Duration: 21 minutes
Commissioned by New MacNaghten Concerts for the Arditti Quartet
First performance: October 1984, Wigmore Hall, London Arditti Quartet
'...seemed vastly more fresh, passionate and exciting than when the Arditti first played it seven years ago, a real discovery of glistening microtonal harmonies and, in the big final movement, melodies of urgent reach and intensity'.
Paul Griffiths, The Times, 12 March 1992
Barong (1985) for two pianos and two percussion
Duration: 18 minutes Commissioned by Southern Arts Association for the Regional Contemporary Music Network First performance: February 1985, Bedford Andrew Ball, Julian Jacobson, Simon Limbrick, James Wood
Marsyapollonomachia (1987) for oboe and percussion
Duration: 15 minutes Commissioned by Robin Canter First performance: June 1987, Union Chapel, Almeida Festival, London Robin Canter, James Wood
Cart-wheels (1993) for bass clarinet and percussion
Duration: 13 minutes Commissioned by Duo Contemporain First performance: January 1994, De Ysbreker, Amsterdam Duo Contemporain (Henri Bok, Miguel Bernat)
Mountain Language (1996-98, revised 2000) for alphorn, MIDI-cowbells and live electronics
Duration: 25 minutes
Commissioned by IRCAM
First performance: June 1998, IRCAM, Paris
Soloists of the Ensemble InterContemporain, James Wood
The pièce de résistence was James Wood's Mountain Language - an evocation of Alpine spaces, with the magnificent sight and sound of live alphorn and cowbells joined by awesome winds and joyous birdsong in an electro-acoustic hymn to nature.
Jôdo (1998-99)
for solo percussion, high soprano and electronics
Duration: 40 minutes
Commissioned by Graeme Hall
First performance: November 13, 1999, Oxford Contemporary Music
Kuniko Kato, Sarah Leonard, James Wood