News from the Sorabji Archive



May 2013
The Dutch independent radio broadcaster, De Concertzender will broadcast a seven-hour programme on May 7th containing most of Jonathan Powell’s performance of the Sequentia Cyclica super Dies Irae. The broadcast will be repeated on May 14th (see the forum for more details).
March 2013
Sample pages are now added for all editions available from the Archive. Follow the links from the lists of Sorabji’s compositions and Hinton’s compositions. Right-click and select “Save link as...” (or similar) to download.
July 2012
The Sorabji Archive is delighted to announce that Jonathan Powell’s new typeset edition of Gulistān is now available. Composed in 1940, this exceptionally fine example of Sorabji in “tropical nocturne” mode has already been recorded three times — by Charles Hopkins, Michael Habermann and, most recently, Jonathan Powell himself; at the time of its completion, Sorabji regarded it as one of his best piano works and, in conversation almost half a century later when aged almost 96 and with his creative career over, he still felt the same about it. The influences of Debussy, Scriabin and, most especially, Szymanowski, are well in evidence, yet no one but Sorabji could have written this work and the composer’s own assessment of it as one of the peaks of his creative achievement would be hard to deny.
July 2012
The Sorabji Archive is delighted to announce the completion of a new typeset edition of Piano Symphony No. 6 (Symphonia Claviensis). Completed when Sorabji was aged 84, this is the last of his symphonies for piano solo and his final work of the order of magnitude of Opus Clavicembalisticum. We hope to have news to announce about the work’s world première and other performances before too long; watch this space!
July 2012
The Sorabji Archive is pleased to announce that we are now in a position to issue copies of all of Sorabji’s scores and published literary writings electronically by means of upload as .pdf files to the email addresses of those whose preference is to order them in that format. Scores by Alistair Hinton and Marc-André Hamelin are available in the same format.
We have added prices for this service to each item in our catalogues (please see information and brochures) and the charges for them in this format are, of course, far less than those for supply of paper copies; the minimum item charge is £5 and the maximum £60 (this for the 1001-page full score of Sorabji’s Messa Alta Sinfonica).
We must request that all .pdf files that we supply are for their individual purchasers’ sole use and benefit and that they are not to be subjected to unauthorised distribution under any circumstances.
May 2012
The Dutch independent radio broadcaster, De Concertzender will broadcast 2 seven-hour programmes containing Kevin Bowyer’s performance of the Organ Symphony no.2 as well as his earlier recording of Organ Symphony no.1. Both broadcasts are repeated (see the forum for more details).
April 2011
Donna Amato’s new recording of Sorabji’s Symphonia Brevis (Piano Symphony no.5) is issued by Altarus. It is issued on a 2CD set.
11 August 2010
Marc-André Roberge announces his new Sorabji Resource Site, full of valuable information regarding Sorabji’s life, compositions, and much else.
18 June 2010
Jonathan Powell gives the first complete performance of Sequentia Cyclica in Glasgow University Concert Hall, starting at 2.30pm.
6 June 2010
Kevin Bowyer gives the first complete performance of Organ Symphony no.2 in Glasgow University Memorial Chapel, starting at 1.00pm. There will be a subsequent complete performance in Amsterdam (see the list below, and the forum for more details).
26 September 2008
It is our sad duty to report that the pianist and Sorabji pioneer Yonty Solomon has died. His Sorabji performances included world premières of the Toccata, Piano Sonata no.3, Gulistan, St Bertrand de Comminges, Concerto per suonare da me solo and Rosario d’Arabeschi, as well as the first broadcast performances of the Trois poèmes pour chant et piano and Trois fêtes galantes de Verlaine with Jane Manning.
His contribution was also marked by a beautiful recording of Le Jardin Parfumé.
Announcement from the Royal College of Music
22 April 2008
Kevin Bowyer announces details of The Sorabji Organ Project, a vast 5-year project to produce new critical typeset editions of Sorabji’s three mammoth organ symphonies, to give performances of each, along with commercial recordings of them. The project is funded by The Glasgow University Trust. More details can be found at the link above, and at Kevin Bowyer’s webpage.
26 November 2007
Sean Vaughn Owen announces the completion of his PhD thesis on Sorabji’s life, with substantial genealogical findings that alter previously accepted biographical details.
21 July 2007
It is our sad duty to report that the pianist, scholar and translator Charles Hopkins died on 21 July.
Read a tribute to Charles Hopkins by Alistair Hinton.

New editions available from the Archive

Sorabji editions
Marc-André Roberge has completed editions of Benedizione di San Francesco d’Assisi and Passeggiata Variata. Lukas Huisman has completed editions of Fragment (Prelude and Fugue) and 4 Frammenti Aforistici. Frazer Jarvis has completed an edition of 2 Sutras.
Florian Steininger has completed his edition of 20 Frammenti Aforistici.
Jonathan Powell has completed his edition of Gulistan.
Jonathan Powell and Alex Abercrombie have completed their edition of Piano Symphony No.6 Symphonia Claviensis.
Simon Abrahams has completed his edition of Piano Symphony No.5 Symphonia Brevis.
Hinton editions
Editions prepared by Simon Abrahams of Alistair Hinton’s Piano Sonata No.3, Op.15 and Piano Sonata No.4 (Ballade), Op.18 are now available.
Editions prepared by Frazer Jarvis of Alistair Hinton’s Sonatina for Oboe, Op.4 and Fantasiettina for String Trio, Op.48 are now available.

Forthcoming performances of Sorabji’s music

Please e-mail the webmaster if you would like to add a concert or broadcast to this list.