Composition

Andrew's music refers to a wide-ranging and eclectic compositional aesthetic. From rhythmically intricate jazz phrases to glistening soundtracks, he is comfortable moving between contrasting worlds. But all music grows from the same acoustic reality, regardless of stylistic considerations; the work begins as a blank canvas to which a set of considered constraints are meticulously applied. This is especially true of his 'pure' composition, and that is where another concern comes into play: transformation - a measure of the degree of change, of distance and of formation.

 

After early studies inspired by the music of Xenakis, Ligeti, Scelsi, Murail, Grisey and others, Andrew composed pieces that could be characterised as having a quasi-spectral attitude. Some examples of these can be found on this page. After several years working in other musical genres, he has returned to contemporary composition with a list of new works, including "The edge of rain and sea" and "Distant Spaces", as well as pieces for solo piano, flute and piano and other ensembles.

 

Here, the tools of acoustical analysis developed at IRCAM provide the necessary organisational and organic starting point. Inspired by recent research into sound, Andrew's new work re-ignites the figural, aligning it to the soundscape; the écriture to the sound event, the discursive to the presentational.

 

Andrew's compositions have been performed by a variety of ensembles including Firebird, Ixion, Balanescu String Quartet and the London Sinfonietta.

The press have responded positively to his work, with The Musical Times saying that there is "a palpable delight in the act of composition itself, a relish in the subjective", and The Times newspaper refering to his music as "Alive and vital".