W O R K I N G W I T H M U S I C I A N S
"Solo Piano Music" with James Willshire
Rory has always enjoyed working with performers and has, over the years, developed close associations with a number of exciting musicians.
The brilliant young pianist James Willshire was only 17 when his father commissioned Rory to write a short solo piece for James to play at his Conservatoire auditions.
This was the start of a very fruitful collaboration which culminated in a CD of much of Rory’s piano music released on the Delphian label to critical acclaim.
"Music for Clarinet" with Fraser Langton, James Wilshire & Rosalind Ventris
While still a student, the highly gifted clarinettist Fraser Langton forged a working relationship with Rory and worked closely with him particularly on the technique of exploring alternative fingerings on the clarinet resulting in the powerful solo work Burble which was shortlisted for a British Composers Award.
Once James and Fraser starting working together, it was clear that here were two musicians whose combined creative and technical mastery would produce some very exciting performances and the release of an album of Rory’s clarinet music, again on the Delphian label provided a stunning show piece of their talent and Rory’s vibrant music.
The brilliant viola player Rosalind Ventris joined the duo in Rory’s trio Di Tre Re e Io on the album and subsequently commissioned Rory to write a trio for flute, viola and harp which was premiered in St John’s Smith Square.
"That Blessed Wood" with David Hubbard
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s principal bassoonist, David Hubbard, is another important collaborator who worked very closely with Rory while he was writing his extensive concerto That Blessed Wood for him.
This 25-minute work explores a wide variety of techniques available on the bassoon which prompted the critic Michael Tumelty to write after the premiere “What a piece, and what a performance from soloist David Hubbard. It is an amazing concerto, packed to the rafters and the basement with action, incident and atmosphere”.
