Conference 2010
27-28 May 2010, University of Huddersfield
The first international conference dedicated to Roberto Gerhard took place in Huddersfield on 27-28 May, 2010 at the University of Huddersfield. There were ~20 participants in the conference, of whom 16 presented academic papers. The topics covered ranged from Gerhard’s early works, Dos Apunts through to the Fourth Symphony and the electronic works. Technical aspects covered included Gerhard’s personality, the development of his early works, structure, serialism and the philosophy lying behind much of his output.
Informal sessions were given by Pietat Homs Fornesa and Marita Gomis, daughters of friends of Gerhard and John Youngman, whose sculptures were source materials for some of Gerhard’s electronic works.
Two further informal events were a talk from Barrie Gavin on The Explorer, the BBC TV film about Gerhard, in the making of which Mr. Gavin played a significant part and, courtesy of the Archivist at the MRC Cambridge Laboratory of Molecular Biology, a showing of the film DNA in Reflection, for which Hans Boye, supported by Anand Sarabhai, the research students instrumental in persuading Gerhard to compose a score for their film, provided a paper describing its creation.
Keynotes:
Joaquim Homs, Roberto Gerhard, the human side
Hans Boye, How Roberto Gerhard was persuaded to make the soundtrack for DNA in Reflection
Conference Papers:
Trevor Walshaw (University of Huddersfield), The Quest: an Audiomosaic
Fernando Buide (Yale University), Unity and process in Roberto Gerhard’s Symphony no. 3, ‘Collages’
Darren Sproston (University of Chester), Serial metamorphoses in the music of Roberto Gerhard
Carlos Duque (City University), Gerhard’s electronic music: a pioneer in constant evolution
Monty Adkins (University of Huddersfield), Audiomobiles, Sculptures and Conundrums
Julian White, ‘Lament and Laughter’: emotional responses to exile in Gerhard’s post-Civil War works
Gregorio García-Karman, Roberto Gerhard’s tape collection: the electronic music