Patrick Ozzard-Low: In Opposition Andrew Zolinsky & Elisabeth Smalt

• Patrick Ozzard-Low (b. 1958): Piano Sonata No. 2:
• 1 Piano Sonata No. 2: I. — 09:01
• 2 Piano Sonata No. 2: II. — 05:02
• 3 Piano Sonata No. 2: III. — 00:46
• 4 Piano Sonata No. 2: IV. — 06:54
• 5 Piano Sonata No. 2: V. — 11:13
• Viola Sonata "In Opposition":
• 6 Viola Sonata "In Opposition": I. Alpha 09:26
• 7 Viola Sonata "In Opposition": II. Beta 04:23
• 8 Viola Sonata "In Opposition": III. Gamma 03:02
• 9 Viola Sonata "In Opposition": IV. Delta 06:20
• 10 Viola Sonata "In Opposition": V. Epsilon 04:06
• 11 Viola Sonata "In Opposition": VI. Zeta 06:42
• Total Runtime 01:06:55

Info for Patrick Ozzard-Low: In Opposition

Behind the mask: the music of Patrick Ozzard-Low: The first thing to note about the music of Patrick Ozzard-Low is that if we let it, it will take us to some unusual imaginative regions. Initially we seem to find ourselves in the world of high modernism, but as we beome accustomed to the air this impression quickly dissolves. In both of the two substantial sonatas on this disk, the clearest sign of this occurs in the relationships between the movements. The first movement of each sonata presents a late echo of modernism, the next is something else: what? A reaction, a balance, a retreat, a criticism, of what came before? Something is being said here, but what is it? For me, the initial surface impression is not an illusion, but a mask for other, deeper, more humane concerns. Masks, although static and unchanging, are definite presences. More importantly they enable sensitivities too raw to be exposed directly (nakedly), to be expressed. In this case the mask hints at areas of delicate and fragile feeling, intense and passionate belief, a fervent sensuality and certainly a personal romanticism, but all of these have to be approached tangentially as they struggle with the equally compelling but opposing desire for order, rationality, structure and moral responsibility.

The piano has been Ozzard-Low’s predominant medium of choice and he has a sophisticated understanding of pianistic touch and technique that is rare amongst composers today. At the same time he has been at the forefront of research into the development of 21st century orchestral instruments, indeed has written an authoritative book in which he advocates new designs for classical instruments to meet the increasing microtonal demands of contemporary composition. To some extent he might be described as a Janus faced modernist, essentially forward seeking yet pursuing these aims through large serious pieces with very traditional titles such as “sonata”, string quartet, concerto. ...

Andrew Zolinsky, piano (on tracks 1-5)
Elisabeth Smalt, viola (on tracks 6-11)

Andrew Zolinsky
is one of the most distinctive musical voices of his generation. His unique style of programming and his individual interpretations have secured performances at many prestigious venues and festivals. His work with living composers brings a vivid freshness, energy and passion to his interpretations of music from previous eras.

Though a noted performer of contemporary repertoire, Andrew has performed many of the standard concertos, Beethoven, Chopin, Greig, Rachmaninoff, Gershwin and Barber with major orchestras, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, London Sinfonietta, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Concert Orchestra and the Orchestre National de Lorraine, and has worked under the batons of such distinguished conductors as Stefan Asbury, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Martyn Brabbins, Nicholas Cleobury, Thierry Fischer, Charles Hazlewood, Owain Arwel Hughes, Grant Llewellyn, Diego Masson, Andre De Ridder, David Robertson, Pascal Rophe and Baldur Bronnimann. In addition to concerts in the UK, he has also performed in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New York, Portugal, San Francisco and Spain.

In the contemporary field, he is closely associated with the music of Unsuk Chin, James Clarke, Laurence Crane, Ivan Fedele, Michael Finnissy, David Lang, Valentin Silvestrov.

Andrew has given world and regional premieres of many of David Lang’s works, including, the world premiere in New York of the complete set of Memory pieces, and the Piano Concerto, Fur, commissioned by the BBC, at the Vale of Glamorgan Festival with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Grant Llewellyn.

Andrew is also very closely associated with the music of Unsuk Chin. He has performed her complete Etudes for solo piano on many occasions, including the French (Festival Musica in Strasbourg), London (Wigmore hall) and Italian (Venice Biennale) premieres. Andrew also gave the London première of her Piano Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya. As part of the BBC’s ‘Total immersion’ series in 2011, Andrew gave the UK premiere of the Double Concerto with percussionist Owen Gunnell and the London Sinfonietta conducted by Stefan Asbury at the Barbican Centre. At Unsuk Chin’s request, he was invited to perform her Piano Concerto and a recital that included her Six Etudes alongside music by Debussy, Chopin and Ligeti at the prestigious French festival, Acanthes.

Andrew has performed at the Royal Festival Hall in London (Gerard Grisey’s Vortex temporum with members of the Philharmonia orchestra conducted by Pascal Rophe), USA, the Venice Biennale and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. In November 2013, Andrew made his debut in the International Piano series at London’s Southbank Centre; this recital also formed part of the Southbank centre’s fascinating series, The Rest is Noise. Earlier that month, he made his debut at the Palau de la musica in Valencia with a programme of music by Beethoven, Liszt and Schumann.

In 2014, Andrew played in the prestigious Piano Rarities Festival in Husum, Germany, recitals in New York at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and in November 2014 at the Royal Festival Hall, London, Andrew gave the UK premiere of ‘Gesualdo dub/raum mit gelöschter figur’ by Marko Nikodijevic, with the Philharmonia orchestra conducted by Baldur Brönnimann. This concert was part of the Philharmonia’s Music of Today series.

Elisabeth Smalt
is based in Amsterdam and works exclusively as a chamber musician, in styles varying from period instrument performance to extremely new music.

Her interest in authentic performance practice was developed during her studies with Wim ten Have (one of the founders of the Orchestra of the 18th Century), and later with Jed Wentz and his ensemble Musica ad Rhenum, with which she made several recordings.

She is at this moment a member of the Nepomuk Fortepiano Quintet, which released world premiere recordings of the early 19th century composers John Baptist Cramer and Franz Limmer as well as quintets by Ries, Schubert, Hummel, Dussek and Onslow, all on authentic instruments.

She is also active in a duo with the fortepiano player Riko Fukuda, and together they are directing the project “the Schumanns in Rotterdam” around letters that Elisabeth recently found of the Schumanns in correspondence with her great-great grandfather, a concert organiser in Rotterdam.

In the Brussels-based ensemble Oxalys she plays Impressionist and Romantic repertoire. Oxalys has won several prizes for their recent Reger and Mahler CDs on the label Fuga Libera, and plays on all the main international podia.

Her other commitments are the Prisma String Trio (classical string trio repertoire with an emphasis on Bohemian and Hungarian music), the Amsterdam Bridge Ensemble (piano quartets) and Trio Scordatura, with which she plays spectral and 21st century music using unusual tuning systems and instruments such as the viola d’amore and the Adapted Viola of Harry Partch.

In 2001 she commissioned an exact copy of the Partch viola (played like a viol) and is one of the few musicians to perform his music in this authentic way. She has given Dutch premières of works for viola by Radulescu, Tenney, Harrison, Denyer, Partch and others. As the viola player of Amsterdam’s Zephyr Kwartet she premiered between 1999 and 2007 many new works by composers from Holland and abroad; in 2005 she co-curated their programme “Claude Vivier: Love Songs”, directed by Pierre Audi, at the Holland Festival 2005.

Elisabeth is a regular visitor to the IMS Prussia Cove chamber music festival in Cornwall and is the musical director of Amsterdam’s KlankKleurFestival (Sound-Colour Festival), a collaboration between chamber musicians and visual artists. CD recordings of her solo- and chamber performances have appeared on Q-disk, Vanguard Classics, Explicit, Fuga Libera, Tzadik, Megadisc, New World Records, Mode Records and Brilliant Classics.

Booklet for Patrick Ozzard-Low: In Opposition