Patrick Harrex Resonances for solo viola, clarinet, vioin, cello and piano duration: 10 minutes Resonances Written in 1999, this is another and partly re-composed version of Consequents for viola and piano, itself a reworking of an earlier solo violin piece. Resonances is scored for viola - a sort of obbligato part - with the accompaniment of clarinet, violin, cello and piano. After an opening flourish, the viola tremolandi develop into an extended solo line, adding a variety of attacks and harmonics to natural sounds. The accompanying instruments add echoes and decorations. After a series of loud pizzicato chords on the viola there are a few moments of relative quiet before the focal point of the work which is a series of repeated chords at varying dynamic levels in which the five instruments come together, separated by silences. The style of the first part of the work returns, but generally the mood is more agitated towards the end. Patrick Harrex was born in London in 1946. He read Music and Education at the University of York (1965 - 1968) and, having been awarded a French Government Scholarship, went on to study composition in Paris (1968/69) with Olivier Messiaen (at the Paris Conservatoire) and Gilbert Amy. His violin teachers included Eta Cohen and Norbert Brainin. In 1968 he was awarded first prize in the BBC Composers' Competition. That same year Narnian Suite, a setting of texts of C.S.Lewis for children and an instrumental ensemble, was commissioned and recorded by Argo/Decca. His Sonata for voice, flute and percussion was published by Ars Viva/Schott in 1969. His works have been performed and broadcast in the UK, continental Europe and North America. He is a Professional Member of the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters, having been elected to one of its predecessor organisations, the Composers' Guild of Great Britain, in 1968. He became a member of the Performing Right Society in 1969. In 1968, he was one of the founder members of The Gentle Fire, a group specialising in the performance of experimental and electronic music which remained active into the early 1970's. In 1970 he began a career in Accountancy, eventually becoming a partner in an international firm of Chartered Accountants. In 1992 he joined an independent, Stock Exchange listed, trust corporation, based in the City of London, where he became a director of its pension trustee subsidiary. He retired from that position in November 1999 to devote more time to music, in particular to composing. Since moving to Brighton, he has become a member of New Music Brighton, an association of composers living in and around Brighton, which seeks to encourage the performance of all styles of new music and which has promoted concerts in Sussex and London. Back to shortlist.