(b. 1962, Wellington).
New Zealand composer, now resident in Slovenia, of mostly orchestral and chamber works that have been performed in Europe and elsewhere.
Mr. Hall studied composition with John Elmsly and John Rimmer at the University of Auckland from 1987–91, where he earned his MMus. He then attended classes in composition with Franco Donatoni at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena in 1992, on a joint scholarship from the Accademia Musicale Chigiana and Creative New Zealand.
Among his honours are the Senior Bishop Music Scholarship from the University of Auckland (1989), the Fowlds Prize from the University of Auckland (1991), the CANZ Trust Fund Award (1994), menzione d'onore in the competition Luigi Russolo in Varese (1994, for reflexive), First Prize in the competition for choral music Tone Tomšič in Ljubljana (1995, for mir – peace [original version]), a recommended work at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers (2001, for silence rained down, quenching time's fire), and Third Prize in the competition of the Prešernov sklad – Prešeren Fund in Ljubljana (2002, for whispered by the perfumed breath of silence). His music has been performed in Australia, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, New Zealand, Spain, and the USA.
He is also active in other positions. He served as composer-in-residence to Chamber Music New Zealand in 1995 and as artistic director of the festival Slowind in Slovenia in 2005.
He has lived in Slovenia since 1993.
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS
ORCHESTRAL:
configuration, 2 small orchestras (4 winds, percussion, 11 strings each), 1991
silence rained down, quenching time's fire, large orchestra (89 players), 1996–97
whispered by the perfumed breath of silence, violin, 12 strings, 1999
flaking the black soft water, 2005–06
lithe sinews of water, small orchestra, 2008
and the wave concealed her, dark mass of great water, flute, ensemble, orchestra, 2009
eye-glitter out of black air 3, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, orchestra, 2010–11
CHAMBER MUSIC:
branching, clarinet, harp, cello, 1989
union, 2 E-flat clarinets, 2 clarinets, 2 bass clarinets, 1989
composition for solo viola, 1989
evolving music, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 2 violins, viola, cello, piano, 2 percussion, 1990
from a single point, clarinet, tenor saxophone, viola, cello, piano, 1990
reflexive, alto saxophone, fixed media (2 tracks), 1991
it begins..., E-flat clarinet, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, violin, 1991
octet: infiltration, flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, harp, guitar, violin, cello, 1992
the way thoughts transfigure, tenor saxophone, violin, piano, 1992
time's distance, flute, clarinet, French horn, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1993
kontinuum 1, 4 saxophones, 1993
kontinuum 2, violin, 1993
the way time accumulates, bass clarinet, harp, violin, viola, cello, double bass, percussion, 1993
some points in time, book 1, saxophones (1 player), 1994
beneath the veil of silence, clarinet, alto saxophone, violin, cello, piano, 1994
a splinter of silence in the belly of time, clarinet, string quartet, 1995
six preludes and a postlude, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1995
in the folds of silence 1, 2 flutes, 1996
in the folds of silence 2, 2 violins, 1996
the night recalls each flickering silence, flute, string quartet, 1997–98
darilo – gift, 2 cellos, 1999
and, out of nothing, a breathing, hot breath on my ankles, flute, 2000
and the sound went up like smoke, 2 amplified vibraphones (4 players), 2000–01
and the snow's lace is spread there like sea foam, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, bass trombone, cello, double bass, 2001
beasts like shadows in glass, French horn, 2003
ply over ply, thin glitter of water, flute, bass clarinet, harp, violin, cello, 2004
with a sky wet as ocean flowing with liquid slate, 2 flutes, oboe, English horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, French horn, harp, violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano, 2004–05
now ivory silence, clarinet, 2007
the shadow eddying fluid, 2 cellos, 2007
the liquid and rushing crystal, flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, trombone, bass trombone, violin, viola, cello, double bass, percussion, 2008
a furred tail upon nothingness, oboe, 2008
lifeless air become sinewed, bassoon, 2009
the crystal funnel of air 1, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, 2009
the crystal funnel of air 2, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, 2009
eye-glitter out of black air 1, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 2010
eye-glitter out of black air 2, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 2010
there is a wine-red glow in the shallows, flute, clarinet, trombone, harp, violin, viola, cello, 2011
CHORAL:
mir (text from the word "peace" in several languages), mixed chorus, alto saxophone, 1994–95 (also shorter version for mixed chorus, 1994–95)
and saw the waves taking form as crystal (text by Ezra Pound), mixed chorus, 2002–03
PIANO:
throwing the ladder away, 1994
ELECTROACOUSTIC:
we squat, fixed media (4 tracks), 1990