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Phoenix Rising Received warmly in London and Bristol
December 16, 2025
Last week the LSO and Maestro Antonio Pappano performed Thea’s 1997 work Phoenix Rising in London and Bristol in performances which have gone down a treat with the UK audiences. Get a snapshot of the performances and a summary of reviews we’ve spotted here!
In a little over 20 minutes it enacts a journey from darkness to light, from turbulence to peace: the disruptive timpanist (shades of Nielsen’s Fourth) and four percussionists batter away at drums of various sizes, transferring – as the phoenix rose – to mostly tuned percussion and sounds of the utmost delicacy. There was a theatrical element, decorous rather than dramatic: the hero (the principal horn) began offstage, while the villain (the timpanist) ruled the roost; when the horn appeared on the stage the rest of his section stood (a briefly Mahlerian moment); and as he joined them the timpanist retreated offstage the other side of the platform, his distant drums reduced to a desultory muttering.
Musgrave’s music is never less than interesting, and often compelling, as it moves from jarring dissonance via romantic intensity to shimmering calm. It is skilfully written – even in the loudest passages we could always hear what the strings were doing – and there were telling solos for flute and piccolo, cor anglais and contrabassoon, violin and cello. Timpanist, percussionists and solo horn – virtuosos all – richly deserved their ovations.
Chris Kettle - Seen and Heard International
15/12/2025
A 23-minute rollercoaster, it pits a blackguardly timpanist and his stick-wielding allies against a devil-may-care hornist and his brassy backup band…
…Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra gave it a thorough workout with marimba, vibraphone, glockenspiel, xylophone and tubular bells creating a magical aura. The musicians certainly revelled in its prickly harmonies, though the theatrical elements might have been pushed further.
Clive Paget - The Guardian
13/12/2025
Phoenix Rising is one of Thea Musgrave’s most electrifying and adventurous scores, blazing an incandescent trail at the start of this concert of British music.
The Hackney Gazette
Musgrave to feature at RNCM International Brass Band Festival
December 1, 2025
The 2026 International Brass Band Festival hosted by the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester features an exhilarating line up of bands and composers including Thea’s wonderful Variations. Taking place on the weekend of the 23-25th January 2026, the festival features a great array of elite performers including the recently crowned Danish National Champion, Concord Brass Band directed by Stig Maersk, as well as Black Dyke (Prof. Nicholas Childs), Brighouse & Rastrick (Dr David Thornton), Cory (Philip Harper), Foden’s (Michael Fowles) and Tredegar Town (Ian Porthouse) alongside the Yorkshire Youth Brass Band (Richard Marshall), the RNCM Brass Band (Katrina Marzella-Wheeler) and RNCM Junior Brass Band (Mark Bousie).
This year’s festival pays homage to composer Philip Sparke in celebration of his 75th birthday, as well as featuring many top composers in the Brass Band sphere. Thea is programmed alongside Richard Blackford, Dame Errollyn Wallen, Philip Wilby and many more.
Variations was Thea’s first work for Brass Band, originally written as a result of a commission from the Scottish Amateur Music Society. It was written for the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland who gave the first performance in Scotland in 1966.
“The composer was intrigued by the unusual colouring which the brass tones offered, and in her Variations for Brass Band she uses the brilliant possibilities of these to full advantage, achieving fascinating effects. The work is based on an original theme, on which there are five variations.”
Black Dyke Band perform Variations on Saturday 24th January at 7.30pm in the RNCM Concert Hall. Get your tickets here or find out more about the festival here.
Recipients of the 2025 RPS Thea Musgrave Fund announced
November 2, 2025
Following the RPS’ launch of their fund set up with support from Thea and Peter in April, we are excited to share the list of recipients of the first round of grants as selected by RPS. This year the fund will support five composer-performer partnerships with RPS Thea Musgrave Composition Grants, and four ensembles and festivals with RPS Thea Musgrave Performance Grants.
Throughout Thea’s career, she has treasured having dedicated time to shape ideas with musicians. RPS Thea Musgrave Composition Grants support composers writing a new work for an established solo performer, duo, or chamber ensemble – not only contributing to their commission, but within each grant vitally giving them and their intended performers some means to devote focused workshop and rehearsal time to its creation. This year RPS Thea Musgrave Composition Grants have been awarded to:
David Gorton writing for flautist Carla Rees
Emma-Ruth Richards writing for soprano Jennifer France
Robert Laidlow writing for baritone Peter Brathwaite
Samantha Fernando writing for viol consort Fretwork
Stuart MacRae writing for mezzo soprano Beth Taylor
Thea’s remarkable catalogue of compositions spans decades and is a veritable treasure trove for performers and programmers. RPS Thea Musgrave Performance Grants help performers, ensembles, festivals and venues to put Thea’s music at the heart of their UK programming, and distinctively promote it to captivate audiences. This year, RPS Thea Musgrave Performance Grants have been awarded to:
Marsyas Trio with mezzo soprano Lotte Betts-Dean
Find out more about the recipients at the RPS website here.
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