The Verlaine Songs set six poems by the 19th-century French poet Paul Verlaine, chosen for their broad range of expression and dramatic contrast.
Composition History
John Pickard's Symphony No. 2 was inspired by John Hersey's book Hiroshima, specifically the image of nature's resurgence at the atomic blast's epicenter.
Composition History
John Pickard composed his Symphony No. 6 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2021, amidst lockdowns and widespread illness, feeling a need to write a new symphony despite no immediate performance prospects.
Composer's Artistic Vision
John Pickard's symphonies, while not forming a 'cycle,' sum up his musical preoccupations at various points in his career, sharing similar technical and extra-musical concerns.
Composer Biography
John Pickard, born in 1963, is a British composer who studied with William Mathias and Louis Andriessen and is currently a professor of composition at the University of Bristol.
Recording & Production
This recording marks the first performance of John Pickard's Symphony No. 6, which is dedicated to Robert von Bahr, the founder of BIS Records, for his long-standing support.
Compositional Technique
In his Symphony No. 2, John Pickard experienced a 'musical crisis' where his initial vertical/chordal approach gave way to a horizontal/linear one, which became a main concern in his later music.
