LEGENDS OF
LIGHT MUSIC
James Stevens
A Composer Profile
by PETER WORSLEY
Yet another
composer with qualities in both
serious and lighter music, James
Stevens fell foul of the BBC
avant garde brigade and
performances of his music on
radio became a rarity, although
he was feted abroad. He studied
initially with Benjamin Frankel
in his exclusive class at the
Guildhall School of Music in
London where he won several
prestigious awards including the
Royal Philharmonic Prize for his
First Symphony and the Wainwright
Scholarship for "composer of
the year". A French
Government Bursary took him
across the Channel to study with
Darius Milhaud at the Paris
Conservatoire where he met Nadia
Boulanger who made him one of her
star pupils with free Saturday
evening tuition. He also enjoyed
an open invitation to Arthur
Honegger’s classes.
He later won the
coveted Lili Boulanger Memorial
Prize in Boston, USA, for
"composers of exceptional
talent and integrity"
awarded by a panel of judges
which included Stravinsky,
Copland and Villa-Lobos. Another
award was the Mendelssohn
Scholarship which even Benjamin
Britten failed to achieve,
despite several attempts!
Stevens commenced
his extensive film career while
still a student and was acclaimed
at the Ealing Studios where he
constantly devised new film music
techniques which are now standard
practice.
Unusually, Stevens
never confined himself to one
particular musical genre and has
taken every opportunity to take
part in pop music, jazz, films,
television scores, and musicals
– his own musical
Mam’zelle Nitouche being
revived in London’s West End
in the autumn of 2001. Although
also concerned with serious
avant-garde works, his music is
melodic rather than atonal.
In one year he was
the only British composer to be
selected for the annual
International Society for
Contemporary Music (with Etymon)
while having a disc at number one
on the Melody Maker charts –
(with Exploding Galaxy). In 1990
he was nominated for the BAFTA
music award for his contribution
toChelworth – eight one-hour
episodes. In 1995 he was invited
to give a "James Stevens
Day" in Cincinnati, shortly
after which he was invited by the
Musicians Union of Japan to
represent English artists at the
Hiroshima and Nagasaki 50th
anniversary memorial ceremonies.
In 1998 the
Cleveland Orchestra Piano Trio
gave the world premiere of
Concertante a Tre and in 1999
Stevens was commissioned to write
David’s Round for a
9-year-old prodigy violinist,
also in Cleveland, USA. The
following year he was
commissioned by members of the
Cleveland Orchestra to write a
work for cello and piano called
Duo Per Umanita. Also in 2000
Stevens completed his magnum opus
The Reluctant Masquerade, dealing
with the human psyche and nature
of time. In 2001 he wrote the
incidental music for American
writer Daniel de Cournoyer’s
epic one-man theatre show Bells
to Hell and also a Processional
for a wedding in Australia.
He is Chairman of
the Churchill Society Music
Department:-
www.churchill-society-london.org.uk/JStevens.html
SELECTION OF WORKS
Orchestral
1st Symphony -
first performed on Radio 3. 25
mins.
2nd Symphony - first performed on
Radio 3. 27 mins.
3rd Symphony - 25 mins. first
performed by Northern Symphony
Orchestra. 25 mins.
4th Symphony
(Infantes Miseraie – In
memoriam Lili Boulanger) - for
orchestra and commentator
Concerto Capricioso - harp and
small orchestra. 20 mins.
Concertetto Concatato –
piano & orchestra. 12 mins.
Concerto Scenes de Seine –
guitar & small orchestra. 22
mins.
Lion and Unicorn – overture
for orchestra. 8 mins. –
first performed on BBC Radio 3
In a Nutshell – overture for
orchestra. 8 mins. – first
performed on BBC Radio 3
Natso No Hikari Ni - translated
In the Blinding Flash of Light
That Summer (6th & 9th August
… from the ashes translation
from the Japanese) –
orchestra. 27 mins.
Celebration for the Dead – a
Buddhist Requiem – for
orchestra, voices and soprano.
Premiered by Tokyo Symphony
Orchestra, European premier by
Nederlands Radio Sinfonie
Orkester of Amsterdam. 37 mins.
The Reluctant Masquerade (Seppuku
and Lullaby, the Buddha Weeps,
Satoiko’s Song) - orchestra,
mezzo, baritone and alto. 55
mins.
Goal! For wind band. Commissioned
by the Brecksville Bees Marching
Band, Ohio. First performed at
Wembley, England v Argentina,
1980. 10 mins.
Celebration – amateur
orchestra and chorus,
commissioned by Sir Walter St.
John School, South London. 20
mins
The Father – amateur
orchestra & chorus. first
performed Canterbury Sinfonia. 20
mins.
Royal Greenwich March –
school brass band. Commissioned
by Woolwich Polytechnic. 10 mins.
Chamber Works
Etymon 5 players and 3 singers.
22 mins. first performed ISCM at
Reykjavik
Girl in Scena semi-jazz ensemble.
20 mins.
Jigsaw for Pipe 2 recorder
quartets & 2 soloists. 18
mins
WS Loves WH octet & tenor. 25
mins.
Lewis Loves Alice voice &
jazz combo. first performed
Cincinatti, USA.
Chelworth brass nonet. Short
arrangement of TV series title
music
Concertante a Tre for Joseph
Walker
Instrumental Works
Kiri to Taiyo
– flute & piano.-
commissioned by Sumitomo
Four Movements & a Coda for
viola & piano. BBC 3, 17
mins.
Embrionics solo violin. first
performance Geoffrey Grey
Asonics solo piano, first
performance Jonathan Cohen,
Wigmore Hall. 20 mins.
Guitar – guitar solo.
recorded by Andreas Herzau on
EMI. 17 mins.
Waltzes for Friends – 13
piano pieces
Duo Per Umanita piano and cello.
15 mins.
Film Music
The Insomniac;
Intrusion; They Came From Beyond
Space; Sparrows Can’t Sing;
The Weapon; The Baby & the
Battleship; Cockleshell Heroes;
The Fourth Square; The Other Man;
The Secret Pony; The Rival World;
East-West Island; Ring Around the
Earth; The Oilmen; Flight Deck;
The New Vikings; Wednesfield
Story; Arabia Felix; Portrait of
Queenie.
Television Music
BBC – The
Family Reunion; Tonight; Horizon;
Chelworth; Stolen Property.
ITV – Uncle Silas; The
Alcoholics; Armchair Theatre;
Bond QC; Our Street; After
Midnight; America Abroad; The
Little Round House; Mr.
Papingay’s Ship; The Cure.
Radio Music
Echo and the
Narcissus; The Salvation of
Faust; Voices in the Air; Ghost
Story.
Theatre Works
The Visit –
producer Peter Brooks –
opened Lunt-Fontane Theatre, New
York & Royalty Theatre,
London
Ghost Story – one act opera
commissioned by the BBC
Mam’zelle Nitouche- several
productions including Pitlochry
and Worthing
The Pied Piper – two
productions including Theatre
Royal, Stratford East
Orpheus in Space – mini rock
opera, performed in Rome
The Phantom Lover – Theatre
Royal, Stratford East
Organ Works
Etheria –
premiered by Gillian Weir in both
UK and USA
Amo Ergo Sum – as per
Etheria
All’s Right With the World
Noce
[from Journal Into
Melody March 2004]
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