Marilyn Herman is a composer with a strong folk and jazz, as well as classical, background. Her compositions have been characterised as "jazz-classical", and are also deeply influenced by various world musics. She has researched, published, performed and danced Ethiopian and Yemenite music. Her works have been performed by top class musicians & singers - recently, recitals of "Rozsa's Wish" & "The Angel of Chomutov" were video-recorded at Exeter College Chapel, Oxford, under the baton of Karin Hendrickson, and streamed at an event at the Jewish Museum in London. In 2022, "100 Full Moons of Autumn" was commissioned by LSO Soundhub, and performed by LSO players and a jazz and classical singer at LSO St Luke's. Other highlights include a number of world premieres performed by superb musicians at 6 London New Winds Festivals. "Transcarpathia" was developed after being selected for a PRS workshop with John Woolrich, with the Berkeley Ensemble under the baton of Quentin Poole. "Swing Abeba" and "On Raglan Road" received a U.S. premiere at the IAWM 20th Anniversary Online Congress. Her current projects include planning a holocaust-themed concert to include her trilogy: "Transcarpathia", "Rozsa's Wish" & "The Angel of Chomutov" and orchestrating "An Angel of Chomutov".

12:00

Rozsa's Wish-Master-v2

10:59

The Angel of Chomutov

Composer: Marilyn Herman Zdrávas neznámá Češko! Hail Unknown Czech woman! milosti plná, Full of grace Pán s tebou. The lord is with you Požehnaná jsi mezi ženami Blessed are you among women Zdrávas milosrdný anděli! Hail Compassionate angel! milosti plná, Full of grace Pán s tebou. The lord is with you Požehnaná jsi mezi ženami Blessed are you among women Zdrávas dcero Chomutova! Hail Daughter of Chomutov! milosti plná, Full of grace Pán s tebou. The lord is with you Požehnaná jsi mezi ženami Blessed are you among women Commemorating the courage and compassion of an unknown young Czech woman who risked, probably gave, her life to give my father bread when, aged 14, together with his brother, he was on a death march from Buchenwald, having crossed the mountains from Germany into the Czech Sudetenland. A German soldier smashed the butt of his rifle on her head as she was running out of the line of prisoners, and she fell. Karin Hendrickson - Conductor Sara Castle - Mezzo Denise Alonzo - Soprano Fabian van de Geest - French Horn Alyson Frazier - Flute Anne Denholm - Harp Philippa Mo - 1st Violin Victoria Gill - 2nd Violin Daniel Sanxis - Viola Tom Wraith - Cello Toby Hughes - Double Bass Edita Brychta -Spoken Voice

11:41

"On Raglan Road" for Soprano, Electric Rock Guitar & Bodhrán

This work was composed at the request of soprano Denise Alonzo who had the idea that rock guitar can sound very operatic. In this work, the relationship between the voice and the electric guitar does not comply to that usually found between voice and instrument, in which the latter accompanies, and is subordinate to, the former. Sometimes the voice is accompanied by the guitar, and sometimes the guitar is accompanied by the voice. At other times, the two are intertwined contrapuntally, or in a conversational, or imitative relationship. There are also guitar solos based on climactic screaming rock. Meanwhile, the bodhrán improvises within set parameters, particularly under the guitar drones providing their rhythmic context. Denise Alonzo came up with the words, and since they are Irish I have given the melodic, rhythmic and formal aspects of the work a character strongly influenced by Irish folk music. There are four verses, and each is treated differently, with interludes, although combined into a coherent whole, so that work resembles a song-cycle rather than a single song. Raglan Road On Raglan Road on an Autumn day I saw her first and knew That her dark hair would weave a snare That I might one day rue And I said let grief be a fallen leaf At the dawning of the day On Grafton Street in November We tripped lightly along the ledge Of a deep ravine where can be seen Worth of passion’s pledge The Queen of Hearts still making tarts And I not making hay Oh I loved too much by such By such is happiness thrown away I gave her gifts of the mind I gave her the secret sign That’s know to the artists who have known The true gods of sound and stone And word and tint I did not stint I gave her poems to say With her own name there and her dark hair Like clouds over fields of May On a quiet street where old ghosts meet I see her walking now away from me so hurriedly My reason must allow I had wooed not as I should A creature made of clay When the angel wooes the clay She’ll lose her wings at the dawn of day * * * Composed by Marilyn Herman Words by Patrick Kavanagh Soprano: Denise Alonzo Guitarist: Nick Fitch Percussionist: Ed Dunlop Mixed by Alex Bonney Photographer: Craig Simons

10:46

'Swing Abeba' for solo bassoon

Composed by Marilyn Herman in 2014. 'Abeba' in the title means 'flower' - part of the name of the Ethiopian capital city, Addis Abeba ('New Flower') where modern Ethiopian music took root. 'Abeba' is also a common refrain in their vocal music. True to its title, this work is influenced by Ethiopian popular music, which in turn was strongly influenced by swing rhythm in American big band jazz transmitted from an army radio station in neighbouring Eritrea in the 1950s. In this way musical influences from other regions of Africa contained in jazz reached Ethiopian music via North America. Ethiopian music - essentially song-based - consists of melodies which tend to be deeply embedded in copious melismata, progressing in an improvisatory manner, similarly to jazz. Accordingly, 'Swing Abeba' begins with Ethiopian treatment of an un-Ethiopian theme, breaking into a jazz-swing scherzo. The call-response nature of this scherzo recalls this feature of Ethiopian music. The second section begins in a different vein, with a slow, ad lib passage marked 'molto espressivo e pensivo', which leads into a second swing scherzo. The opening themes make an appearance in a different guise in the closing section. Performed by John McDougall (recorded Jan 2015 at Craxton Studios, London). The score may be purchased from: https://www.arcomis.com/catalogue/view/id/5196

02:30

Georgia — Marilyn Herman

Georgia Marilyn Herman Sasha Valeri Millwood, pianoforte performed at the Warehouse Waterloo on 1st October 2022 Recording by John Croft Photo by Adrian Northover

05:52

Tizita for Aklilu — Marilyn Herman

Tizita for Aklilu Marilyn Herman Tizita for Aklilu is an "in memoriam" for an Ethiopian-Israeli musician whom the composer knew in the 1990s. David Sutton-Anderson, conductor; Simon Desorgher, flute; Catherine Pluygers, oboe; Philip Edwards, clarinet; Henryk Sienkiewicz, horn; Nigel Blomiley, violoncello; Dominic Nudd, double bass performed at Regent Hall on 15th December 2021 Sound recording by Alan O'Connell Photos by Adrian Northover

06:55

Michal 06 for Solo Clarinet

Composed by Marilyn Herman Played by Philip Edwards Michal 06 starts off as jazz, then progressing into a section based on oriental-style modes, which in turn progresses into a section which is Impressionistic in character. Although these three styles are so contrasting, the transition from one into the other seems seamless and natural. In the final section, these three styles are fused.

19:23

Marilyn Herman // 100 Full Moons of Autumn

Performed live at the LSO Soundhub Showcase at LSO St Luke’s, Wednesday 15 June 2022 Colin Alexander: cello Pasha Mansurov: flute Heather Roche: clarinet Jake Brown: percussion Lucy Knight: soprano Juliet Kelly: jazz alto Darren Bloom: conductor Find more about LSO Soundhub: https://lso.co.uk/lso-discovery/artist-development/lso-soundhub.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Subscribe to the LSO's channel: http://bit.ly/LSOsubscribe Subscribe to LSO newsletter: https://smarturl.it/lsonewsletter Follow the LSO on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/londonsymph... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/londonsympho... Twitter: https://twitter.com/londonsymphony Website: https://lso.co.uk/ Apple Music: http://geni.us/yH0sXY Spotify: http://spoti.fi/291cCk0

Recordings

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SCORES

SWING ABEBA for solo bassoon can be purchased here:

https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/swing-abeba-digital-sheet-music/22258506

GEORGIA for solo piano can be purchased here:

https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/georgia-digital-sheet-music/22516814

For other scores, please contact

Marilyn Herman on this website.

LIST OF WORKS

Performed Classical Compositions

100 Full Moons of Autumn

For flutes, clarinets, cello, percussion, soprano and jazz alto.

Commissioned by LSO Soundhub, & performed at LSO St Luke's on 15th June 2022.

Rozsa's Wish For mezzo-soprano, flute, harp/piano, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass.

Performed & recorded at Exeter College Chapel, Oxford on 6th December 2021.

The Angel of Chomutov. For soprano, French horn, harp/piano, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass.

Performed & recorded at Exeter College Chapel, Oxford on 6th December 2021.

Tizita for Aklilu For flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, cello & double bass, performed at the

London New Wind Festival, December 2021

Noites da Floresta Goiana For wind quintet and piano,

21st London New Winds Festival 2018

Vocalise For flute, oboe and clarinet in Bb,

Concert of Music by Contemporary Women Composers for Winds and Piano,

Iklectic Art Lab, London, March 2017

Transcarpathia For clarinet in Bb, bassoon, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass.

Performed by the Berkeley Ensemble conducted by Quentin Poole,

PRS: 'Piecing It Together’, January 2017.

On Raglan Road For soprano, electric guitar & Irish bodhrán.

(Words by Patrick Kavanagh)

Streamed at the IAWM (International Alliance of Women in Music)

20th Anniversary Online Congress, April 2015.

Also performed at The Loft, Crouch End, June 2006.

Swing Abeba For solo bassoon.

Performed at the 17th New Winds Festival, London, November 2014,

Performance by John McDougall streamed at IAWM Online Congress, April 2015.

Performed by Abi Adam at Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, Edinburgh

Michal 06 For solo clarinet in Bb

10th & 18th London New Wind Festivals, 2007 & 2015.

Also performed at a Concert in Aid of Refugees, Hertford, 2016.

Georgia For piano.

Can be performed as a classical or jazz piece.

Performed by Sasha Valeri Millwood at the 25th London New Winds Festival October 1st 2022.

Above Me Broods For SATB chorus and piano.

Performed by Cambridge Voices at Cambridge Buddhist Centre, 2013.

Reaching Beyond For string quartet

Performed by The Impromptu String Quartet, at Lauderdale House, London, October 2012

and by The Trelawn Quartet at Middlesex University, 2005.

At One For trumpet in Bb and string quartet

Lauderdale House, October 2012

Na-ava For trumpet in Bb and string quartet