You may not have heard the name Josh Spear yet, but listen out for him, for this young gay composer is likely to become a significant player in contemporary music circles soon.
Having recently completed the soundtrack for sci-fi feature film ‘Red Rain’, he is currently a postgraduate student of famous concert composer Edward Jessen at Trinity Laban in London. Spear’s work blends elements of the experimental and thought-provoking with a forward-thinking, progressive soundscape, often orientated toward performance. As he says himself, he is ‘always trying to inject drama and make the music and theatre symbiotic.’
In terms of performance, Spear has just finished an intriguing installation show at Laban, utilising speakers built into the costumes, an array of gorgeous sets and live video integration. He has composed and produced the music for a dance show named ‘Midnight and Closedown, Chance of Rain’, and is currently in the midst of creating an opera named ‘That Woman’, based on the story of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. Featuring electronic music and live video, it provisionally makes its stage debut in summer 2014, in association with the innovative Tête à Tête charity.
When listening to Spear’s music he proves he can provide the immediately accessible, commercially viable work in his film soundtracks, both in the epic likes of ‘Red Rain’ and shorter, touching film pieces such as ‘Rhythm and Blues’. But it is in some of his other work, such as ‘Mater/Matrix ii. Great Lakes’ or ‘Face Fiction’ – with which he made his Wigmore Hall debut – that demand and provoke the most interest. Crucially, they also seem to provide the most worth after deep listening. ‘Great Lakes’, inspired by American photographer/environmentalist Ansel Adams, musically produces the fluidity of water’s changing states, from rippling piano to ominous depth. Face Fiction follows a performer falling in love with her character, as clarinet and voice recording intertwine.
Spear states, ‘I’m very interested in being more than a composer.’ And whichever direction he takes above and beyond his composing, by the basis of his current oeuvre, it’s set to be an exciting next step.
