On 24 August Maxim Rysanov joins the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra at Berwaldhallen for a performance of John Woolrich’s Ulysses Awakes at the Baltic Sea Festival.
The 8-minute work for viola and string orchestra, one of Woolrich’s most celebrated, reflects his longstanding preoccupations as a composer: fragments, transcription, quotation, and the music of Monteverdi.
Its material is taken from an aria from Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria – in act one, scene seven, the titular hero finds himself washed up on the shores of Ithaca. In Woolrich’s evocative, searching retelling of this scene, the viola part ‘sings’ Ulysses.
To date Ulysses Awakes has received over 300 performances worldwide since its premiere in 1989 from Clare Finnimore and the Guildhall String Ensemble at Dartington International Summer School; it has been recorded by the Orchestra of St. John’s Smith Square with Jane Atkins and John Lubbock, and more recently, in 2018 by 12 Ensemble.
Rysanov will also perform the work with I Musici De Montreal in Canada on 26 September at Pierre-Mercure Hall; since 2008 he has given numerous renditions of the work, partnering with Britten Sinfonia, 12 Ensemble, and the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra.
Its many other exponents over the years have included the Australian Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Ensemble, and Royal Northern Sinfonia; the solo viola part has been taken up by Lawrence Power, Paul Silverthorne, and Tasmin Little, amongst others. In 2017 it was choreographed by Alexander Whitley for a short film created with 12 Ensemble for a Snape Maltings Artistic Residency.
July also saw a three-day long exploration of Woolrich’s work at Folkestone New Music – as well as that of his beloved colleagues and musical interlocutors. Here is My Country: John Woolrich in Context celebrated the composer’s 70th birthday this year with a showcase of his chamber music, songs, and ensemble works, as well as featuring music by Tansy Davies and Thomas Adès.