Helen Roe Composer
Compositions
ASH WEDNESDAY 1975
for piano c. 20'
First performed by Ronald Lumsden, BBC Young Composers' Forum, Hull University, 1976
DIE BLAUE BLUME 1975
for soprano, ob/cor a., clt/bass, perc. (1 player), vla and 'cello c. 25'
Text: from Goethe's Mignon poems
Recorded for BBC Music in our Time by Elise Ross and the Nash Ensemble, cond. Lionel Friend, 1978
LIGHTENING'S -
for sop.saxophone, horn, perc. (2 players), vln and double bass c. 15'
Commissioned by Jesus College, Oxford, and first performed there by members of the Durham University New Music Ensemble, 1976
CLOSE BY THE PLACE WHERE... 1978
for flute/picc/alto, clarinet/Eb/bass, viola and 'cello c. 20'
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
STRING QUARTET c. 18' 1980
Commissioned by the Radcliffe Trust. First performed by the Allegri String Quartet, Hull University, 1980
NOTES TOWARDS A DEFINITION 1981
for violin c. 8'
First performed as the test piece by all competitors in the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition, London 1982. Published by Stainer & Bell
PAPER/ SCISSORS -
for 2 violas duration variable
Commissioned by the ICA, and first performed there by Elisabeth Perry and Alexander Balanescu, 1983
VERBUM SUPERNUM PRODIENS / CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM 1983
for flute and guitar c. 12'
Commissioned by Clive Conway and Gerald Garcia with funds provided by the Greater London Arts Association. First performed in the October Gallery, Holborn, 1983
FIVE EDINGTON MONODIES 1985
for oboe or clarinet c.18'
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.
AND THE ANGEL DEPARTED FROM HER 1986
for mezzo soprano, flute/alto/bass, horn, marimba and string trio c. 18’
Text: Helen Roe
First performed by Jane Manning and her Minstrels in the Purcell Room, London, 1989
THIS IS THE GARDEN 1987
for tenor, flute, clarinet and string quartet c. 9'
Text: e e cummings
Composed for students at King's College, London. First performed by Niall Morris, Wolfson College, Oxford, 1987
MY MIND'S WHITE TRUTH 1988
for piano c. 9'
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
JOYFUL YOUR COMPLETE FEARLESS AND PURE LOVE 1988
for tenor, clarinet and hand drums c. 4'
Text: e e cummings
First performed by Nigel Simpson, Ian Mitchell and Sophie Fuller, Holywell Music Room, Oxford, 1989
SOME EPISODES IN THE HISTORY OF MIRANDA 1990
AND CALIBAN
for mezzo sop., baritone, narrator, ensemble (20 players) and tape c. 90'
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
TWO QUEENS OF THE ILE OF BRITAIN 1991
music theatre piece for 2 sopranos, harpsichord and bells c. 20'
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
DIVIDE LIGHT IF YOU DARE 1992
for clarinet/bass, piano and string quartet c. 11'
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
THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME 1994
for dramatic soprano, trumpet in C and organ c. 4'
Commissioned by St. James's, Piccadilly, and first performed there by Heidi Pegler, Chris Pigram and Ian Watson, 1994
IN MY COUNTRY -
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
OUT OF THE BABYLON OF MY ANGER 1995
for large orchestra c. 32'
Gemini Fellowship work
THE SHEPHERD'S RACE 1996
for string orchestra c. 12'
Commissioned by the Oxford Concerto Orchestra with funds provided by Southern Arts. First performed Blewbury Church, 1996
SEVEN AGAINST THEBES 1997
for brass quartet (2 tpts in Bb, horn and trombone) c. 19'
To be recorded by members of the Composers' Ensemble, for the cover disc of "Classic CD" magazine
THE SEVEN VOICES OF NIKERATOS 1998
for counter-
Text: from the plays of Aeschylos, Sophocles and Euripides
Commissioned by the Oxford Company of Musicians with Nicholas Clapton (counter-
BEYOND ANGER 1999
for orchestra c. 18'
(A drastically revised version of the Gemini Fellowship piece). First performed by the English Northern Philharmonia, cond. Elgar Howarth, University of York, 1999
CELTIC BLESSING 1999
for solo soprano c. 2'
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
AND STILL TO THINGS ETERNAL LOOK 2000 (revised 2014)
for violin and piano c. 9'
Written in memory of Gordon Roe, 5.1.32 -
TWO WAYS OF WORKING WITH STONE 2001
for orchestra c. 12' 30"
POURQUOI? 2002
for soprano and piano c. 4’
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).
UBI CARITAS ET AMOR 2004
for SATB and organ c. 3’
Composed for the choir and organist of the Church of St Peter & St Paul, King’s Sutton.
ANTIGONE VARIATIONS 2007
for chamber orchestra c. 13’
First performed by the University of York Sinfonietta (cond. Jonathan Timms) in the Sir Jack Lyons
Concert Hall, University of York, 25th June 2007.
EVER AT PLAY IN HIS PRESENCE 2009
for viola c. 6’
Written in memory of Sophie Hamilton, 19.10.09 – 27.11.09
First performed by Aliye Cornish in the Jacqueline du Pré Music Room, Oxford, 23rd March 2010.
SHORT COMMUNION SERVICE c. 9’ 2011
Mass setting for 4-
First performed by the choir and organist of St. Mary Magdalen Church, Oxford, September 2011. Performed during the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music in St Pancras Church, May 2016
A MOST UNLIKELY SAINT c. 32’ 2013
Cantata on the life of Saint Brice for SATB soloists, 4-
Text: Helen Roe
Commissioned by the Choir of Mansfield College Oxford (Director John Oxlade)
SPEAK, MARY c. 6’ 2015
For SSAATTBB a capella choir
Text: Helen Roe (freely paraphrased from various ancient sources)
First performed by Genesis Sixteen, cond. Eamonn Dougan, in Cheltenham College Chapel
during the 2015 Cheltenham Festival, on 5th July, 2015.
Performed by the BBC Singers in St Giles Cripplegate (2016) and broadcast on Radio 3, February 2017
ANCESTRAL STRAINS c. 12’ 2015
For clarinet/bass clarinet, bassoon, horn, piano, 2 violins, viola, and cello
First performed by the Berkeley Ensemble in the Luton Library Theatre, on 27th March 2017
EASTER WINGS c. 3’ 2016
For SSATB choir and organ
Text: George Herbert
BIRDS, EARTH, SUN, SKY AND WATER c.8’ 2017
For mezzo soprano and bass clarinet
Text: Katharine Mansfield
First performed by Alison Wells and Ian Mitchell in St Mary Magdalen Church, Oxford,
on 22nd January 2018 and included on CD “Bass Clarinet and Friends -
THE HEALING RIVER c. 13’ 2017
For chamber orchestra (double ww) with harp, guitar and string quartet
STRING QUARTET no. 2 c. 15’ 2018
VIDI AQUAM c. 3’ 2018
A fantasia for brass quintet and organ
First performed by Onyx Brass and Simon Hogan (organ), cond. Michael Bawtree,
in St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street, London on 21st March 2019
ABENDGEBET c. 4’ 2018
For 6 a capella male voices (AATTBarB)
Text: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
THE BLESSED ROUND c. 45’ 2019
A cantata for 6 solo voices (SMsATBarB), piano, organ, string quartet and choir (SATB)
Text: Rebecca Bilkau
First performed by Rachel Ambrose Evans, Nancy Cole, Leonora Dawson-