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James Wood's ‘Stoicheia’ and ‘Oreion’
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 February 2010
Extract
Although James Wood has been in the forefront of contemporary music as both choral conductor and percussionist, directing the New London Chamber Choir in many new works, and organizing the Darmstadt Summer School Percussion Course for several years, his own compositions have little in common with the mainstream of postwar European music. It might be assumed that his interest in ancient Greek rhythms, together with their Indian and Chinese equivalents, stems from his association with the music of Xenakis; but he has never shown any inclination to use complex mathematical formulae, and has probably been less concerned than almost any other contemporary composer with the organization of pitch.
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- Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990
References
1 James Wood's Oreion, one of the major BBC commissions lor the 1989 series of Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, was premièred at the Royal Albert Hall on 9 August by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the composer. His massive Stoicheia for two percussion soloists, two percussion ensembles, four keyboards, synthesizers, samplers, live electronics and tape, was first performed on 13 August 1988 by the James Wood/Steven Schick Percussionsstudio at the Darmstadt Ferienkurse; the UK première took place on 15 June last as part of the “James Wood: Theatre ot Percussion’ event at the Almeida Festival.
2 I am indebted to a letter from the composer, and to a subsequent telephone conversation, for what follows, particularly as regards Stoicheia.
3 Composer's programme note for the performance at the 1989 Almeida Festival. Unfortunately, this was not printed in the main Festival Programme Book, but in an additional leaflet available at the concert. Consequently, the details of Stoicheia did not receive as wide a circulation as they deserved.
4 Ibid.