phil | Philip Venables

New Music Biennial 2017

January 20, 2016

Illusions, my collaboration with David Hoyle and the London Sinfonietta, has been selected for the New Music Biennial in 2017. That means that we will revive the work and hopefully recalibrate it for the political events of that year, and…

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Monopol Magazine review

October 12, 2015

Bound to Hurt has now finished up in Berlin – what a whirlwind week, and huge thanks to Hebbel am Ufer Theater. We’ve had a great review of the piece in the german arts magazine Monopol. Here’s a particular snippet about the…

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‘Illusions’ with David Hoyle

September 20, 2015

Illusions – Philip Venables & David Hoyle Performed by London Sinfonietta, cond. Andrew Gourlay, sound by Sound Intermedia. Video by Philip Venables. Live performance was two days after the UK General Election 2015, as a post-election “party political broadcast”,…

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Video of Numbers 91-95 from LSO St Luke’s

July 25, 2015

Score and more info here This recording was made at LSO St Luke’s on 29th June 2013. It will be released on my solo album in 2018. Text: Simon Howard Speaker: Nick Blackburn Flute: Katie Bicknell Harp: Olivia Jaguers Woodblock: Matthew…

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Illusions – collaboration with David Hoyle

May 11, 2015

I’m delighted to have been able to contribute to the London Sinfonietta‘s Notes to the New Government on Saturday at the Southbank Centre. David Hoyle and I worked on an ‘in-yer-face’ piece called Illusions which was based on the message: democracy is an…

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Video of The Revenge of Miguel Cotto, LSO St Luke’s

March 20, 2015

Score and more info here The Revenge of Miguel Cotto Music: Philip Venables Text: Steven J Fowler Conductor: Richard Baker Voices: Leigh Melrose, Dario Dugandzic Violins: Ashot Sarkissjan, Ciaran McCabe, James Widden Accordion: Ian Watson Trombones: Graham Lee, Lee Boorer,…

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Video of Numbers 91-95 at the Guildhall

December 22, 2014

Numbers 91-95 by Philip Venables (music/concept) and Simon Howard (text) Performed by students at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama: Alex Knox (speaker), Jack Welch (flute), Caolan Walpot (harp), Sam Wilson (woodblock). 4th December 2014.

Philip to write new opera for Royal Opera House

August 25, 2013

From GSMD Press release: Philip Venables to research and write major work for performance at the ROH Linbury Studio Theatre in 2016. The Guildhall School of Music & Drama in association with the Royal Opera House recently announced composer Philip as the first Doctoral…

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Portrait Concert / 30 June / St Luke’s

May 10, 2013

Fight music The first ever portrait concert of my work will be at LSO St Luke’s in London on 30th June 2013. The concert features five recent pieces from the last few years, performed in the concert by the Ligeti…

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Video of Klaviertrio im Geiste, Oxford

February 12, 2013

Score and more info here performed by the Phoenix Piano Trio at Oxford Lieder Festival, Holywell Music Room, Oxford, UK. on 20th October 2012. Klaviertrio im Geiste is based on the second movement of Beethoven’s Ghost Trio (Piano Trio No….

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Klaviertrio im Geiste (middle bit)

February 12, 2013

performed by the Phoenix Piano Trio at Oxford Lieder Festival, Holywell Music Room, Oxford, UK. on 20th October 2012. Klaviertrio im Geiste is based on the second movement of Beethoven’s Ghost Trio (Piano Trio No. 5, Op.70/1). This is…

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Video of Numbers 76–80 : tristan und isolde from Southbank Centre

November 13, 2012

Score and more info here Endymion and EXAUDI perform “numbers 76-80 : tristan und isolde” at the Southbank Centre on Monday 19th September 2011, conducted by James Weeks. The text is by Simon Howard. The piece was commissioned by Endymion…

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Reciprocal Space (video)

October 30, 2012

Exploration of reciprocal space using glass sculpture and sound installation Crystallographer Brian Sutton Glass Sculpture and Video: Shelley James Music: Orã (extract) Philip Venables Performed by: BBC Symphony Orchestra

The Revenge of Miguel Cotto (video)

October 29, 2012

A performance piece about a true story of revenge and honour between boxers Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. Music: Philip Venables Text: Stephen J. Fowler Performed by: the London Sinfonietta Location: Village Underground Date: May 2012

UNLEASHED preview

July 17, 2012

…almost at a pace that I can’t keep up. I have never composed so much in so little time in all my life. It’s very exciting. The music is so far working out to be very text-led. The players and…

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UNLEASHED cast announced, tickets go on sale

June 27, 2012

We had a loooooooong day of auditions on Friday, but Nick Blackburn, the director of UNLEASHED, and I heard from great singing, saw some great acting, and most of all heard some pretty eye-opening stories. We’re delighted to say we’ve…

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The Revenge of Miguel Cotto preview

May 30, 2012

The preview version of The Revenge of Miguel Cotto was premiered on 16th May at Village Underground in Shoreditch, London. What a great evening! The London Sinfonietta were performing, conducted by Richard Baker, with vocalists Leigh Melrose and Alexander Robin…

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Flipp (audio)

April 22, 2012

Flipp, for two saxophones (2011) by philipvenables Year: 2011 Duration: 3 minutes Orchestration: two of the same saxophones Flipp was first performed on 24th May 2011 at BKA Theater, Berlin, Adrian Tully and Christoph Enzel, as part of the Unerhörte…

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Sketches for The Revenge of Miguel Cotto

March 7, 2012

The Revenge of Miguel Cotto, the work that Steve Fowler and I are working on for the London Sinfonietta Blue Touch Paper project, is going well. The work is moving at a fast pace now, and I’m having some mentoring…

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New blog-site for the UNLEASHED anti-opera project

February 10, 2012

We’ve just got together the new blog site for the UNLEASHED anti-opera project that I’m doing with director Nick Blackburn. Check it out here….

Music, Text and Violence (an interview)

February 10, 2012

A conversation with Theatre Director Nick Blackburn about my compositional approach.

Selected for Blue Touch Paper

January 10, 2012

I’m delighted to have been selected with poet Steven J Fowler for the London Sinfonietta’s new Blue Touch Paper scheme. We were selected in October for our project that is an immersive, 45-minute-long semi-staged piece for ensemble, electronics and vocalists,…

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Contrasts in Space (video)

December 20, 2011

Contrasts in Space was screened at the British Film Institute on 1st December, alongside the premiere of my new soundtrack for it, featuring tape and live viola. Ensemble Amorpha were performing. Contrasts in Space is a black and white film by Sebastian…

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K, prelude to Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet (video)

November 29, 2011

K, a prelude to the Mozart Clarinet Quintet Performed by: Endymion Location: Kings Place Date: September 2010.

numbers 91–95 (video)

November 26, 2011

World premiere of Numbers 91-95 Music: Philip Venables Text: Simon Howard Performed by: Ensemble Adapter Location: Casino Baumgarten, Vienna (Wien Modern Festival) Date: 10th November 2011

Shorts Amorpha at the BFI

November 25, 2011

I’m delighted to say I’ve written a short piece for viola and tape (or optional speaking chorus), as a new soundtrack to Sebastian Schmidt’s short film Contrasts in Space. This will be performed by Ensemble Amorpha at the British Film…

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“Signals” feat. “Metamor – phoses after Britten”

October 12, 2011

I just received a copy of the Signals volume of new music for oboe. It looks great! It features my Metamorphoses after Britten in it, and I also designed the snazzy front cover! (not bright pink, this time..) The volume was…

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Wonderful reviews of numbers 76-80 : tristan und isolde

October 7, 2011

numbers 76-80 : tristan und isolde was performed brilliantly by EXAUDI and Endymion under the direction of James Weeks on Monday 19th September. I was really delighted, and the Purcell Room at Southbank was pretty busy too. There was a wonderful…

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Contrasts in Space

October 7, 2011

So – very busy at the moment with a number of big projects that I’ll be telling you about in the next few weeks, hopefully. But this week I’ve been working on a short instrumental + tape piece to accompany…

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CONTACT dance-floor up and running!

September 8, 2011

What an exhausting but wonderful week of hard work. We started on Monday morning, when I got off the plane from Berlin and went straight to Kings Place to start constructing the touch-sensitive dancefloor that I designed specially for the…

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