A composer of ferocious dramatic instincts
— Alex Ross
Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier have made two little videos taking a peek behind the scenes of the production of Denis & Katya. Episode 1 features interviews with me and Ted about the show (mostly in english) and Episode 2 features interviews with the cast: soprano Chloé Briot and baritone Elliot Madore (mostly in french). Here are the videos:
(photo Marc Ginot)
Text: Simon Howard
Ligeti String Quartet
Voices: Natalie Raybould, Lewis Bretherton, George Chambers, Ashley Mercer
Recorded at LSO St Luke’s, 29th June 2013.
Recording produced by Andrew Morgan
Video by Mark Hermida
With thanks to LSO St Luke’s, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and the Arts Council of England.
This recording was made at LSO St Luke’s on 29th June 2013. Â It will be released on my solo album in 2018.
Text: Simon Howard
Speaker: Nick Blackburn
Flute: Katie Bicknell
Harp:Â Olivia Jaguers
Woodblock: Matthew West
Recording produced by Andrew Morgan
Video by Mark Hermida
With thanks to LSO St Luke’s, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and the Arts Council of England.
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, Simon Baker
Punchbags: Matthew West, Oliver Lowe.
Recorded at LSO St Luke’s, 29th June 2013.
Recording produced by Andrew Morgan
Video by Mark Hermida
With thanks to LSO St Luke’s, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, the Arts Council of England and the London Sinfonietta.
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.
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 Quartet, Ashot Sarkissjan, The Warehouse Ensemble, Melinda Maxwell, Leigh Melrose, Richard Baker and The London Sprechchor. Â The concert is being recorded live for my debut CD and also filmed for music videos.
The concert is free (email me for an invitation), will last one hour, and will be followed by a wine reception.
Sunday 30th June, 2013, 7.30pm (doors open 6.30pm), reception 8.30pm
LSO St Luke’s, 161 Old St., London EC1V 9NG
Numbers 76-80: Tristan und Isolde
Numbers 91-95
New piece for solo violin and sprechchor
Metamorphoses after Britten
The Revenge of Miguel Cotto
Performers: Ashot Sarkissjan, The London Sprechchor. Melinda Maxwell, Leigh Melrose, Richard Baker, The Warehouse Ensemble, Ligeti Quartet.
Generously supported by the Arts Council, The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust and LSO Soundhub.
  
 
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). If you listen to both pieces side by side you can hear the connections between the second movement and my piece!
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 the third movement (Scherzo).
Exploration of reciprocal space using glass sculpture and sound installation
Crystallographer Brian Sutton
Glass Sculpture and Video:Â Shelley James
Music: Orã (extract) Philip Venables
Performed by: BBC Symphony Orchestra
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
A conversation with Theatre Director Nick Blackburn about my compositional approach.
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 Schmidt.  Here’s a video of the synced live sound recording from the performance with the film.
K, a prelude to the Mozart Clarinet Quintet
Performed by:Â Endymion
Location:Â Kings Place
Date: September 2010.
World premiere of Numbers 91-95
Music: Philip Venables
Text:Â Simon Howard
Performed by:Â Ensemble Adapter
Location: Casino Baumgarten, Vienna (Wien Modern Festival)
Date: 10th November 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 this short film by Sebastian Schmidt. Obviously it won’t have that sound on it, but rather my live-performed piece to go with it.
The piece has been commissioned by Ensemble Amorpha for their Amorpha_Shorts programme, and they’re premiering the pieces at the British Film Institute on 1st December 2011. Â Do go along if you’re around on that night! Â Lots of other good composers are involved too, like my very good friend and Berlin buddy, Naomi Pinnock.
Fuck forever from Philip Venables on Vimeo.
My 3-minute Six Word Opera was premiered last week (11th and 12th August) at Riverside Studios in London, as part of the Tête-à-Tête Opera Festival.  It was performed by the wonderful John Savournin (speaker/singer), James Young (piano and MD), Rosalind Acton (cello) and Matthew West (woodblock).  Check out this video of one of the performances.
James Young asked me to write one for the second year of the successful Six Word Opera project.  As almost all of my recent pieces have involved spoken word in concert music (I —- the body electric, numbers 91-95, numbers 76-80 : tristan und isolde, The Schmürz all in the last 12 months), this seemed a great way to try out some ideas.  Also a good testing ground for the project that I am working on with Jorge Balça and Omar Ebrahim which is also a mini-opera, semi-staged, with themes of sex, sexuality and violence.