French Suite (1994)
for solo piano
Publisher: Bardic Edition
Available from Goodmusic Publishing
Score BDE 776
Duration: 9 minutes
CD Recordings
* Recorded by Jill Richards on 'Michael Blake: Complete Works for Solo Piano 1994-2004' (MBED001)
* Recorded by Silvia Belfiore on 'Yokuwela - Contemporary Piano Music from the African Continent' (Da Vinci Classics)
* Recorded by Sally Rose on 'The Silence of Patterns' (MBED003)
Premiere
First performance: Saturday 26 November 1994; St Luke's Concerts, Brighton, United Kingdom; Sally Rose piano
Further performances: 24 May 1995: Brighton Festival, UK; Sally Rose
14 June 1995: Evenings of New Music, Bratislava, Slovakia; Michael Blake (Slovakian premiere)
7 November 1995: africa95, St John's Smith Square, London; Sally Rose (London premiere)
Michael Blake South African Tour August 1997
*8 August 1997: Fismer Hall, Stellenbosch University, South Africa (South African premiere)
*13 August 1997: Beethoven Room, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
*15 August 1997: University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa;
*18 August 1997: Howard College Theatre, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa;
*22 August 1997: Musaion, University of Pretoria, South Africa;
*25 August 1997: Atrium, Wits University, Johannesburg, South Africa
1 April 1998: Easter Festival '98, Austria; John Tilbury (Austrian premiere)
8 July 1998: 'Composer Portrait', National Arts Festival, Grahamstown; Michael Blake
24 October 1999: Atrium, Wits University, Johannesburg, South Africa; Jill Richards
17 April 2000: Centre for Intercultural Musical Arts, Jeffery Hall, Institute of Education, London; Jill Richards
26 September 2000: South Africa House, London; Christopher Duigan
8 October 2000: Gencor Gallery, Rand Afrikaans University, Johannesburg; Christopher Duigan
27 April 2001; Freedom Day Concert, Durban, South Africa; Christopher Duigan
9 September 2001: Festival International Encuentros, Museo Nacional de Musica, Buenos Aires; Michael Blake (South American premiere)
27 February 2002: Ensemble Noir Series, Toronto; Jill Richards (North American premiere)
4 May 2002; Beethoven Room, Grahamstown, South Africa; Jill Richards
12 March 2003: University of Natal, Durban, South Africa; Jill Richards
18-22 August 2003: Edinburgh Festival, Scotland; Christopher Duigan (Scottish premiere)
Jill Richards UK Tour April-May 2007
*28 April 28, 2007: Lubbock Room, Peterhouse, Cambridge, UK
*30 April 2007: Holywell Music Room, Oxford, UK
*1 May 2007: The Warehouse, London
*3 May 2007: Concert Hall, University of Durham, UK
16 May 2007: Ears on Europe, Düsseldorf, Germany; Yukiko Fujieda (German premiere)
27 June 2008: National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa; Jill Richards
25 November 2009: College of Arts, Windhoek, Namibia; Jill Richards (Namibian premiere)
27 November 2013: Hofstelle Flammer, Coasts, Germany; Silvia Belfiore
19 March 2014: Festival Giornato, Milan; Silvia Belfiore (Italian premiere)
7 April 2014; Les Rencontres Contemporaines, France; Ancuza Aprodu (French premiere)
6 May 2014: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Silvia Belfiore (Ethiopian premiere)
8 May 2014: Nairobi, Kenya; Silvia Belfiore (Kenyan premiere)
17 October 2014: Free Music Center, Stuttgart, Germany; Silvia Belfiore
3 November 2014: ICPNA, Lima, Peru; Silvia Belfiore (Peruvian premiere)
1 February 2015: Lagos, Nigeria; Silvia Belfiore (Nigerian premiere)
2-16 February 2015: Nigerian Tour; Silvia Belfiore
11 May 2015: Italian Embassy, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; Silvia Belfiore (Tanzanian premiere)
14 May 2015: Alliance Française, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; Silvia Belfiore
15 May 2015: Casalini Residence, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; Silvia Belfiore
4 December 2015: Treviso, Italy; Silvia Belfiore
21 July 2017: Le Genesteix Concerts, Azat-le-Ris, France; Coila-Leah Enderstein
18 November 2018: Festival Nuovo Consonanza, Italy; Silvia Belfiore
9 April 2019: Fismer Hall, Stellenbosch University, South Africa; Michael Blake
15 October 2022: Italy; Silvia Belfiore
Programme note
The form of French Suite is loosely related to the Bach Suites, consisting as it does of dances in contrasting styles. But there are only two, and both owe their musical genesis to Africa rather than the Baroque. The First Dance is underpinned by a chaconne-like pattern with variations in continually changing meters, interrupted regularly by a short refrain derived from Zimbabwean mbira music. The melodic material of the variations makes reference to West African kora music. By contrast, the Second Dance juxtaposes and sometimes overlays material derived from a wide range of sources including mbira music, again) and the result is analogous to cinematic montage. The instrumental writing derives from 18th-century French harpsichord music and early 20th-century French piano music. The first performance was given by Sally Rose on 26 November 1994 to launch the 'St Luke's Concerts', Brighton.
Press
"One would have loved to know what inspired him to call it French. There was certainly enough clarity in the writing to suggest Bach, who wrote half a dozen French Suites for the harpsichord. But Blake's work also let one's thoughts go out to West Africa… In it one finds a lot of rhythmic patterns which are developed all the time. This initially gives the work a more playful character before an aggressiveness sets in… Nearer to the end, it developed a dance-like character." — Paul Boekkooi, Cue, Grahamstown, Thursday 9 July 1998
“Michael Blake’s ‘French Suite’, two dances by the South African composer living in England, performed for the first time in Germany, combines catchy African rhythmic structures and restless melodies into a quiet, almost meditative music.” — Armin Kaumanns, Rheinische Post, Düsseldorf, Saturday, May 19, 2007
for solo piano
- First Dance (Non rubato; crotchet = 120)
- Second Dance (crotchet = 152)
Publisher: Bardic Edition
Available from Goodmusic Publishing
Score BDE 776
Duration: 9 minutes
CD Recordings
* Recorded by Jill Richards on 'Michael Blake: Complete Works for Solo Piano 1994-2004' (MBED001)
* Recorded by Silvia Belfiore on 'Yokuwela - Contemporary Piano Music from the African Continent' (Da Vinci Classics)
* Recorded by Sally Rose on 'The Silence of Patterns' (MBED003)
Premiere
First performance: Saturday 26 November 1994; St Luke's Concerts, Brighton, United Kingdom; Sally Rose piano
Further performances: 24 May 1995: Brighton Festival, UK; Sally Rose
14 June 1995: Evenings of New Music, Bratislava, Slovakia; Michael Blake (Slovakian premiere)
7 November 1995: africa95, St John's Smith Square, London; Sally Rose (London premiere)
Michael Blake South African Tour August 1997
*8 August 1997: Fismer Hall, Stellenbosch University, South Africa (South African premiere)
*13 August 1997: Beethoven Room, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
*15 August 1997: University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa;
*18 August 1997: Howard College Theatre, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa;
*22 August 1997: Musaion, University of Pretoria, South Africa;
*25 August 1997: Atrium, Wits University, Johannesburg, South Africa
1 April 1998: Easter Festival '98, Austria; John Tilbury (Austrian premiere)
8 July 1998: 'Composer Portrait', National Arts Festival, Grahamstown; Michael Blake
24 October 1999: Atrium, Wits University, Johannesburg, South Africa; Jill Richards
17 April 2000: Centre for Intercultural Musical Arts, Jeffery Hall, Institute of Education, London; Jill Richards
26 September 2000: South Africa House, London; Christopher Duigan
8 October 2000: Gencor Gallery, Rand Afrikaans University, Johannesburg; Christopher Duigan
27 April 2001; Freedom Day Concert, Durban, South Africa; Christopher Duigan
9 September 2001: Festival International Encuentros, Museo Nacional de Musica, Buenos Aires; Michael Blake (South American premiere)
27 February 2002: Ensemble Noir Series, Toronto; Jill Richards (North American premiere)
4 May 2002; Beethoven Room, Grahamstown, South Africa; Jill Richards
12 March 2003: University of Natal, Durban, South Africa; Jill Richards
18-22 August 2003: Edinburgh Festival, Scotland; Christopher Duigan (Scottish premiere)
Jill Richards UK Tour April-May 2007
*28 April 28, 2007: Lubbock Room, Peterhouse, Cambridge, UK
*30 April 2007: Holywell Music Room, Oxford, UK
*1 May 2007: The Warehouse, London
*3 May 2007: Concert Hall, University of Durham, UK
16 May 2007: Ears on Europe, Düsseldorf, Germany; Yukiko Fujieda (German premiere)
27 June 2008: National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa; Jill Richards
25 November 2009: College of Arts, Windhoek, Namibia; Jill Richards (Namibian premiere)
27 November 2013: Hofstelle Flammer, Coasts, Germany; Silvia Belfiore
19 March 2014: Festival Giornato, Milan; Silvia Belfiore (Italian premiere)
7 April 2014; Les Rencontres Contemporaines, France; Ancuza Aprodu (French premiere)
6 May 2014: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Silvia Belfiore (Ethiopian premiere)
8 May 2014: Nairobi, Kenya; Silvia Belfiore (Kenyan premiere)
17 October 2014: Free Music Center, Stuttgart, Germany; Silvia Belfiore
3 November 2014: ICPNA, Lima, Peru; Silvia Belfiore (Peruvian premiere)
1 February 2015: Lagos, Nigeria; Silvia Belfiore (Nigerian premiere)
2-16 February 2015: Nigerian Tour; Silvia Belfiore
11 May 2015: Italian Embassy, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; Silvia Belfiore (Tanzanian premiere)
14 May 2015: Alliance Française, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; Silvia Belfiore
15 May 2015: Casalini Residence, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; Silvia Belfiore
4 December 2015: Treviso, Italy; Silvia Belfiore
21 July 2017: Le Genesteix Concerts, Azat-le-Ris, France; Coila-Leah Enderstein
18 November 2018: Festival Nuovo Consonanza, Italy; Silvia Belfiore
9 April 2019: Fismer Hall, Stellenbosch University, South Africa; Michael Blake
15 October 2022: Italy; Silvia Belfiore
Programme note
The form of French Suite is loosely related to the Bach Suites, consisting as it does of dances in contrasting styles. But there are only two, and both owe their musical genesis to Africa rather than the Baroque. The First Dance is underpinned by a chaconne-like pattern with variations in continually changing meters, interrupted regularly by a short refrain derived from Zimbabwean mbira music. The melodic material of the variations makes reference to West African kora music. By contrast, the Second Dance juxtaposes and sometimes overlays material derived from a wide range of sources including mbira music, again) and the result is analogous to cinematic montage. The instrumental writing derives from 18th-century French harpsichord music and early 20th-century French piano music. The first performance was given by Sally Rose on 26 November 1994 to launch the 'St Luke's Concerts', Brighton.
Press
"One would have loved to know what inspired him to call it French. There was certainly enough clarity in the writing to suggest Bach, who wrote half a dozen French Suites for the harpsichord. But Blake's work also let one's thoughts go out to West Africa… In it one finds a lot of rhythmic patterns which are developed all the time. This initially gives the work a more playful character before an aggressiveness sets in… Nearer to the end, it developed a dance-like character." — Paul Boekkooi, Cue, Grahamstown, Thursday 9 July 1998
“Michael Blake’s ‘French Suite’, two dances by the South African composer living in England, performed for the first time in Germany, combines catchy African rhythmic structures and restless melodies into a quiet, almost meditative music.” — Armin Kaumanns, Rheinische Post, Düsseldorf, Saturday, May 19, 2007
