AP Music Theatre Works

8/9/2019 AP Music Theatre Works

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A n d r e w P o p p yA selection of chamber opera/music theatre productions

IMPROVEMENTS ON NATURE: a double act

AVALANCHE THOUGHTS

OPHELIA/OPHELIA

BABY DOLL

THE URANIUM MINERS RADIO ORCHESTRA

PLAY SCENES FROM SALOME'S REVENGE

THE SONGS OF THE CLAYPEOPLE


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MUSIC THEATRE 1983-2009

As an extension of his concert music Andrew Poppy makes an experimental music

theatre somewhere between performance art and opera.

Since 1989 he has developed a collaborative partnership with visual and theatreartist Julia Bardsley


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Improvements on Nature (09)

This is a meditation on the double act. Bardsley and Poppy are semi-

scientists who take the image of the heroic, benignly beautiful horseand in a derelict laboratory grow a new version of the animal both savage

and cannibal. The two performers are sandwiched between two sample

slides and through a series of acts, images, sounds, music and texts they

struggle with the mutations of a genetic code.

Commissioned by Sacred 2009 Produced by Bardsley Poppy Projects

Avalanche Thoughts (02)

A hybrid and heterogeneous work which sews together the experience ofthe gallery, the theatre and the concert hall; balancing video projection,

live and recorded music, photographic and sculptural books, text as

object and sound.

Commissioned by GAle GAtes New York & New Moves Glasgow 2002

Ophelia/Ophelia (94)

A fragment of Hamlet. Or a version of Hamlet where all the charactersaccept Ophelia are ghosts. Ophelia as a double with an absent twin.

A character expressed in fragments in the original text..

Baby Doll (93)

When business is bad; burn the competition Two males muster their stuff

and using all available techniques fight to the death and a prize. The

Charms of innocence: Baby Doll. Set up as a beguiling tale of revenge,Tennessee Williams screen play, wades into the minefield of sexual

property and power, ruthless competition and bigotry

For his opera Andrew Poppy distils the structure, drama and poetry from adetailed shooting script into a music theatre work for four characters. Music

articulates the drama of a kitchen sink terrorism presented in hyper-realstyle.

Commissioned by National Theatre Studio and Leicester Haymarket

The Uranium Miners Radio Orchestra Plays Scenes from Salome'sRevenge (89)

The Salome Myth restaged and retold by a music theatre company of

uranium miners. John the Baptist is an anarchic radio presenter obsessed

with the (for-) telling of disaster. Broadcast from a mining disaster.

Commissioned as part of the Royal Opera House's Garden Venture

The Songs of the Clay People (83-87)

a work about fragments, and found objects and the creative process,..

Commissioned by ICA theatre London and Impact Theatre


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IMPROVEMENTS ON NATURE:

a double act

a performance by Julia Bardsley & Andrew Poppy

concept Andrew Poppy and Julia Bardsley

costume, objects, video, settings Julia Bardsley

text, music, electronics, toy piano, voice Andrew Poppy

IMPROVEMENTS ON NATURE is a report on what happens whenMary takes Charles to her bed for true science and publishes the detailsof their union as a series of boxed amputations. For true science. Or

what she thinks is the truth of science. And because it is for science

that makes it all right; because science is real and everything,

everything else is just the imagination. Its the scientific enquiry ofCharles Darwin incubated by the traumatised imagination of Mary

Shelly.

Commissioned by Sacred 2009 Produced by Bardsley Poppy Projects


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AVALANCHE THOUGHTS

AVALANCHE THOUGHTS is a hybrid and heterogeneous work which

sews together the experience of the gallery, the theatre and the concert hall;

balancing video projection, live and recorded music, photographic andsculptural books, text as object and sound.

AVALANCHE THOUGHTS are moments that teeter on the edge of

disaster. Wilful and erotic thoughts that tease and tempt us into the abyss.Chaotic, statistical and overwhelming textures obliterate objects of security,

moments of clarity and identity. They may be situations of fate or beds ofour own making. Whatever, we lick the rim of a particular pleasure: the

cusp between rational knowledge and the instinctive destructive impulsethat put things into the danger zone and beyond control

Concept by Andrew Poppy and Julia Bardsley

Video images, objects and settings by Julia Bardsley

Music, texts and electronics by Andrew PoppyPiano in New York and Glasgow Tania Chen

Commissioned by GAle GAtes New York & New Moves Glasgow 2002


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THE SONGS OF THE CLAYPEOPLE

First performed at Leeds University Theatre Studio 1st May 1984.

Directed by Pete Brookes.

Concept, music and texts by Andrew Poppy.

Performers: Heather Ackroyd, Niki Johnson

Steve Shill Richard Hawley

Fairlight Mk music computer, keyboards and piano AP

Voice Elise Lorraine

Production made in collaboration with Impact Theatre Co.

PART 1 THE AMUSEMENT

PART 2 GOODBYE MR G

PART 3 THE SEQUENCE

PART 4 45 IS

PART 6 MORE AMUSEMENT

PART 7 THE PASSAGE

PART 8 THE OUTRAGE OF THE FISHERMAN IS WIDELY SHARED

Some sections were later recorded in new versions for the CD Alphabed.

Musicians for these were as follows.Voices: Annette Peacock, Sheila Smith, Joie Favier, Dee Lewis,

Udo Scheuerpflug, Ashley Slater.

Saxophone: Jo Pretzel.

Trombone: Ashley Slater.

Percussion: Maritz Oswald, Leroy Williams.

Piano, synths and programming: Andrew Poppy


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THE URANIUM MINERS RADIO ORCHESTRA

PLAY SCENES FROM SALOME'S REVENGE

First performed at The Donmar Warehouse London May 17th 1989.

Concept, music and text : Andrew Poppy

Conductor : David Syrus

Designer : Simon Vincenzi

Director : Julia Bardsley

A radio presenter and reincarnation of the prophet John the Baptist presents his radio

show. A disaster-athone. Real distaster as voyeuristic pleasure. He invited sponcers to

save Joe the Miner. Mr Baptists world is The Salome myth in a contemporary variation in

which Herods court is the The minister of Education's incestuious and ruined family. A

fictional strand also encloses the orchestra .

Presenter/Mr Baptist: Andrew Bailey

Herod/Minister of Education/Joe the miner : Peter Sidhom

Herodius/Wife of Minister : Susannah Self

Salome/Joelle, daughter of Minister : Tamsin Dives

Oboe : Joseph Saunders

Saxophone : Edward Pillinger

Trumpet : Julian Poore

Trombone : Siggi ThorberggsonViolin : Elisabeth Wexler

Bass : Sarah Haynes

Harp : Isobel Frayling-Cork

Percussion 1 : Simon Limbrick

Percussion 2 : Martin Allen

Piano : Mark Daver


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BABY DOLL

First performed at the R.N.T. Cottesloe Theatre 5th May 1993.

from a screen play by TENNESSEE WILLIAMS

Libretto in 9 Scenes adapted by ANDREW POPPY

Director : Julia Bardsley

Designer : Simon Vincenzi

Conductor : Bernard Lafontaine

When Business is bad, burn the competition.Two males muster their stuff and using all

available techniques fight to the death for survival and a prize: the charms of the innocent

Baby Doll. Meanwhile this young woman has her own agenda and ways of getting whatshe wants. Set up as a beguiling tale of revenge, T ennessee Williams screen play, treads

the minefield of sexual property and power, ruthless competition and bigotry.

Baby Doll : Fiona O'Neill or Margaret Cameron

Archie Lee : Simon Masterton-Smith

Silva : John Upperton

Aunt Rose : Diana Payne-Myers

Banjo/electric guitar : Ben grove

Violin : Anna Hemery

Clarinet/bass clarinet : Sarah Homer

Trombone : Bob Price

Piano : Dominic Saunders


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OPHELIA/OPHELIA

an opera for one voice against itself

and for an unspecified number of mute performers

based on the text of a character of Shakespeare's

Mezzo soprano:: Margaret Cameron

Bass clarinet/clarinet: Roger Heaton

Keyboards and processing: Andrew Poppy

The score ofOphelia/Ophelia was selected by the international jury of

the ISCM for performances in Copenhagen 1996

Theatrical Options

1. Ophelia/Ophelia is Hamlet played as Ophelia's memory at the

moment of her death. Or as a premonition of her end. The weight of thepresent or past tense shifting from moment to moment and this shiftexpressed visually. The whole story told in shadowy dream images or a

bald 'real- time' reality. All characters from the original play representedby non- speaking physical performers and/or dancers.

2. Ophelia/Ophelia is a moment of cultural memory, drowning in an

abundance of almost unreadable images. A moment where everything is

suggestion. Ophelia is the only performer in a designed environment over

laid with projected images. An endless metaphoric and metonymic

refraction attempting to make a meaning of Ophelia.

3. Ophelia as virtue and vice; the singer alternating with a choreographic

double. The audience's desire revealed through the presentation of twopaths: 'the steep and thorny way to heaven' and 'the primrose path of

dalliance'.

Combine and adapt options as necessary.


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B i o g r a p h y

ANDREW POPPY (1954) is a composer and musician. His early musical lifeincluded playing bass guitar in an improvising rock band, playing Bartok and

Debussy on the piano and making music concrete with his fathers taperecorder. He went to study music at Kingsways College and Goldsmiths

College, London University, graduating in 1979 BMus.

During the 1970s he developed a strong interest in contemporary American

composers Cage, Feldman, Riley, Glass and Reich. He attended a summerschool with John Cage and Merc Cunningham and played in an ensemble

with Christian Wolff.

In the early 1980s he was an accompanist at the Laban Centre for Dance

and pianist and composer with The Lost Jockey, a large ensemble playingpulse based music that became known as Minimalism.

Particularly interested in the creative part recording plays in the music of

today Poppy moves between conventionally notated scores and studio workinfluenced by pop production. He was signed as a contemporary composer

and recording artist to Trevor Horn and Paul Morleys Zang Tumb TuumRecords in 1984. His first CD The Beating of Wings includes performances of32 Frames for Orchestra and Cadenza for piano and electric piano and was

released in 1985. This wasfollowed in 1987 byAlphabedwhich featured theFirelight music computer, the first Akai samplers and vocal performances

from Annette Peacock.

After ZTT Poppy continued to record for independent labels: Recordings,

includes 14 Poems and Toccatas for violin and piano performed by ElisabethPerry and Andrew Ball and premiered by them at the Huddersfield Festival.

Ophelia/Ophelia, a chamber opera was selected by ISCM for the world musicdays in Denmark. Rude Bloom contains two contemporary dance scores (for

Siobhan Davies/ Linda Gaudreau). Time at Rest Devouring its Secretanelectro acoustic installation premiered at NRLA and Tramway. Recently ZTT

Records have released a 3 CD box set containing all Poppys recordings for

the label during the 80s and including an unreleased album Under The Son

An experimental music theatre, often based on the composers own textshas been part of his creative initiative. Songs of the Clay People was a

collaboration with Impact Theatre in 1983. There are also three chamberoperas The Uranium Miners (ROH Garden Venture) Baby Doll

(NTS/Cottesloe) Ophelia Ophelia (ISCM). An oratorio Something In The Air(Levitation And Fall) was commissioned by the Estonian National Male Choir

conducted by Kaspars Putnins premiered in Tallinn in January 2006.

Since 1989 he has developed a collaborative partnership with visual andtheatre artist Julia BardsleyProjects include Avalanche Thoughts a

multimedia work premiered in New York .in 2002 and more recently

Improvements on Naturewas commissioned by the Sacred Festival atChelsea Theatre London.

Concert works include Horn Horn, a double saxophone concerto for John

Harle and Simon Haram commissioned by The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Orchestra, Last Lightrecorded by The Smith Quartet, Revolution No 8:Airport for Joseph Beuys for orchestra and electronic delays. More Matter

Less premiered by Noszferatu at the Cheltenham Festival 2003

His unusual body of work constantly explores different musical contextsThere are scores for theatre, film & video, contemporary dance and art

installation; writing collaborations and arrangement for industrial rock andsynth pop artist including Psych TV, Erasure, Claudia Brucken and BernardoDevlin

Recent concert commissions include for Darwins Sin Drawa violin concerto

for Darragh Morgan and The Crash Ensemble, Hatch for The Smith StringQuartet, Playing the Pulse for CoMA ensemble, Periscope for prepared piano

for pianist Mary Dullea, Hoarding Flap for harpsichordist Jane Chapman and

Definitely Disco commissioned by The London International String QuartetFestival as a competition test piece. BBC Concert Orchestra recently played

32 Frames for orchestra at the QEH in London.

Poppy also performs: solo, with electronics and with his own ensemble ofvarious combinations. Its most recent form, The Sustaining Ensemble has

just completed UK tour dates with music from the CD and the Shuffle of

Things

Full works list available on request


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DiscographyAll recordings produced by Andrew Poppy. All ensembles directed by AP

THE BEATING OF WINGS(7/85) ZTT Records CD 4509-94751-2Distribution Warner UK32 Frames for Orchestra,

The Object is a Hungry Wolf for large ensembleCadenzaListening In

32 FRAMES FOR ORCHESTRA

12 INCH ZTT32 Frames for Orchestra, The Impossible Net

THE AMUSEMENT

7&12 INCH ZTTThe Amusement ,/ Listening In

ALPHABED

(8/87) ZTT Records CD 4509-94752-2 Dist. Warner UK45 is, Goodbye Mr G, The Amusement

RECORDINGS(9/92) Bitter+Twisted Records CD SPIN992 Dist.ImpetusPoems and Toccatas piano Andrew Balll violin ElisabethPerry Ember: String Quartet performed by BalanescuQuartet\ Movie Momento performed by Andrew Poppy

OPHELIA/OPHELIA

(95) Impetus Records CD19426mezzo Margaret Cameron, b.cl Roger Heaton KeybdsAP


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RUDE BLOOM

(95) Art Gallery Records CD07.Dist. Wotre MusicFranceEight Movements for Piano TrioMelody Versus the Brittle Funk

TIME AT REST DEVOURING ITS SECRET

(00) Source Research Recordings Dist. World Serpent

BLOOD SUGAR

(Bitter + Twisted Records, 2003)Last Light for string orchestra, Snowdronia for

chamber ensemble, Revolution Number Eight: airportfor joseph beuys orchestra and electronics, TARDIS

electronics

RUNNING NAKED

THROUGH THE GARMENT DISTRICT

(Bitter + Twisted Records, 2003)Drum machining/Double Stitch/Lining for a Desirable

Suit

ANOTHER LANGUAGE (05)

There Music Dist. Mute Records1)Lipstick Vogue 2) White Noise Maker 3) Drive in Saturday4) Broken English 5) Nice Dream 6) Running Up That Hill 7)Amsterdam 1897 8) Breakfast 9) Die Nebensonnen 10)Libertango 11) You Do 12) Wooden Heartvoice Claudia Brucken piano/guitar Andrew Poppyarrangements by AP

ANDREW POPPY ON ZANG TUUM TUMB

(05) ZTT Records

Disc one: THE BEATING OF WINGSThe Object is a Hungry Wolf /32 Frames for AmplifiedOrchestra /Listening InCadenza for Piano and Electric Piano /Inside theWolf/The Impossible Net

Listening In (re-modelled)

Disc two: ALPHABED (A MYSTERY DANCE)The Amusement/45 Is/Goodbye Mr G/The Amusement (12 inch) /King Kong

Presto/East Fragment/King Kong Adagio

Disc three: UNDER THE SONThe Sequence/The Passage (Parts 1, 2, 3)/Sometimes It Rains

AND THE SHUFFLE OF THINGS

(08) Field Radio Records Dist. Rough Trade/MuteBank

Something Secret/Wet Fold/My Stress MistressBalcony Scene/ Wave Machine part 2 and 3The Head of Orpheus Football/ What Else: What

then Now My Fathers Submarines/Almost theSame Shame,

Perfprmed by Andrew Poppy Sustaining

Ensemble Latvian Radio Choir Kaspars Putnis


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text and this document high bridge projects and andrew poppy

all photographs the photographersHenrik Knudsen

Anton Corbyn

Julia Bardsley

Manuel Vason

Richard SmithA.J. Barret

Ana Borralho

SOUNDS and IMAGES on the web

[email protected]

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