Claire Edwardes
Percussion 
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CLAIRE EDWARDES
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http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/primal-beat/2009/01/30/1232818701515.html
"The first half of the concert was remarkable for the way in which three separate works came together, almost as though you might have been hearing a single work in three movements. Peelman’s opening signal unleashed an outpouring of sound in which Kos, the first composer, had given every instrument its own point of entry into, and path to follow through, a continuing spectrum of sound. There was no beginning and no end in a conventionally structured sense. Each instrument followed its own path unerringly wherever it led, sustaining the closest harmonic interplay with the others, no matter what they did, without repetition, solo diversion or conventional thematic development. Without anything much in the way of a tune to play, either, yet the effect was melodic and free of any discordance. When the time was right, each instrument was gently masked out, in unison, leaving the sound spectrum continuing into an inaudible distance. Performances were intense, each instrumentalist a study in concentration tied invisibly but securely to Peelman’s semaphoric gestures. The second half opened with John Luther Adams’s Roar, actually more tranquil than the title would imply. Edwardes took this one, near-motionless and unaccompanied, back to the audience, at the back of the stage, with what must have been a physically demanding continuous addressing of the tam-tam. The processed sounds attributed in the program were not tied to her activity, however. So where did they come from? Who created them? Where was Deems Taylor, when I wanted him to introduce us to the sound itself, just the way he introduced us to the soundtrack in the Walt Disney film Fantasia?"
SMH Spectral sounds from the edge of the unknown
Ensemble Offspring//13 Colours//Sydney Conservatorium 30.05.09
by
Peter McCallum "A full house greeted The Queensland Orchestra at the first concert in this year's Contempo series, focusing on contemporary works for orchestra. This particular concert featured three concertos – two for percussion and one for violin – performed by some of Australia's brightest young talents.
The Japanese composer Toru
Takemitsu's work Gitimalya for solo marimba and orchestra opened
with the haunting tones of a bass flute and took the audience on a sonic
exploration of colour and texture. With the absence of the largest section of
the orchestra – the violins – the timbres remained hauntingly mellow. This
subdued colour allowed the creamy sounds of the solo marimba to blend and
permeate much more effectively. Soloist Claire Edwardes was assured and
sensitive in her performance, in particular the ‘al niente' diminuendos
were beautifully executed. The orchestra seemed hesitant in their entries, and
intonation between strings and winds was somewhat unstable. The lower strings
really shone, as they brought forth a homogenous layer of sound and provided a
strong platform on which the rest of the ensemble could rely."
Pozniak "Tower of Erosion"
"The concert commenced vibrantly.." "The interplay of piano and percussion is
fluid, with parallel rhythms breaking up into sharp jazzy syncopations; cymbals
and snare rising and crashing like waves, working against the structure, literal
and metaphorically. “Offspring paired this piece (Vortex Temporum - Grisey) with the work of two younger Australians who have absorbed some of the spectralist influence. Christopher Tonkin's In for a single bass drum with electronics mixes sepulchral tones of distant thunder with fragmented sonic images. A recorded poem by Gertrude Stein was transformed by computer into a virtual instrument which percussionist Claire Edwardes, always magnetic and captivating, activated and stopped through brushed drum sounds.” Ensemble Offspring Whirlwind of Time Music Workshop, Sydney Conservatorium, June 24 2006 - Sydney Morning Herald Reviewed by Peter McCallum June 26, 2006 “Claire Edwardes' amazingly voluptuous percussion performance on multiple instruments created an astonishing effect, heightened at beginning and end by the wind blown tinkling of wind chimes gradually shimmering into silence in a memorable performance.” Amsterdam Sinfonietta Black Wind Adelaide Festival 2006 - City Messenger Reviewed by Russell Starke 16 March, 2006
“Much clearer in intention was Black Wind…A dense score, studded
with a battery of tuned and untuned idiophones, plus glass wind chimes and
wooden flippers for the strings to clatter on the floor… Sound and image
conveyed a strong, all too familiar but strangely unmoving sermon against the
wanton destruction humans are wreaking on their precious planet.”
Amsterdam Sinfonietta Black Wind Adelaide
Festival 2006 -
The Advertiser
Reviewed
by Elizabeth Silsbury
15 March, 2006 GENERAL
“Edwardes produced a presentation that was electric from start to
finish”
“Edwardes’ strength and energy was breath-taking. In this chaotic
piece, her pinpoint accuracy and absolute confidence became the focus for the
audience.” “Hij zou overlgens niels ontervreden zijn geweest met de explosieve vertolking die pianist Ralph van Raat en slagwerkster Claire Edwardes can de genoteerde versie gaven.” Frits van der Waal, de Volkskrant 22/2/03 “…Birtwistle’s economical suite for piano and percussion (The Axe Manual)… here given a riveting UK premiere by Claire Edwardes and Nicolas Hodges…” Alfred Hickling, The Guardian 3/12/02 (Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival) “The highlight of the concert was young Australian percussionist Claire Edwardes’ performance of MacMillan’s Veni Veni Emmanuel…(It) showcased Edwardes’ ability in all aspects of percussion….Edwardes moved seamlessly between the instruments, her interplay with the orchestra engaging to watch.” Hilary Shrubb, The Australian 5/11/01 (SSO cond. James MacMillan) “Doubling as a percussion concerto, it offered the young and already renowned soloist Claire Edwardes enormous challenges – all of which she responded to with faultless self-possession and technical brilliance…” Roger Covell, Sydney Morning Herald 1/11/01 “Claire Edwardes was a fine soloist and played with sensitivity and unusually focused concentration.” Joan Reinthaler, The Washington Post 17/2/01 (AYO Camerata tour) “With elegant flexibility and empathy she managed to integrate with the orchestra, and to rise up from it ..in a confident manner.” Rene van Peer Eindhoven’s Dagblad 30/10/00 (Tromp competition final) “Her action is not the usual percussive striking but a teasing proximity to the instrument. Claire Edwardes is a young Australian musician of consummate skill…Edwardes’ strong presence and the careful staging of the concert enhanced the experience of the music.” Virginia Baxter, Real Time 10/8/00 “The winner, Claire Edwardes, played… with infectious brio and clear involvement ..This was a gripping and professional display..” Clive O’Connell, The Age 25/9/99 (Symphony Australia Young Performers)
“Edwardes fluidity and controlled attack imbued a freshness
through its use of tribal and sensitively dealt accents and gestures. To salute
Edwardes further, she developed such a fine relationship with the Melbourne
Symphony Orchestra and conductor Markus Stenz that the tension of the finals
playoff was never evident in her performance.” Jeremy Vincent, The Australian
24/9/99 (Symphony Australia Young Performers) |
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