Peter Neville
Peter Neville is one of Australia's most accomplished percussion players. He has a particular interest in twentieth century music and has worked extensively in Australia with such ensembles as Elision, the David Chesworth Ensemble, the Southbank Ensemble, Jouissance, the Chronochromie Duo and the Nadoya Dance and Music Company.
Peter Neville is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, where in 2000, he was appointed Head Of Percussion. Prior to this appointment, he worked as a freelancer, performing across a wide range of musical styles.
As a member of the Australian Youth Orchestra Peter toured Europe in 1984, performing in the Royal Albert Hall and the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. He worked for fifteen years as a part-time percussionist with the Melbourne Symphony, including its 1988 tour of Japan and its Australian tour with Elton John. Also with the MSO, Peter was part of the Australian premieres of Olivier Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony, in the presence of the composer and Krzysztof Penderecki's Te Deum, conducted by the composer. He was part of the MSO's all-Takemitsu programme in Suntory Hall, Tokyo, also in the presence of the composer. Peter has also worked with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, in their Melbourne performance of Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony under Vladimir Ashkenazy.
Peter has also performed in numerous musicals, including West Side Story, Cats, Hello Dolly, The Secret Garden and in three Australian tours of the Broadway version of The Pirates of Penzance. He toured Australia as musical director with the hit show Tap Dogs. Other theatrical tours include the Australia/China tour of Playbox Theatre's Cho-Cho-San, and Richard the Third with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
As the percussionist of the Elision Ensemble, Peter premiered works such as Chris Dench's Driftglass for percussion and ensemble and Liza Lim's operas The Oresteia and Yu-Ling Jie. Other contemporary Australian opera premieres include Brian Howard's Metamorphosi with the Victorian State Opera, Andrew Ford's Poe and Michael Whitiker's The Bamboo Flute with the Australian Opera, and Mark-Anthony Turnage's Greek with ChamberMade Opera.
Peter has supported performances of the Bolshoi Ballet, the Russian State Ballet, the Nureyev Farewell Tour and the Netherlands Dance Theatre. With HumanVeins Dance Theatre he took part in the Australian premieres of Yannis Xenakis's Oresteia, and was guest drummer with the Balanescu Quartet in their three Australian seasons of Possessed with the Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre.
Peter Neville appears on CD recordings ranging from Elision to pop albums by Peter Andre and Deborah Conway and the experimental industrial album New Maps of Hell by London based Paul Schutze.
As well as the Elision Ensemble, Peter has been or is currently a member of the groups Jouissance, Nadoya, the David Chesworth Ensemble, The Southbank Ensemble, the duo Chronochromie, and The Zappa Instrumentaale amongst others. He has recorded with several of these groups and toured with them to Norway, Estonia and the U.S.A.
Peter has a developing profile as a composer having written works for percussion quartet, voice, percussion and saxophone quartet, as well as for The Southbank Ensemble and companies such as Handspan Theatre and Skylark/Playbox.
Peter Neville appears on
Catalogue des Errances Bibliques
This is Michael Kieran Harvey's epic catalogue of Biblical errors for eight keyboardists and four percussionists, together with spoken narration written and spoken by Arjun von Caemmerer. There are 25 musical passages interspersed with 25 short narratives.
Performer: Percussion
PRTZL
This release of original compositions by Harvey includes solo and ensemble works centred around the monumental fourth piano sonata, a homage to the courageous anti-fascist Antonio Gramsci. This anti-fascist theme percolates through all the works, which range in mood from nostalgically whimsical to furiously satirical.
Performer: Percussion
Spirit Wind
Flautist Derek Jones presents a collection of improvisations that were inspired by the idea of a universal spirit in all musical cultures.
Performer: Percussion
Below: Music For Low Flutes
This charming and rare recording features predominantly commissioned chamber music for low flutes that was composed to showcase the lyrical and colourful tonal qualities of these instruments, expanding their small yet growing repertoire.
Performer: Vibraphone
Curiosities - Chamber Music by Eve Duncan
A collection of chamber music by Australian composer Eve Duncan. This new CD features recordings of her work performed by artists from Australia and overseas including the Australian National Academy of Music String Ensemble and Michael Kieran Harvey.
Performer: Timpani, Vibraphone
Jacinta's Song
Featuring an impressive lineup of musicians, including the ARIA-winning pianist, Andrea Keller, guitarist Steve Magnusson and percussionist extraordinaire, Peter Neville, Jacinta's Song is the new CD from multi-saxophonist / composer Jenny Game-Lopata.
Performer: Marimba, Steel Drum
Japanese Story (Original Soundtrack)
Elizabeth Drake's wonderful and award-winning score to the new Australian feature film starring Toni Collette, with two bonus tracks not featured in the movie plus a collectable 16 page booklet and a widescreen trailer.
Performer: Percussion
Scent Of Time
This new CD features the diverse works of six Australian composers that have taken Asian instruments and voices beyond the boundaries of their own traditions. From dan tranh to sheng, from shakuhachi to erhu, this fascinating recording is cross-cultural music at its best.
Performer: Percusson
Ambient Voice
Ambient Voice features Dean Frenkel's haunting harmonic vocals strategically placed over and within the music of outstanding Australian composers, including Mark Clement Pollard, George Dreyfus, Andrew MacGregor and the group Invention in Time.
Performer: Vibraphone
A Handful of Rain
Inspired by the Gamelan and Japanese Shinto music, the recent ambient work of Mark Clement Pollard is unique in its pursuit of beauty and simplicity. A Handful of Rain is the first comprehensive collection of this acclaimed Australian composer's popular style.
Performer: Vibraphone
Exposé
This album spans nearly a quarter of a century of composition in the field of chamber music by Peter Tahourdin. The pieces reflect Peter's compositional metamorphosis and encompass a myriad of influences and themes, from Indian ragas to the Carmina Burana.
Performer: Percussion
WindSong
Eric Klay brings his bass trombone centre-stage in a varied selection of stylish classic, contemporary, and big band pieces.
