Tazul Tajuddin - Malaysian-born composer, resident in the UK

'un compositeur très finement doué'...'semble révéler un tempérament original, épris à la fois de rigueur et d'esprit novateur.' ('a very finely gifted composer'...'reveals a daring personality, both rigorous and innovative in spirit.') Henri Dutilleux

'Dieser Eindruck stellte sich bei vielen der aufgeführten Stücke ein, die zumeist entweder folkloristische Züge oder - in den gemischten Ensembles - die Gegenuberstellung von west - östlichem Denken bevorzugten.  Eine überzeugende Synthese, wie sie der in England lebende Malaysier Tazul Izan Tajuddin in seiner Komposition  "Tenunan II" für Flöte, Celeste, Klavier und Streichorchester mit sich ständig neu verwebenden Klangmustern vorstellte, wareher die Ausnahme.' Gisela Gronemeyer  in Neu Musikzeitung magazine (Germany, Feb 2008 issue)

'Warna Yang Bernada' is an arch-form single movement whose trajectory is intended to reflect the development over the past century. With its Messiaen-like piano flourishes...over hazy static orchestral textures, it is attractive... .' Andrew Clement, writing in the Guardian (UK, 16 Nov 2007)

'Tazul never deviated once from his confidence in the piece - uncompromisingly modern, 25 minutes of broken words, transformed from the seed pali text into trills and shudders, long notes and slides. And the minute I started speaking the text and had the audience sit in silence listening for the nada sound, the music made complete sense. It was like a huge extended chant but splintered into a thousand planes. When Ed started weaving his bass over the drone it was magical and each time I spoke, a different texture was teased out and frozen in time by Daniel's electronics....The dead silence in the hall during the performance and almost mystic concentration we all felt performing seemed to validate the seriousness.' Alistair Appleton's blog, 11 June 2007

'...a new score from Tazul Tajuddin, which seized Appleton's words and turned them into a humming, buzzing collage of syllables.' Ivan Hewett, writing in the Daily Telegraph (UK, 11 June 2007)

'Tazul Izan Tajuddin's prizewinning Gamelbati - Mediasi Ukiran III, basically a concerto for Indonesian gamelan and a slightly unusually-constituted western chamber orchestra, is a piece whose substantial length flies by.  A typically oriental patience and longsightedness informs its structure, recurring columns of gamelan-coloured serenity punctuating anxious skirls from woodwind, later by strings, before a gradual acceleration brings the piece to its well-achieved conclusion.  Edwin Roxburgh directed an assured account from a remarkable bunch of [Birmingham Conservatoire] students in the gamelan and Thallein ensembles.'  Christopher Morley, writing in the Birmingham Post, 3 April 2006 (United Kingdom)

'La fascination et la séduction à l'état pur envoûtent du début à la fin. Littéralement rivé sur son siège, on écoute une oeuvre, une vraie, une forte, de structure très définie, à la forme parlante. Partant de l'ornement, Tajuddin élabore un continuum sonore ébluoissant, raffiné et subtil. Il transcende le truisme en vocable sensible.' ('...Its sheer fascination and seduction captivate the listener from beginning to the end. Literally glued to one's seat, we listen to a real, strong work, with solid structure and communicative form. Starting from ornaments, Tajuddin weaves a dazzling, refined and subtle musical work. He transcends the commonplace with sensitive vocabulary.') Le Devoir, 7 Feb 2005 (Montreal, Canada)

'Beneath the complication of 'Kehalusan Ukiran', we could hear something courtly and formal unfolding, like a modernist gamelan.'  Ivan Hewett, writing in the Daily Telegraph (UK, 17 February 2004)

'Among the finalists (Toru Takemitsu Composition Award 2002), there is a Malaysian and I am very surprised and grateful to find such a high quality composer from the country.' Joji Yuasa (Japanese composer, 2002)

'...tentunya hasil seni yang membanggakan untuk dekad ini jikapun tidak abad ini sebelum melangkah ke abad baru...ia mendapat sambutan membanggakan.' (...definitely the proudest work of art in this decade if not this century before going to the new century...it was received very warmly.) Berita Harian, May 1997 (Malaysia)

'His music exhibits a remarkable concern for sonic; his control of time and gesture are extraordinary. There is clarity of intention and force that is truly fascinating.' Reza Vali (Iranian, US composer, 1996)

'...such delightful Malay traditional folk songs like Enjit-enjit Semut with extrvagant lashings of harmonised vocals...pieces are turned into stunning ones...' (Review in The Malay Mail, 26 February 1993, Malaysia)