John Casken - Other Works

Other Works

From 1990 to 2001 John Casken was Composer-in-Association with the Northern Sinfonia, resulting in works including Maharal Dreaming, 1989; the Cello Concerto, written for Heinrich Schiff, premièred at the 1991 Schleswig-Holstein Festival, and Darting the Skiff, for strings. The latter was premièred at the 1993 Cheltenham Festival, at which the composer himself conducted. The Northern Sinfonia also gave the première of the orchestral version of Après un silence for violin and chamber orchestra, with Kyra Humphreys (violin), conducted by Nicholas Kraemer. Casken's most recent interaction with the Northern Sinfonia produced Farness - three poems of Carol Ann Duffy, in 2006, for soprano, solo viola and chamber orchestra. This was premièred at the 2006 Huddersfield Contemporary Musical Festival with Thomas Zehetmair (conductor), Patricia Rozario (soprano), and Ruth Killius (viola). Patricia Rozario also gave the first performance of Chansons de Verlaine, at the Wigmore Hall in September 2007, accompanied by Julius Drake. The Cello concerto, Darting the Skiff, Maharal Dreaming and Vaganza were re-released on the NMC Ancora label.

As well as his close association with the Northern Sinfonia, Casken had a close connection with The Lindsays, composing three string quartets for them, as well as Rest-ringing, for string quartet and orchestra, which was commissioned by The Hallé Orchestra to mark their retirement. Recent chamber music includes a Piano Trio in 2002, written for and premièred by The Florestan Piano Trio, at the 2002 Brighton International Festival. Casken’s Violin Concerto was premièred at the 1995 Proms by Dmitry Sitkovetzky, who will also be performing Shadowed Pieces for violin and piano and the 2009 Verbier Festival. Shadowed Pieces was premièred by Marc Danel and David Fanning in January 2008.

Casken draws influence from an eclectic variety of sources. His use of literary sources continues from his operatic writing into his symphonic writing, as can be shown by Sortilège, a symphonic poem inspired by Tennyson’s idyll Merlin and Vivien which was premièred by the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Slatkin in 1996. In his interest in the literary arts, Casken reached back to medieval poetry, which can be found in The Dream of the Rood, the original Anglo Saxon text adapted by the composer and set in modern English. This was written for The Hilliard Ensemble and Ensemble 10/10, conducted by Clark Rundell and premièred in Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral in October 2008 as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations. His use of Cleopatra's poem from D. M. Thomas’ Ararat in Deadly Pleasures is highlighted by his setting of the work for narrator and ensemble. This work was premièred in 2009 by Counterpoise with Johanna Lonsky as narrator, at the 2009 Ulverston Festival. Other influences can be seen in Casken’s first symphony, Symphony (Broken Consort), in which a gypsy ensemble can be found within the orchestra. This symphony was first performed in the 2004 BBC Proms by the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. His most recent orchestral work is Concerto for Orchestra, first performed on 31 March 2008 by the Nationaltheater-Orchesters Mannheim. An influence that recurs in Casken’s works is the reflection of the landscape and literature of his home, in Upper Coquetdale, Northumberland. This can be found in Orion over Farne, To Fields We Do Not Know (a Northumbrian Elegy for unaccompanied chorus), and the orchestral song-cycle Still Mine, which was premièred by Sir Thomas Allen and the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the 1992 Proms, and subsequently won the 1993 Prince Pierre de Monaco prize for Musical Composition.

Casken’s music has been featured at major festivals in Europe, the US, and in Tokyo at Music Today, by invitation from Toru Takemitsu. Casken’s music is published by Schott Music.