(b. 1946)
Colin Matthews was born in London in 1946. He studied music at the Universities of Nottingham, and Sussex, where he also taught, and subsequently worked as assistant to Benjamin Britten from 1972 - 1976. He collaborated with Deryck Cooke for many years on the performing version of Mahler's Tenth Symphony. Since the early 1970s his music, ranging from solo piano music through three string quartets and many ensemble and orchestral works, has been played worldwide. From 1992-1999 he was Associate Composer with the London Symphony Orchestra, writing amongst other works his 2nd Cello Concerto, for Rostropovich. His ballet score Hidden Variables opened the Royal Ballet's 1999/2000 season and the large-scale ensemble piece Continuum was toured in Europe by the BCMG and Simon Rattle in 2000. Recent works include Reflected Images for the San Francisco SO, Berceuse for Dresden for the New York Philharmonic and Turning Point for the Concertgebouw Orchestra. He was Associate Composer from 2001 -10, and is now Composer Emeritus, with the Hallé, for whom he completed his orchestration of Debussy’s 24 Preludes in May 2007. No Man's Land, commissioned by the City of London Sinfonia in memory of Richard Hickox was performed in the 2011 Proms and Grand Barcarolle by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Riccardo Chailly in autumn 2011.
Composition Timpani and Percussion Requirements
Aftertones
Timpani + 2 percussion
Clash cymbals, suspended cymbal, tam tam, tenor drum, orchestral bass drum
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Berceuse for Dresden
Timpani + 1 percussion
Tubular bells
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Broken Symmetry
Timpani + 4 percussion
2 orchestral bass drum, pedal bass drum, 2 tenor drum, tom tom, 3 tam tam, 3 suspended cymbals, 2 sizzle cymbals, 2 hi hat, tambourine, log drum, guiro, ratchet, fishing reel, vibraslap, maracas, sleighbells, 4 temple bells, lujon, 6 cowbells, 2 anvils, 2 brake drums, bell tree, tubular bells, 2 vibraphones, 2 glockenspiels, 2 octaves crotales
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Cello Concerto No 1
Timpani + 3 percussion + celeste
9 tom toms, 2 congas, 3 orchestral bass drums, 5 suspended cymbals, 2 sizzle cymbals, Chinese cymbal, clash cymbals, 4 tam tams, 6 tuned gongs, 3 bell plates, tubular bells, bell tree, crotales, marimba, xylophone, 2 glockenspiels, boo bams, steel pans, celeste
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Cello Concerto No 2
Timpani + 3 percussion
2 orchestral bass drum, 4 tom toms, bongos, tam tam, suspended cymbal, sizzle cymbal, triangle, tambourine, lujon, log drum, 2 cowbells, ratchet, sleighbells, sandpaper blocks, guiro, vibraphone, glockenspiel
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Chiaroscuro
No Timpani + 1 percussion + celeste
Vibraphone, glockenspiel, tubular bells, 2 tam tams, celeste
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Cortege
Timpani + 3 percussion
3 orchestral bass drums, 3 tenor drums, 3 tam tams, 3 suspended cymbals, sizzle cymbal, clash cymbals, 2 wood chimes, vibraslap, 2 log drum, lujon, maracas, glockenspiel, 2 octaves crotales, 5 hand bells, tubular bells
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Fanfare for the 2001 Proms
No Timpani + 5 percussion
5 tam tams, 5 orchestral bass drums (large)
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Fanfare in Sea
Timpani + 2 percussion
Suspended cymbal, glockenspiel, tom tom, sleigh bells, tambourine, orchestral bass drum, tam tam
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Hidden Variables
Timpani + 2 percussion
1) wood block, vibraphone, suspended cymbal (shared with 2) glockenspiel, orchestral bass drum, clash cymbals, F natural crotale, 2) orchestral bass drum, marimba, tam tam, clash cymbals, suspended cymbal (shared with 1) sizzle cymbal, hi hat, pedal bass drum, F# crotale, flexatone
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Horn Concerto
No Timpani + 2 percussion
Vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, triangle, sizzle cymbal, tam tam, orchestral bass drum
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Intrada
Timpani + 4 percussion
2 orchestral bass drums, 12 tom toms, 2 tenor drums, 3 tam tams, 3 suspended cymbals, 2 hi hats, 4 cow bells, lujon, tubular bells, vibraphone, 2 glockenspiels, 2 octaves crotales
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Little Suite No.2
No Timpani + 1 percussion
Glockenspiel, suspended cymbal, vibraphone, 2 gongs, tam tam
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M50
Timpani + 3 percussion
Orchestral bass drum, 4 tom toms, vibraslap, metal ratchet, suspended cymbal, sizzle cymbal, hi hat, tam tam, guiro, glockenspiel
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Machines and Dreams
Timpani + 3 percussion
Orchestral bass drum, hi hat, clash cymbals, 2 suspended cymbal, 2 anvils, 4 tom toms, triangle, tambourine, vibraslap, vibraphone, 2 tam tams, flexatone, ratchet, glockenspiel, sizzle cymbal
Toy instruments: 4 toy pianos, motor horns, sirens, fishing reel, metronomes, 2 toy guns, bird calls, noise machines, voice changer, football hooligans
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Memorial
Timpani + 4 percussion
2 octaves crotales, metal chimes, lujon, 5 tuned gongs, glockenspiel, bell tree, sleighbells, 2 sizzle cymbals, handbells, 2 spring coils, 2 brake drums, vibraphone, suspended cymbal, 3 bell plates, mark tree, brass bells, 3 tam tams, tubular bells
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Metamorphosis
Timpani + 4 percussion + celeste
2 orchestral bass drums, 3 tam tams, suspended cymbal, sizzle cymbal, triangle, log drum, guiro, lujon, sleighbells, maracas, fishing rod reel, bell tree, tubular bells, vibraphone, 2 glockenspiels, 2 octaves crotales, celeste
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Monody
Timpani + 3 percussion
Vibraphone, 3 orchestral bass drum, 3 suspended cymbals, hi hats, temple blocks, xylophone, 6 tom toms, sizzle cymbal, tam tam, gong, 6 roto toms, 4 tubular bells, glockenspiel, claves, maracas
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Pluto, the Renewer
2 Timpani + 4 percussion + celeste
Glockenspiel, 2 octaves crotales, tubular bells, tenor drum, orchestral bass drum, suspended cymbal, clash cymbals, tam tam, triangle, celeste
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Postlude - M.Croche
Timpani + 3 percussion + celeste
Glockenspiel, triangle, clash cymbals, suspended cymbal, tam tam, orchestral bass drum, celeste
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Pursuit
No Timpani + 1 percussion
1) high octave crotales, tam tam, 2 gongs, bell tree
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Rübezahl Overture: after Mahler
Timpani + 1 percussion
Triangle, suspended cymbal, orchestral bass drum
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Reflected Images
Timpani + 4 percussion + celeste
Orchestral bass drum, orchestral bass drum with cymbals attached, snare drum, tenor drum, large military drum, tam tam, /suspended cymbal, sizzle cymbal, hi hat, triangle, tambourine, maracas, lujon, 2 glockenspiels, vibraphone, 2 octaves crotales, marimba, xylophone, celeste
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Renewal
Timpani + 4 percussion + celeste
2 orchestral bass drums, pedal bass drum, 12 tom toms, 2 tenor drums, 3 tam tams, 3 suspended cymbal, 2 hi hats, 6 cowbells, lujon, tubular bells, 2 vibraphones, 2 glockenspiels, 2 octaves crotales, 2 sizzle cymbals, tambourine, log drum, guiro, ratchet, fishing reel, vibraslap, maracas, sleighbells, 2 temple bells, 2 anvils, 2 brake drums, bell tree, triangle, celeste
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Sonata No.5: Landscape
Timpani + 4 percussion
8 tom toms, bongos, tambour militaire, 2 tenor drums, 2 orchestral bass drums, 4 suspended cymbals, clash cymbals, hi hat, 2 triangles, 2 gongs, 2 tam tams, castanets, claves, 3 temple blocks, 2 slapsticks, maracas, cowbell, 2 glockenspiel, 2 octaves crotales, vibraphone, marimba
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Toccata Meccanica
Timpani + 2 percussion
Tam tam, glockenspiel, clash cymbals, 2 suspended cymbal, ratchet, orchestral bass drum, triangle, sizzle cymbal
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Unfolded Order
Timpani + 2 percussion + celeste
Orchestral bass drum, suspended cymbal, glockenspiel, vibraphone, tam tam, sizzle cymbal, maracas, glockenspiel, celeste
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Unfolded Order
Timpani + 2 percussion + celeste
Orchestral bass drum, suspended cymbal, glockenspiel, vibraphone, tam tam, sizzle cymbal, marimba, glockenspiel, celeste
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Violin Concerto
Timpani + 3 percussion
Vibraphone, marimba, 2 sizzle cymbals, triangle, sleigh bells, metal pipes, lujon, roto toms x 3, 4 tom toms, 2 gongs, tam tam, orchestral bass drum
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Vivo
Timpani + 2 percussion
Anvils, glockenspiel, metal pipes, tam tam
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