Ivor McGregor was born in Leamington Spa where he began composing and playing the violin at the age of 8. He studied at the Royal College of Music in London with Alan Ridout and later at Huddersfield University with Richard Steinitz and John Casken for a Masters Degree.
He has had numerous performances of his music to date, by such artists as Peter Thomas (Violin), Virginia Shaw (Oboe), Lucy Wakeford (Harp), Ensemble Firebird, The Birmingham Ensemble, and Queens Park Sinfonia.
In 2002, his ‘Canticle of the Cross’ was performed twice at Coventry Cathedral as part of the Cathedral’s 40th anniversary.
Currently living in Birmingham, where he composes and freelances as an orchestral violinist and proofreads for Faber Music, he continues his composition studies privately with John Joubert.
Commission and Performances
Symphony no2 – 2010
30 May 2010: Civic Hall, Stratford-upon-Avon (world premiere)
Symphony no2
Allegretto piacevole
Presto
Andante
Allegro spiritoso ed energico
These days it might seem somewhat quixotic to write a Symphony, let alone embark upon a cycle. Not surprisingly, it is difficult to get performances of such large-scale pieces, even for the major composers such as Simpson, Arnold, and Williamson. I am therefore extremely fortunate to have this commission from the Orchestra of the Swan, and it is entirely characteristic of David Curtis’s eclectic and generous vision of how new music can be presented and explored.
I wrote the Second Symphony completely with OOTS and its wealth of talented musicians in mind. This has given me a glimpse of what it might have been like for Haydn writing for his players at Eszterhazá.
The first movement begins quietly and in a somewhat melancholy mood. Gradually it begins to work towards its central argument and a big climax. After a bizarre acceleration, the music vanishes, only to reappear as a quiet, unsettling coda.
The Scherzo (placed second in this work) has a very rambunctious, back-slapping character. Its middle section is a showcase for our much admired leader David Le Page. A mutual friend once described his playing as ‘demonic’, so I have accordingly written him a fiendish solo, which sparks off a similar solo for the Double Bass.
Perhaps the heart of this Symphony, and certainly the longest movement, the Andante is initially subdued and tender. An introduction on strings leads to a special solo for our very distinguished principal oboe, Richard Weigall. The second subject is a Brahmsian lullaby, endowing this movement with a feeling of tenderness and compassion. Towards the end, there is a disturbing, almost obscene chord which threatens to engulf the atmosphere but suddenly resolves into a blissful E flat major. It is in fact a memento mori.
The Finale bursts in on the scene like an unruly child, full of high spirits and enormous energy. On its whirlwind journey it takes in musical jokes, serious development and changing meters until an ending which is simultaneously hopeful but defiant.
Ivor McGregor