News
Tue 14 April 2020
Happy Easter everyone! I realise a lot has changed in the world since I last updated this site... even though that was only a couple of months ago. But I am still here and still composing. Probably more than I would otherwise... Are we there yet? continues to progress. It now exists as a full piece of music in piano score, which I am busy revising and orchestrating. Most recently, I have been re-arranging one of my old favourite compositions, The Three Little Pigs, for an ensemble of toy pianos and melodicas. It's been a good reminder how fortunate I was to have three amazing clarinet players perform and record the original version back in 2010, because it's not an easy piece! Fri 21 February 2020 A short update to note that I'm going to be composing a fanfare later this year - thanks to the Sydney Symphony's amazing "50 Fanfares" Commissioning Project. What an honour to have "David John Lang" listed between "Elena Kats-Chernin" and "Liza Lim"! I'm very excited for this... Sat 1 February 2020 A couple of years ago I wrote a little violin solo inspired by the raucous, rhythmic song of the red wattlebird, Anthochaera carunculata. It was commissioned by Simone Slattery as part of a project called Where Song Began, which has had many performances, and is now also available as a CD. It's full of beautifully performed music artfully combined with the sounds of Australian birds... most of them more tuneful than the wattlebird! At the moment I'm working on a large-scale composition project titled Are we there yet? It will probably keep me going for a while yet... which seems apt... In the meantime, especially devoted fans of mine (are you there?) may recognise this as the title of a previous DJL composition, a set of three preludes for wind band. This is actually quite coincidental, as the commissioner's inspiration comes from an existing children's book of the same name. Being a composer, I shall probably not be able to help creating some clever musical link between the two works... I've recently completed a 10-minute duet for bass clarinet and bassoon, titled Two Deep. It was commissioned by Terry & Kathy Bickley, who I met while conducting the Unley Concert Band in my role as Music Director there last year. I'm really looking forward to hearing them play it... Fri 17 January 2020 Last year was a bit of a quiet year as far as composing goes. I was probably still recovering from the PhD, and I ended up with more conducting and writing work than I've ever had before. Also, I got married. :) This year is already different. I have two composition projects to work on already (a duet, and a chamber ensemble piece with songs & narrator). I'm also going to be revising my popular Three Little Pigs for melodicas and toy pianos for a concert towards the end of the year, which should be fun. The duet for bassoon and bass clarinet has been interesting to write. I've written a few duets for wind instruments before, and it's always a challenge to make it sound like it's meant to be a duet, and isn't crying out for more parts. I think I've hit upon workable way of doing it this time. It should be finished next week, I think... Fri 10 January 2020 Another New Year! This month I am working on two compositions. One is a duet for bassoon and bass clarinet, commissioned by Terry and Kathy Bickley. The other composition is a musical setting of a children's story book - more about that later! Tue 30 Jul 2019 Well, composing has taken a back seat for the last few months as I've been concentrating on several conducting gigs. At the beginning of this year I was appointed Music Director of the Unley Concert Band, and I've also continued as assistant conductor of the Adelaide Wind Orchestra (I conducted their most recent concert, Thunder & Lightning, which was reviewed here). Between these two ensembles, I've led six performances in the last two months, so that has kept me very busy! But compositions continue to live their own lives – most recently, Bowerbird Blues was performed in Canada as part of Alondra Vega-Zaldivar's Art Song Collaborative Project, 'Cries of the Earth'. Thu 20 Dec 2018 I am very relieved to have submitted my PhD last week. At last! In celebration, I shaved off my beard, which I hadn't touched since May. I have a number of new projects on the go at the moment, and in the New Year I shall announce what they are. Watch this space... Fri 6 Jul 2018 While trying to finish the exegesis for my PhD, I've had a number of welcome interruptions, including two commissions from the Adelaide Youth Orchestra. I've completed an arrangement of Old MacDonald Had a Farm (with lots of orchestral farm animal noises!) for Adelaide Youth Sinfonia to play at the Babies Proms concert in August, and I'm currently working on a fanfare for the Adelaide Youth Wind Orchestra and November's Gala Concert. Since my last update (a long time ago - sorry!), I've had the opportunity to record two more of my wind orchestra compositions, Yukon Sunrise and Over the Hills and Far Away. Finally, I'm conducting a concert next weekend with the Adelaide Wind Orchestra, "Castles and Cathedrals." It's British-themed program which I've chosen (Holst, Hesketh, Maconchy...), although it ends with an Australian work that I very much admire: David Stanhope's Concerto for Band. Mon 19 Feb 2018 Just over a week ago, I presented a number of new (and not-so-new) compositions for my second PhD Recital at Adelaide University. Thank you to everyone who came along to hear it! The finale was the Catcher Variations piano solo, by far the biggest work I've ever written (or played!). Recordings from this event are currently being edited, and I hope to make them available soon. In the meantime, enjoy the photos! I've recently had music featured in the Making Waves monthly playlist again – Summer Thunderstorm for string orchestra is the final work in a beautifully summery collection of "Landscape Waves". Voyces, a choir in Perth, are performing my settings of failed text messages in May, and there are also a few compositions being played by the Adelaide Wind Orchestra later this year. We are now entering Adelaide's "Mad March" festival eason, and I have an exegesis to write, so don't expect too many new compositions in the near future... but I'm sure I'll be longing to open up my manuscript sketch books again before too long! There is much more music waiting to be written! Mon 1 Jan 2018 Happy New Year! The big news is that the Big Piano Piece is complete. I started writing it in New York in 2012, so it's taken a while! Catcher Variations consist of 90 variations and goes for about 35 minutes. It is also one of the best things I've written so far. There is a story behind the music, which an astute listener (and avid reader) may pick up. But I'm also hoping that it will stand on its own as a cool piece of music. I shall be recording it in February, so if you can't make it to my recital, you should be able to hear it shortly after. Simone Slattery commissioned me to write some bird-inspired pieces for solo violin last year. She premiered Anthochaera carunculata in November in Melbourne, and this piece and two others will be performed in Adelaide sometime in 2018 (I'm not sure when yet). I'll be conducting and composing for the Adelaide Wind Orchestra again this year, which I am really looking forward to. Thu 28 Sep 2017 I'm very excited to announce that I've nearly finished my Big Piano Piece (the one I've been working on for most of this year). It's about 35 minutes long, and it also nearly has a title, but I'm not yet certain enough to share it. I've played it to a few friends so far, and I shall endeavour to organise a public performance and recording soon... Meanwhile, I have a few smaller compositions to work on... including one inspired by Australian birds! There's a deadline for that, so you can expect to hear more about it by November... The Making Conversation Podcast has continued releasing their weekly episodes, which I've really enjoyed listening to. I've contributed three interviews so far: with Anne Cawrse, Dan Thorpe and Jakub Jankowski. My interview with Rachel Bruerville should appear soon as well. CutCommon also did a short interview with me about my involvement on this project, which you can read here. My friend Steph has started a YouTube channel of Nerdy Music Things, and in addition to seeing a musical scale explained with fridge magnets, you can also watch an interview she did with me – composing definitely counts as a "nerdy music thing" to talk about! And I've been doing quite a bit of conducting this year for the Adelaide Wind Orchestra. Our last concert was West Side Story, and I had the privilege of conducting the preliminary rehearsals before Matt Klohs and Peter Handsworth flew in from interstate to take the final rehearsals and the concert – so I got to hear AWO from the audience! Thu 29 Jun 2017 I'm still composing those pieces I mentioned last time... but I'm also conducting the Adelaide Wind Orchestra soon! Our concert "Aurora Awakes" is happening on the 15 July, and I'm very excited to be conducting three pieces in it. Melanie Walters is playing the Liebermann Flute Concerto, and I've also programmed two works from composers I met in Alaska last year: Ostara's Equinox by Cassie To and Glide Path by Sam Young. Thu 13 Apr 2017 I'm a big fan of the Making Waves monthly playlist of Australian music, and I'm very excited to have been involved their recent "Making Conversation" project. I interviewed four composers from South Australia, and you can expect to see these podcasts appearing over the coming months – along with many more from around Australia and the world. In composing news, I have several big works in progress at the moment, including a big solo piano work (theme and variations) and a piece for orchestra. But I can't say much more about them - I'm not even sure what they're called yet! Fri 14 Oct 2016 A lot has happened in the last three months. I had a wonderful time in Alaska, and Peter Alexander has written an article that captures the experience well. Since returning home, I've had several exciting performances: the Adelaide Chamber Singers gave a thoroughly entertaining premiere of Sorry I missed you (Text message fails), the Elder Conservatorium Wind Orchestra performed Yukon Sunrise, and I played the melodica in Surprised by Joy with the Adelaide Wind Orchestra. I also had a number of other compositions recorded at an unofficial "recital" for my PhD. I will be making the recordings from all these things available shortly... Mon 04 Jul 2016 Later this month, I'll be Composing in the Wilderness in Alaksa! I'm really looking forward to seeing the wilderness around Denali, meeting a group of other outdoorsy composers, and writing a new piece of music inspired by... well, who knows? Just before I go, there's another Adelaide Wind Orchestra concert coming up on Saturday 9 July, this time conducted by Bryan Griffiths. They'll be giving the premiere of Going on a Lion Hunt – the most stubbornly determined 10-minutes of music I've ever composed! Thu 19 May 2016 This Saturday I'm conducting the Adelaide Wind Orchestra in a full concert entitled "Fables". Although I wasn't meant to be doing this (originally), it's turned out to be something I'm very excited about. "Storytelling through music" is one of my main interests as a composer, and this concert is full of stories: Paul Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Julie Giroux's Symphony of Fables, and two works by young American composer Jess Langston Turner: Rumpelstilzchen and You'll Come Matilda (variations on Australia's national song that colourfully depict the story of the original ballad). Details and tickets available here. Tue 26 Apr 2016 A few weeks ago, Sinfonietta received its second performance, thanks to the trumpet players of the Adelaide Wind Orchestra. The concert was in a church, but we took the opportunity while rehearsing at Adelaide University to record the piece in the acoustic for which it was originally written: the 12-storey fire stairs of the Schulz building! Mon 21 Mar 2016 I'm very excited that The Three Little Pigs (played by Eclectica Trio) is featured in this month's Making Waves playlist. I'm a big fan of Making Waves, and love listening to their monthly playlists of new Australian music. Thu 7 Jan 2016 Over the hills and far away had a successful premiere last December. I'm going to revise it a bit before I make it officially available... Another exciting thing that happened in December was a recording session of my two fugues for saxophone quartet: Harry's Fugue and Rosefield Fugue. Special thanks to Sarah, Sean, Rhiannon and Kate! Fri 23 Oct 2015 I'm hard at work finishing off Over the hills and far away, which the Adelaide Wind Orchestra will be performing in December. Rehearsals are fast approaching! Tue 1 Sep 2015 My composition for wind orchestra, On Further Reflection, is the Junior A Grade test piece for the 2016 Yamaha National Band Championship (Australia). The music is available to purchase on my website - have a look at it here. |
Past Performances
2020
Sat 28 Nov, 7pm (Adelaide time) Friends Pictured Within David John Lang & Elsabeth Lang - pianos An exhibition of musical portraiture! Including a piano duo arrangement of Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations, and several original compositions by David John Lang. Online concert - YouTube livestream. Book tickets to get the link. Tue 20 – Fri 23 Oct, various times Adelaide Symphony Orchestra: "Are we there yet?" A new work for the ASO's learning program, based on the children's picture book by Alison Lester. David John Lang - Are we there yet? Performances at participating primary schools around Adelaide Sun 3 May, 8:00pm AEST VOLUME 11 Sarah Curro, violin program includes: David John Lang - Letter to Balhannah Melbourne Digital Concert Hall, VIC, Australia 2019 Fri 13 Sep, 7:30pm Goin' Solo Unley Concert Band program includes: David John Lang - On Further Reflection Scotch College Chapel, Torrens Park SA, Australia Sun 28 Jul, 2:00pm Cries of the Earth Alondra Vega-Zaldivar's Art Song Collaborative Project program includes: David John Lang - Bowerbird Blues for voice and piano Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church, 10066 Yonge St, Richmond Hill ON, Canada Sat 27 Jul, 10:00m 2019 South Australian State Band Championships C Grade Concert Band test piece: David John Lang - On Further Reflection Vogue Cinema, Belair Road, Kingswood SA, Australia Fri 26 Jul, 7:00pm Sat 27 Jul, 2:00pm Cries of the Earth Alondra Vega-Zaldivar's Art Song Collaborative Project program includes: David John Lang - Bowerbird Blues [world premiere] for voice and piano Array Music Space, 155 Walnut St, Toronto ON, Canada 2018 Mon 3 Dec, 8:00pm The Firm Concert 4: Michael Ierace (piano) program includes: David John Lang - two pieces from The Wedding Album [world premiere] for solo piano Elder Hall, North Terrace, Adelaide SA, Australia Sun 18 Nov, 3:00pm Adelaide Youth Orchestra Gala Concert: "Fanfare" program includes: David John Lang - Fanfare for a Warrior [world premiere] for the Adelaide Youth Wind Orchestra Adelaide Town Hall, King William Street, Adelaide SA, Australia Sat 25 Aug, 1pm & 3pm Adelaide Youth Orchestras: Junior Proms Adelaide Youth Sinfonia Minas Berberyan (conductor) Naomi Crellin (singer/presenter) program includes: Old MacDonald Had a Farm (arr. David John Lang) [world premiere] Banquet Room, Adelaide Festival Centre Sun 27 May, 2:30pm Adelaide Wind Orchestra: "Timelines" program includes: David John Lang - Teklanika Twilight Concordia College Suaviter, Winchester Street, Highgate SA, Australia Sat 19 May, 2:30pm Voyces: "Sorry I missed you" program includes: David John Lang - Sorry I missed you (text message fails) Trinity Uniting Church, 72 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA, Australia Tickets / Info 2017 Fri 10 Nov Where Song Began Simone Slattery (violin) program includes: David John Lang – Anthochaera carunculata [world premiere] Taylor Cullity Lethlean - Melbourne Studio Sun 30 Jul, 2:30pm Christ Church Choir in Concert directed by Andrew Georg program includes: David John Lang – My soul, wait Christ Church North Adelaide 35 Palmer Place, North Adelaide, SA, Australia Sat 10 Jun, 6pm Opus Novum (blurred edges festival) Piano: Hugo Selles program includes: David John Lang - Walking around Adelaide early in the morning listening to magpies Koppel 66, Hamburg, Germany Sun 12 Feb, 3pm Opus Novum Piano: Hugo Selles program includes: David John Lang - Walking around Adelaide early in the morning listening to magpies [world premiere] UKARIA Cultural Centre, Williams Road, Mount Barker Summit SA, Australia 2016 Fri 7 Oct, 1:10pm Elder Conservatorium Wind Orchestra Conductor: Luke Dollman program includes: David John Lang - Yukon Sunrise [world premiere] Elder Hall, North Terrace, Adelaide SA, Australia Sat 1 Oct, 8pm Adelaide Wind Orchestra: "Spiritus" Conductor: Dave Polain program includes: David John Lang - Surprised by Joy Elder Hall, North Terrace, Adelaide SA, Australia Sun 25 Sep, 3pm Adelaide Chamber Singers: "Songs of Longing" Conductor: Christie Anderson program includes: David John Lang - Sorry I missed you (Text message fails) The Village Well, Aldgate SA, Australia Sat 24 Sep, 6:30pm Adelaide Chamber Singers: "Songs of Longing" Conductor: Christie Anderson program includes: David John Lang - Sorry I missed you (Text message fails) [world premiere] Pilgrim Church, Flinders Street, Adelaide SA, Australia Tue 26 Jul, 7:30pm Sounds of Nature: Alaskan Premieres a Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival event Corvus Ensemble program includes: David John Lang - Teklanika Twilight Davis Concert Hall, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA Mon 25 Jul, 7:30pm Composing in the Wilderness Corvus Ensemble program includes: David John Lang - Teklanika Twilight [world premiere] Visitor Centre, Denali National Park, Alaska, USA Sat 9 Jul, 8pm Adelaide Wind Orchestra: "Australian Stories" Conductor: Bryan Griffiths program includes: David John Lang - Going on a Lion Hunt [world premiere] Concordia College Chapel, Cheltenham Street, Highgate SA, Australia Sat 9 Jul, 8pm Adelaide Wind Orchestra: "Australian Stories" Conductor: Bryan Griffiths program includes: David John Lang - Going on a Lion Hunt [world premiere] Concordia College Chapel, Cheltenham Street, Highgate SA, Australia Sun 19 Jun Toy Piano Mania featuring works for 6 toy pianos and piano program includes: David John Lang - Imaginary Waltz [world premiere] for toy piano & real piano, performed by India Hooi Kunstforum der GEDOK, Hamburg, Germany Sat 28 May, 1pm Melbourne Conservatorium of Music: Wind Symphony Day: MCM Concert Band, conducted by Dr Kevin Cameron program includes: David John Lang - On Further Reflection Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank VIC, Australia Sat 9 Apr, 2pm Adelaide Wind Orchestra: Gran Partita program includes Mozart's Gran Partita and: David John Lang - Sinfonietta for 5 trumpets Flinders Street Baptist Church, Flinders Street, Adelaide SA, Australia Sat 26 Mar, 11:45am Yamaha National Band Championships Junior A Grade Concert Band program includes as the test piece: David John Lang - On Further Reflection Chapel, Trinity College Gawler, Evanston South SA, Australia 2015 Sat 12 Dec, 8pm Adelaide Wind Orchestra: Pines of Rome Johan de Meij - Symphony No. 1: Lord of the Rings David John Lang - Over the hills and far away Ottorino Respighi - Pines of Rome Concordia College Chapel, Cheltenham Street, Highgate, SA, Australia |