John Psathas
Encyclopedia
John Psathas is a New Zealand
composer
, son of Greek
immigrant parents.
He has works in the repertoire of such high profile musicians as Evelyn Glennie
, Michael Houstoun
, Michael Brecker
and the New Juilliard Ensemble, and is one of New Zealand's most frequently performed composers. He has established an international profile and receives regular commissions from organisations in New Zealand and overseas.
Psathas grew up in Taumarunui
and then Napier
. He attended Napier Boys' High school and left early to study composition and piano
at Victoria University of Wellington
. He supported himself as a student partly by playing up to nine gigs a week in a jazz
trio.
Psathas studied further with composer Jacqueline Fontyn
in Belgium
before returning to New Zealand, where he has since lectured in music at Victoria University and continued to fulfil a busy schedule of commissions.
Early success came with Matre's Dance in 1991, a maximum-energy duet for percussion and piano that has since made Psathas' name internationally through having been taken up and championed by percussionist Evelyn Glennie. This work and Drum Dances are fast becoming standard repertoire for percussionists throughout the world.
According to his publisher Promethean Editions
, a new work by John Psathas is an individual, unique entity, and his music is like that of no-one else. His 'sound' is difficult to define – the harmony
and improvisational feel
of jazz, the compelling rhythmic drive
and excitement of rock music
and the sustained repetitive textures of minimalism
are apparent as influences, yet they combine and intermingle with something else more intangible. This undefinable quality is partly what makes his one of the most original voices in the arena of contemporary classical music
in New Zealand.
Psathas' relationship with Evelyn Glennie has been a particularly fruitful one for them both. Her performing repertoire includes Matre's Dance, Drum Dances, Spike, Happy Tachyons and the double concerto for piano and percussion View From Olympus. She has recorded Matre's Dance on her CDs Drumming and Greatest Hits (BMG), and she continues to commission new works.
A highlight of 2000 was the premiere of the Omnifenix at an outdoor concert before an audience of 8000 people at the 2 Agosto Festival in Bologna, Italy. This work was tailored to the particular improvising talents of tenor saxophonist
Michael Brecker.
A retrospective concert of Psathas' chamber music was given in the 2000 New Zealand International Festival of the Arts, culminating with the premiere of the specially commissioned Piano Quintet. In the programme to the concert, he described the process of creating his music:
"When I write music, it's not a sense of inventing I experience, as much as it is a sense of finding something that exists at the remote periphery of what I know. It is like seeing things – that aren't really there – in the corner of one's eye, but not spinning around to view them, because then they would simply cease to be. It is a case of being aware of a thing in one's peripheral vision and, while staring straight ahead, trying to decipher, without looking at it, the true nature of what it is. What one is finding is exactly the right thing for any given moment in a musical work."
performed by Evelyn Glennie, Philip Smith and the Halle Orchestra conducted by Mark Elder at the Royal Gala finale of the Commonwealth Games
'Pulse' music festival in Manchester
, UK. This work was awarded New Zealand's major annual composition award for 2002, the SOUNZ Contemporary Award.
In 2003 a new CD of chamber works, Fragments, was released to critical acclaim and went on to win the Tui Award for Best Classical Recording at the New Zealand Music Awards. He was also named as the recipient of one of five Arts Foundation of New Zealand Artist Laureate Awards, which carry cash prizes of $40,000.
In 2004 Psathas achieved the largest audience for New Zealand-composed music when billions heard his fanfares and other music at the opening
and closing ceremonies of the Athens Olympics
. This high-profile work was recognised in New Zealand's New Year Honours by his appointment as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
. Additionally, his Piano Concerto, premiered by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
and soloist Stephen Gosling, was awarded the SOUNZ Contemporary Award for excellence in composition.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, son of Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
immigrant parents.
He has works in the repertoire of such high profile musicians as Evelyn Glennie
Evelyn Glennie
Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, DBE is a Scottish virtuoso percussionist. She was the first full-time solo percussionist in 20th-century western society.-Early life:Glennie was born and raised in Aberdeenshire...
, Michael Houstoun
Michael Houstoun
Michael Houstoun is a concert pianist from New Zealand.Born and educated in Timaru, Houstoun studied piano under Sister Mary Eulalie and Maurice Till in Dunedin and Christchurch...
, Michael Brecker
Michael Brecker
Michael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane," he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz...
and the New Juilliard Ensemble, and is one of New Zealand's most frequently performed composers. He has established an international profile and receives regular commissions from organisations in New Zealand and overseas.
Psathas grew up in Taumarunui
Taumarunui
Taumarunui is a town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 4 and the North Island Main Trunk Railway....
and then Napier
Napier, New Zealand
Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"...
. He attended Napier Boys' High school and left early to study composition and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
at Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
. He supported himself as a student partly by playing up to nine gigs a week in a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
trio.
Psathas studied further with composer Jacqueline Fontyn
Jacqueline Fontyn
Jacqueline Fontyn is a contemporary Belgian composer, pianist and music educator. She was born in Antwerp, and has received the title of baroness from the King of Belgium in recognition of her many artistic contributions.-Background:...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
before returning to New Zealand, where he has since lectured in music at Victoria University and continued to fulfil a busy schedule of commissions.
Early success came with Matre's Dance in 1991, a maximum-energy duet for percussion and piano that has since made Psathas' name internationally through having been taken up and championed by percussionist Evelyn Glennie. This work and Drum Dances are fast becoming standard repertoire for percussionists throughout the world.
According to his publisher Promethean Editions
Promethean Editions
Promethean Editions is a publisher or sheet music and promotion service for a roster of composers.It has several publication catalogues, including series devoted to living contemporary-classical composers including Gareth Farr, Christos Hatzis, Vincent Ho and John Psathas, as well as series devoted...
, a new work by John Psathas is an individual, unique entity, and his music is like that of no-one else. His 'sound' is difficult to define – the harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
and improvisational feel
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
of jazz, the compelling rhythmic drive
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
and excitement of rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and the sustained repetitive textures of minimalism
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
are apparent as influences, yet they combine and intermingle with something else more intangible. This undefinable quality is partly what makes his one of the most original voices in the arena of contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
in New Zealand.
Psathas' relationship with Evelyn Glennie has been a particularly fruitful one for them both. Her performing repertoire includes Matre's Dance, Drum Dances, Spike, Happy Tachyons and the double concerto for piano and percussion View From Olympus. She has recorded Matre's Dance on her CDs Drumming and Greatest Hits (BMG), and she continues to commission new works.
A highlight of 2000 was the premiere of the Omnifenix at an outdoor concert before an audience of 8000 people at the 2 Agosto Festival in Bologna, Italy. This work was tailored to the particular improvising talents of tenor saxophonist
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
Michael Brecker.
A retrospective concert of Psathas' chamber music was given in the 2000 New Zealand International Festival of the Arts, culminating with the premiere of the specially commissioned Piano Quintet. In the programme to the concert, he described the process of creating his music:
"When I write music, it's not a sense of inventing I experience, as much as it is a sense of finding something that exists at the remote periphery of what I know. It is like seeing things – that aren't really there – in the corner of one's eye, but not spinning around to view them, because then they would simply cease to be. It is a case of being aware of a thing in one's peripheral vision and, while staring straight ahead, trying to decipher, without looking at it, the true nature of what it is. What one is finding is exactly the right thing for any given moment in a musical work."
Career highlights
Highlights in 2002 included the premieres of several major works, including View From Olympus a double concerto for piano, percussion and orchestraOrchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
performed by Evelyn Glennie, Philip Smith and the Halle Orchestra conducted by Mark Elder at the Royal Gala finale of the Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
'Pulse' music festival in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, UK. This work was awarded New Zealand's major annual composition award for 2002, the SOUNZ Contemporary Award.
In 2003 a new CD of chamber works, Fragments, was released to critical acclaim and went on to win the Tui Award for Best Classical Recording at the New Zealand Music Awards. He was also named as the recipient of one of five Arts Foundation of New Zealand Artist Laureate Awards, which carry cash prizes of $40,000.
In 2004 Psathas achieved the largest audience for New Zealand-composed music when billions heard his fanfares and other music at the opening
2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games was held on August 13, 2004 at the Olympic Stadium in Maroussi, Greece, a suburb of Athens. 72,000 spectators attended the event, with approximately 15,000 athletes from 202 countries participating in the ceremony as well...
and closing ceremonies of the Athens Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. This high-profile work was recognised in New Zealand's New Year Honours by his appointment as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
. Additionally, his Piano Concerto, premiered by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is the national orchestra of New Zealand. It is a crown entity owned by the Government of New Zealand, with 90 full-time players....
and soloist Stephen Gosling, was awarded the SOUNZ Contemporary Award for excellence in composition.
Works of music
Notable works by John Psathas:- Waiting for the Aeroplane for piano (1988)
- Matre's Dance for piano and percussion (1991)
- Percussion Concerto for four percussionists and orchestra (1992/95)
- Drum Dances for piano and drum kit (1993)
- Rhythm Spike for piano (1994)
- Three Island Songs for clarinet, cello and piano (1995)
- Abhisheka for string quartet (1996)
- Happy Tachyons for piano and percussion (1996)
- Three Island Songs (version for piano trio) (1996)
- Motet for piano duet (1997)
- Jettatura for piano (1999)
- Luminous for orchestra (1999)
- Saxon for Brass Band (1999) - Written for the 2000 Shell NZ National Brass Band Championships
- Piano Quintet for piano and string quartet (2000)
- Saxophone Concerto for tenor saxophone, drum kit and orchestra (2000)
- Fragment for piano and vibraphone (or piano duet) (2001)
- Orpheus in Rarohenga for soprano, tenor and bass soloists, choir and orchestra (2002)
- View from Olympus: Double Concerto for percussion, piano and orchestra (2002)
- Piano Concerto for piano and orchestra (2003)
- Pieces for the Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies - Athens 2004 (2004)
- A Cool Wind for string quartet (2008) Commissioned by Chamber Music New Zealand and written specifically for the Takács QuartetTakács QuartetThe Takács Quartet is a string quartet, founded in Hungary, and now based in Boulder, Colorado, United States.- History :In 1975, four students at the Music Academy in Budapest, Gabor Takács-Nagy , Károly Schranz , Gabor Ormai , and András Fejér formed The Takács Quartet...
. - Elect the Dead SymphonyElect the Dead Symphony-Chart positions:-External links:*...
(with Serj TankianSerj TankianSerj Tankian is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer–songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, playwright, record producer, poet, and political activist...
) (Orchestral Arrangements) (2010) - The New Zeimbekiko (2011)