chamber works by Anthony Bailey

Reflections
This short piece for was completed specially for the Philharmonia Orchestra's Sound Exchange project. It was first performed in October 2005 as part of a live webcast by members of the orchestra: David Theodore (oboe), Mark van de Wiel (clarinet), Michael Cole (bassoon), Laurence Davies (Horn) and Peter Fry (percussion).

Each clip below is paired up with a line from "the low clouds" by Russian poet Tatyana Voltskaya. Anthony had just finished setting Three Voltskaya Songs when he started work on Reflections, and the atmospheric images of her words influenced this short piece.

Right click and save to download or click to listen:
Reflections 1 - fast (45 seconds, 708KB)
"trees hold charred stumps in their midst like blackened teeth"
Reflections 2 - reprise (51 seconds, 808KB)
"the low clouds, the shreds of dry grass..."
Reflections 3 - slow (57 seconds, 900KB)
"this is no English landscape..."

You can still watch a video of the session online at the Sound Exchange Website, and download a .pdf file of the score. If you would like to find out more about this piece, email ant@antbailey.com or visit the contact page.

Disastrous Consequences
The clip below is taken from the final section of this one-movement piece for clarinet and piano. It was commissioned by clarinettist Angus Meryon and first performed at the Purcell Room in London's South Bank Centre.

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Disastrous Consequences (45 seconds, 708KB)

If you would like to find out more about this piece, email ant@antbailey.com or visit the contact page.

Conversations
Conversations was written for the Chinook clarinet quartet, of which Anthony is a member. It has been performed in several of their concerts across the UK. The quartet is in several short movements, each exploring different combinations of texture and timbre. The clip below is taken from one of those sections, and you can hear how each of the four players bring their own style of playing to the performance.

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Conversations (43 seconds, 676KB)

Copies of Conversations for clarinet quartet are available to order for your ensemble. Email ant@antbailey.com or visit the contact page.

Sonata for clarinet and piano
This three-movement work was commissioned by Chain of Hope. It was written for clarinettist David Campbell, who gave the work its premiere at the Cambridge Summer Festival 2005. In the same concert, Sir John Tavener discussed and performed his own music and previewed work in progress with the soprano Patricia Rozario.

The opening movement contains musical fragments of many different characters. The second movement is a slow lament, and the finale is a fast, high-spirited toccata.

Chain of Hope is a registered charity in the UK with branches in France, Portugal, Italy, Germany and the United States, whose collective aim is to alleviate the suffering of children born in developing countries, suffering from congenital and rheumatic heart diseases.

Copies of the Sonata are available to order. Email ant@antbailey.com or visit the contact page.