Andrew Downes
// classical composerANDREW DOWNES is a classical composer born in Birmingham, England. His CDs “Czech Philharmonic Horns” (2000), “Old Love’s Domain” (2000), “The Marshes Of Glynn And Centenary Firedances” (2000), “The Lord Is My Shepherd” (2001), “Concerto For Guitar, Bass Guitar And Strings” (2001), “Pastorale Sounds” (2001), “Sounds And Colors II – Music For Flute Choir By Andrew Downes” (2001), “Schlosskonzert” (2001), “Messen Und Sonaten” (2002), and “Piano Sonatina And Piano Sonatas 1 & 2” (2005) are all available from Lynwood Music, “Brahms Trio Prague” (2008), and “Andrew Downes: Music For Horns And Wagner Tubas Played By The Horns Of The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra” (2008) are both available from ArteSmon. Andrew Downes has studied music at St. John’s College, Cambridge, and the Royal College of Music, and was Head of the School of Composition and Creative Studies at Birmingham Conservatoire between 1992 and 2005.
Website: www.andrewdownes.com
Photo: Andrew Downes / AndrewDownes.com
Interview:
Music is the most spiritual of all the arts. When one listens to a beautiful piece of music, in whatever idiom or style, one is enveloped by an experience of powerful otherworldliness as well as a profound love of life in all its parts. My own early experience in music involved singing Gregorian plainsong when Catholic services were conducted in Latin. Whilst I had little understanding of what was actually going on in the rituals, the beautifully even and curvaceous folds in that wonderful music were completely able to take over my awareness, and I have experienced similarly dramatic musical effects during the whole of my career. As a composer myself, my method involves becoming completely lost in the emotional evolution of the music, and I hope that the spiritual journey taken each time I compose is communicated to performers and listeners alike. My oratorio “New Dawn”, performed in the Chapel of King’s College Cambridge in 2001, uses texts from Native Americans which depict the journey from life into death, a journey of the soul. My “Concerto For Native American Flute And Strings”, first performed in Birmingham develops this idea of an intangible journey in an entirely abstract way, using the gloriously sensual sound of the native flute to transport the listener into realms of pure spirituality. After the first performance, the music critic of the Birmingham Post wrote: “Typically for this composer, it conveys a sense of some huge, pervasive spiritual force”.
“I hope that the spiritual journey taken each time I compose is communicated to performers and listeners alike.”
– Andrew Downes, composer
