Barry Douglas signs to Chester Music
5th November 2014
© Katya Kraynova
Barry Douglas comments:
I am very excited to be working with the team at Chester Music. I have had the good fortune to have performed many of their composers’ music and so feel very privileged to be included in their marvellous company. We have a few beautiful projects realised already and many more planned. Ireland October 26, 2014
James Rushton, Managing Director of Chester Music comments:
It is rare indeed to have the chance to work with such a great artist as Barry Douglas and right at the beginning of his career as a composer. The potential of the new projects that are already in development is very exciting.
Five Fables
Five Fables, five medieval Scots fables, translated by Seamus Heaney, have been brought into the 21st century as enchanting animated tales for BBC Two Northern Ireland. Narrated by acclaimed comedian/actor Billy Connolly and with a specially-composed score by Barry Douglas, Five Fables, made by local animation studio Flickerpix, is an ambitious re-telling of stories written 500 years ago by the medieval Scots poet, Robert Henryson.
Five Fables Live
The superb score for chamber orchestra for Five Fables is available from Chester Music. The work, composed and conducted by Barry Douglas with players from Camerata Ireland was first performed live in August, played alongside a screening of the animations with special guest stars narrating.
See here for a video of Barry talking about the Five Fables music.
New Album on Chandos
The album Celtic Reflections was released on Chandos Records this September. The disc is an exploration of Irish folk music through eighteen of Douglas’s own arrangements – from ancient melodies to pieces by contemporary songwriters.
About Barry Douglas...
Barry Douglas has established a major international career since winning the Gold Medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, Moscow. As Artistic Director of Camerata Ireland and the Clandeboye Festival, he continues to celebrate his Irish heritage whilst also maintaining a busy international touring schedule.
Highlights of the 14/15 season include the season opening concerts with the BBC Scottish Symphony and performances with the Orchestre National de France, Israel Symphony, Staatskapelle Halle, and the Ulster and Sapporo Symphony Orchestras. He has previously given concerts with the London Symphony, Russian National, Cincinnati Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Berlin Radio Symphony, Seattle Symphony and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras alongside the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestras, among others. Barry regularly plays in recitals throughout the world, with upcoming performances in the UK (including London’s Wigmore Hall), in Mexico, Malta, the US, Russia, Japan and Italy.
Douglas is an exclusive Chandos recording artist and is currently recording the complete works for solo piano of Brahms, the first two albums of which have received much critical praise. The third one is due to be released in October 2014 and the further on in May 2015. International Record Review wrote that “this is indeed Brahms playing of the utmost integrity and authority... this cycle looks set to become a benchmark version.” The interesting programming of each disc, which has already garnered much critical praise, presents each album as a stand-alone recital, providing a varied and engaging listening experience. In September 2014 the CD Celtic Reflections was released – an exploration of Irish folk music through eighteen of Barry’s own arrangements – from ancient melodies to pieces by contemporary songwriters.
In 1999 Barry Douglas founded the chamber orchestra Camerata Ireland to celebrate and nurture the very best of young musicians from both Northern and the Republic of Ireland. In addition to striving for musical excellence, one of the orchestra’s aims is to further the peace process in Ireland by promoting dialogue and collaboration through its musical education programmes. Barry regularly tours with Camerata Ireland throughout the world. Highlights of the past season were Camerata Ireland’s debut at the BBC Proms in London and a world premiere of a new cantata commissioned by The Honourable The Irish Society, “At Sixes and Sevens”, alongside the London Symphony Orchestra to celebrate Derry-Londonderry becoming City of Culture 2013.
Douglas received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2002 New Year’s Honours List for services to music.
The music of Barry Douglas is published exclusively by Chester Music.
