Pierre-Henri Wicomb (b. 1976)
List of Works
Instrumentation: Saxophone quartet (S, A, T, Bari.)
Programmatic information:
Programme notes provided by composer
Instrumentation: Saxophone Quartet
Instrumentation: Saxophone, viola, double bass, piano and percussion (EJNCP)
Duration: 6:28
Instrumentation: A piece for saxophone and MIDI
Instrumentation: Flute, oboe, saxophone, cello, guitar and piano
Instrumentation: Voice, saxophone, piano and soundtrack
Duration: 7:00
Programmatic information: Note from composer: “Sing You! La-Re-Ti was specifically written for ensemble Potage Du Jour, a Swiss free improvising trio. Therefore the score is quite graphic and in a shorthand that represents our years of working together.”
Instrumentation: A composed improvised piece for alto saxophone, Bb clarinet and double bass
Programmatic information: Composition was written for a student free improvising group studying at Berne Music School. Graphic score.
Instrumentation: Saxophone quartet (S, A, T, Bari.)
Instrumentation: Ensemble and tape
Programmatic information:
Provided by composer
A piece for ensemble and tape written for different set-ups for Wicomb`s composition residency in Switserland. The first version is written for the Swiss ensemble Ums `n` Jip (Ulrike Mayer-Spohn and Javier Hagen). This version is strictly notated for counter tenor and tenor recorder. The second version is vaguely notated (open score) for the Swiss free improvising ensemble Potage du Jour ( Franziska Baumann, Jurg Solothurnmann and Christoph Baumann). The last version has no notational indications and is absolutely free except for the soundtrack/tape. Petra Ronner completed this project with her improvisation with the tape.
About the composer...
Pierre-Henri Wicomb is a South African composer working in musical environments encompassing everything from contemporary acoustic/electroacoustic music, theatre/film soundtracks to composition collaborations with [unrehearsed] audience members. He is currently working on incorporating psychoanalysis as a means to approach composition as analytic space.
Wicomb’s music has featured at the Festival D’Automne, New York City Electronic Music Festival, International Computer Music Conference (Utrecht), Festivalen for Svensk Konstmusik (Stockholm), Forum Wallis contemporary music festival (Leuk, Switzerland), Infecting the City Festival (Cape Town) and Unyazi Electronic Music Festival (Cape Town) to name a few. Ensembles Wicomb has worked with include the Asko ensemble, Ensemble Reconsil, Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, L’Instant Donne, Ums n Jip, DissonArt, Ensemble Insomnia, Duo Axelsson Nilsson, soloists Petra Conner and Soren Hermansson and the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra to name a few. Wicomb collaborated with free improvising groups Potage du Jour and InterZones resulting in two cd’s for the label Leo Records. He is currently completing an opera for the latter Swiss free improvising duo.
Wicomb has been a finalist of the greek ensemble DissonArt’s Miniatures project and Ars Electronica Forum Wallis (Switzerland) call for works. He was the prizewinner for the South Africa New Music Ensemble (SANME) call for scores with his Double Bass Concerto, Ablaze Records (USA) call for works with his piece Role-ing and RMN Classical’s (UK) annual electronic composition competition for the electronic work Blablablablablavet. Wicomb is a composer with Universal Edition.
Outside of his contemporary works Wicomb has also completed a few soundtracks for television and film collaborating on projects premiering at the Cannes International Series Festival (France), International Film Festival Rotterdam (The Netherlands), South by Southwest Festival (USA) and Sitges Film Festival (Spain) to name a few.
He is the co-founder of the successful annual Purpur Festival (Cape Town) hosting the works and performances of local and international musicians, already in its eight year.