BBT Commissioning

Commissioning new music is one of BBT’s most creative and rewarding ways of helping young musicians and is an important theme in our 20th-anniversary celebrations in June 2023. This short film by BBT filmmaker Graham Johnston features archive footage of early interviews with pairings such as Kalevi Aho & Martin Fröst and Gavin Bryars & Ralph van Raat, to more recent conversations with the likes of Francisco Coll, Sebastian Fagerlund, Wim Henderickx and Kate Whitley. To date BBT has developed a portfolio of more than 50 commissions for over 30 BBT award-winners. The film will also be screened at Wigmore Hall as part of the BBT20 weekend.

The commissions featured in the film are as follows, with sources for the audio used:

Kalevi Aho Clarinet Concerto
World premiere London 22 April 2006
excerpt iv movement Adagio, mesto
Martin Fröst clarinet · Lahti Symphony Orchestra · Osmo Vänskä
BIS SACD-1463

Dave Maric Lucid Intervals
World premiere Verbier Festival 2006
excerpt ii movement
Håkan Hardenberger trumpet · Colin Currie percussion
excerpt from recording session for Onyx CD 4024

Sebastian Fagerlund Bassoon Concerto ‘Mana’
World premiere Lahti 6 December 2014
excerpt
Bram van Sambeek bassoon · Lahti Symphony Orchestra · Okko Kamu
BIS SACD-2206

Gavin Bryars Piano Concerto ‘The Solway Canal’
World premiere Utrecht 19 February 2010
excerpt
Ralph van Raat piano · Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic · Otto Tausk
Naxos 8.572570

Mark Simpson ‘Darkness Moves’
BBT video premiere 25 October 2016
Mark Simpson clarinet

Bent Sørensen ‘Easter Concerto’
World premiere Bergen 18, 19 & 20 September 2013
excerpt
Tine Thing Helseth trumpet · Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra · Andrew Manze
(Courtesy of NRK Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation)

Francisco Coll Piano Trio
World premiere Madrid 24 January 2022
excerpt UK premiere at the Aldeburgh Festival 25 June 2022
Trio Isimsiz piano trio

Kalevi Aho Trombone Concerto
World premiere Den Haag 2 March 2012
excerpt ii movement Presto
Jörgen van Rijen trombone · Antwerp Symphony Orchestra · Martyn Brabbins
BIS SACD-2196

Wim Henderickx ‘Sutra’ Concerto for Basset Clarinet, Electronics and Orchestra
World premiere Glasgow 31 March 2022
excerpt iv movement Samadhi: intense spiritual union
Annelien Van Wauwe basset clarinet · NDR Radiophilharmonie · Andrew Manze
Pentatone PTC5186973

Works referenced but not excerpted:

Kelly-Marie Murphy Triple Concerto ‘When I Too Long Have Looked Upon Your Face‘
World premiere Paris 18 February 2022
Trio Sōra piano trio

Huw Watkins Flute Concerto
World premiere London 23 February 2014
[a recording is available on NMC D224]

Kate Whitley Opera Oratorio ‘Our Future in Your Hands‘
World premiere London 14 & 15 September 2021

Detlev Glanert Double Piano Concerto
World premiere Glasgow 15 March 2008
Simon Crawford-Phillips and Philip Moore piano duo