Turnage: A Constant Obsession Nicky Spence

• 1 I. Prologue 00:59
• 2 II. Love expected 03:36
• 3 III. Love begun 01:47
• 4 IV. The pains of love 05:35
• 5 V. Love continued 05:59
• 6 VI. Love in death 04:25
• 7 I. Wish One 01:49
• 8 II. Wish Two 04:48
• 9 III. Wish Three 03:43
• 10 Chant 1 02:42
• 11 Chant 2 01:25
• 12 Chant 3 (A Bride's Fancy) 04:19
• 13 Chant 4 01:35
• 14 A Slow Pavane 07:34
• 15 Grazioso! 09:03
• Total Runtime 59:19

Info for Turnage: A Constant Obsession

In this new release from Resonus Classics, conductor Thomas Kemp is leading the exquisite Chamber Domaine in world-premiere recordings of chamber works by Mark-Anthony Turnage. Famed for his often controversial compositions, Turnage is regarded as one of the greatest 21st century composers, fusing contemporary classical with jazz and popular influences.

The new recording features some of Turnage’s most evocative chamber works performed by members of Chamber Domaine, with a guest performance from the outstanding tenor Nicky Spence on the central work of the album, the song cycle about love – A Constant Obsession.

Nicky Spence (tenor), Chamber Domaine & Thomas Kemp (conductor) As one of the most celebrated composers of his generation, Mark-Anthony Turnage has written a great number of large-scale orchestral works and operas, including his most recent commission for the Royal Opera House, Anna Nicole.

His contribution to the chamber genre is equally impressive and significant, and the renowned chamber group, Chamber Domaine with their conductor and artistic director Thomas Kemp, here present a selection of world premiere recordings of Turnage’s chamber works composed in recent years. Included in the program is the characterful piano quartet Three for Two, the compelling piano trio A Slow Pavane, the varied Four Chants for violin and piano as well as the energized Grazioso! for ensemble.

Chamber Domaine are joined by the outstanding young tenor Nicky Spence for the central work of the album, the song cycle about love – A Constant Obsession.

'...clarity is paramount, and it is not only words that come across vividly, but feelings too. The sheer theatricality of the music is dazzling… Turnage knows precisely how to hold the audience's interest and sympathy…' (Daily Telegraph)

Nicky Spence, Tenor
Chamber Domaine
Thomas Kemp, Conductor

Nicky Spence

Hailed recently in the Daily Telegraph as ‘a voice of real distinction’, Nicky Spence is currently a Harwood Young Artist at English National Opera having trained at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio.

2010-11 marked Nicky’s debut for some of the UK’s most distinguished opera houses including Opera North, Opera Holland Park, Scottish Opera and English National Opera. His roles include Tom Rakewell (The Rake’s Progress), Jaquino (Fidelio) for Opera Holland Park; Lampwick (The Adventures of Pinocchio), and Quint (The Turn of the Screw) for Opera North. Nicky also took the leading part of Brian in Nico Muhly’s Metropolitan Opera commission Two Boys, which received its world premiere at ENO. Earlier this year, he made his debut with New Zealand Opera in the role of Thomas Mason in Jenny McLeod’s opera Hohepa, followed by a return to ENO as Novice in David Alden's new production of Billy Budd. Most recently, he gave his role debut as Tamino (Magic Flute) for Scottish Opera.

Concert performances include Act 1 of Tristan and Isolde with the BBC Scottish Symphony and Donald Runnicles, a Britten Song-Cycle Series in Aldeburgh and at Kings Place, Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with L’Orchestre National d’Ile de France under Gordan Nikolic, a Gala performance at the Royal Festival Hall and Mozart Requiem with the Cambridge Philharmonic. In recital, he has most recently appeared at the Leeds and Oxford Lieder Festivals, and the Cambridge Summer Music Festival.

An experienced recording artist, Nicky attracted a long-term recording contract with Universal Classics. He has recently recorded a disc of Britten Songs with Malcolm Martineau (Onyx), and a disc of premiere Hoddinott recordings, which brought him extensive acclaim. Adding to his credentials in contemporary repertoire, his world-premiere recording of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s song cycle A Constant Obsession for Resonus Classics received uniformly excellent reviews. A CD of Eichendorff settings by Wolf, with Sholto Kynoch, is planned for later in the year.

Other future plans include his debut at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, recitals at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Perth Concert Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room and The Forge, Handel’s Messiah for the Kathleen Ferrier Society, Mozart’s C minor Mass at Cadogan Hall, Finzi's Dies Natalis with the BBC Concert Orchestra, a Hogmanay Gala in Glasgow, Steersman The Flying Dutchman for Scottish Opera and in concert with the CBSO and Andris Nelsons, Elgar’s The Kingdom with Cambridge Philharmonic, his Grange Park Opera debut as Chevalier in Les Dialogues des Carmelites, Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) for New Zealand Opera and Steva (Jenůfa) for La Monnaie in Brussels.

Malcolm Martineau

Malcolm Martineau was born in Edinburgh, read Music at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and studied at the Royal College of Music. Recognised as one of the leading accompanists of his generation, he has worked with many of the world’s greatest singers including Sir Thomas Allen, Dame Janet Baker, Olaf Bär, Barbara Bonney, Ian Bostridge, Angela Gheorghiu, Susan Graham, Thomas Hampson, Della Jones, Simon Keenlyside, Angelika Kirchschlager, Magdalena Kozena, Solveig Kringelborn, Jonathan Lemalu, Dame Felicity Lott, Christopher Maltman, Karita Mattila, Lisa Milne, Ann Murray, Anna Netrebko, Anne Sofie von Otter, Joan Rodgers, Amanda Roocroft, Michael Schade, Frederica von Stade, Sarah Walker and Bryn Terfel.

He has presented his own series at the Wigmore Hall (a Britten and a Poulenc series and Decade by Decade – 100 years of German Song broadcast by the BBC) and at the Edinburgh Festival (the complete lieder of Hugo Wolf). He has appeared throughout Europe (including London’s Wigmore Hall, Barbican, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Royal Opera House; La Scala, Milan; the Chatelet, Paris; the Liceu, Barcelona; Berlin’s Philharmonie and Konzerthaus; Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein), North America (including in New York both Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall), Australia (including the Sydney Opera House) and at the Aix en Provence, Vienna, Edinburgh, Schubertiade, Munich and Salzburg Festivals. Recording projects have included Schubert, Schumann and English song recitals with Bryn Terfel (for Deutsche Grammophon); Schubert and Strauss recitals with Simon Keenlyside (for EMI); recital recordings with Angela Gheorghiu and Barbara Bonney (for Decca), Magdalena Kozena (for DG), Della Jones (for Chandos), Susan Bullock (for Crear Classics), Solveig Kringelborn (for NMA); Amanda Roocroft (for Onyx); the complete Fauré songs with Sarah Walker and Tom Krause; the complete Britten Folk Songs for Hyperion; the complete Beethoven Folk Songs for Deutsche Grammophon; the complete Poulenc songs for Signum; and Britten Song Cycles as well as Schubert’s Winterreise with Florian Boesch for Onyx.

This season’s engagements include appearances with Simon Keenlyside, Magdalena Kozena, Dorothea Röschmann, Susan Graham, Michael Schade, Thomas Oliemanns, Kate Royal, Christiane Karg, Florian Boesch and Anne Schwanewilms.

He was a given an honorary doctorate at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2004, and appointed International Fellow of Accompaniment in 2009. Malcolm was the Artistic Director of the 2011 Leeds Lieder+ Festival.

Booklet for Turnage: A Constant Obsession