Michael Clarke
Refractions

Cat. No: MPSCD003

The four works on this CD were composed between 1984 and 1991. Both Uppvaknande and Malarsang were inspired by and composed wholly or in part, in Stockholm. Both are tape pieces and they also share a common technique in granular synthesis. Refractions and Epicycle were composed in Huddersfield and are works for solo instrument and tape. They use MIDI synthesisers and FM synthesis techniques.

Michael Clarke was born in Grimsby in 1956. He studied as an undergraduate and postgraduate at Durham University where his composition teachers were at first David Lumsdaine and later John Casken. He also studied electronic and computer music with Peter Manning. His works have received many performances and broadcasts throughout the world. In 1983 his composition 'Soundings' was awarded the CIM France prize at the Bourges Competition for Electroacoustic Music and in 1984 'Uppvaknande' won the Chandos prize at Musica Nova in Glasgow.

'Epicycle' was selected by an international jury for performance at the 1994 International Computer Music Conference in Tokyo. Clarke is also active in programming for computer music. His unit generator for FOF synthesis has become a standard part of MIT's CSound and is very widely used. 'SYnthia', a Computer Assisted Learning program developed together with Stuart Hunter, was awarded the 1994 European Academic Software Award for humanities.

His compositions and research activities have resulted in extended periods abroad working in major international studios; eight months at EMS, Stockholm in 1983-4; five months at IRCAM, Paris in 1988; and most recently one month at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver in 1995.

Since 1987 Michael Clarke has been Director of the Electroacoustic Music Studios at the University of Huddersfield where he is a Principal Lecturer.