HONEY SIREN
OLIVER LEITH
12 ensemble perform ‘II. (Full like drips)’ from Oliver Leith’s Honey Siren.
'Honey Siren' was commissioned by the 12 Ensemble and premiered at LSO St Luke's on the 19 May 2020, with the debut recording released in January 2020 to widespread international critical acclaim; "The finale, Like Dancing in Slow Honey, is expertly constructed, building gradually to its unexpectedly moving conclusions. There's a half-lit quality to Leith's writing that's mesmeric, and I'm eager to hear more from him" - Gramophone
Writing for for 12 un-conducted strings, Oliver manages to find inspiration in one of the most ubiquitous sounds of modern city living, a siren, and with outstanding originality and creativity produces a deeply captivating and emotive work that brilliantly encapsulates his vision to heighten the mundane and everyday, creating music relevant to all.
The work has been widely broadcast internationally, including BBC Radio 3 and New York Public Radio, and has been programmed by the LA Philharmonic in the Walt Disney Hall for their 2021 season.
Photo credit: Anton Lukoszevieze
"The themes in my music are tangible, though abstracted, and try to find poetry and honesty in humanity and the everyday."
Oliver Leith is a London based composer making acoustic music, electronic music and video. His work focuses on text, image, video, theatre, pathos and the everyday.
Commissions have been given by groups such as London Sinfonietta, Festival Aix-en-Provence, the London Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Festival, Heidelberg festival, Musicon, Homo Novus/Valmiera theatre and St John Smith’s Square.
Collaborators and performers have included Apartment House, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Ives Ensemble, Exaudi, 12 Ensemble, Plus Minus, Mimitabu, Philharmonia Orchestra, An Assembly, Trio Catch, GBSR Duo, Loré Lixenberg, Explore Ensemble, Matthew Herbert and John Harle.
Performances have taken place at the Royal Festival Hall, Barbican Hall, Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, Royal Opera House, Aldeburgh, Huddersfield (HCMF), LSO St Luke’s, St Martin-in-the-fields, Horniman Museum, The Forge, CNSDMP (Paris), RCM, GSMD, Milton Court, Howard Assembly Room, The Place, Handel House, Mexican Embassy (UK and Tokyo), Liszt academy (Budapest), Maison du Canada (Paris), Howard Assembly and Leeds Lieder. Visual art collaborations are exhibited at The Museum of Western Australia and recorded music is played on BBC Radio 3 and NTS radio.
Oliver was the recipient of a British Composer Award in 2016 and of a Royal Philharmonic Composition prize in 2014.