Thomas Adès

Life Story - 1993

Soprano and Chamber Ensemble of Three Players

Written for The Composers Ensemble

Instrumentation

2 bcl.db

Programme Notes

Life Story

Words by Tennessee Williams

This setting was made in April 1993 for the Mary Wiegold song-book. It reflects all the double-edges of the poem: comic and tragic, relaxed and formal, seedy and tender, with a toe-stubbing punchline.

Recordings

Past Performances

  • October 16 1993
    West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge, United Kingdom
    Ades?, Composers Ensemble, Wiegold
  • January 10 1994
    St John's, Smith Square, London, United Kingdom
    Composers Ensemble, Diego Masson, Mary Wiegold
  • December 21 1995
    Royal Holloway College, Egham, Surrey, United Kingdom
    Mary Wiegold
  • July 14 1996
    Almeida Festival, London, United Kingdom
    Brad Cohen, Composers Ensemble, Mary Wiegold
  • February 7 1998
    Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, United Kingdom
    Ensemble 10-10, Jane Ginsborg, Jonathan Grieves-Smith
  • January 10 & 12 1999
    Knitting Factory Club, New York, USA
    Sequiter
  • February 11 1999
    Roehampton Institute, London, United Kingdom
    Alison Wells, Martyn Parry
  • February 20 1999
    Wigmore Hall, London, United Kingdom
    Ades and Friends, Mary Carewe
  • February 28 1999
    CMN Tour, Purcell Room, London, United Kingdom
    Brad Cohen, Composers Ensemble, Mary Wiegold
  • March 3 1999
    CMN Tour, The Anvil Basingstoke, United Kingdom
    Brad Cohen, Composers Ensemble
  • March 4 1999
    CMN Tour, West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge, United Kingdom
    Brad Cohen, Composers Ensemble, Mary Wiegold
  • March 5 1999
    CMN Tour, Hastings, United Kingdom
    Brad Cohen, Composers Ensemble, Mary Wiegold
  • March 6 1999
    CMN Tour, Bath, United Kingdom
    Brad Cohen, Composers Ensemble, Mary Wiegold
  • March 9 1999
    Helsinki Festival, Temppeliaukio Church, Finland
    Avanti!, Raili Viljakainen
  • March 11 1999
    CMN Tour, The Arc, Stockton, United Kingdom
    Brad Cohen, Composers Ensemble, Mary Wiegold
  • March 14 1999
    Mills College, Oakland, USA
    Marcia Gronewold
  • July 11 1999
    Hoxton Hall, London, United Kingdom
    Composers Ensemble, Mary Wiegold
  • October 2 1999
    Miller Theatre, Columbia University, USA
    Locrian Chamber Players
  • November 24 1999
    Suite, Amsterdam, Netherlands
    Andrea Austin-Jones and adhoc players
  • January 28 2000
    Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, United Kingdom
    Andrew Watts, London Sinfonietta
  • March 17 2000
    Purcell Room, London, United Kingdom
    Mary Carewe, Philip Mayers
  • March 19 2000
    Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, United Kingdom
    Composers Ensemble, Mary Wiegold, Peter Wiegold
  • October 9 2000
    Southern Methodist University, Dallas, USA
    Christine Schadeburg, Voices of Change
  • January 23 2001
    Joyce Theatre, New York, USA
    Dora Ohrenstein (sop), Karole Armitage (Dancer), Steve Gosling (pno)
  • January 26 2001
    Joyce Theatre, New York, USA
    Dora Ohrenstein (sop), Karole Armitage (Dancer), Steve Gosling (pno)
  • January 7 2002
    PLG Young Artists Concerts, Purcell Room, London, United Kingdom
    Elizabeth Atherton, Iain Farringdon
  • February 21 2002
    Music School, Palace Green, Durham, United Kingdom
    Durham Contemporary Music Ensemble
  • April 19 2002
    Arnold Schoenberg Centre, Vienna, Austria
    Chamber Domaine
  • November 1 2002
    All Saints Church, Franciscan Rd, Tooting, London, United Kingdom
    Catherine Fox, Rupert Jeffcoat
  • August 2 2003
    Bargemusic, New York, USA
    Chamber Domaine, Chamber Domaine (Helen Meyerhoff, Stephen De Pledge)
  • January 24 2004
    Concertgebouw Recital Hall, Amsterdam, Netherlands
    Mary Carewe, Philip Mayers
  • April 28 2004
    Wigmore Hall, London, United Kingdom
    Chamber Domaine
  • November 3 2004
    Guesten Hall, Avoncroft Museum of Buildings, Stoke Heath, Bromsgrove, United Kingdom
    Helen Meyerhoff, Stephen de Pledge
  • December 7 2004
    Gulbenkian Hall, Lisbon, Portugal
    Mary Carewe, Psappha
  • January 14 2005
    PLG New Year Series, Purcell Room, London, United Kingdom
    Lefki Karpodini, Ruby Hughes
  • April 8 2005
    Lippes Concert Hall, University at Buffalo, USA
    Jacob Greenberg, Tony Arnold
  • June 11 2005
    Aldeburgh Festival, Aldeburgh Church, Suffolk, United Kingdom
    Dante Quartet, Gweneth-Ann Jeffers
  • August 3-4 2005
    Santa Chamber Music Festival, Santa Fe, USA
    Festival Players
  • May 11 2006
    Music ad Hoy, Madrid, Spain
    Proyecto Guerrero
  • February 10 2007
    Presences Festival, Paris, France
    Choeur de Radio France, Mary Carewe
  • February 16-18 2007
    Presences Festival, Paris, France
    Choeur de Radio France, Ensemble Calliopée, Mary Carewe, Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Pascal Rophé, Thomas Bauer
  • April 20 2008
    Elphinstone Hall, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom
    Gemini (Sarah Leonard, Huw Watkins)
  • December 9 2008
    Greenfield Hall, New York, USA
    Manhattan School of Music
  • November 12 2009
    GSMD Music Hall, London, United Kingdom
  • January 23 & 26 2010
    Joyce Theatre, New York, USA
    Dora Ohrenstein (Soprano), Karole Armitage (Dancer), Steve Gosling (Piano)
  • February 27 2010
    Teatro Camploy, Verona, Italy
    Orchestra Arena di Verona
  • April 1 2010
    Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, USA
    University of Rochester, Jonathan Girard
  • September 10 2012
    Wigmore Hall, London, United Kingdom
    Helena Juntunen, Eveliina Kytömäki
  • October 24 2012
    Casino Baumgarten, Vienna, Austria
    Andrew Watts, Volker Krafft

© Thomas Adès 2013