geraldinegreen.co.uk

HI Guys,

My latest new piece, Oakmount Nocturne for Flute and piano, was aired for the first time by Gary Woolf and Tim Carey at the Waldingham Flute course in late July. Clare Southworth founded this week long course some years back and leads it now along with other expert tutors, who all give recitals and concerts to the students throughout the week. It sounds such great fun, so flautists, check it out!

Still haven’t begun that poor piano reduction of the recorder concertino, and this time I have 2 pathetic excuses;
1. Our old printer finally and very suddenly popped its clogs – mid-print! It kept saying there was paper stuck in it even though we had checked a dozen times and could find nothing. Bob spend 3 full nights taking it all apart, hoovering it out to clean it, and even blasting it clear with an enormous mechanics’ compressor we just happened to have in our dining room. It is a huge device and when I saw Bob heaving it out at 11pm into the middle of the living room floor, with the poor printer sitting dwarfed in front of it, I started giggling.
“Isn’t that a tad heavy-handed, honey?”, I asked him.
“If this baby doesn’t blast out the blockage then nothing will!”, Bob panted as he flicked the switch to on.
I jumped 6 feet in the air at the almighty noise it made – Jeeze, it was like having a Harley- Davidson in the living room! God knows what our poor neighbours must’ve thought we were doing, and I was astonished it didn’t wake the kids. We giggled our heads off! But, impressive though it was, the big beast sadly could not fix our printer. So, we remained printer-less for 3 weeks until Bob found the new one we needed.
2. Because I couldn’t print off the skeleton of the piano reduction I got distracted and started having other restless thoughts – Tango rhythms! Before I knew what was happening a new piece was coming through, so hey, there you have it, I’m working on another new one. I don’t like talking too much about a new piece while it’s still vulnerable, so I’ll leave it there and tell you all when it’s done.

I WILL, I WILL get this poor piano reduction done next – promise! There’s too many exciting things all to do at once and I don’t know where to start. I’m a disaster!
More news soon as it comes. Those things in the pipeline I mentioned months ago are still in the pipeline. I haven’t forgotten. If they happen life will get awesome! If they don’t happen life will still be good and on we keep going!
All for now.
Keep smiling.
Gerry.

Hi guys,

Just a super-quickie to tell you that Humdinger is now on the recordings page, recorded live in concert by the Banda di musica, conducted by Gary Woolf, in Emsdetten, Germany on July 9th 2010.
I’m delighted with it. Remember, it is played by CHILDREN! Wonderful!!!
Gotta go now and practise my piano for a Mass in my childrens’ school tonight. I’m accompanying them in their hymns – and we jazz them up! It’s great! Amazing what a few major 7ths and added 9ths etc here and there can do to a hymn!
Hope you enjoy Humdinger!
All for now, bye.
Gerry.

Hi guys,

I’m still up in outer space after our awesome Bolton Symphony Orchestra concert last night at the albert Halls in Bolton. We did Holst Beni Mora and The planets – need I say more? Yes, ok. Well, if you know the BSO then you’ll know it was utterly fabulous. My hubby, Bob, 8 year old daughter, her little friend and his mum all came to support me. It really was a stunner of a performance and wonderful fun to be part of. When I’m playing my beloved bass clarinet in big music like that with such a wonderful orchestra I am at one with the universe at last. There was only one terrifying moment in Mars that could have had the potential to drag the Bringer of War to his knees! It had never once happened in any of the rehearsals and it gave the whole orchestra and our conductor such an almighty sledgehammer of a shock that we all nearly fell through the floor! One of the drums, whose vital job was to slam out that famous wild war rhythm, somehow got out of alignment – Yikes! So, there we all were, counting ferociously in our rests, the brass going full pelt with the big theme and relying desperately for the beat we were so used to hearing to keep us in check. Suddenly that lifeline was gone as that unholy beat was not where it should be yet was still thundering out at full volume. Wow! Our poor conductor. I could see his brain wildly trying to think what the hell to do – Go with the drums or stay with the brass. What a decision! And one that could make or break the music. It’s moments like this that can happen to anyone any time and it’s a real test of an orchestra’s skill how to get out of it and not fall apart. Well, as i’ve said many times, the BSO is no ordinary orchestra and of course we escaped carnage as our conductor stayed with the brass. The music soon came to a natural break when everything stopped dead before the slower section began. We survived. Whew! No harm done. I think that unless you knew the music intimately the error would not be noticed because it was all played with such wild confidence and conviction. The Planets is so full of cross rhythms anyway that this also perhaps helped conceal our perilous moment. Still, it’s times like this that make music-making even more wonderful – if everything always went to plan life would be so boring, don’t you think?

Well, Humdinger was premiered yesterday in Emsdetten by the Banda di Musica with Gary Woolf conducting. It was recorded and I shall very soon have it up on the recordings page for you to hear. It was wonderfully played and I am very happy. There was a pizz gliss in the cellos which they altered to an arco gliss, but that’s ok. It’s given me the idea to put a wee footnote in the score for the option of doing the gliss either pizz or arco, whichever any particular orchestra find easier. I personally like the gliss done pizz better, but I am flexible and don’t mind either way if it makes the players feel more comfortable.
So, I hope you enjoy Humdinger as I did, and I’ll be in touch as soon as any more news comes in.
That’s all folks. Bye.
Gerry.

HI guys,

Just a quick update to let you know that I’m sorry we’ve got to wait a little longer to hear Humdinger. It was due to be recorded on Sunday 27th June, but due to an unavoidable hitch that recording now cannot now go ahead. However, the good news is that its premiere is on July 9th in Emsdetten and it WILL be reorded then. Another studio recording date will hopefully be arranged in September. So hang in there, we’ll here it soon!
Another bit of good news is that I have finished my new piece. It’s another Nocturne for flute and piano and I’ll be spending the next week typing it all into the computer. Gary Woolf is hoping to air it in the summer at a flute course he helps run in England. I’ll keep you posted on its journey out into the big bad world.
That’s all for now, folks. Gotta go and get my daughter’s birthday present – she’s 8 on Tuesday. Yikes! Where has the time gone?
Bye and speak soon.
Gerry

Hi there guys,

Just letting you know that the studio recordings of the 4 short school orchestra pieces;
David’s Melody
Examination in Progress
Mini Concerto for Alex
Sea Shanty Dance

are now up on the Recordings Page for you to enjoy. Please have a listen. I am so proud of the Banda di Musica – superb little orchestra!
Am supposed to be doing my recorder concertino piano reduction, but I’ve been very naughty – again. I got badly distracted by a new piece that suddenly blasted me 2 days ago as i sat innocently in our garden enjoying the sun (a rare thing in Manchester! ).
So, I’m locked into it now and have passed the point of no return – yikes, no wonder I’m so slow at getting things done in the order they’re supposed to be done. But music doesn’t always play by our rules, and we as its merry slaves must strike while the iron’s hot!
Good night, folks. More news soon.
Gerry.

Hi guys,

Just a quickie to let you know that the new little string orchestra piece, Humdinger, is to be recorded on June 27th in Emsdetten, Germany with the Banda di Musica, and Gary Woolf conducting. So, as soon as Gary sends the recording to me, probably early July, I shall proudly put it up on the Recordings page of the site. So, keep a look out for it. Can’t wait! So exciting!

I have been working to enter my recorder concertino into Sibelius and it’s all in now. I should have had the piano reduction done this last week but my little boy was off school all week with a chicken-pox-type virus. He’s not been ill at all with it (just very spotty ), fortunately, but my darling wee son at home = no teaching, no practice and most certainly no music writing what so ever! Instead I spent my week dodging flying toy cars, soft toys and jumping on the beds with him in his new tumbling game! So, now that we’re in the half term break that means BOTH my kiddies are at home (pandemonium and chaos! ), so no work till they return to school in a week’s time. Never mind, the piano reduction is my next project, and as the concertino is a short piece only 10/15 minutes long it’s not a huge job so hopefully won’t take me too long.

Well folks, that’s it for now. More news soon. Bye.
Gerry.

Hi folks,

Nocturne is on the “Recordings” page now, so please feel free to go and have a listen – it’s a beautiful and grand performance by Gary Woolf and Sebastian Kurz, in Emsdetten, Germany. I am so pleased and delighted. It absolutely facinates me how people interpret my music, especially as Gary and I had no discussions on how I would wish him to play the piece. I did not worry as I knew he and his pianist would give it a wonderful performance and as I love my performers to have freedom I just left them to it. Metronome marks, to me, are just a rough guide to speeds and I do not expect them to be stuck to exactly. I’ve got used to it now, but at first I found it horribly difficult trying to pin and trap my wild, free music into the straight-jackets of metronome marks. The first piece I ever had to do it with was the Flute Concerto and it took me a fortnight of nightly agony. I could actually feel and hear the music groaning in pain!!! But I can now see the good in doing it and I know that it really helps musicians get a rough idea of the speeds, and in the long run helps the music get played better. Anyway, who ever truly sticks to metronome marks in an actual performance, anyway? I believe the music’s life and soul takes over then as it bursts free of its straight-jacket!

So, one of these nights I’ll (or rather my wonderful hubby will, as I don’t have a clue how to do it!) be updating the recordings of the 4 school orchestra pieces; David’s Melody, Sea Shanty Dance, Mini Concerto for Alex and Examination in Progress. In February they were recorded professionally in a quiet environment and the sound is very high quality. So, I’ll be swapping those over soon – watch the recordings page!

That’s all for now, I think. Things are in the pipeline, but can’t tell you yet. Gotta keep you guessing!
Bye, Gerry

HI there,

I’m just calming down after yet another spectacular concert with the Bolton Symphony Orchestra and choral society. It was HUGE! What a sound! The choir were awesome – nearly lifted the roof off the Victoria Hall with that opening of Handel’s Zadok the Priest! The orchestra was huge – I’m sure Handel would’ve had a corony if he’d seen the size of the string section! There must be at least 90 in the orchestra – I’ve not actually counted us all yet but when we do The Planets in July I’ll try to remember to count the players for it will be even bigger for that! There’ll be 3 clarinets and me on bass, and that’s just the clarinets. There must’ve been much more dosh around back then to have all that wonderful extravagance of extra exotic instruments like bass clarinets, contra bassoons, cor ainglais, harps and God knows how much percussion. Try getting a new piece of that size played now a days – only in your dreams!
I loved Karl Jenkins’s Sanctus and Benedictus from “The Armed Man”, which we also played. This is new to me – gorgeous music. The harmonies just blew me away!

Anyway, it was a wonderful night and I’ll be buzzing for hours. The Bolton Symphony Orchestra is of professional standard and is by far the best amateur orchestra I have ever had the honour to play with!!!!!
A recording of my flute and piano Nocturne will be soon up on the Recordings page, plus good studio recordings of the 4 short school orchestra pieces – watch this space!!!!
Good night.
Gerry.

Well, I’m delighted to tell you that Nocturne went really well in the 24th April concert, and if I get any more news on any developments concerning the piece I’ll be sure to let you know.
We’ve had some traumas this week with our little son, who burnt himself on our BBQ in the back garden – our fault for yacking and not paying attention. Initially it was a very minor burn and hardly noticable but because the little boy never puts his backside to a seat he kept banging and brushing the wound until it was really quite gross. So, I’m afraid we had a day at A@E – hours and hours of waiting – to see a doctor. His leg is healing well but today (Saturday ) I’ve committed the cardinal sin of modern-day parenting and kept the TV on ALL DAY LONG! AAAAAARRRRAAAAGH! My head is spinning – I hate a roaring TV on all day and normally we’re out doing stuff at weekends, like climbing trees or rampaging through the woods. But for a few days it’s vital we keep our little boy as inactive as possible (Without actually chaining him up like a dog) so his sore leg has a chance to keep its scab until we’re past the danger zone. So, that’s why we’ve employed my greatest mental enemy, the TV. So far it’s working, so keep your fingers crossed.

So, I have a couple of concerts looming, one on clarinet and one on cello. In the orchestra where I play cello we’re doing Warlock’s Capriol Suite, for strings. Well, dear GOD do I have raw fingers or what! Those double stopped chords are AGONY! My finger tips are gouged to bits! What “fool” ever called them Strings? Strings? You mean cheese-wire, surely? Strings is too gentle, like what you tie up your Christmas cards with, certainly no name for the brutal wires on our beautiful stringed instruments! I must remember to keep my face under control in the concert or I’ll be grimacing and groaning in pain. Hilarious! I have much practice to do, believe me, for I’m only about grade 6 on the cello so the repertoir is hard for me. But hey, that’s great. It’s the best way to improve.
Well, that’s my crazy thought for the day – hope I haven’t offended every string player on the planet, but of course I adore strings, so don’t get me wrong. I have funny thoughts about most instruments anyway, so that one just burst out now.
It’s only because I love them!
Bye for now. More news as soon as i get it!
Gerry.

Hi everyone,

Some good news. Sorry it’s a bit last minute, but I only found out for certain earlier today and I am thrilled to be able to tell you that the great flautist, Clare Southworth and her pianist Tim Carey will be playing my new little Piano and Flute Nocturne tomorrow evening, 24th April at the united Church, Jewry St. Winchester UK. As far as I’m aware this will be its première, and I am gutted at not being able to attend. I have family commitments I cannot escape this time – kids stuff, and I just couldn’t let my kids down at such short notice. I’d never forgive myself (and they’d probably never forgive me either! ) But, I’ll be there in spirit, believe me.
The Nocturne will also be played on the 9th May by Gary Woolf (see Forthcoming Engagements page for details ), and it will hopefully be recorded, so I’ll then be able to get it up on the Recordings page for you to hear.
I am so happy!
This is just a quickie now – gotta get the kids their dinner! But I’ll be back to update you soon.
Bye.
Gerry.