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Philip Norman  

A Christmas Carol

Duration: 1h 40' 00" Year: 2001
ballet music for orchestra

• Instrumentation
  2222;2221;timp,2perc,keyboards;strs
• Programme Note

  Our version of A Christmas Carol began as a glint in Russell Kerr’s eye. I remember a phone call from Russell in late 1988: “Philip – I think I’ve got an idea for a ballet that might work…”.

  Two years later, A Christmas Carol opened in the Theatre Royal, Christchurch in a polished production by Southern Ballet, with Russell himself in the demanding dual roles of Scrooge and choreographer.

  The success of the Southern Ballet’s presentation led to an unexpected invitation from Angela Gorton, then General Manager of Canterbury Opera.

  “Would it be possible to convert the ballet into an opera?” Angela asked. “You’ve got to be joking” I remember thinking. “Yes, of course, no problems” I replied.

  The temporary bout of insanity continued. I chose to write the libretto, as well as taking on the challenge of converting what was an electronic tape score into a 500-page manuscript for live orchestra and singers.

  Thankfully, as it transpired, much of the original electronic score translated fairly readily into the different medium. At most, keys and speeds were altered, and occasional phrases tweaked to suit the range and breath requirements of the human performers. This left under half the ballet requiring either substantial revision or fresh material.

  1993 disappeared in a blur of notes, rhyming couplets and spectral apparitions. One memory remains clear, and that is the thrill of seeing my labours brought to life in a gratifying premiere season of the opera by Canterbury Opera.

  Someone once said ‘being a composer in New Zealand must be like being a bullfighter in Finland”. Certainly conventional wisdom has it that while a first performance of a new work is relatively easy to secure, opportunities for subsequent performances are as rare as a happy Wagnerian heroine.

  Thus it was with relish and gratitude that I leapt upon the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s invitation to turn my opera score back into a ballet. This time, it was to be for humans to play, and a full orchestra no less. Oh joy oh bliss.

  And it has given me the opportunity to use the wonderful line – I spent most of 2001 decomposing.

  I feel enormously privileged to have the opportunity to work once again with Russell, Kristian, the Royal New Zealand Ballet and, of course, Charles Dickens.

  Philip Norman
  Composer
  “A Christmas Carol”

Philip Norman  

A Christmas Carol

Duration: 1h 41' 00" Year: 1990
three act ballet with music for computer controlled keyboards

David Downes  

A Green Piece

 Year: 1989
dance score for tape

• Programme Note

  “Habits and routines and the struggle to change them……” Created for choreographer Sarah Major.

• Availability

  • David Downes: Saltwater  Year: 1993 

    CD
    
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David Farquhar  

A Short Suite from "Ring Round the Moon"

Duration: 15' 00" Year: 1975
for full orchestra

• Instrumentation
  2222; 4230; timp, perc; strs.
• Programme Note

  This music was originally commissioned by Richard Campion for the New Zealand Players’ production of Ring Round the Moon by Jean Ahhouil, translated by Christopher Fry. In the second act there is a ball taking place offstage and demanding a large number of dances which are specified in the text.

  The music was first recorded on acetate discs by a ad hoc orchestra led by Alex Lindsay; these small recordings were then played through speakers for the production, sounding very loud to the cast but filtering out more gently to the audience. At the end of the long national tour, the cast knew the music very well and suggested to me that I should do something with it.

  The result, some years later, 1957, was a suite of nine dances first performed by the Alex Lindsay Orchestra. This rapidly became my most performed piece and was commercially recorded by the Alex Lindsay Orchestra in the 1960s, a recording still available today from Kiwi Pacific Reords.

  Ashley Heenen, through the NZ APRA Committee, commissioned an arrangement for full orchestra for the NZ Youth Orchestra to take on a tour of Europe and China in 1975. This version was shortened to six dances by leaving out the first three numbers. The music has also been used for a ballet, The Wintergarden, choreographed by Arthur Turnbull for the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company – this version included a tenth dance not in the 1957 Suite. Since 1975 two further version have been commissioned: Waltz Suite (1989), for string orchestra (five dances) for the Nova Strings, and an arrangement of the original Dance Suite (1992) for violin and piano (nine dances) for Isador Saslav.

• Availability

  • Farquhar: Short Suite from Ring Round the Moon; computer-set 

    Score and parts | Hardcopy - computer set
    
    • Hire

  • Farquhar: A Short Suite from Ring Round the Moon; computer-set 

    Parts - written | Hardcopy - computer set
    

  • Farquhar: Short Suite from Ring Round the Moon; computer set 

    Full score | Hardcopy - computer set
    
    $20.00
    • • Quantity:
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  • SOUNZ Orchestral 1993 

    DAT
    
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  • New Zealand Composers  Year: 1995 

    CD
    
    $30.00
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Ashley Heenan  

A Time for Offenbach

Duration: 1h 00' 00" Year: 1967
ballet in one act based on the music of Offenbach with choreography by Jurek Shabelewski

• Instrumentation
  2222; 2230; timp,perc; strs.

Chris Cree Brown  

Bars

 Year: 1983
electroacoustic music for dance

Helen Fisher  

Bone of Contention

Duration: 1h 20' 00" Year: 1993
a dance work for mezzo-soprano and ensemble

• Instrumentation
  bagpipes, cello, marimba/harp/tenor drum (1 player), violin, flute/piccolo (1 player), clarinet/bass clarinet/soprano and alto saxophones (1 player)
• Programme Note

  This dance theatre project was commissioned to celebrate the New Zealand Women’s Suffrage Centennial, and explores a range of historical and contemporary issues. It is based on documents written by Kate Shepherd and was choreographed by Susan Jordan.

• Availability

  • Fisher: Bone of Contention; facsimile 

    Full score | Pdf - facsimile
    

  • Fisher: Bone of Contention (excerpt); facsimile 

    Full score | Hardcopy - facsimile
    
    $21.00
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  • Helen Fisher: Bone of Contention  Year: 1993 

    Cassette
    
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Christopher Small  

Children of the Mist

Duration: 45' 00" Year: 1960
a ballet in two acts for orchestra

• Instrumentation
  11(1)21;2210;timp/perc;strs.

Bryony Jagger  

Chitra

Duration: 1h 40' 00" Year: 1978, r. 1980
a lyric opera in 2 acts

• Instrumentation
  for soprano, tenor, coloratura soprano, bass, harpsichord, strings and 2 dancers
• Programme Note

  A lyrical opera based on Tagore’s dramatic poem ‘Chitra’.

Anthony Ritchie  

Concertina

Duration: 24' 00" Year: 1999
dance music for violin and piano

• Instrumentation
  violin and piano with parts for squeezebox
• Programme Note

  Dance music for violin, piano, squeezebox and percussion

  It can be performed live as well, in part or in its entirety, though some effects are better achieved through the recording. The work is in nine sections which run continuously.

  This work was composed for violinist Paula Smart and pianist Terence Dennis, who first recorded the work in March 1999.

• Availability

  • Anthony Ritchie: CONCERTINA  Year: 2012 

    CD
    
    $30.00
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