Raymond Deane

born in 1953, he was brought up on Achill Island, on the west coast of Ireland. Since the age of ten he has lived in Dublin, Basel, Co-logne, Berlin, Oldenburg and Paris. From 1974 (when he graduated from University College Dublin) to 1979 he studied composition with Gerald Bennett, Karlheinz Stockhausen and the late Isang Yun. Now based in Dublin and Céret (French Catalonia), he works as a freelance composer, pianist and author. His works have been featured at nu-merous international festivals including L’Imaginaire Irlandais, the iscm World Music Days and the International Rostrum of Composers.
He is currently artistic director of the rté Living Music Festival, the first of which was held in 2002 and the second in February 2004. His music has been recorded on the Black Box and Marco Polo labels. He has been a member of Aosdána, Ireland’s state-sponsored Academy of Creative Artists, since 1986.

Selected works (since 1984): de/montage for orchestra (1984), Chamber Concertino for chamber orchestra (1985), Rhizome for harpsichord for four hands and strings (1985), Ecarts for violin, viola and cello (1986), Tresholds for orchestra (1987, 2nd version 1991), Mórchuid cloch is gannchuid cré for soprano and orchestra (1987), Quaternion for piano and orchestra (1988), Contretemps for two pianos (1989), After-Pieces for solo piano (1989–90), Krespel’s Concerto for solo violin and orchestra (1990), November Songs for mezzo-soprano, oboe, bass clarinet, piano, violin and cello (1990), Ein Blatt Baumlos for cello and percussion (2nd version, 1990), The Poet and his Double for mezzo-soprano, tenor and baritone, clarinet, horn, percussion, piano, violin, cello and three actors (1991), Catenae for large instrumental ensemble (1991), Alembic for wind orchestra (1992), Birds and beasts for violin and piano (1992–93), Seachanges (with Danse Macabre) for ensemble (1993), Apostille for organ, (1993), …Una Musica Riposa for mezzo-soprano, oboe, cello and piano (1993), Concerto for Oboe and Large Orchestra (1993–94), Epitomes for orchestra (1993–94), Epilogue for oboe and guitar (3rd version, 1994), Catacombs for clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1994, 2nd version 2004), Vampirella/Company of Wolves for soprano saxophone, guitar, piano, organ, cello, percussion and tape (1994), Fügung for bass clarinet and harpsichord (1995), Silhouettes for string quartet (2nd version 1995), Dekatriad for 12 strings (1995), Two Songs for Paris for mezzo-soprano, viola and piano (1995), Orphica for piano (3rd version, 1996), Idols for organ (2nd version, 1996), Marche Oubliée for violin, cello and piano (two versions, 1996 and 2004), Moresque for oboe and percussion (1996), Excursus for soprano saxophone/clarinet (both versions 1996), So quiet now… for soprano, viola and piano (1996), Chorale for piano (1995–96), The Wall of Clouds for four solo voices (two sopranos, mezzo-soprano and tenor) and ensemble (1997), Brown Studies for string quartet (1997–98), Rhau’s Rounds for piano (1998), Spring Leaves for flute and piano (1998), Parthenia Violata for violin and piano (1998), Ripieno for orchestra (1998–99), Pentacle for violin and cello (2000), Inter Pares for string quartet (2000), Equali for string quartet (2001), Passage-work for soprano solo, instrumental ensemble and tape (2001), …a fire was in my head… for strings (2002), Bagatelle for
l. b. for string quartet (2002), Violin Concerto (2003).

Catacombs
This piece was composed in 1994 to a commission from Dublin’s Project Arts Centre for the Northern Irish ensemble Sequenza, and was first performed by them in the Project the following year.
‘The departed Hartmann’s creative spirit draws me to the skulls, and the skulls glow softly from within’. These words of Mussorgsky’s drew me to the eighth section of his Pictures from an Exhibition, inspired by the paintings of Viktor Hartmann. The eight sections of Catacombs are entirely derived from Mussorgsky’s material, sometimes quite directly, and sometimes obliquely, in a ‘neo-serial’ manner. The work includes a Berceuse funŹbre and a Catacombs fugue…