I’m very very happy to be the guest of the Conservatoire & Orchestre de Caen from March 19-24 as part of their festival Aspects.
It will feature the French premieres of a whole tranche of my music, from Meditation (after Donne) to Visiones (after Goya), along with many of my pieces that don’t have parentheses in the titles. Pleasingly symmetrically it includes both the world premiere of my newest piece, Chanson à Cordes, as well as a performance of my oldest published piece, Three Venus Haiku.
i’m delighted also to be working with students at the conservatoire on my music, including most of the Òran Fìdhle set. Though not, as it happens this one or this one…
A few weeks ago I recorded an interview with the composer, YouTuber and podcaster Samuel Andreyev. He’s titled it ‘How to Write Beautiful Music’, which may or may not be an accurate description of the content…
Black Fell, an interactive digital opera by Martin Suckling and Frances Leviston, performed by Jonathan Morton and Loré Lixenberg, will be available to play online from Friday 3 November 2023 at black-fell.com.
Delighted that my album The Tuning – covering string chamber music from the last decade as well as the titular song cycle – has been awarded the ISM Award for New Music Recording at the Scottish Awards for New Music 2023!
Following on from its nomination for a Gramophone Award, The Tuning has now been shortlisted in the Scottish Awards for New Music 2023 in the ISM Award for New Music Recording category.
The Tuning is now available! You can order direct from Delphian or stream via your favoured provider.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ reviews from BBC Music Magazine, The Scotsman, and Morning Star, as well as featured in the Observer’s Classical Home Listening section. Read more below.
these bones, this flesh, this skin, a collaboration between Martin and choreographer Joan Clevillé of Scottish Dance Theatre, cinematographer Genevieve Reeves, violinist Jonathan Morton of Scottish Ensemble, has been awarded the Classical:NEXT Innovation Award 2021!
The Innovation Award is “designed to place the spotlight on forward-thinking activities taking place around the world.” Classical:NEXT described these bones, this flesh, this skin as “a provocative creative response to the limitations of COVID: it's a work that harnesses the opportunities of digital and can only exist in that medium.”
You can watch Classical:NEXT’s interview with Joan, Jon and Genevieve here.
I’m delighted that This Departing Landscape has been nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in the Large Scale Composition category of the Ivors Composer Awards!
Very excited to see & hear The Tuning on Delphian come together. You can preorder now…!
https://www.delphianrecords.com/collections/forthcoming/products/martin-suckling-the-tuning
I’m so pleased that these bones, this flesh, this skin has received the Musician’s Union Award for Installation/Sound Art/Electroacoustic New Work at the Scottish Awards for New Music 2021!
You can read about the piece and the other nominees at the New Music Scotland webpages.
Delighted to discover that three pieces from the last year have been shortlisted in the annual Scottish Awards for New Music!
This Departing Landscape, Her Lullaby, and these bones, this flesh, this skin have been selected in the Large Scale New Work sponsored by PRS for Music, Dorico Award for Solo Work sponsored by Steinberg, and Musician’s Union Award for Installation/Sound Art/Electroacoustic New Work categories.
Winners will be announced at an online ceremony on 7th July 2021.
The highlight of my pandemic (so far…) has without a doubt been working on these bones, this flesh, this skin alongside my friends at the Scottish Ensemble and Scottish Dance Theatre. We were particularly keen to create something that took advantage of the online medium rather than trying to replicate a live performance. It’s really gratifying therefore that the work has been included on the international longlist for the Classical:NEXT Innovation Award 2021.
It was a great pleasure to chat to Aileen and Ben of the fantastic Ear To The Ground ! podcast about This Departing Landscape. You can listen over at their website or on your preferred podcast provider.
My new disc on the NMC label, This Departing Landscape has debuted at No. 14 in the Official Classical Charts!
This Departing Landscape, featuring Katherine Bryan (flute), Tamara Stefanovich (piano), the BBC SSO and the BBC Phil conducted by Ilan Volkov.
12 February 2021. I CAN’T WAIT
(cover image: ceramic art by Edmund de Waal photographed by Helene Binet)
My contribution to the Royal Academy of Music’s 200 pieces project will have its first performance on Tuesday 6th October at 1pm by the phenomenal young violist, Julie Park. All the RAM’s concerts this term are being livestreamed and you can watch live or catch up afterwards at this link.
Also available at the moment: the BBC Radio 3 broadcasts of The White Road and Piano Concerto, with the wonderful soloists Katherine Bryan (flute) and Tamara Stefanovich (piano) alongside the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ilan Volkov. You can hear them for another two weeks at this link; the NMC recording of which they form part will be available in early 2021.
I’ve spent the past few months collaborating with violinist Jonathan Morton (Scottish Ensemble), choreographer Joan Clevillé (Scottish Dance Theatre), cinematographer Genevieve Reeves and dancer João Castro on a new interactive piece of dance-music-film(?) specifically designed to be experienced online. It’s been the most wonderful experience making it, and it’s now finally available to explore at thesebonesthisfleshthisskin.com
(image: still from film by Genevieve Reeves)
With live concerts still an uncertain point in the hazy future, I’m delighted that the BBC Phil and Ilan Volkov recording of This Departing Landscape made for a disc with NMC has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Available at this link for 30 days from its 1st July broadcast. Score available for online viewing over at Faber Music.
Online ceremonies are a bit odd, but nevertheless I’m delighted that The Tuning was chosen to receive The Dorico Award for Small / Medium Scale Work sponsored by Steinberg (1-10 performers) at last week’s Scottish Awards for New Music 2020. Huge thanks to Oxford Lieder Festival for commissioning the work, and Marta Fontanals-Simmons and Christopher Glynn for their fantastic performances.
I’m delighted that The Tuning has been shortlisted in the Scottish Awards for New Music 2020 – in the economically-named “The Dorico Award for Small / Medium Scale New Work (1 - 10 performers) sponsored by Steinberg” category.
