Uploaded April 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Psappha Ensemble:
Conrad Marshall - flute/piccolo
Rachael Clegg - oboe
Dov Goldberg - clarinet
Matthew Dunn - bass clarinet
Ben Hudson - bassoon/contra bassoon
Alan Tokely & Jenny Cox - French horns
Angela Whelan - trumpet
Katy Jones - trombone
Tim Williams & Oliver Patrick - percussion
Benjamin Powell - piano
Lauren Scott - harp
Benedict Holland & Sophie Rosa - violins
Heather Wallington - viola
Jennifer Langridge -cello
James Manson - double bass
Jamie Phillips - conductor
This performance was recorded live at Hallé St Peter's in Manchester (UK) on 29th April 2021. To view the 4K version we recommend you use Google Chrome or the Firefox browser. The performance took place during the Covid-19 pandemic and was live-streamed without an audience.
Learn more about Psappha: psappha.com
Film Production
Cameras - Soup Collective
Audio & Mastering - Rob Kelledy
Film produced and edited by Tim Williams
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As is so often the case with new commissions, I was asked for the title before I’d really started working on the piece itself and so I decided to call the work Rage Dances. It quickly became apparent however that the ‘Rage’ in the title didn’t accurately describe the music I was now writing. What I’d planned to be an aggressive angry work soon turned into something much more colourful, playful and light-hearted.
'Dance Suite' is a Kaleidoscopic work that pays homage to various American dance styles (big band, swing, merengue, jazz waltz, bebop, bluegrass, funk etc.) moving rapidly from one ‘dance sequence’ to the next with cartoon like fervour. There are no slow moments; instead, the music shifts relentlessly through various dances that change direction abruptly, charging headlong to a brusque climax. It’s also a study in orchestration and colour and an early foray into some of the rhythms that have become ever present in my music.
Gavin Higgins
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Learn more about Gavin Higgins: gavinhiggins.com
Psappha Ensemble:
Conrad Marshall - flute/piccolo
Rachael Clegg - oboe
Dov Goldberg - clarinet
Matthew Dunn - bass clarinet
Ben Hudson - bassoon/contra bassoon
Alan Tokely & Jenny Cox - French horns
Angela Whelan - trumpet
Katy Jones - trombone
Tim Williams & Oliver Patrick - percussion
Benjamin Powell - piano
Lauren Scott - harp
Benedict Holland & Sophie Rosa - violins
Heather Wallington - viola
Jennifer Langridge -cello
James Manson - double bass
Jamie Phillips - conductor
This performance was recorded live at Hallé St Peter's in Manchester (UK) on 29th April 2021. To view the 4K version we recommend you use Google Chrome or the Firefox browser. The performance took place during the Covid-19 pandemic and was live-streamed without an audience.
Learn more about Psappha: psappha.com
Film Production
Cameras - Soup Collective
Audio & Mastering - Rob Kelledy
Film produced and edited by Tim Williams
------
As is so often the case with new commissions, I was asked for the title before I’d really started working on the piece itself and so I decided to call the work Rage Dances. It quickly became apparent however that the ‘Rage’ in the title didn’t accurately describe the music I was now writing. What I’d planned to be an aggressive angry work soon turned into something much more colourful, playful and light-hearted.
'Dance Suite' is a Kaleidoscopic work that pays homage to various American dance styles (big band, swing, merengue, jazz waltz, bebop, bluegrass, funk etc.) moving rapidly from one ‘dance sequence’ to the next with cartoon like fervour. There are no slow moments; instead, the music shifts relentlessly through various dances that change direction abruptly, charging headlong to a brusque climax. It’s also a study in orchestration and colour and an early foray into some of the rhythms that have become ever present in my music.
Gavin Higgins
------
Learn more about Gavin Higgins: gavinhiggins.com
