Welcome to the website of composer, writer and performer Pete M Wyer

Pete M. Wyer is a leading British composer who is known  for his orchestral scores, opera, choral, ballet and jazz works. Pete’s diverse portfolio includes scores for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Juilliard Academy, Royal Opera House, English National Ballet and the London Symphony Orchestra, as well as original work for television and BBC Radio Three.

He is the Associate Composer of the Orchestra Of The Swan, Stratford On Avon and a new work for 6 performers dispersed across the atrium space of Birmingham Symphony Hall premieres on October 11th, entitled Lost In Space

Premiere of The Far Shore at Shanghai Expo cancelled

I’m deeply disappointed that the premiere of the ballet The Far Shore, with my original score, choreographed by Van Le Ngoc and to be performed on UK National Day at the Shanghai Expo on September 8, has suddenly been cancelled. The cancellation by the British Council and English National Ballet was made public by The Times on August 28, following a press preview of the work in London, where I heard the ballet described by journalists present as “beautiful” and “moving”. I am dismayed about the impact on the choreographer, dancers and others involved in the production, who put their hearts and souls into the work over a period of many months.

The cancellation has arisen because of a personal dedication to the Tibetan people (see below) written only on the score and seen only by a very few people at English National Ballet and London Symphony Orchestra; the performance in Shanghai was to have been to pre-recorded music. I had not planned to attend.

It is standard artistic practice for a composer to dedicate their work to whoever they wish. In this case I dedicated the work to the Tibetan people and their culture, a culture that is appreciated by many Chinese people in China, too. It was a small personal gesture in keeping with the work’s artistic content, and not a political one. Ultimately as a composer one hopes that the work will speak for itself, it is, after all, possible for a piece of music to be enjoyed without it’s personal dedication being known or relevant.

The dedication text was as follows:

‘This music is loosely based on the original folk tale ‘Swan Lake’ which famously inspired Tchaikovsky. It is a story of truth triumphing over deception and darker forces. It is dedicated to the people of Tibet, for speaking the truth, protecting their cultural identity despite the dangers they face’

Inspiration for The Far Shore

I have long been interested in Buddhism, and both Tibetan and Chinese religious culture. In the ballet; its title, The Far Shore, is a reference to a concept of the Buddhist teachings as the wisdom that propels us upon the raft of our human existence, across the ocean of suffering to the ‘far shore’ of spiritual enlightenment.

I refer in the dedication to the Tibetan people ‘speaking truth’, which is a Buddhist precept, and which seemed to underline the story behind the score of the original folk tale of Swan Lake, about the prince who triumphs over the darkness of illusion.

I began to be inspired to write The Far Shore while on a visit to Beijing in November 2009 for the premiere of a work for string orchestra: Somehow The Miracle – dedicated to the memory of my friend Jill Nightingale – at the APAC Orchestra Festival, which brought together student musicians from across Asia.

I am an artist, and not an activist. But like many artists, I am concerned about serious issues, and express that through my work. My work is often based around telling stories about important contemporary subjects, including a project on the Moscow theatre siege by Chechen terrorists in 2002, and a ‘time-structured mapping’ score on the theme of space and the planets with the Orchestra of the Swan (http://pmwmusic.com/cocert-and-orchestra/orchestra-of-the-swan/ )

My interest in Tibet developed after I attended a Buddhist teaching by the Dalai Lama, and also by a meeting with a Tibetan nun who had been imprisoned for expressing her loyalty to the Dalai Lama in a peaceful act of dissent, and whose sentence was extended for singing songs in her prison cell. I was struck by the connection to music in her story and by her strong spirit, and inspired to write about it in an operatic aria, called Ga Sho (May You Be Loved), which is part of a work in progress that was previewed at the Royal Opera House’s, Linbury Theatre in March. I am also starting work shortly on a piece that is loosely inspired by the Tibetan Buddhist Kalachakra (Wheel of Time) ceremony.

About The Score Of The Far Shore

The music for The Far Shore follows the plot of the original folk-tale, Swan Lake, treating it almost as though it were a short movie. This approach came quite naturally as both [choreographer] Van Le Ngoc and I were seeking to create a celebratory new work appropriate for the Shanghai Expo that had a clear relationship to Swan Lake while retaining its own character.

What interested me was getting back to the heart of the tale, I didn’t want to come up with a trendy modern allegory or take liberties with Tchaikovsky¹s famous score, I simply wanted to answer the question: ‘how does one tell this story through music in the 21st century?’

The solution I liked best was to score the emotional journey without seeking to be too literal. I felt that this was more likely to generate music that was better to move to and would free up Van from being bound to a narrative ballet.

The score I ended up writing divides into four movements; the first is concerned with youthful energy and optimism, expressed in dance, the second with uncertainty, venturing onto untried paths and with finding love, the third contains a return to buoyant youthful energy including a wild scherzo titled ‘This Is NOT My Girlfriend’  after the scene in the folk tale where Prince Siegfried dances with Odile, who has cunningly replaced his true love, Odette. There is a final celebratory fourth movement in which, as we all hoped, love triumphs over the dastardly plans of devious malefactors and a happy ending ensues.

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