The CCO will feature the midwestern premiere of Gabriel Prokofiev’s Concerto for Bass Drum and Orchestra on the Winter Concert on Tuesday February 21, 2012.
Gabriel Prokofiev is a London-based composer, producer, and founder of the NONCLASSICAL record label & club night (www.nonclassical.co.uk).
Despite studying music and electroacoustic composition at both Birmingham and York universities, he has also been producing Dance, Electro & Hip-hop music under a variety of different guises over the last ten years.
He returned to his classical roots in 2003, composing a critically acclaimed String Quartet No1 (“Stunning” DJ Magazine, “defies comparison” Daily Telegraph) which he released on his own independent label NONCLASSICAL, complete with Remixes of the original Quartet. What gives his contemporary classical writing its unique edge is Gabriels background in dance music combined with his classical roots.
His compositions include a well received 2nd String Quartet, ‘Sleeveless Scherzo’ for solo violin & solo dancer commissioned by the Rambert Dance Company; as well as the groundbreaking Concerto for Turntables & Orchestra. This concerto premiered by DJ Yoda & the Heritage Orchestra at The Scala in Kings Cross has been performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra with Beni G to a sold-out Glasgow Royal Festival Hall, won Best Contemporary Classical CD at the 2010 Independent Music Awards, was recently premiered in the USA by the ‘Present Music’ ensemble, and performed at the BBC Proms in August 2011 conducted by Vladimir Jurowski.
Other recent works include a book of piano music for Russian virtuoso Pianist GeNIA (released on the Nonclassical label), a large scale work ‘IMPORT/EXPORT’ for percussionist Joby Burgess’s group Powerplant, using Junk objects; a collection of songs for cutting edge vocal trio Juice; a concerto for ‘dancing’ Viola, String Orchestra, Trombones & Percussion; a 3rd String Quartet premiered by the Ruysdael Quartet to a packed Wigmore Hall in May 2010; and a full-length Ballet of ‘Winternachtstraum’ for Bern Ballet’s winter season.
Gabriel lives in Hackney, London with his partner and their two young children, and 3 month old baby.
