The Fizz @ 50 series
A series of fifty short pieces for double bass and piano from composers throughout the world, instigated by David Heyes to celebrate his 50th birthday. Each composer received a bottle of champagne (Fizz) as payment.
John Alexander writes "Possibly 'room for two' is about the enjoyable challenge of cooperative love between two people; of trusting, questioning each other within the four walls of a familiar and comfortable place; of finding ways to mutually explore fresh adventure, or of perhaps coming to know one another compassionately and unravelling that mystery across the room. Equally, it might concern the concentrated but relaxed interaction between two musicians in a recital room. Or that there are only two seats left for the concert. Or there's just room for two inside the bus on the way home from the gig. Whatever your thoughts on the matter, it certainly has something to do with togetherness."
John Alexander was born in West Sussex in 1942 and began to compose at the age of 20. At the time he discovered a fascination for art, literature, dance, architecture and sculpture and these topics, along with mathematics, have continued to have a bearing on his work. He studied composition with Edmund Rubbra at the Guildhall School of Music in London, and later with Jonathan Harvey and Peter Wiegold at the University of Sussex.
John Alexander has never been a prolific composer, but an impressive and growing body of work reflects a rare eye for detail and structure - each work beautifully crafted and reworked until every inflection, detail and nuance is perfect. Probably best described as a miniaturist, he writes in a fluent, independent and strongly personal style with an intense desire to create music which communicates to both performer and audience alike.
In 1999 John Alexander won the 1st BIBF Composition Contest and was invited to be a judge for several BIBF competitions. He was a featured composer at Bass-Fest 2001, was an spnm short-listed composer for three years, and was Composer-in-residence at the 2004 Rotterdam Conservatoire Double Bass Weekend, Bass-Fest 2006 and 2007 Wells Double Bass Weekend. His works have been performed and broadcast throughout the world and he was written an impressive and unique body of work for double bass.
