The year 2008 started auspiciously with the release on the SIGNUM label (SIGCD112) of Ian Venables' Songs of Eternity and Sorrow Op. 36, performed by Andrew Kennedy, the Dante Quartet and Simon Crawford-Phillips (see photo album).
This cycle was commissioned by the Housman Society and received its premiere at the Ludlow English Song Weekend in 2004. The recording, entitled 'On Wenlock Edge' has received much critical acclaim in all the leading CD music review magazines (see reviews) and it has been featured on both Andrew McGregor's Record Review programme on Radio 3 and on Sean Rafferty's 'In Tune'.
It has also been highly praised in the National press. David Mellor writing in the 'Mail on Sunday' said, 'Ian Venables choses some less well known Housman, including 'Because I liked you better' ... Venables' four settings come as an unexpected bonus and cap an outstanding CD no lover of British music should miss'. The music for this cycle has now been published by Novello and Co and can be obtained through this website by visiting the scores section. Other new publications released by Novello and Co in 2008 include, Ian Venables' 'Song Album – Ten settings for Baritone and Piano' and an arrangement for voice and piano of 'Songs of Eternity and Sorrow' Op. 36a by Graham Lloyd. (see scores).
2008 has also seen further progress towards the completion of a large-scale song-cycle – a setting of Andrew Motion's commemorative poem, 'Remember This'. Commissioned by the Birmingham-based Limoges Trust, it is scored for tenor, soprano, string quartet, and piano and it is expected to be around 40 minutes in length. 'Remember This' is an elegy on the life of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. It comprises eight sections, inter-linked by a narrative that touches on interludes in her life, whilst reflecting upon the wider significance for humanity of the eternal cycle of life and death. This work is being especially written for the tenor Andrew Kennedy and soprano Elizabeth Watts and it will receive its world premiere at the end of 2010.
Breaking off from the Limoges commission, the composer set a short lyric poem, entitled 'Friendship' by the English poet Elizabeth Jennings. This song was written for the soprano Patricia Rozario and is dedicated to the memory of Jim Chance, a close friend of the composer who died suddenly in April 2008.
2009 will see the culmination of a number of recordings of the composer's works. Andrew Kennedy, together with the Dante String Quartet, will record on the SIGNUM Label a complete CD of the composer's music for voice and strings. The chief works represented on the disc are his song cycle, Invite, to Eternity Op. 31 – four settings of poems by John Clare, and his powerful String Quartet Op. 32.
The second recording is for the SOMME RECORDING CO. This CD will include all the composer’s music for strings and piano and will feature his important Piano Quintet Op. 27. The artist’s on this recording will be the Coull String Quartet and pianists Mark Bebbington and Graham Lloyd.
Finally, in November, Andrew Kennedy, together with pianist Iain Burnside and clarinettist Richard Hosford, will record a complete CD of the composer's songs on the Naxos label. This major recording will also include the premiere recording of his song cycle, On the Wings of Love Op. 38 for tenor, clarinet and piano. As there are no release dates for these recordings, please watch this space!
Later this year, the composer will begin work on a song cycle for Baritone and Piano, for the outstanding British singer, Roderick Williams. The commissioning body for this work is the Gloucester Music Society and is to be written in celebration of its 80th anniversary. The cycle will draw on poetry written by Gloucestershire poets. The composer is delighted to be writing a work specifically for Roddy Williams who has already recorded and performed works by Venables.
Click here for news from previous years.
| Date | Venue | Artists | Works |
| 17 July 2009 at 7.30pm | Leasowes Concerts, Leasowes Bank, Shropshire. Tel 01743 790769 | Patricia Rozario (soprano) and Mark Bebbington (piano) |
Song recital including the premiere of Friendship Op. 37, no. 2 |
| 3 October 2009 at 7.30pm | Droitwich Concert Club, Worcester. Tel 01905 775246 | Mark Bebbington | Piano recital including a performance of Caprice Op. 35 |
| 17 October 2009 at 2.30pm | Autumn in Malvern Festival. Elgar Birthplace 01684 892277 | Talk by Ian Venables on art-song | |
| 17 December 2009 at 7.30pm | St Briavels | Katherine Jenkinson and Alison Farr | Cello and piano recital, including a performance of Elegy Op. 2 |
| 18 December 2009 at 7.30pm | Rhemney Valley | Katherine Jenkinson and Alison Farr | Cello and piano recital, including a performance of Elegy Op. 2 |
| 16 January 2010 at 7.30pm | Birmingham Chamber Music Society | Patricia Rozario (soprano) and Mark Bebbington (piano) | Song recital including the second performance of Friendship Op. 37, no. 2 |
| 6 March 2010 at 7.30pm | Worcester Recorded Music Society | John Brain | Talk to include a recording of Invite, to Eternity Op. 31 |
| 4 July 2010 at 7.30pm | West Dean College, West Sussex | The Coull String Quartet and Mark Bebbington (piano) | Concert to include Elgar's Piano Quintet, John Ireland's String Quartet and Ian Venables' Piano Quintet Op. 27 |
| 27 November 2010 at 7.30pm | Tewkesbury Abbey | Charlton Kings and Cirencester Choral Societies | Anthem Awake, Awake, the World is Young Op. 34 |