MARYANNE PIPER - MUSICIAN, COMPOSER, ARTIST

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CLARINET IN BLUE

"In a season of calm weather, Though inland far we be, Our souls have sight of that immortal sea..." William Wordsworth.

From a life-long love of water indebted to her homeland of Down Under, to the first blue notes of Jazz; intricate colouring plays centre stage in this tribute to everything Blue.

Piper strings together short stories depicting the involutions of perspective in life & love, imbued with colour...

A kaleidoscope of colour, 'clarinet in blue' sews together polished canvases of the instrument's shining sound world...

A musician refined in the nuance of light and shade, Piper brings her honed orchestral experience of younger days into the world of ensemble writing, providing a larger than life palette of colour.

'Clarinet in Blue's' sound is a connection to the realm of Neptunian imagination, at times ambiguous and blurred by the underworld of Orpheus, other times ringing truly bright in homage to the purity, beauty and might of our most powerful natural element.

Exploiting unusual instrumentation choices, their extended musical capacities and tonal nuances, Piper pieces together anecdotes and tributes to the ever-changing shades of perspective in nature and life.

A new online home means new sounds. Check back shortly for more official release material. 'Clarinet in Blue' is however ready for market and available in varying ensemble sizes dependending on the venue and event.

the ocean is everything we wish to be...beautiful, mysterious, inspired, wild and free.

HOMEBOUND

"ITER: a beautiful journey."

Embodying Jazz, classical and world influences, Iter is an exploration of texture, nuance and translucent melody mixed with a full-bodied sound world...

Homebound, from the piers of Inverness and Hamburg to the sunburnt land of Terra Australis, Piper musically pieces together her own personal exploration of a disparate family, constructing a present day diaspora of lovers, mothers and daughters, journeys taken and the eternal search for one's own unique place during this lifetime...

'Iter is a melange of past and present lives...'

ITER: A BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY

ITER threads memories of places past and present in a musical bid to weld disparate worlds together, creating an aural home for today. a larger than life, emotive sound bleats through definite, almost understated virtuosity, with no airs and graces.

ITER serves as a collection of anecdotes musically tracing Piper's family history, piecing together lost identities, routes taken, as well as stories of migration, hope, loss, fulfillment since 1855 when her European ancestors stepped on board in Hamburg, Inverness and Dover to embark on journeys in search of renewed life. Isn't it funny how history repeats itself?

MIGRATION THEORY

Ensemble Concept

Migration and its theory deals primarily with the evolutionary relationships of humans to their environment.

Migration often means keeping the connection to one's place of origin while living in another place, it entails human modes of dealing with change, push-and-pull factors of our human existence, a multi-layered process of connections and linkages. It offers a human geography perspective of our footprints taken so far on this globe.

Having lived in a foreign country, or several, it is impossible not to be somehow affected by the concept of 'otherness', how society in general reacts to this and furthermore, how it incorporates or rejects these members of 'otherness' in a particular environment - albeit part of its own human species.

The concept for this project arrived in my mind well before the events of 2015 in Europe. However, being based in the area during the unfolding of what has been the largest displacement of humankind since the end of World War Two, seemed to intensify thinking.

Fitting to the concept, Migration Theory as an ensemble is a consistently flowing organ, ebbing & flowing with the influences of musical voices met along the way. The ensemble makes space to incorporate changing forms, to build and experience communal 'stratum memoria' or layers of memory - a collective of personal stories, their traces left during journeys so far taken, as well as farewells bid.

Migration and its theory sheds insights on the resilience, risk, vulnerability and innate desire of humans mirrored in their everyday social practices. It examines the mobility of human networks, the interactions between migrants and those left behind, the durability and lifeblood of community.

migration theory: an expression of human beings in their changing environments, voices lost, languages found, and above all the natural capacity and option a human being has to empathise with and love their fellow man.

HOMAGE TO BENNY GOODMAN

Vive le King of Swing!

Goodman was one of the first soloists to explore the range of the clarinet in modern concert settings, swing music and big band formations, bringing himself and the instrument to the mainstream fore. The kid in shorts and socks from a Chicago Russian-Jewish family with 12 siblings, was a well-disciplined task-master who ran a tight ship, however bringing results audiences loved. He also led one of the first integrated Swing bands in an era of segregation. Modern classical composers, as well as several prolific Jazz musicians of the day, dedicated many compositions to 'the King of Swing.'

Homage to Benny Goodman presents several composed pieces as possibilities to form the core of this programme, complimented with smaller arrangements of shorter Goodman tunes for various ensemble combinations, completed by Piper. Composed pieces programmers may choose from as core material include the timeless Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra by Aaron Copland.

Copland's revered orchestral piece now also exists in an intimate and versatile chamber arrangement. In addition, Bernstein's 'Prelude, Fugue & Riffs' for Clarinet and Big Band provides ample satisfaction for audiences. Even though originally dedicated to Woody Herman, the piece was indeed premiered by the 'King of Swing' in 1955.

Goodman is responsible for commissioning many major Twentieth Century works for the clarinet. Bartok's 'Contrasts' is a well-loved addition, as is Morton Gould's tribute entitled 'Derivations for Clarinet and Band.' While Stravinsky's 'Ebony Concerto' was also originally intended for Woody Herman, the composer went on to record it years later with Goodman as his chosen soloist.

The programme concept is flexible enough to be changed to suite differing programme lengths and needs. Main 'concert works' can be added or taken away in combination with shorter arrangements, either for larger ensemble or a smaller band. Please contact us about your programme's specific needs in order to finalise selection.