I have written programme notes for a range of contemporary and 20th-century pieces, and I’m always interested in writing more – it’s one of my favourite forms of writing, trying to crystallise the background, form and content of a piece in a way that is both approachable and interesting. And often for an audience who haven’t heard the music before!
If you would like me to write notes for your concert, no matter how long or short, please get in touch at timrutherfordjohnson AT gmail DOT com.
A full list of the pieces for which I have written notes appears below. Many of these notes are available for reprint or adaptation; please email me if you are interested in using any for your concert.
Aa, Michel van der
- Clarinet Concerto, ‘Hysteresis’
- Up-close
Adams, John
- Chamber Symphony
- Doctor Atomic Symphony
Andriessen, Louis
- Hoketus
- De Staat
- Tapdance
Antheil, George
- Symphony no.5, ‘Joyous’
Bacewicz, Grażyna
- Concerto for Strings
Bartók, Béla
- Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
- Three Village Scenes
Birtwistle, Harrison
- The Axe Manual
- Virelai (Sus une fontayne)
Boulez, Pierre
- Le marteau sans maître
Brennan, Patrick
- new work for Piano Circus and Juice
Bryars, Gavin
- String Quartet no.2
Campbell, Ewan
- Three Glimpses
Carpenter, John Alden
- Krazy Kat
Clyne, Anna
- Secret Garden
- The Seamstress
Crane, Laurence
- Guitar Prelude
Cutler, Joe
- Guitar Music
Davies, Tansy
- neon
Debussy, Claude
- Danse sacrée et danse profane
- Études
Dessner, Bryce
- Tenebre
Deutsch, Bernd Richard
- Mad Dog
- Red Alert! (from Dr Futurity)
Dillon, James
- La navette
Eötvös, Peter
- Derwischtanz
- IMA
- Levitation
- Paris-Dakar
- Psalm 151
- Psychokosmos
- Sonata per sei
- Violin Concerto, ‘DoReMi’
- zeroPoints
Fardon, Daniel-Lewis
- Flux
Finnis, Edmund
- Frame/Refrain
- in situ
Fitkin, Graham
- Log, Line, and Loud
Giguère, Patrick
- l’heure de s’enivrer
Glass, Philip
- Four Movements for Two Pianos
- Mad Rush
- Music in Twelve Parts
- String Quartet no.1
- String Quartet no.2, ‘Company’
- String Quartet no.3, ‘Mishima’
- String Quartet no.4, ‘Buczak’
- String Quartet no.5
- Symphony no.3
Haas, Georg Friedrich
- Morgen und Abend
Jackson, Gabriel
- Fantasy with Anniversary Chorale
Johnson, Evan
- L’art de toucher le clavecin, 3
Johnston, Ben
- String Quartet no.4
Kang, Sukhi
- Mutatio perpetua
Karikis, Mikhail
- 102 Years Out Of Synch
Kurtág, György
- … concertante …
- Hipartita
- Játékok
Lang, David
- world to come
Larcher, Thomas
- Double Concerto
- Violin Concerto
Ligeti, György
- Chamber Concerto
- Concerto Romanesc
- Double Concerto
- Ejszka-Reggel
- Piano Études
- Hamburg Concerto
- Lontano
- Lux aeterna
- Melodien
- String Quartet no.1 ‘Métamorphoses nocturnes’
- String Quartet no.2
Lim, Liza
- Speak, Be Silent
Lutosławski, Witold
- Bukoliki
- Dance Preludes
- Epitaph
- Fanfare for CUBE
- Grave. Metamorphoses
- Mini Overture
- Partita
- String Quartet
- Subito
- Symphony no.3
- Two Studies
Maric, Dave
- Trilogy
Martland, Steve
- Horses of Instruction
- Starry Night
Mazzoli, Missy
- Violent, Violent Sea
Messiaen, Olivier
- Cantéyodjayâ
- Île de feu I and II
Metcalfe, John
- Three Pieces
- Fairlight
Molitor, Claudia
- zuhanden
Monk, Meredith
- Three Heavens and Hells
- Volcano Songs
Moondog
- Various works
Moreira, Daniel
- Miniature Variations
Morgan-Williams, Bethan
- Scoot
Muhly, Nico
- Cello Concerto
- Diacritical Marks
Nancarrow, Conlon
- String Quartet no.1
- String Quartet no.3
Nancarrow, Conlon (arr. Paul Usher)
- Player Piano Study no.33 for string quartet
Oliveros, Pauline
- David Tudor
- Klickitat Ride
- Noise – Silence
- One Sound Once
- Pebble Music
- Piano Piano
- Quintessential
- Rock Piece
- The Witness
- Word Sound
Pallett, Owen
- Violin Concerto
Parsons, Michael
- Air and Variation
Pärt, Arvo
- Fratres
- Silouans Song
- Tabula rasa
Penderecki, Krzysztof
- Concerto grosso
Pérotin
- Viderunt omnes
Pritchard, Deborah
- The Angel Standing in the Sun
- Wall of Water
Prokofiev, Sergey
- Peter and the Wolf
Reich, Steve
- Clapping Music
- Come Out
- Different Trains
- Mallet Quartet
- Music for 18 Musicians
- Music for Pieces of Wood
- Pendulum Music
- Quartet
- Sextet
Richter, Max
- Infra 8
- Take these broken wings
Roussel, Albert
- String Quartet in D, op.45
Saunders, Rebecca
- a visible trace
Saxton, Robert
- The Resurrection of the Soldiers
Schnittke, Alfred
- Concerto Grosso no.1
Schöllhorn, Johannes
- Fantasia
Sheen, Jack
- Lung
Sheng, Bright
- Violin Concerto, ‘Let Fly’
Souleyman, Omar (arr. Jacob Garchik)
- I’ll Prevent the Hunters From Hunting You for string quartet
Stevens, Sufjan (arr. various)
- Run Rabbit Run
Stockhausen, Karlheinz
- Gesang der Jünglinge
- Kontakte
Szymanowski, Karol
- Mazurkas, op.50
- String Quartet no.1
Takemitsu, Tōru
- Rain Coming
- Requiem
Talbot, Joby
- Utopia, Dead Space, Polarisation
Taplin, Michael
- Ebbing Tides
Thorvaldsdottír, Anna
- Ró
Tüür, Erkki-Sven
- Show (Action Passion Illusion)
Varèse, Edgard
- Octandre
Volans, Kevin
- String Quartet no.2, ‘Hunting: Gathering’
Webern, Anton
- Passacaglia
Weill, Kurt
- Three Songs (‘Le grand Lustucru’, ‘Surabaya Johnny’, ‘Ballad of Sexual Slavery’)
Young, Nina C.
- Traced upon Cinders
Yun, Isang
- Piece concertante
- Teile dich Nacht
Zivkovic, Djuro
- On the Guarding of the Heart
The Rambler 