''Phoenix Arising'' is a composition for bassoon and piano by

Graham Waterhouse Graham Waterhouse (born 2 November 1962) is an English composer and cellist who specializes in chamber music. He has composed a cello concerto, '' Three Pieces for Solo Cello'' and '' Variations for Cello Solo'' for his own instrument, and str ...

, who wrote it in 2008 in memory of his father, the bassoonist and musicologist William Waterhouse. It premiered in London in 2009, and was published by Accolade the same year.

History

Waterhouse composed ''Phoenix Arising'' in 2008 in memory of his father, the bassoonist William Waterhouse, who was the bassoonist of the

Melos Ensemble The Melos Ensemble is a group of musicians who started in 1950 in London to play chamber music in mixed instrumentation of string instruments, wind instruments and others. Benjamin Britten composed the chamber music for his ''War Requiem'' for the ...

and a notable scholar. Subtitled ''Tribute to William Waterhouse'', it was commissioned by the Park Lane Group in London, and first performed on 9 January 2009 in the

Purcell Room The Purcell Room is a concert and performance venue which forms part of the Southbank Centre, one of central London's leading cultural complexes. It is named after the 17th century English composer Henry Purcell and has 370 seats. The Purcell Ro ...

of the

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is an arts centre in London, England. It is adjacent to the separately owned National Theatre and BFI Southbank. It comprises the three main performance spaces – the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell R ...

by the bassoonist Rosemary Burton and the pianist Christopher White. The players performed it again in a concert "In memoriam William Waterhouse" at the

Berlin Musical Instrument Museum The Berlin Musical Instrument Museum () is located at the Kulturforum on Tiergartenstraße in Berlin, Germany. The museum holds over 3,500 musical instruments from the 16th century onward and is one of the largest and most representative musi ...

on 24 April 2009, arranged by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Oboe und Fagott. The program featured also works which William Waterhouse had published, other compositions dedicated to him such as the Trio for fagottino, bassoon and contrabassoon, Op. 97 (1992) by

Victor Bruns Victor Bruns (; 15 August 1904 – 6 December 1996) was a German composer and bassoonist. He played with the Leningrad Opera, the Volksoper Berlin and the Staatskapelle Berlin. As a composer, he is known for his ballets and for bassoon co ...

and

Gordon Jacob Gordon Percival Septimus Jacob CBE (5 July 18958 June 1984) was an English composer and teacher. He was a professor at the Royal College of Music in London from 1924 until his retirement in 1966, and published four books and many articles about ...

's Suite for bassoon and string quartet, and Karlheinz Stockhausen's '' In Freundschaft''. ''Phoenix Arising '' was published by Accolade in 2009. The work is part of the repertory for bassoonists, and has been used in university training and played in recitals.

Composition

The work is in one

movement Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger co ...

of several sections. The composer thought of his father, "of his phenomenal energy, his restless intellectual curiosity, as well as his deep conviction in the broad expressive possibilities of 'his' instrument". The composition reflects the lyrical and virtuoso qualities of the bassoon. It features elements characteristic for William Waterhouse's playing, such as arpeggios of fourths, his "long, visceral, low 'B-flats'", and his warm-up of "32nds from top to bottom". In a section marked ''cantabile'', the bassoon "aspires to a voice-like role", in memory of William Waterhouse's "ideal for wind players to strive for".

References

External links

Graham Waterhouse
website
Lunchtime Concert Friday 19 August, 1.00pm / Park Lane Group present bassoonist Rosie Burton and pianist Christopher White for Friday 19 August's free lunchtime concert at St Martin-in-the-Fields.
issuu.com 19 August 2011
Second Dissertation Recital: Eric Rutherford, bassoon
eventful.com 10 December 2012 {{Authority control Chamber music by Graham Waterhouse Contemporary classical compositions 2008 compositions