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Welcome to the Composition:Today New Music Concert Listings.
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11 Nov



United Kingdom
 Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 7.30pm 
THE JOURNEY BETWEEN US
Southwark Playhouse
77-85 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BD
United Kingdom
020 7407 0234
http://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

Geoffrey Paterson conductor
Lisa Dwan reader
London Sinfonietta


Join us as we take up a week-long residency at Southwark Playhouse and explore the intricate links between music and storytelling. Personal, compelling and deeply powerful, four short stories traverse the challenges of personal relationships at different stages in life. A new work by RPS award-winning composer Samantha Fernando intersperses the words, giving space for a different kind of listening. Retreat inside your own world and let the musical interludes add depths of meaning to the stories.


Samantha Fernando : New Work

12 Nov



United States
 Friday, February 12, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. 
Ecce Ensemble Premieres Switch Opera
Le Laboratoire
650 East Kendall Street
United States
617-945-7515
http://www.lelaboratoirecambridge.com

Tickets: $20
Ecce Ensemble
Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (soprano) and Mikhail Smigelskii (bass-baritone)


As the 2015-16 contemporary music ensemble-in-residence at Cambridge’s Le Laboratoire, the Ecce Ensemble premieres Switch, a contemporary opera written and composed by John Aylward, directed by Laine Rettmer (Loft Opera), and conducted by Jean-Philippe Wurtz (Ensemble Linea). Featuring two vocalists—Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (soprano) and Mikhail Smigelskii (bass-baritone)—backed by the Ecce Ensemble, Switch explores the relationship between an artist and his muse.

John Aylward : Switch

12 Nov



United Kingdom
 Friday, February 12, 2016 at 7.30pm 
Louis Andriessen: La Commedia
Barbican Hall, London
Barbican, Silk Street, London EC2
United Kingdom
020 7638 8891
http://www.barbican.org.uk/eticketing

BBC Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins conductor
Claron McFadden soprano
Cristina Zavalloni female voice
Andrew Sauvageau male voice
Synergy vocals

As the climax of Andriessen: M is for Man, Music & Mystery, a performance of La Commedia: his huge, riotous reinvention of Dante.

Hell, Heaven, and a whole teeming world in between: Dante’s Divine Comedy was the inspiration for Louis Andriessen’s La Commedia, but Andriessen crams every scene of this opera with invention, anarchy and raw creative energy.

The story of La Commedia may be timeless, but Andriessen offers a startlingly new vision of everything he touches. Referencing everything from Bach to Hollywood by way of Stravinsky and electronics, this remains, unmistakably 'a rich, important achievement by one of Europe's greatest living composers' (The Guardian).


Louis Andriessen : La Commedia

12 Nov



United Kingdom
 Friday, February 12, 2016 at 1pm 
auf tönernen füssen
The Cello Factory
33-34 Cornwall Road Southwark SE1 8TJ
United Kingdom

Carin Levine (flute), Silje Aker Johnsen (soprano), Rohan de Saram (‘cello)


Includes:

Composers’ Competition finalist (World Première)



Beat Furrer : auf tönernen füssen
Helmut Lachenmann : temA
Gabriel Iranyi : Begegnungen
Elliot Carter : Enchanted Preludes

13 Nov



United States
 Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. 
Ecce Ensemble Premieres Switch Opera
Le Laboratoire
650 East Kendall Street
United States
617-945-7515
http://www.lelaboratoirecambridge.com

Tickets: $20
Ecce Ensemble
Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (soprano) and Mikhail Smigelskii (bass-baritone)

As the 2015-16 contemporary music ensemble-in-residence at Cambridge’s Le Laboratoire, the Ecce Ensemble premieres Switch, a contemporary opera written and composed by John Aylward, directed by Laine Rettmer (Loft Opera), and conducted by Jean-Philippe Wurtz (Ensemble Linea). Featuring two vocalists—Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (soprano) and Mikhail Smigelskii (bass-baritone)—backed by the Ecce Ensemble, Switch explores the relationship between an artist and his muse.

John Aylward : Switch Opera

13 Nov



United States
 Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 8pm-10 
Composers Concordance - Wingjammer -
West Park Presbyterian Church
165 West 86th Street  New York, N.Y. 10024
United States
(212) 362-4890

Tickets: 15
Gene Pritsker - guitar, Daniel Schnyder - saxophone, and Payton MacDonald - percussion, and by the The Wheatley Quintet: Scott Hoefling - saxophone, Peggy Ho - clarinet, Steve Fitzko - trumpet, Angela Luftig - violin, and Anneke Schaul-Yoder - cello.

On February 13th at West Park Presbyterian Church, Composers Concordance presents its next 'Wingjammer' - a feast of contemporary music featuring improvisation plus an ample reception of buffalo wings. Compositions by Paul Carlon, Dan Cooper, Eleanor Cory, Emily Doolittle, Scott Hoefling, Ryo Noda, Payton MacDonald, Gene Pritsker, Raul Quines, David Sanford, Daniel Schnyder, and Dorian Wallace will be performed by: Gene Pritsker - guitar, Daniel Schnyder - saxophone, and Payton MacDonald - percussion, and by the The Wheatley Quintet: Scott Hoefling - saxophone, Peggy Ho - clarinet, Steve Fitzko - trumpet, Angela Luftig - violin, and Anneke Schaul-Yoder - cello.

Gene Pritsker : Bemoan
Dan Cooper : Tba

13 Nov



Netherlands
 Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 14:15 
ETERNAL JOY: NEW TRUMPET CONCERTO WITH ALISON BALSOM
Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
Het Concertgebouw, Concertgebouwplein 2-7, 1071 LN Amsterdam
Netherlands
http://www.concertgebouw.nl

Radio Filharmonisch Orkest
Groot Omroepkoor
Hans Graf - dirigent
Alison Balsom - trompet
Leo van Doeselaar - orgel
Cécile van de Sant - mezzosopraan
Matthias Winckhler - bariton




Olivier Messiaen : Prière après la communion, nr. 16
Chen Qigang : Joie éternelle
Paul Hindemith : When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom'd

14 Nov



United States
 Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. 
Ecce Ensemble Premieres Switch Opera at Le Lab
Le Laboratoire
650 East Kendall Street
United States
617-945-7515
http://www.lelaboratoirecambridge.com

Tickets: $40
Ecce Ensemble
written and composed by John Aylward, directed by Laine Rettmer (Loft Opera), and conducted by Jean-Philippe Wurtz (Ensemble Linea). Featuring two vocalists—Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (soprano) and Mikhail Smigelskii (bass-baritone)

As the 2015-16 contemporary music ensemble-in-residence at Cambridge’s Le Laboratoire, the Ecce Ensemble premieres Switch, a contemporary opera.

John Aylward : Switch

15 Nov 
 
16 Nov



Netherlands
 Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 20:15 
DUTCH NATIONAL STUDENT ORCHESTRA
Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
Het Concertgebouw, Concertgebouwplein 2-7, 1071 LN Amsterdam
Netherlands
http://www.concertgebouw.nl

MUSICIANS

Nederlands Studenten Orkest
Bas Wiegers - dirigent
Arthur Jussen - piano




Claude Debussy : Général Lavine
Trevor Grahl : New work
Maurice Ravel : Pianoconcert voor de linkerhand in D
Béla Bartók : Concert voor orkest, Sz. 116

17 Nov 
 
18 Nov



United States
 Thursday, February 18, 2016 at 730-830 
Gene & The Violinists - The Violin Music of Gene Pritsker -
Le Poisson Rouge
NYC
United States

Tickets: 10
Peter Krysa, Lynn Bechtold, Mioi Takeda - (Miolina Duo), Gregor Kitzis, Hajnal K. Pivnick & Yuko Naito-Gotay

Composer Gene Pritsker presents a concert of his music for violin; “I noticed that I have many compositions for the violin, including 11 concertos, numerous solo pieces and loads of chamber music. I decided, why not have a concert featuring only the violin?.” Five violinists, some of whom have collaborated with Gene for over 20 years and some for whom this is a first collaboration, will perform solos, duos, works for violin and Samplestra (pre recorded electronics) and compositions for violin and Di.J. (with GP). In addition there will be a premiere of a brand new chamber piece written for solo violin, a five violin ensemble, rapper and Di.J. The violinists are: Peter Krysa, Lynn Bechtold, Mioi Takeda - (Miolina Duo), Gregor Kitzis, Hajnal K. Pivnick & Yuko Naito-Gotay. Besides compositions that have been performed around the world many times such as: ‘Bach Partita ReMix’, ‘Misfortune Has it’s Uses’, ‘Empty Bottles’, ‘Opposite Extreme of Benevolence’, this concert will also feature four premieres, including two movements for the solo violin piece ‘Tango In V’, a new violin and Samplestra composition; ‘Waiting III’, the violin duet ‘No Conviction, a Hope and that is All’ and the aforementioned new chamber piece.

Gene Pritsker : Misfortune Has it’s Uses
Gene Pritsker : Empty Bottles
Gene Pritsker : Opposite Extreme of Benevolence
Gene Pritsker : Tango In V
Gene Pritsker : Waiting III

19 Nov



France
 Friday, February 19, 2016 at 20:30 
TIMBRES EN FUSION
Philharmonie de Paris
221, avenue Jean-Jaurès 75019 Paris, France
France
+33 (0)1 44 84 44 84
http://philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr

Solistes de l’Ensemble intercontemporain

Over the past century, attention to timbre has transfigured composition, and this concert is a testament to the variety of approaches taken in this area. Šenk and Taïra juxtapose different timbres, seeking contrast and perspective, while Blank, Saunders and Schnittke try to close the distance between instruments, merging them into a stream of metamorphic sound textures.
Coproduction Ensemble intercontemporain, Philharmonie de Paris


Alfred Schnittke : Hymn, pour violoncelle, harpe et timballes
Nina Senk : Réflections, pour trompette et piano
Yoshihisa Taïra : Monodrame IV, pour vibraphone
Rebecca Saunders : Behind the Velvet Curtains, pour piano, harpe, trompette et violoncelle
William Blank : Flow, pour trompette, hautbois, harpe, violon et violoncelle

19 Nov



United States
 Friday, February 19, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. 
Ecce Ensemble Premieres Switch Opera
Le Laboratoire
650 East Kendall Street
United States
617-945-7515
http://www.lelaboratoirecambridge.com

Tickets: $20
Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (soprano) and Mikhail Smigelskii (bass-baritone)
Ecce Ensemble

As the 2015-16 contemporary music ensemble-in-residence at Cambridge’s Le Laboratoire, the Ecce Ensemble premieres Switch, a contemporary opera written and composed by John Aylward, directed by Laine Rettmer (Loft Opera), and conducted by Jean-Philippe Wurtz (Ensemble Linea). Featuring two vocalists—Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (soprano) and Mikhail Smigelskii (bass-baritone)—backed by the Ecce Ensemble, Switch explores the relationship between an artist and his muse.

John Aylward : Switch

20 Nov



United States
 Saturday, February 20, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. 
Ecce Ensemble Premieres Switch Opera
Le Laboratoire
650 East Kendall Street
United States
617-945-7515
http://www.lelaboratoirecambridge.com

Tickets: $20
Ecce Ensemble
Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (soprano) and Mikhail Smigelskii (bass-baritone)

As the 2015-16 contemporary music ensemble-in-residence at Cambridge’s Le Laboratoire, the Ecce Ensemble premieres Switch, a contemporary opera written and composed by John Aylward, directed by Laine Rettmer (Loft Opera), and conducted by Jean-Philippe Wurtz (Ensemble Linea). Featuring two vocalists—Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (soprano) and Mikhail Smigelskii (bass-baritone)—backed by the Ecce Ensemble, Switch explores the relationship between an artist and his muse.

John Aylward : Switch

20 Nov



United Kingdom
 Saturday, February 20, 2016 at 7.30pm 
BCMG at CrossCurrents
Bramall Music Building
University of Birmingham, Edgbaston
United Kingdom

BCMG

CrossCurrents is a new nine-day University of Birmingham festival that brings together internationally acclaimed professional performers and student musicians, as well as some of the UK’s most respected composers.

BCMG close the inaugural CrossCurrents festival with a multifaceted and scintillating programme featuring no fewer than twelve world premieres. As the New Music Ensemble presented Luciano Berio’s Folk Songs on the first day of CrossCurrents, BCMG close the festival performing a new set of specially commissioned songs by eleven composers, including compositional staff at the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Conservatoire. Along with Charlotte Bray, Judith Weir, Richard Baker and post-graduates from each institution, these composers have been invited to write their own ‘folk songs’ inspired by Berio’s 1964 original.

CrossCurrents presents concerts interspersed with workshops, talks, foyer performances and exhibitions. For full concert and events listings, including ticket prices, please go to: birmingham.ac.uk/events


Luciano Berio : Erdenklavier
Luciano Berio : Wasserklavier
Tansy Davies : Grind Show
Judith Weir : Distance and Enchantment
Judith Weir : On Buying a Horse
Judith Weir : Blackbirds and Thrushes
Morton Feldman : The Viola in My Life II
Richard Baker : crank
Michael Zev Gordon : Seize The Day
Contemporary Composers : CrossCurrents

20 Nov



United Kingdom
 Saturday, February 20, 2016 at 7.30pm 
BBC Philharmonic Rhapsody In Blue
Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Lower Mosley Road
United Kingdom
44 (0) 161 907 9000
http://www.halle.co.uk/publishedSite/aidsdayconcert.asp
box@bridgewater-hall.co.uk

Nicholas Collon conductor | Lawrence Power viola | Jonathan Scott piano

One spark is all it takes. A flash of light, a tiny shard of fire – and the imagination ignites. Tonight, we’ve a whole shower of Sparks from our new Composer in Association Mark Simpson.

And what follows is a positive starburst of musical colour, whether it’s James MacMillan’s wild, fantastic Viola Concerto – played by the artist who gave its first ever performance in 2014, Lawrence Power – or the smouldering clarinet opening of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. It used to be one of Leonard Bernstein’s party pieces; tonight, Mancunian keyboard star Jonathan Scott will really go to town.

And finally: Stravinsky’s The Firebird, a tale of green-clawed demons, beautiful princesses and a magical bird of flame. The dynamic young British conductor Nicholas Collon will really set things ablaze.

Preview at 6.30pm:
Recently appointed as the BBC Philharmonic's Composer in Association at the age of just 26, Mark Simpson talks about his future plans with the orchestra.


Mark Simpson : Sparks
James MacMillan : Viola Concerto
George Gershwin : Rhapsody in Blue

21 Nov



United Kingdom
 Sunday, February 21, 2016 at 7.15pm 
Figaro Gets a Divorce Elena Langer
Millennium Centre, Cardiff
Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales
United Kingdom

Conductor Justin Brown (TBA 24 March)
Director David Pountney
Set Designer Ralph Koltai
Costume Designer Sue Blane
Lighting Designer Linus Fellbom
Assistant Set Designer Robin Don

Cast
Figaro David Stout
Susanna Marie Arnet
Count Mark Stone
Countess Elizabeth Watts
Serafin Naomi O’Connell
The Cherub Andrew Watts
The Major Alan Oke
Angelica Rhian Lois

So, was it really happy ever after for the Almaviva household? Has the distant thunder of revolution turned into a storm from which they cannot escape? What does the world of Figaro sound like in the hands of a contemporary composer?

These questions have intrigued David Pountney. So much so that he decided to provide some answers. He’s done this by commissioning a new opera by Elena Langer for which he has written the libretto. Comic moments collide with touching ones in an opera which is part comedy, part political thriller. Langer and Pountney have created an affectionate sequel to Mozart’s classic, a testimony to human courage and resilience.

The characters of The Marriage of Figaro are some of the best-loved in opera. For those of us who have seen the opera before, they can feel like people we know, even friends. Figaro Gets a Divorce, therefore, is a one-off reunion, a chance to catch-up with these old friends.

• Performances start at 7.15pm, except Cardiff on Sunday 21 February at 4pm

• Running time approximately two hours including one interval

• Sung in English with surtitles in English (and Welsh in Cardiff and Llandudno)

Co-production with Grand Théâtre de Genève.
Supported by The Boltini Trust, WNO Commissions Group and WNO Partners.

Performances: Sunday, February 21, 2016 - Thursday, April 7, 2016

Cities

The Bristol Hippodrome
17 Mar
Milton Keynes Theatre
31 Mar
Venue Cymru, Llandudno
10 Mar
Birmingham Hippodrome
3 Mar
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
21 Feb - 27 Feb
Theatre Royal, Plymouth
7 Apr
Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
24 Mar


Elena Langer : Figaro Gets a Divorce

21 Nov



Scotland
 Sunday, February 21, 2016 at 14:00 
Discovering Music 2: Anthony Payne
City Halls
Glasgow
Scotland

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Stephen Johnson presenter
Martyn Brabbins conductor

As Anthony Payne celebrates his 80th birthday year, Stephen Johnson talks to him about his life as composer, writer and teacher – and about his work on the realisation of the sketches to Edward Elgar's Third Symphony, for which he is best known. Payne’s own compositions, however, are very much his own voice; here the BBC SSO, conducted by Martyn Brabbins, focuses on a selection of his music including 1985’s The Spirit’s Harvest, which was first performed at that year’s BBC Proms. There will be one interval of approximately 15 minutes.

Free tickets available from Monday 2 November 2015.


Anthony Payne : Various

22 Nov



United Kingdom
 Monday, February 22, 2016 at 7.30pm 
Bartók, Aurélio Edler-Copes and Debussy
Wigmore Hall, London
36 Wigmore St, London W1
United Kingdom
02079352141
http://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

Ensemble intercontemporain
Gilles Durot percussion
Samuel Favre percussion
Dimitri Vassilakis piano
Sébastien Vichard piano

Born in Brazil in 1976, Aurélio Edler-Copes has written for many of the world’s leading contemporary music ensembles. His latest score for piano and percussion was created for the exceptional collective talents of Ensemble intercontemporain.

The programme also includes Bartók’s Sonata for two pianos and percussion and Debussy’s three-movement En blanc et noir.


Béla Bartók : Seven Pieces from Mikrokosmos for two pianos BB120
Aurélio Edler-Copes : Presence for two pianos and percussion
Béla Bartók : Sonata for two pianos and percussion

23 Nov 
 
24 Nov



United Kingdom
 Wednesday, February 24, 2016 at 1pm 
Donatoni, Daníel Bjarnason and Debussy
Wigmore Hall, London
36 Wigmore St, London W1
United Kingdom
02079352141
http://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

Britten Sinfonia
Emer McDonough flute
Clare Finnimore viola
Lucy Wakeford harp


Flute, viola and harp may not be the most familiar trio combination, but it certainly lends itself to the rich exploration of colour and harmonies typical of Debussy’s output.

A deeply expressive curiosity in soundscapes and association with visual art is also infused in the music of Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason, whose new work features alongside Debussy in this programme.


Daniel Bjarnason : New work
Franco Donatoni : Marches
Claude Debussy : Syrinx
Franco Donatoni : Small II
Claude Debussy : Sonata for flute, viola and harp

24 Nov



United Kingdom
 Wednesday, February 24, 2016 at 7.30pm 
VAN DER AA: THE BOOK OF DISQUIET
Coronet Theatre
28 New Kent Road London SE1 6TJ
United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7701 1500
http://coronettheatre.co.uk/contact/
info@coronetlondon.co.uk

Joana Carneiro conductor
Michel van der Aa director
Samuel West actor
Sound Intermedia sound projection
London Sinfonietta


When Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa died in 1935 he left behind a trunk filled with unfinished and unpublished writings, among which were the pages that make up his posthumous masterpiece The Book of Disquiet – the autobiography of his alter ego Bernando Soares. Michael Van der Aa’s score transforms Pessoa’s collection of dream vignettes and autobiographical anecdotes into a hypnotic work that mixes spoken word, performed by Samuel West, with music, electronics and video, probing the true nature of the ever-elusive self.


Michael van der Aa : THE BOOK OF DISQUIET

24 Nov



Wales
 Wednesday, February 24, 2016 at 7.30pm 
WatkinsComposer Portrait: Huw Watkins
BBC Hoddinott Hall
Cardiff
Wales

BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Garry Walker Conductor
Lesley Hatfield Violin
Philip Dukes Viola
Josephine Knight Cello
Robert Plane Clarinet
Huw Watkins Piano
Ruby Hughes Soprano

Join us at our home, BBC Hoddinott Hall, to learn more about Huw Watkins’ works, as well as a chance to hear the composer himself perform. This programme shows the breadth and diversity of his music, from chamber to symphonic.


Huw Watkins : Anthem
Huw Watkins : Speak Seven Seas
Huw Watkins : Remember
Huw Watkins : Partita
Huw Watkins : Double Concerto for Viola and Cello

25 Nov



Wales
 Thursday, February 25, 2016 at 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-17:00 
Composition: Wales - Open Workshop
BBC Hoddinott Hall
Cardiff
Wales

BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Free workshops open to the public: 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-17:00
Come and hear the latest in composition in Wales, as composers worthy of wider exposure have the opportunity to hear their works performed by the Orchestra.
Tickets: FREE
BBC National Orchestra of Wales Audience Line: 0800 052 1812
No fees apply to tickets bought through the BBC National Orchestra of Wales Audience Line.
Wales Millennium Centre Ticket Office 029 2063 6464


Contemporary Composers : Various

25 Nov



United States
 Thursday, February 25, 2016 at various 
In the Chamber
various

United States
http://www.presentmusic.org/concerts/in-the-chamber.aspx

Tickets: 15-35 and 100 (house concert)
Present Music

Propulsive. Pulsing. This season’s Chamber concert explores music in motion, from the spiritual longing of Ince’s Curve to the "vigorous, tidy romp" of PM-commissioned composer Michael Torke (White Pages and Blue Pages, 1995), to the magnetic force of Caroline Mallonee.

Artistic director Kevin Stalheim says “For our chamber concerts, each musician’s performance becomes extremely intense and more personal. Combining this intensity with the closeness and intimacy of several small performance spaces always results in a very powerful experience for the musicians and the audience.”

Up-close. Intimate.



25 Nov



United Kingdom
 Thursday, February 25, 2016 at 20:05 
Nothing
Glyndebourne
Glyndebourne, Lewes, BN8 5UU
United Kingdom
+44 (0)1273 815000
http://glyndebourne.com
info@glyndebourne.com

Creative team
Composer David Bruce
Librettist Glyn Maxwell
Conductor Sîan Edwards
Director Bijan Sheibani
Designer Giles Cadle
Lighting designer Paule Constable
Movement director Aline David
Assistant director Lucy Bradley
Assistant conductor Lee Reynolds
Music preparation Matt Fletcher, Ashley Beauchamp

Cast
Pierre Stuart Jackson
Karl Tristan Hambleton
Johan James Hall
Ursula Marta Fontanals-Simmons
Agnes Robyn Allegra Parton

GYO Chorus
Youth Orchestra
Southbank Sinfonia


If someone you knew declared that life had no meaning, how would you convince them it does?

That’s the question a group of teenagers ask themselves in Nothing, a compelling new youth opera that premieres at Glyndebourne this February.

They decide that each of the group must give up an object that means something to them. This starts with toys and clothes, but things quickly escalate as the classmates go to ever more extreme lengths to try to persuade their friend there are things worth caring about.

In Nothing members of Glyndebourne Youth Opera aged 14-19 perform alongside professional singers. It is the latest in a line of pioneering youth operas that have premiered on the main stage at Glyndebourne.

The opera has been adapted from Danish author Janne Teller’s award-winning novel by composer David Bruce and librettist Glyn Maxwell. Their popular adaptation of Philip Pullman’s The Firework Maker’s Daughter wowed audiences in the UK and New York.

We recommend this production for those aged 12 and over.

Performances: 25–27 February


David Bruce : Nothing

26 Nov 
 
27 Nov



United Kingdom
 Saturday, February 27, 2016 at 7.30pm 
Egidija Medekšaitė, Leo Chadburn, Martin Arnold and more
Wigmore Hall, London
36 Wigmore St, London W1
United Kingdom
02079352141
http://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

Apartment House

Wigmore Hall’s contribution to contemporary chamber music and repertoire development goes from strength to strength, as this unmissable programme richly demonstrates.

Apartment House, formed by cellist Anton Lukoszevieze in 1995, became the first contemporary music ensemble to win the coveted Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Chamber Music and Song in 2012.

In this programme for string quartet, piano, percussion and harmonium, the ensemble gives the first performance of Freezywater, a Wigmore Hall commission by Leo Chadburn, known to many as the ‘transgressive pop’ artist Simon Bookish. Works by Lithuanian composer Egidija Medekšaitė, Toronto-based composer and performer Martin Arnold, and Dutch/Brazilian composer Luiz Henrique Yudo add to the concert’s ear-catching mix of world and UK premières.


Egidija Medekšaitė : Pratiksha
Luiz Henrique Yudo : A QUARTET FOR FRANÇOIS MORELLET
Henning Christiansen : Modeller: First Series Op. 33
Leo Chadburn : Freezywater
Martin Arnold : Stain Ballad
Luiz Henrique Yudo : A QUARTET FOR CLAUDE MOLLET
John White : Newspaper Reading Machine

27 Nov



Scotland
 Saturday, February 27, 2016 at 7.30pm 
Scottish Chamber Orchestra: John Storgårds conducts Vaughan Williams Symphony No 5
Queens Hall
Edinburgh
Scotland
0131 668 2019
http://www.thequeenshall.net

John Storgårds: conductor; Helena Juntunen: soprano

A new work by celebrated Icelandic composer Hafliði Hallgrímsson takes English literature as its foundation, forming a song cycle based on poetry by E.E. Cummings, Christina Rosetti and William Blake. The brilliant Finnish soprano Helena Juntunen delivers the deeply emotional lyrics.

One of Vaughan Williams’ most tranquil works, his Symphony No 5, conjures tonal images of the English countryside and often alludes to the sounds of Elizabethan polyphony. The concert opens with Elgar’s richly melodic Introduction and Allegro, a heartfelt tribute to the ‘sweet borderland’ of Herefordshire where the composer was living at the time. The concert is conducted by the wonderfully sympathetic John Storgårds.

Composer Insights: 6.30pm - Hafliði Hallgrímsson introduces his new song cycle.


Edward Elgar : Introduction and Allegro
Hafliði Hallgrímsson : Song Cycle
Vaughan Williams : Symphony No 5

27 Nov



Scotland
 Saturday, February 27, 2016 at 8pm 
McCabeHear and Now – Beamish/Payne/MacMillan/McCabe
City Halls
Glasgow
Scotland

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Robert Cohen cello
Glasgow Chamber Choir *
Martyn Brabbins conductor

Musical inspiration comes in many forms. The late John McCabe was transfixed by the pattern of sounds coming from a Japanese amusement arcade, which gave rise to his ‘musical entertainment’ Joybox. Sally Beamish’s Second Cello Concerto takes its cue from the wanderings of Robert Cohen’s grandfather and weaves together elements of Polish and South African folksongs with migratory birdcalls. Sir James MacMillan’s faith remains as central to his writing as ever; here his motet for ensemble and chorus is given its UK Premiere by the Glasgow Chamber Choir. Anthony Payne’s dynamic and monumental Time’s Arrow from 1990, meanwhile, is nothing less than an orchestral evocation of ‘The Big Bang’, acclaimed as “a work of stunning confidence with exceptional clarity of thought and argument.” Martyn Brabbins conducts the BBC SSO in this concert for BBC Radio 3’s Hear and Now, which brings together works by four of the leading British composers of our time.


John McCabe : Joybox
Sally Beamish : Cello Concerto No.2: The Song Gatherer
James MacMillan : Hodie Puer Nascitur
Anthony Payne : Time's Arrow

28 Nov 
 
29 Nov 
 
30 Nov 
 
1 Dec 
 
2 Dec 
 

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