HELEN ROE - list of works
ASH WEDNESDAY
for piano
First performed by Ronald Lumsden, BBC Young Composers' Forum, Hull University, 1976
c. 20'
1975
DIE BLAUE BLUME
for soprano, ob/cor a., clt/bass, perc. (1 player), vla and 'cello
Text: from Goethe's Mignon poems
Recorded for BBC Music in our Time by Elise Ross and the Nash Ensemble, cond. Lionel Friend, 1978
c. 25'
1975
LIGHTENING'S - EDGE -
for sop.saxophone, horn, perc. (2 players), vln and double bass
Commissioned by Jesus College, Oxford, and first performed there by members of the Durham University New Music Ensemble, 1976
c. 15'
1976
CLOSE BY THE PLACE WHERE...
for flute/picc/alto, clarinet/Eb/bass, viola and 'cello
Commissioned by Gemini with funds provided by South West Arts. First performed at the Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol, 1978. Recorded for BBC Music in our Time by Gemini, cond. Peter Wiegold, 1980
c. 20'
1978
STRING QUARTET
Commissioned by the Radcliffe Trust. First performed by the Allegri String Quartet, Hull University, 1980
c. 18'
1980
NOTES TOWARDS A DEFINITION
for violin
First performed as the test piece by all competitors in the Carl Flesch
International Violin Competition, London 1982. Published by Stainer & Bell
c. 8'
1981
PAPER/ SCISSORS - ROCK! for 2 violas
Commissioned by the ICA, and first performed there by Elisabeth Perry and Alexander Balanescu, 1983
duration variable
1982
VERBUM SUPERNUM PRODIENS /CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM
for flute and guitar
Commissioned by Clive Conway and Gerald Garcia with funds provided by the Greater London Arts Association. First performed in the October Gallery, Holborn, 1983
c. 12'
1983
FIVE EDINGTON MONODIES
for oboe or clarinet
Commissioned by the Edington Festival and first performed there by Hilary Dodds (oboe), 1985. Published in Catherine Pluygers's book, 'Music for Solo Oboe written by Women Composers'.
c.18'
1985
AND THE ANGEL DEPARTED FROM HER
for mezzo soprano, flute/alto/bass, horn, marimba and string trio
Text: Helen Roe.
First performed by Jane Manning and her Minstrels in the Purcell Room, London, 1989
c. 18'
1986
THIS IS THE GARDEN
for tenor, flute, clarinet and string quartet
Text: e e cummings
Composed for students at King's College, London. First performed by Niall Morris, Wolfson College, Oxford, 1987
c. 9'
1987
MY MIND'S WHITE TRUTH
for piano
First performed by Richard Leigh Harris, Holywell Music Room, Oxford, 1989. Recorded for BBC Radio 3 by Andrew Ball, 1993. Published by the Frontier Press in the British Contemporary Music Anthology 1996
c. 9'
1988
JOYFUL YOUR COMPLETE FEARLESS AND PURE LOVE
for tenor, clarinet and hand drums
Text: e e cummings
First performed by Nigel Simpson, Ian Mitchell and Sophie Fuller,
Holywell Music Room, Oxford, 1989
c. 4'
1988
SOME EPISODES IN THE HISTORY OF MIRANDA AND CALIBAN
for mezzo sop., baritone, narrator, ensemble (20 players) and tape
Libretto: Russell Hoban
Excerpts first performed by Christine Botes, Richard Suart and Chris de Souza with Gemini, cond. David Syrus, in St. John's, Smith Square, London 1990
c. 90'
1990
TWO QUEENS OF THE ILE OF BRITAIN
music theatre piece for 2 sopranos, harpsichord and bells
Text: from the writings of Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots
Commissioned by Alison Smart and Sara Stowe with funds provided by
Southern Arts. First performed by them in St. Peter's College, Oxford, 1991
c. 20'
1991
DIVIDE LIGHT IF YOU DARE
for clarinet/bass, piano and string quartet
Composed for the Oxford Academy of Music and first performed in the Holywell Music Room, Oxford, 1992. Recorded by Gemini for broadcast on Channel 4, 1994
c. 11'
1992
THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME
for dramatic soprano, trumpet in C and organ
Commissioned by St. James's, Piccadilly, and first performed there by Heidi Pegler, Chris Pigram and Ian Watson, 1994
c. 4'
1994
IN MY COUNTRY - FIVE SONGS OF ALIENATION
In my country
for solo soprano
Text: Jackie Kay
Missing Persons Song
for mezzo, tenor, baritone, clt/bass, tpt, perc, vla and double bass
Text: Katie Campbell
Lullaby
for mezzo, soprano, clt, viola and gender barung (2 players)
Text: Katie Cambell
I didn't used to be a racist
for sop, tenor, 2 baritones, tenor sax., perc and gender barung (2 pl.)
Text: Jackie Kay
The Old Nag's Diatribe
for mezzo, piano, perc, violin and double bass
Text: Jo Shapcott
Commissioned by the Women's Playhouse Trust, dir. Jules Wright
c. 22'
1993- -94
OUT OF THE BABYLON OF MY ANGER
for large orchestra
Gemini Fellowship work
c. 32'
1995
THE SHEPHERD'S RACE
for string orchestra
Commissioned by the Oxford Concerto Orchestra with funds provided by Southern Arts. First performed Blewbury Church, 1996
c. 12'
1996
SEVEN AGAINST THEBES
for brass quartet (2 tpts in Bb, horn and trombone)
To be recorded by members of the Composers' Ensemble, for the cover disc of "Classic CD" magazine
c. 19'
1997
THE SEVEN VOICES OF NIKERATOS
for counter-tenor, hp, pc (1 pl.), ob/cor a., clt/bass, vla, 'cello
Text: from the plays of Aeschylos, Sophocles and Euripides
Commissioned by the Oxford Company of Musicians with Nicholas Clapton (counter-tenor), with funds provided by Southern Arts. First performed (cond. Roe) in the Holywell Music Room, Oxford, 1998
c. 31'
1998
BEYOND ANGER
for orchestra
(A drastically revised version of the Gemini Fellowship piece). First performed by the English Northern Philharmonia, cond. Elgar Howarth, University of York, 1999
c. 18'
1999
CELTIC BLESSING
for solo soprano
Written for Simon and Alison Street, and first performed at their Silver Wedding anniversary celebration, by Harriet Fraser (soprano), in St. Mary's Church, Kidlington, 1999
c. 2'
1999
AND STILL TO THINGS ETERNAL LOOK
for violin and piano
Written in memory of Gordon Roe, 5.1.32 - 19.7.99
c. 12'
2000
TWO WAYS OF WORKING WITH STONE
for orchestra
c. 12'
2001
POURQUOI?
for soprano and piano
Text: Verlaine
Commissioned by Alison Smart and Katharine Durran. First performed by them in the Purcell Room, London, 13th July 2004, and recorded on their CD "New French Song" (MSV CD92100).
c. 4'
2002
UBI CARITAS ET AMOR
for SATB and organ
Composed for the choir and organist of the Church of St Peter & St Paul, King's Sutton.
c. 3'
2004
ANTIGONE VARIATIONS
for chamber orchestra
First performed by the University of York Sinfonietta (cond. Jonathan Timms) in the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, 25th June 2007.
c. 13'
2007