Composer-in-Association, BBC NOW
B. Tommy Andersson was Composer-in-Association at BBC National Orchestra of Wales in Cardiff during the 2014–15 season.
The collaboration was very successful, as described in this article in Gramophone, 24 April 2015.
During the concert season, the orchestra has played seven orchestral works of B. Tommy Andersson. Besides this, Andersson has conducted a concert with all Swedish music with BBC NOW, and he has also been involved in the project Composition: Wales 2015. All this has led to a several other engagements with the orchestra.
On 3rd September 2015, at 6.30pm, the orchestra under Thomas Søndergård made the first performance of the new orchestral work Pan, a BBC commission, at a Prom Concert in Royal Albert Hall. The same day, at 4.45pm–5.30pm, there was a Proms Extra at Royal College of Music in London, where B Tommy Andersson, in conversation with Andrew McGregor, discussed the world premiere of Pan and introduced performances of his chamber works.
B Tommy Andersson’s The Garden of Delights (2009) was the first piece to be played in the season, on 3 October 2014, followed by Richard Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder and Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1, conducted by the Principal Conductor of the orchestra, Thomas Søndergård. It was very enthusiastically received. (Here is a link to some Reviews).
There was also a portrait concert in Hoddinott Hall, on the 25 February 2015, with music of Andersson conducted by Søndergård. Here the orchestral works Death in Venice (2013), Passacaglia (2008), and Warriors (2010) were played, as well as Apollo (1995) — a concerto for percussion solo and orchestra — with the Swedish percussionist Markus Leoson as soloist.
In the last concert of the season in St David’s hall, on 5 June 2015, the orchestra played Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, and the concert was opened by B Tommy Andersson’s Satyricon (2000). Even this concert was conducted by Thomas Søndergård. (See this review)
On 20 January 2015, B Tommy Andersson conducted a concert with BBC NOW in Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, with Swedish orchestral music only. Following pieces were performed: Hilding Rosenberg’s Dance Suite from Orpheus in Town, Ludvig Norman’s Concert Overture in E-flat, Ingvar Lidholm’s Kontakion, and, finally, Hugo Alfvén’s Symphony No. 4. He has since then conducted several other concerts with the orchestra and since 2017 he is overmuch involved with the project Composition: Wales, as juror, coach and conductor.
See following articles:
Article in Gramophone, 24 April 2015
Article in Classical Music, 7 January 2015
www.classicalsource.com, 15 September 2014
Seen and Heard International, 3 September 2014
Article in Gramophone, 9 May 2014
Article in BBC Classical Music (The Official Website of BBC Music Magazine)