNeill at Cafe OTO London 19/05/2016

Concert: Xenia Pestova piano recital St Catherine’s Church Telegraph Hill, London 18/06/2016

Opera: Wagner – The Ring – Opera North RFH London between 28/06 – 03/07/2016

Concerts: BBC Prom Concerts Mahler 3rd Symphony LSO/Haitink and David Bowie tribute, RAH 29/07/2016

Art: Visit to home/studios of John Davies Cantebury 05/08/2016

Concerts: IXION Concerts at the CoMA Summer School, Doncaster 08/08-09/08/2016

Concert: Boulez tribute concert BBCSSO/Pintscher Usher Hall, Edinburgh Festival 12/08/2016

Concert/Film: Philip Glass Ensemble – Film – Koyaanisqatsi - Amsterdam 16/08/2016

Art: Visit to John Maizels Nek Chand sculptures Letchmore Heath 31/08/2016

Exhibition/Film: Georgia O’Keeffe TM, Armodovar - Julieta Cineworld Haymarket London 04/09/2016

Exhibition: Armando Alemdar GX Gallery, London 07/09/2016

Film: Moonlight BFI SBC London 07/10/2016

Concert: Music by David Breeze and Janet Davey Schott Music London 08/10/2016

Concert: London Sinfonietta St Johns Smith Square London (Sciarrino/Berio etc.) 13/10/2016

Concert: Jonathan Powell Piano Recital – Rosslyn Hill Chapel London 22/10/2016

Concert: Exaudi Vocal Concert LSO St Luke’s London 23/10/2016

Exhibition: We are all human SBC 31/10/2016

Concert: piano and clarinet music McNeill/Quigley BCU Birmingham 01/11/2016

Concert: Michael Finnissy at 70 Explore Ensemble RCM Parry Room London 02/11/2016

Concert: 4th London Festival of Bulgarian Culture: Martin Georgiev Contrabass Clarinet concerto with Bach, Haydn, Pergolesi and Brahms. The London Mozart Players, Cadogan Hall London 30/11/2016

Concert: Michael Finnissy complete Verdi Transcriptions Ian Pace – piano, Deptford Town Hall London 01/12/2016

Concert: Morton Feldman Second String Quartet Flux Quartet, Tate Modern 11.30pm 3-4/12/2016

Concert: ‘Night of the unexpected’ student concert BCU Birmingham 05/12/2016

Concerts: London Sinfonietta St John’s Smith Square and later London CoMA St Dunstan’s Church Stepney London 06/12/2016

Concert: Composers Platform student concert BCU Birmingham 12/12/2016

SELECTED LISTENING LOG FOR 2017

Exhibition: Art opening: GX Gallery 11/01/2017

Concert: Michael Finnissy City University concert series 19/20 – 01/2017

Exhibition: Affordable Art Fair and Paterson Film 21/01/2017

Concert: George Holloway composers talk RAM 26/01/2017

Exhibition: James Ensor Exhibition RAA 27/01/2017

Exhibition: Robert Rauschenberg Tate Modern 01/02/2017

Concert: Piano Recital - Zubin Kanga RAM 10/02/2017

Concert: Bovey Guitar Duo (Finnissy New duet) WH 13/02/2017

Concert: Xenia Pestova and Shawn Mativetsky Concert Elizabeth Kelly, Andrew Toovey (FP: Contrecto) 25/02/2017

Concerts/Exhibitions: Dublin New Music Festival 02– 05/02/2017

The New Music Dublin was an actioned packed ten concert series over three days with a range of music that went far beyond just featuring headline acts. The featured composers were Gerald Barry and Tom Ades. Barry was represented by a concert performance of his new opera Alice’s Adventures Under Ground with the RTE Concert Orchestra, the orchestral version of Wiener Blut, chamber works, Lisbon, Octet, piano duet (played by Barry/Ades) Five Chorales and songs Water Parted. Tom Ades was also well represented by his works Totentanz, Living Toys, Piano Quartet and Mazurkas. Pianist in his own Mazurkas and Gerald Barry’s piano duet Five Chorales and conductor of his own work (Totentanz with gripping vocal soloists Christianne Stotijn and Simon Keenlyside). Ades displayed remarkable skill in all three areas of his creative life (composer, conductor and pianist), and demonstrated his obvious passion as a committed conductor of new music.

This trip also enabled me to support three composer colleagues from the Birmingham Conservatoire who had world premieres: Ed Bennett’s new orchestral work, Psychedielia performed by the RTE National Symphony Orchestra, Sean Clancy’s Five Lines of Music Slow Down and Eventually Stop performed by RTE Contempo Quartet and Andrew Hamilton’s O’Rourke performed by soprano Michelle O’Rourke. Other notable first performances came from Stephen Gardner, Jerk, Linda Buckley, Haza and Simon Mayo Streets Became Liars.

Attendance at concerts forms an important part of the listening log I have produced for my research that relates to my ongoing composition projects. Also as another aspect of this log my research is looking at the wider artistic world, and to this end I visited three important galleries while at the music festival. The Hugh Lane gallery, famous for owning the reconstructed original Francis Bacon studio and many of his paintings, sketches and drawing but also includes a wide range of contemporary art including Guston, Kossoff etc and a room devoted to William McKeown, who work seemed to closely relate to that of Agnes Martin. Doorway Gallery, which deals with local artists and represents aspects of the current stylistic interests in the Irish art world, was useful to assess attitudes to art in a more localised way. The last gallery I visited was the Irish Museum of Modern Art which has an amazing collection of art from around the world.

LISTENING LOG FOR 2017 (CONTINUES):

Concert: Laurence Crane CD Launch Concert - Ives Ensemble 18/03/2017

Concert: BCU Recorder Concert Toovey, Ej upp etc 23/03/2017

Concert: Frontiers all day concert collection including Robert Nettleship perf. 25/03/2017

Concert: Joe Cutler, Professorial concert - Fidelio Trio. BCU 28/03/2017

Concert: Glass Music in 12 Parts BH 01/05/2017

Concert: Steve Reich Drumming and Tehillim (including Rowland Sutherland) RFH 05/05/2017

Concert: Sorabji Opus Clavicembalisticum - Jonathan Powell Piano Recital RHC 09/05/2017

Concert: Duchess of Mulfi play: St Giles Church Holborn 18/05/2017

Art: Mike Turner artist - visit to his home 21/05/2017

Opera: Glass Einstein on the beach – Dortmund Opera House 03/06/2017

Concert: Mr Punch – Michael Finnissy (including Schoenberg Pierrot Lunaire) City University 06/06/2017

Exhibition: Summer Art Exhibition RAA 10/06/2017

Concert: Ben Smith piano recital of Lachemann and Ferneyhough – Milton Court London 16/06/2017

Poetry: Richard Cutler Reading from his new short stories - West Hampstead London 17/06/2017

Concert: Zubin Kanga piano recital St Johns Smith Square 23/06/2017

Exhibition: Harriet Riddell GX Gallery London Exhibition 28/06/2017

Concert: LGSO St John’s Smith Square Michael Finnissy WP and Rachmaninov Second Symphony 02/07/2017

Concert: CoMA London Concert St Leonards 08/07/2017

Exhibition: Grayson Perry Serpentine Gallery exhibition 19/07/2017

Opera: Beethoven Fidelio Prom RAH 21/07/2017

Opera: Mussorgsky Kovanchina Prom RAH 06/08/2017

Opera: James Oldham ‘I’ opera - Rada London 11/08/2017

Concert: Glass Passages with AS Late Prom RAH 15/08/2017

Concert: Gerald Barry – Canada WP Prom City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra RAH 21/08/2017

Concert: Double Concert: Indian/Pakistani music Prom RAH 25/08/2017

Exhibitions: Giacometti and Zeid Art Exhibitions Tate Modern 29/08/2017

Concert: Last Night of the Proms BBC Symphony Orchestra RAH 09/09/2017

Concert: Mike Worboys String Quartet (Blackheath Concert Hall) and Quango Art exhib. Café 12/09/2017

Concert: Glass Symphony 11 Newcastle Sage 30/09/2017

Concert: Orchestra North East – Durham 01/10/2017

Concert: Skempton Concert (including Toovey: 500 Triads) Antony Gray Kings Place London 13/10/2017

Exhibitions: Three RAA Exhibitions: Jasper Johns, Matisse, Dada/Dali 14/10/2017

Concert: Florian Steininger piano recital Schott Music Shop London 15/10/2017

Exhibition: Venice Biennale 22/10 – 25/10/2017

Concert: RFH Shostakovich Seventh Symphony and Beethoven Fifth Piano Concerto PC RFH 27/10/2017

Concert: Nash Ensemble WH 28/10/2017

Concert: Jordi Savall WH 29/10/2017

Concert: Beat Furrer piano concert and Joseph Phibbs Clarinet concerto RFH 05/11/2017

Concert: Royal Academy Composers Platform Concert RAM 16/11/2017

Concert: Skempton/Roxburgh and student concert BCU 17/11/2017

Concert: Goldsmiths at Deptford Town Hall Ian Pace piano, Boulez, Stockhausen and Finnissy 23/11/2017

Concert: Philippe Jaroussky recital of works by Handel WH 26/11/2017

Concert: Saxophone Quartet Concert BCU (R Roberts, R Morton and P Bell) 29/11/2017

Exhibition: Private View opening of artist Albert Adams Artspace Islington 30/11/2017

Concert: Stockhausen including Trans London Sinfonietta/Manson Ensemble RFH 06/12

Composer Residency: Benslow Music 08-10/12/2017

Concert: Fast, slow, faster St Martin’s Church, Gospel Oak London (and Carol) 16/12/2017

Concert: CoMA London Gregory Rose conductor - St John, Bethnal Green 19/12/2017


LISTENING LOG FOR 2018:

Composer Residency: CoMA String Music 02-06/01/2018

Concert: CoMA Oxford – Robin Michael conductor – St Hilda’s College, Oxford 06/01/2018

Concert: RAM Student Orchestra plays undergraduate compositions RAM 12/01/2018

Concert: Sarah Nichols recital for BBC Radio 3 St. Luke’s, London 13/01/2018

Exhibition: London Affordable Art Fair, Business Centre, Islington 18/01/2018

Concert: Composers Platform BCU Birmingham Conservatoire 29/01/2018

Exhibition: John Davies Turner Contemporary, Margate 04/02/2018

Concert: Xenia Pastova piano recital (music of Ed Bennett) Café Otto London 07/02/2018

Composer Residency: The Royal Conservatoire Den Hague, Holland 12-15/02/2018

Opera/Exhibition: Glass Satyagraha ENO London and Bridget Riley Exhibition Waddingtons Gallery, London 16/02/2018

Concert: Xenia Pastova piano recital BCU Recital Hall 20/02/2018

Concert: CoMA Festival (including WP Nigel Osborne) Shorditch London 04/03/2018

Concert: Song Recital by Emma Tring and Robin Martin (including FP: Almost) St. John’s Church Upper Norwood London 07/04/2018

Concert: Gerald Barry Organ Concerto RPO Tom Ades, RFH London 11/04/2018

Exhibition: Armando Alemdar solo exhibition London 13/04/2018

Concert: Patrick Giguère new orchestral piece LSO BH 15/04/2018

Concert: Ed Bennett CD Launch Decibel Ensemble, City University London 17/04/2018

Concert: Gregory Rose 70th Birthday Concert, Jupiter Orchestra St. John’s Smith Square 18/04/2018

Concert: Ben Smith Piano Recital Milton Court GSMD London 19/04/2018

Concert: Orchestra of the 21st Century (including FP. Knob), BCU Birmingham 20/04/2018

Concert: IXION Norfolk Composers Concert, Norwich School, Norwich 26/04/2018

Concert: Jack Sheen concert (including Paul Newland, Bryn Harrison, Michael Finnissy) St. John’s Waterloo London 27/04/2018

Exhibition: Nick Wadley Retrospective European Art Gallery Smith Square London 10/05/2018

Concert: Roma Tic violin recital (including Lament, Strathspey, Reel) RAM London 07/06/2018

Talk: Chris Villars Short Films of Morton Feldman, BCU Birmingham 19/06/2018

Concerts: Night of the unexpected and CODA Festival, BCU Birmingham 25-26/06/2018

Concert: The Music of Joseph Sonnabend Fitzsrovia Chapel, London 07-08/04/2018

Exhibition: RAA Summer Exhibition RAA London 10/07/2018

Exhibition: Christo at the Serpentine Gallery, London 24/08/2018

Concert: Ben Smith lunchtime piano recital, Regent Hall, London 27/07/2018

Opera: Dani Blanco Albert Entanglement! An Entropic Tale. Tête À Tetê RADA London 08/08/2018


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