news/ Nachrichten/ noticias/ nouvelles

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overview

major works / premieres:

Variations for Orchestra (premiere 2002)
Ammerseelieder (premiere 2005)
Threnos for horn and wind orchestra (premiere 2007)
Euphonium Concerto (premiere 2008)
Resonance for unaccompanied 'cello (premiere 2009)
Eat Pianist septet: piano, strings, winds (for ballet)
Prometheus and Pandora septet: piano, strings, winds (for ballet)
Landscape Visions
Passacaglia and Gigues double-bass and chamber orchestra
Legends of the Old Castle harp and wind orchestra (premiere 2014)
Violin Concerto (premiere 2015)
Shoalhaven-Lieder for high voice and orchestra

current projects:

Triptych saxophone and orchestra
Clarinet Concerto

full list of compositions

residencies:
Bundanon
The Brahmshaus, Baden-Baden

Lee Bracegirdle:

First Prize recipient: Kodaly International Composers' Competition
Musical Director: Australian Chamber Ballet;
Principal Guest Conductor: Orquesta Sinfónica de Oriente, Santiago de Cuba
retired Associate Principal Horn: Sydney Symphony Orchestra;

Lee Bracegirdle earned his Bachelor and Master degrees at the Juilliard School,
studied conducting at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria with Michael Gielen,
and was awarded an Honorary Diploma by the Kodaly Academy and Institute in Chicago.
He has held positions as principal horn in orchestras in Germany, America and Australia,
and has had an extensive career as an instrumentalist, composer, conductor and arranger.
As a composer he is represented by The Australian Music Centre
His Variations for Orchestra, Ammerseelieder, Threnos, Euphonium Concerto,
Legends of the Old Castle and Violin Concerto are published by C.F. Peters.




Variations for Orchestra (2000)
received its world premiere in 2002 by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by
Richard Gill in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House. CD recordings of this performance
are available through The Australian Music Centre

click here to listen to a performance on Youtube

Richard Gill

Radio station 2-MBS FM published an article/interview with Lee
in their March, 2002 issue of "Fine Music" magazine.
Read Blow me down, it's a serialist! on the
reviews / press reports page.

In their reviews of the world premiere, Sydney's newspapers acclaimed:
"Bracegirdle's Variations exhibit ingenious, multi-coloured scoring,
with never a dull moment. This is clever stuff!"

Sydney's North Shore Times, in its end-of-year concert summary
described Variations as "Best Australian work" of 2002

Orchestras can hire score and parts from the publisher C.F. Peters

Ammerseelieder

Ammersee (Lake Ammer) with Kloster Andechs and the Zugspitze

Ammerseelieder (Songs of Lake Ammer) (2005)
were premiered by the S.S.O. in 2005 as part of their
bi-annual "Festival of Contemporary Music". Commissioned by Symphony Services International, this
work is a cycle of 5 songs for low voice and orchestra based on Bracegirdle's own original texts.
The texts were inspired by scenes and experiences near Lake Ammer in Bavaria.
The world premiere was directed by Dutch conductor Reinbert de Leeuw,
and the soloist was the French-Australian baritone Didier Frederic.

click here to listen to a recording of this performance on Youtube
click here for reviews of the world premiere performance
click here to order a piano-vocal score from SheetMusicPlus
click here to order the music directly from the publisher C.F. Peters

Reinbert de Leeuw	Didier Frederic

Threnos (2007) for Solo-Horn, Winds and Percussion
was premiered and recorded in 2007 by William Purvis, horn soloist, with the
American Wind Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Robert Boudreau.

click here to order a complete set of parts from C.F. Peters
click here to order a solo part with piano reduction
click here to order a conductor's score

William Purvis

Concerto for Euphonium and Orchestra (2007)
Lee's SSO colleague, Scott Kinmont (Associate Principal Trombone) suggested in 2003
that he compose a solo work for Euphonium, the instrument that he plays
with as much passion and flair as the trombone.
For years Scott had bemoaned the fact that this instrument, most often employed in the
brass band medium, had been neglected in the genre of the orchestra.
(see: article from Sydney's Daily Telegraph: "Rare Works Please")
The concerto was premiered in 2008 with Scott as soloist,
accompanied by the SSO, conducted by Matthew Coorey
as part of the orchestra's 2008 "Meet the Music" concert series.

Sydney's music critics wrote:
"Bracegirdle has come to the Euphonium's rescue! - jubilation / colourful, ingenious orchestration"

"an evocative new work destined to occupy a special place in the instrument's repertoire"

click here to listen to this performance on YouTube
click here to order the solo part with piano accompaniment from Just for Brass
click here to order from Sheet Music Plus
click here to order directly from the publisher (C.F. Peters)

Mr. Bracegirdle being interviewed during "pre- concert talk" with the SSO's education director Margaret Moore	the composer with soloist Scott Kinmont and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the world premiere of "Concerto for Euphonium and Orchestra"- Sydney Opera House, February 27, 2008	Scott Kinmont

Resonance for unaccompanied cello
was premiered by the SSO's former principal cellist Timothy Walden
(now principal cello of London's Philharmonia Orchestra)
at Melbourne's "Spring Early Music Festival" in October, 2009 -

recordings of this performance are available from the Australian Music Centre or
directly from Mr Bracegirdle (contact details on the home page of this website)

or click here to listen to a recording
click here to order the sheet music for "Resonance" from the AMC

Timothy Walden performing the premiere of Resonance

choreographed music:

His compositions for ballet, Eat Pianist and Prometheus and Pandora
have been choreographed by Adrian Dimitrievitch
for the Australian Chamber Ballet, where Lee is Musical Director and Composer-in-Residence.
Eat Pianist is based on a comedy/horror/suspense/cabaret story developed by Mr. Dimitrievitch.
Mr. Bracegirdle created both the synopsis and music for Prometheus and Pandora,
based on a contemporary interpretation of the classic Greek mythology.

Landscape Visions (2010)
a work for full orchestra inspired by scenery
at selected places in Lee's home state of New South Wales.
Utilising a vast instrumental pallette, 7 contrasting movements portray
musical manifestations of nature's beauty: 6 in the wilderness, one of urban environment.

in New South Wales' Blue Mountains: the Jamison Valley

Passacaglia and Gigues (2011)
for solo double-bass and chamber orchestra.
Composed at the request of Lee's SSO colleqgue, principal double-bassist Kees Boersma.
The stately 3/4 rhythm of the ancient street dance "passacaglia"
gives way to macabre jigs and cool jazz episodes.
Scored for solo double-bass, strings, winds, orchestral percussion and drum kit.

Kees Boersma

Legends of the Old Castle (2012)
for solo harp, winds and percussion was commissioned by
the American Wind Symphony Orchestra..

During his 2012 residency in the Brahmshaus in Baden-Baden
Lee was inspired by the ruins of Hohenbaden Castle and its ancient legends,
and by the sounds of the aeolian harp, or "wind-harp" installed in the Knights' Hall of the castle.

Louise Johnson, accompanied by the S.S.O. performed
the premiere in July, 2014, conducted by Simone Young.

download the SSO printed program for this concert
read The Legend of the Grey Woman
read The Legend of the Marble Staute and the Cross
read Sydney Morning Herald review
Click here to order the solo part with piano accompaniment from the publisher C.F. Peters
click here to listen to Ms Johnson's performance

Louise Johnson

Simone Young

the aeolian harp at Hohenbaden Castle was built and installed by Rüdiger Oppermann

The American Wind Symphony Orchestra in their Louis Kahn-designed floating stage, "Point-Counterpoint II"	The "Old Castle", Schloss Hohenbaden, overlooking the city of Baden-Baden	The "Rittersaal" ("Hall of Knights") in the "Old Castle"	The aeolian harp installed in one of the windows of the Rittersaal

news:
legendary jazz/classical harpist Park Stickney
performs Legends of the Old Castle in Baden-Baden:
February, 2017

The harpist renowned for breaking rules and boundaries when it comes to this instrument
performed the European premiere of "Legends" in the place where the inspiration for the work arose.
With the original "Old Castle" perched high above the city and within plain sight of the concert hall,
audiences in Baden-Baden were transported back centuries to the
world of medieval sagas by Mr Stickney's dramatic interpretation.
- contemporary music returns to its spiritual roots,
accompanied by the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, conducted by Thomas Rösner

click here to listen to this performance
click here for reviews of this performance

Park Stickney (website)

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (2012),
composed at the request of Sydney Symphony Orchestra's
former concertmaster Michael Dauth was premiered in May, 2015.
Mr. Dauth was accompanied by the Sydney Youth Orchestra
under the direction of chief conductor Alexander Briger.
The concerts took place in the Verbrugghen Hall of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
and in the Parramatta Riverside Theatre.

click here to watch a video of this performance on Youtube
click here to download radio station 2MBS-FM "Fine Music" magazine article about the premiere
click here to download the SYO's printed program for the concerts

Michael Dauth, violinist	Alexander Briger, conductor

Shoalhaven-Lieder (2015)
a song-cycle for high voice and orchestra
based on philosophic poetry on the subjects of life, love and death.
The cycle is comprised of 8 songs using texts by
Clive James, Heinrich Heine, Adolf Friedrich von Schack, James Agee and Charles Waterstreet -
Lee began sketches while in-residence at Bundanon and continued work
during his 2014 residency in the Brahmshaus, Baden-Baden.
Completed: 2015 in Sydney

Adolph Friedrich von Schack	James Agee	Clive James	Heinrich Heine	Charles Waterstreet

current composition projects:

Triptych for saxophone and orchestra
Prominent Sydney-based saxophonist Christina Leonard has requested from Lee
a solo work for Saxophone and Orchestra.
Structured in the form of ancient 3-part paintings known as "triptychs",
often found on church altars.
These paintings depict a story-line flowing from left to right,
where the outer wings are shorter 'introduction and finale' sections
placed astride a larger, more developed middle section.
The soloist is required to play both alto and soprano saxophones.

The first overseas performances are scheduled for late 2022 in Cuba
with local soloist Marco Antonio Prades

Christina Leonard	Marco Antonio Prades

Clarinet Concerto (projected completion: 2022)
is being composed at the request of and dedicated to
4 prominent clarinetists on the interational stage:
Francesco Celata, Lee's long-time colleague at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra;
John Yeh, Chicago Symphony 1st clarinet and Lee's old buddy from Juilliard;
Dimitri Ashkenazy, soloist based in Switzerland;
and Michael Elvermann, German-born principal clarinetist of the
Orquesta Sinfónica de Oriente in Santiago, Cuba.

This will be a 3-movement work, using
full orchestral accompaniment.

Francesco Celata	John Bruce Yeh	Michael Elvermann	Dimitri Ashkenazy

List of compositions

1997: Odd Couples (tango for ballet) - [violin, 'cello, horn, piano]
1997: Devastated (tango for ballet) - [violin, 'cello, horn, piano]
1998: Fanfare for the Extraordinary Individual - [3 trumpets, 3 horns, 3 trombones, tuba]
1998: Divertimento for Orchestra
2000: Variations for Orchestra
2002: Eat Pianist (ballet in 3 scenes) - [septet: flute, oboe, horn, violin, viola, 'cello, piano] / [also full orchestral version]
2003: Prometheus and Pandora (ballet in 3 acts) - [septet: flute, oboe, horn, violin, viola, 'cello, piano]
----------- full orchestra version 2004 / Suite Box (chamber orchestra suite from the ballet, 2004)
2003: Resonance - [unaccompanied 'cello]
2005: Fanfára Miniatura - [brass quartet]
2005: Ammerseelieder - [low voice and orchestra]
2007: Threnos [solo horn, winds and percussion] - dedicated to the memory of Jerome Ashby
2007: Concerto for Euphonium and Orchestra
2010; Landscape Visions [full orchestra]
2011: Passacaglia and Gigues - [solo double-bass and chamber orchestra]
2012: Legends of the Old Castle - [solo-harp, winds and percussion]
2012: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
2015: Shoalhavenlieder - [high voice and orchestra]
2018: Triptych - [saxophone and orchestra]

residencies at Bundanon 2003 / 2013

The Bundanon Trust, a foundation created in 1998 through the bequest of the Australian
artist Arthur Boyd, selected Lee for their "Artists-in-Residence" program in 2003 and 2013.
In the secluded, inspirational environment of this historic property on the South Coast of New South Wales
he joined other performing and graphic artists in an intensive creative atmosphere
in order to bring to life new works. Compositions that emerged through these residencies
have been Euphonium Concerto, Resonance and Shoalhavenlieder

Bundanon photo albumn:

2003 residencies
the historic Boyd family home "Bundanon"	inside Arthur Boyd's studio	The Artists' Centre, with residences and studios
artists-in-residence August 2003: L.B., photographer Jennifer Gough-Cooper; painters Jennifer Joseph and Anthony Pelchen	in the studio of Patrick Shirvington with his works	artists-in-residence L.B., Patrick Shirvington and Hitomi Utami with Polly Boyd
L. B. and "Sugarpuss" - an installation work by artist-in- residence Hitomi Utami	L.B. at work in the "Writer's Cottage" with sketches for Euphonium Concerto - [photo by Jennifer Gough-Cooper]	Wilhelmina the wombat: permanent resident under the Writer's Cottage
2013 residency
the Musicians' Cottage, Lee's 2013 residence	in the workshop of the Musicians' Cottage with sketches for Shoalhaven-Lieder	with fellow residents Kit Lagréze (painter) Kay Armstrong (choreographer); and Bundanon staff Gary Hogan and Onni with Lagréze's drawings

residencies in the "Brahmshaus", Baden-Baden

During Spring of 2012 and 2014 Lee was composer-in-residence at "the Brahmshaus" in Baden-Baden, Germany
The Brahms Society, formed in 1966 to preserve the only surviving house in Germany
where Johannes Brahms had lived, selects composers from around the world
to take part in its residency program. This historic building, that Brahms described as
"the beautiful house on the hill" was his summer residence from 1864-1875.
In providing this service to composers, the society's aim is to
"continue Brahms' tradition of aiding of young artists in their creative development"

His works that were conceived and/or developed here are
Legends of the Old Castle and Shoalhaven-Lieder.

The "Brahmshaus" at Maximillianstrasse 85, Baden-Baden	L.B. in the apartment that was Brahms' summer residence, now part of the Brahmsmuseum	the composers' studio and workshop	horn calls from the balcony to Lichtental