highlights - Kings Place

Transcription

Photo Tom Bland
03
23
www.standpointmag.co.uk
July/August 2010/£4.50
/Issu
e 24
The rise
of Git Lit
Choppy waters
for Cameron
and Clegg
Piers Paul Read
declares the
Bridget Jones
era over
Daniel Johnson,
Nick Cohen and
John Bolton ask
if the coalition
can stay afloat
SHIRAZ
MAHER
A TALK WITH
THE TALIBAN
a novel at last
Craig Raine: I’ve written er Hitchens
ph
Tibor Fischer baits Christo
ter Porter
Clive James: A poem for Pe
/Issue 25
September 2010/£4.50
SUMMER
DOUBLE
ISSUE
Plus: Douglas Murray,
;
Tim Congdon, Daisy Waugh
by
lob
the
up
s
dig
le
Mo
e
and Th
Thwaite
rancisco Ayala/A nthony man
Stone/Jeremy Black/F
s/Jonathan Fore
Prin
wyn
Paul Johnson/Norman
n/G
inso
Rob
yte
iver/Hamish
John Haldane/Jamie Wh
B.H.Fraser/Lionel Shr
Burleigh/Jessica Duchen/
Minette Marrin/Michael
Chris Woodhead: Do your
duty, Mr Gove
Is Geoffrey Hill our greatest
living poet ?
Conrad Black: Nightmare on
Wall Street
Melanie Phil
26
lips/Walter Laqueeur/
William Kristol/Tim Mon
Gisela Stuart/Noel Malcolm
tgomerie/Dais
y Waugh
/Katherine Bergen/Allan
Massie/ Ben Judah/Paula
Caroline Moore/Louis Ami
Rego
s/Justin Marozzi/Lionel Shri
ver/Nigel Biggar/Tim Full
er
The new
battle of
Britain
George Weig
urges Britain
to heed the
embattled Pope
Daniel Johnson
says David
Cameron
should take
his lead from
Churchill
MIRIAM
GROSS:
illiam Hor
y
Phillips/Clive James/W
d Tallis/David Womersle
Tibor Fischer/Melanie
Roger Scruton/Raymon
ver/
Shri
el
Lion
am/
Michael Pinto-Duschinsky
John Cottingh
erie/
tgom
Mon
im
el/T
Waugh/Julie Bind
J. W. M. Thompson/Daisy
But Mozart is by no means the only
music on the menu this Spring: we have
a fascinating array of curated series exploring
Estonia, Japan and Argentina while artists
such as the Swingle Singers, Tasmin
Little, Sonia Wieder-Atherton and Heinz
Holliger also direct their own mini-festivals.
Folk hero Chris Wood will be exploring
the work of Anon in his intriguing
Commonplace series, while Kings Place
plays host to anniversary celebrations for
Percy Grainger and Franz Liszt. There are
singing workshops, masterclasses and
study days, so check out the new interact
listings in Highlights.
Spice up this mix with jazz and
contemporary events, add a pinch of comedy
and poetry, a generous helping of art and
sculpture, combine with our excellent food and
wine from the Rotunda Restaurant and Green &
Fortune café, and you have the perfect recipe for
a cultural feast this Spring.
Peter Millican, CEO
contriBUtorS
THE MOLE
ON PAKISTAN’S
CRICKET
SCANDAL
A JERUSALEM
CHILDHOOD
Claire Berlinski
Press freedom under threat:
South Africa
in Turkey, RW Johnson in
er of Islamism
Nick Cohen: The pied pip sley/Ruth Dudley Edwards
I’m thrilled to be introducing the Mozart
Unwrapped programme in this issue, one of
the strongest series we have ever put together.
With more than 40 concerts running from
New Year’s Eve to 19 December, this unique
series boasts music from the late symphonies
and concertos, the piano sonatas, the string
quartets and quintets, to the works for glass
harmonica and some of Mozart’s best-loved
concert and opera arias. Artists include our
cover star Rosemary Joshua, Imogen Cooper,
Sir Colin Davis, Martin Fröst, the OAE, the
Aurora Orchestra, Classical Opera Company
and the Chilingirian Quartet. Turn to p49 for a
complete listing.
October 2010/£4.50/Issu
Speaker
cornereeld
Welcome
to the
Spring 2011
SeaSon at
KingS place!
Leon de Winter: My farew
ell to Europe
Francis Davis: The Big Socie
ty is beautiful
Books Special: Norman
Sto
Tibor Fischer, Jeremy Jenninne, Noel Malcolm, Paul Johnson,
gs, Patrick
Heren, James Hannam
Joseph Epstein/Robert Conq
uest/Lionel Shriver/Allan
Massie/Daisy Waugh/Tim
George Weigel/Minette Mar
Congdon
rin/Ben Judah/Michael Burl
eigh/Douglas Murray/Julie
Bindel
Go online to see more and to subscribe
COVER: ROSEMARY JOSHUA © RUTH CRAFER | PETER MILLICAN © MykEl NiColAoU
June 2010/£4.50/Issue
Michael Church, who writes on
Hibiki, the Japanese series (p30), is
a music critic for The Independent
and The Independent on Sunday. He
is also an ethnomusicologist whose
field-recordings of traditional music of
Central Asia are available on the Topic
label. He is currently editing a book
about the world’s musical cultures.
Andrew Lambirth, who profiles
sculptor Lynn Chadwick (p32), is a
writer, critic and curator. Currently
art critic for The Spectator, he
is the author of numerous art
books, his most recent being
John Hoyland: Scatter the Devils
and John Armstrong (both 2009).
He lives in Suffolk.
Hilary Finch, who tells the
extraordinary story behind Estonia’s
music scene (Eesti Fest, p38), is a critic
for The Times, writes for BBC Music
Magazine, and broadcasts on Radio 3.
Hilary lectures on Lieder, and on
the music of the Nordic and Baltic
countries, particularly Iceland, Finland
and Estonia.
Ivan Hewett, who appraises the
composer Heinz Holliger (p35), is a
writer on music for The Daily Telegraph,
broadcaster on BBC Radio 3,
particularly for the new music series
Hear and Now, and teaches at the Royal
College of Music. His personal take on
20th-century music, Music: Healing the
Rift, is published by Continuum.
24 COVER: MOZART
UNDER THE HANDS
Rosemary Joshua and
performers from the Mozart
Unwrapped series meet the
challenges in his music
26 THE KEYS TO MOZART
Richard Wigmore on
the nature of Mozart’s
chosen keys
REGULARS
CLASSICAL
HIGHLIGHTS
08 The Power of Paradox Percy
Grainger 50th anniversary
09 Naked Strings Tasmin Little
and Sonia Wieder-Atherton
10 Hungarian Rhapsodies Liszt
Bicentenary celebrations
35 CRACKING THE
HOLLIGER CODE
Ivan Hewett on the music
of Heinz Holliger
03 WELCOME
06 TICKET INFORMATION
07 PLANNING YOUR WEEK
AT KINGS PLACE
08 HIGHLIGHTS
24 FEATURES
JAZZ
& FOLK
JAZZ HIGHLIGHTS
14 His Dark Materials
Mike Westbrook at 75
15 And the trumpet shall
sound Jay Phelps
15 Golden Boy Kit Downes
FOLK HIGHLIGHTS
16 Dancing on Common Ground
Colin Irwin meets Chris Wood,
who curates ‘Commonplace’
a series of events featuring
John Boden, Martin Carthy,
Karine Polwart, Hugh Lupton
and others
49
50
56
64
73
78
LISTINGS
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
ART LISTINGS
WORLD
30 HIbIKI: RESONANCES
FROM JApAN
Michael Church on the true
story of Japanese music
38 ESTONIA:
AN UNFOLDING SONG
Hilary Finch on the music
revolution that shaped this
Baltic state. Fiona Talkington
on the artists at her Eesti Fest
46 TRANSTANGO:
URbAN ENCOUNTERS
Patricia Bossio on her 21st
century London tango and
samba events
CONTEMPORARY
HIGHLIGHTS
12 Racing Against Time
Percussionist Joby Burgess
of Powerplant
13 Songs from out of the
Cage EXAUDI’ tackles
the Song Books
13 Vision of a Limitless City
VI pioneers D-Fuse have
a new multi-media project
36 LONDON A CAppELLA
FESTIVAL
Charlotte Gardner meets the
Swingle Singers & guests
82 Q&A: GAbRIEL pROKOFIEV
DJ, composer and impresario
SPOKEN WORD
& COMEDY
LISA BEZNOSIUK, OAE © ERIC RICHMOND, HARRISON & CO
1984 EASINGTON COLLIERY MINERS’ STRIKE © KEITH PATTISON
CAROL ANN DUFFY © ANVIL PRESS POETRY
SWINGLE SINGERS © BEN EALOVEGA
MICHIYO YAGI © YURIKO TAKAGI
JAY PHELPS © PROPER RECORDS
SONIA WIEDER-ATHERTON © JEAN-BAPTISTE MONDINO
ROSEMARY JOSHUA © RUTH CRAFER
MOZART
UNWRAPPED
ART
SpOKEN WORD
HIGHLIGHTS
11 Spenser: A Fairy Tale for the
21st c. from Poet in the City
43 CAROL ANN DUFFY,
QUEEN OF THE TRIbE
Vivienne Rosch on the unique
qualities of our Poet Laureate,
who reads her own work
and introduces young poets
COMEDY HIGHLIGHTS
19 It’s an opera in two halves...
Impropera’s David Pearl
and his mate Robbo Robson
on the ultimate art form
LISTINGS
HIGHLIGHTS
20 No Redemption? Keith
Pattison’s searing
photographs of the 1980s
Miners’ Strike in Easington
Colliery, Co Durham
32 SECRETS OF THE TRIANGLE
Andrew Lambirth reflects
on the legacy of sculptor
Lynn Chadwick, whose
work will be on show at
Pangolin London this spring
LISTINGS
49 Listings
78 Art Listings
79 Calendar
FOOD & DRINK
HIGHLIGHTS
22 From Beast to Burger,
a Northumbrian Tale
Jenny Linford discovers
the source of Rotunda
Restaurant’s organic beef
and lamb
79 CALENDAR
82 Q&A
WHAT’S ON
JANUARY–
APRIL 2011
EDITORIAL TEAM
publisher
Kings Place Music
Foundation
Contact
+44 (0) 20 7520 1440
[email protected]
www.kingsplace.co.uk
Editor-in-Chief
Helen Wallace
Art Direction
Ana Acosta
Editorial Team
Michael Green
Janie Nicholas
Emrah Tokalaç
Lowri Williams
picture Research
Sunita Sharma-Gibson
proofreading
Susannah Howe
print
St Ives Web Ltd
Thanks to
Peter Millican, Jen
Mitchell, Christian
Brideson, Scott Myers,
Fiona Smith, Nigel
March, Tanya Cracknell,
Kate Kelly, Zoë Jeyes,
Chris Nye
© Kings place 2010
All material is strictly copyright and all rights are
reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part
without the written permission of Kings Place
is strictly forbidden. The greatest care has been
taken to ensure the accuracy of information in
this magazine at the time of going to press, but
we accept no responsibility for omissions or
errors. The views expressed in this magazine
are not necessarily those of Kings Place.
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
January—April 2011
Book tickets now:
TICKET
INFORMATION
YOuR jOuRNEY
We are located a short walk from
King’s Cross and St Pancras Stations.
Our main entrance is on York Way.
A NEATLY EFFECTIVE
IdEA OF INVITING
dIFFERENT MuSICIANS
TO PLAN wEEKLY
THEMEd CONCERTS...
Secure online booking
24 hours a day.
HALL ONE
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pick your seat: BOOK NOW
or opt for the Saver Seat option
saver seat: BOOK NOW
You are guaranteed a seat.
Its location will be allocated
by the Box Office.
£9.50 Saver Seats are
exclusively available online
and are available for collection
one hour before the performance.
Premium Seats
Premium Seats are the best
seats in Hall One. They are
available at an additional cost
and include one glass of house
wine, beer or soft drink.
HALL TwO
& ST PANCRAS ROOM
All seating is unreserved, some
events may be standing only.
GROuPS
Buy 10 or more tickets and
save 20%. Group discounts are
only available directly through
the Box Office and exclude
Saver and Premium Seats.
ACCESS
REGuLAR NIGHTS
Kings Place aims to be accessible to all and both auditoria offer suitable seating for wheelchair users. Please inform us of any
access requirements when booking. There is
an induction loop at the Box Office to assist
those with hearing aids. An infrared system
is installed in Halls One and Two, with hearing
advancement headsets for audience members
who do not use a hearing aid. Neck loops are
available to use with hearing aids switched to the ‘T’ position. All areas of Kings Place are accessible to those with Guide & Hearing Dogs.
BY PHONE & IN PERSON
020 7520 1490
Mon–Sat: 12–8pm, Sun 12–7pm
(Closed Bank Holidays)
Opening hours may vary –
please check the website for the
most up-to-date information.
BY POST
Kings Place Box Office
90 York Way, London N1 9AG
MONdAYS
MONdAYS
THuRSdAYS FRIdAYS
SATuRdAYS SuNdAYS
jAZZ
ONLINE
THE GuARdIAN
COMEdY
The online ticket prices are shown in the listings. Please add £2
to the online ticket price if booking by other methods.
NCP Car Park – Pancras Road.
Visit www.ncp.co.uk or call
0845 050 7080 for further details.
CLASSICAL
PARKING
FOLK
Visit www.tfl.gov.uk to help plan your
journey, or call London Travel Information
020 7222 1234.
Tickets for all performances from £9.50 online
A collaborative mix of artists, curators,
organisations and producers presenting
an exciting series of events
See Listings p49 for details or go to
PuBLIC TRANSPORT
BOOKING
wEdNESdAY/THuRSdAY–SATuRdAY EACH wEEK
CONTEMPORARY
Box Office 020 7520 1490
wEEK
wEEKLY FOCuS
PLANNiNg YOUR WEEK 07
SPOKEN wORd
PLANNING YOuR
KINGS PLACe HALL ONe © keith pAisley
TiCKETS
06 TiCKETS
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CLASSICAL
PerCy GrAInGer And
THe Power of PArAdox
Kings Place hosts a rare celebration of composer
Percy Grainger. Curator Penelope Thwaites
discusses his music for military band, pianola
and the electric eye tone tool
‘Whichever aspect of Grainger you look into, you will find a paradox,’
declares pianist Penelope Thwaites, who curates the Percy Grainger celebration
at Kings Place in February 2011. ‘Here was a man who wanted a world where
everybody could be a musician, and yet he wrote music of the most astonishing
difficulty and virtuosity.’ He was schooled in the 19th-century European tradition,
but, after hearing Chinese music as a child in Melbourne, became fascinated by
other musical cultures. He collected folk songs but used the newest technology
to create mechanical and experimental electronic music. A proto-Green, he
made his own clothes and cycled or ran vast distances, arriving to perform
almost breathless. He was also a committed pacifist who joined the US army as
a bandsman, and created some of the most imaginative music ever written in
the band genre, like the extraordinary Lincolnshire Posy.
The celebration starts with ‘a band blast-off’, starring the Grainger Wind
and Brass Quintets with the Guildhall Saxophone and Recorder Choirs. They will
play a royal fanfare, arrangements of folk songs and Josquin – a kaleidoscope of
Grainger in miniature. ‘We want to reflect the enormous diversity of his interests.
He was fascinated by Gothic music,’ explains Thwaites, ‘Yet he was not afraid to
explore that music on modern instruments.’
Grainger felt passionately for the suffering of ordinary soldiers, explains
Thwaites, and the tragic waste of young lives. The Power of Rome and the
Christian Heart, to be performed at Friday’s Wind Band Spectacular, was
written as a result of his experience in the army. ‘Grainger’s music goes to the
heart of that tragic experience, all too familiar today.’
One of her chief aims is to get the audience involved in performing
his music, so there will be a chance not only to hear choral favourites with
star guests Yvonne Kenny and Stephen Varcoe, but to take part in a singing
workshop, Sing Grainger!, to which individuals and singing groups are invited.
The Fitzwilliam Quartet will give a recital of his ‘room music’ (he was against
all Latin terms) and Grainger himself will be heard via his piano rolls, presented
on the pianola by Michael Broadway, with a fascinating exploration of his use
of the unearthly-sounding theremin. ‘It’s like the distant howling of wolves,’
says Thwaites. ‘When he experimented with electronics, he was striving for a
recreation of the actual sounds and rhythms of the natural world.’ One of his
inventions was his ‘electric eye tone tool’ – ‘It literally played everything it saw’
– featured in a new film by Warren Burt, who has recreated the tool. The finale,
East Meets West, features 11 hands at the piano and a huge array of percussion
for performances of Grainger’s arrangement of Ravel’s La vallée des cloches,
and Mexican and Javanese songs. ‘There’s a great deal written about Grainger’s
eccentricities, but the music is where the real truth lies,’ says Thwaites.
31 DECEMBER 2010 9–13 MARCH
–6 JANUARY 2011
Mozart
Mozart
Unwrapped 1
Orchestra of the Age
of Enlightenment
Jonathan Cohen conductor
Aurora Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis conductor
Fflur Wyn soprano
Sophie Bevan soprano
Thomas Gould violin
Kristian Bezuidenhout
piano
13 JANUARY
PART OF LONDON
A CAPPELLA FEsTivAL
Shades of East
Hertfordshire Chorus
20–23 JANUARY
Mozart
Unwrapped 2
HIGHLIGHTS
Kenneth Hamilton piano
Chilingirian Quartet
Peter Cropper & friends
26–29 JANUARY
Liszt
Bicentenary
Dénes Várjon piano
Barnabás Kelemen violin
Gergely Bogányi piano
Edit Klukon &
Dezsö Ránki piano duo
Joyful Company of
Singers & others
3–5 FEBRUARY
Tasmin Little
& Friends:
Violin Journeys
PHOTO © THE EsTATE OF PERCY gRAiNgER
Tasmin Little violin
John Lenehan piano
Piers Lane piano
17–19 FEBRUARY
Celebrating
Grainger 2011
Penelope Thwaites piano
Yvonne Kenny soprano
Stephen Varcoe baritone
The Fitzwilliam Quartet
and others
24 FEBRUARY
Celebrating Grainger 2011 17–19 February
See Listings pp60–61 for details.
Sarrusaphone Trio:
Percy and Ella Grainger
with Willem Durieux
CLASSICAL HIGHLIGHTS
TASMIN LITTLE © MELANiE WiNNiNg
08 HIGHLIGHTS
PART OF EEsTi FEsT
Vox Clamantis
Unwrapped 3
Aurora Orchestra
Rosemary Joshua soprano
Imogen Cooper piano
Charles Owen & Katya
Apekisheva piano duo
Choir of King’s College,
Cambridge, Chilingirian
Quartet & Dante Quartet
17–19 MARCH
Sonia WiederAtherton
Sonia Wieder-Atherton
cello – with Sara Iancu &
Matthieu Lejeune celli,
Bruno Fontaine &
Laurent Cabasso pianos
23–26 MARCH
Heinz Holliger
in Profile
Heinz Holliger oboe
Christoph Richter cello
Ursula Holliger harp
& others, featuring
the music of Holliger
and Schumann
6–10 APRiL
Orchestra of
the Age of
Enlightenment:
Baroque.
Contrasted.
with Alison Bury violin
Margaret Faultless violin
Matthew Truscott violin
Jonathan Manson cello
Lisa Beznosiuk flute
Anthony Robson oboe
David Blackadder trumpet
Elizabeth Kenny theorbo
Steven Devine keyboard
and others
13–17 APRiL
Mozart
Unwrapped 4
Leon McCawley
playing the complete
Mozart piano sonatas
Academy of St Martin
in the Fields featuring
Martin Fröst clarinet
nAKed STrInGS
Violinist Tasmin Little and cellist Sonia WiederAtherton present very different sides of their
instruments in two contrasting weeks this spring
Seasoned soloist Tasmin Little
made a splash in 2008 with
The Naked Violin, a series of
free downloads of virtuosic
violin pieces which had a huge
take-up. That project, which also
involved interactive workshops
in community venues, has been
a springboard for her series at
Kings Place in February: ‘I’ve tried
to put myself in the position of
someone who hasn’t heard the
violin before and thought: “What
music would blow my mind?”
If there’s anything I’ve learnt
from performing for different
audiences, it’s that you can
never predict people’s reactions.
I’ve had five-year-olds being
incredibly excited by Bartók,
whereas another group might
warm to Mozart. It’s important to
keep fluid and responsive, and to
maintain a variety of repertoire.’
‘I am inviting audiences
on a journey. We begin with
Partners in Time, an exploration
of the romantic, almost mystical,
relationship between piano
and violin. Then comes From
the Devil to the Dance, with
some tremendous, epic works,
like César Franck’s sonata and
Tartini’s Devil’s Trill.’ Tasmin Little
is joined by a host of famous
friends for the final concert of two
great chamber works by Schubert
and Messiaen.
As President of the European
String Teachers Association,
Little is a passionate believer
in inspiring the next generation
and will be joined by David Le
Page on Saturday 5 February for a
workshop for young string players
(Grades 3–8) and a family concert
(see p57for details).
If Little is exploring the
violin’s role in Western classical
you CAn never
PredICT AudIenCe
reSPonSe: I’ve HAd
fIve-yeAr-oLdS
InCredIbLy exCITed
by bArTóK
music, innovative French cellist
Sonia Wieder-Atherton is taking
her cello to more distant musical
realms. In a highly original series,
she’ll be performing Jewish songs,
presenting Chantal Akerman’s
tragic film d’Est with music by
Schnittke, Rachmaninov and
Prokofiev, and performing her
own arrangements of Monteverdi
madrigals for the sonorous
combination of two cellos and
bass, interwoven with a work for
cello by Scelsi. As she describes it,
‘Scelsi’s trilogy follows the three
ages of man, so two lifelines are
sketched out, each an echo of the
other – sometimes in opposition,
sometimes surprisingly close.’
Tasmin Little: Violin Journeys
3–5 February
Sonia Wieder-Atherton:
Shades of East 17–19 March
See Listings pp56–57 and
pp68–69 for details.
HIGHLIGHTS
CLASSICAL
09
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
The genius of Liszt transcends all national boundaries,
but a celebration of his bicentenary at Kings Place this
January throws light on his Hungarian background
and the legacy of high musical achievement he
inspired in his native land
SPOKEN WORD
HuNGaRIaN RHaPSODIES
Book tickets now:
SuNDayS, 6.30 Pm
HaLL ONE
9 JANUARy
Raphael Wallfisch (cello)
& John York (piano)
16 JANUARy
Marmara Piano Trio
LISzT WaS THE fIRST
TO PuT HuNGaRIaN
muSIc ON THE maP;
THE fIRST TO GIvE a
REcITaL, a cHaRITy
cONcERT aND a
maSTERcLaSS
It was the ‘happy coincidence’ of Liszt’s bicentenary
and Hungary’s EU Presidency that made 2011 the perfect
moment for a Liszt celebration. Curating this unique
series at Kings Place in January is Ildiko Takács from the
Hungarian Culture Centre in London, along with Professor
Alan Walker and Audrey Ellison. Ildiko reminds me just
what a pioneering and pivotal figure Liszt cuts in his
nation’s cultural history: ‘Liszt truly was an ambassador
of our nation who put Hungarian music on the map. He
also elevated Hungary’s higher musical education to a
European level by founding the Royal Academy of Music
in Budapest, which has born his name since 1925. As
a virtuoso he composed some of the most challenging
and complex pieces ever written and performed them
with an electrifying power never before seen or heard. He
embodied Romanticism in all its different musical forms.’
She lists a series of Liszt ‘firsts’, including the fact that
he was the first to give a masterclass, the first to stage a
charity concert and the first to introduce the concept of
the ‘solo recital’, playing works by many other composers.
The Liszt Bicentenary series aims to give a glimpse of
the enormous range of his achievements, showing how he
foreshadowed Modernism and influenced composers such
as Bartók, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Borodin and Glinka,
and, with the Jánosi Ensemble, to reveal the roots of the
Hungarian and gypsy dance music that inspired him.
Programmes are designed to appeal to Lisztians and
newcomers alike, and include orchestral transcriptions for
two pianos (one, the Faust Symphony, is a UK premiere),
plus jewels of the Hungarian choral repertoire sung by
the Joyful Company of Singers. Kings Place will welcome
a formidable roster of Hungarian talents, including
distinguished pianist Dénes Várjon, who will be following
the composer’s own travels in his solo recital, pianists
Edit Klukon and Deszö Ránkl and violinist Barnabás
Kelemen. The series boasts a performance by the winner
of the 2010 Liszt Award at the Sussex International Piano
Competition, while Trinity College of Music and the dance
academy Trinity Laban will present a fascinating and unique
new presentation of Dohnányi’s Piano Quintet No. 2.
Liszt Bicenterary 26–29 January
See Listings pp54–55 for details
23 JANUARy
The Turner Ensemble 2
30 JANUARy
Allegri Quartet:
The Complete
Beethoven Quartets 1
6 FEBRUARy
Charles Owen
& Katya Apekisheva
Piano Duo
13 FEBRUARy
Dante Quartet
20 FEBRUARy
Hummel Ensemble
27 FEBRUARy
Zilliacus-PerssonRaitinen Trio
HIGHLIGHTS
6 MARCH
Rosamunde Trio
13 MARCH
Allegri Quartet:
The Complete
20 MARCH
The Turner Ensemble 3
27 MARCH
Kodály Quartet
3 APRIL
Philippe Graffin,
Marisa Gupta &
Catherine Beynon
10 APRIL
Badke Quartet
17 APRIL
Russian Virtuosi
& Ashley Wass (piano)
FAERIE QUEENE – ILLUSTRATION © THE ART ARCHIVE
HIGHLIGHTS
CLASSICAL
FRANZ LISZT © TULLy POTTER COLLECTION
10
HIGHLIGHTS
SPOKEN WORD
mONDayS, 7Pm – HaLL ONE
17 JANUARy
Poet in the City
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
31 JANUARy
a faIRy TaLE fOR
THE 21ST cENTuRy?
A new poetry project aims to recapture the dynamic
spiritual and civic ambitions of Edmund Spenser’s
epic poem The Faerie Queene. By Helen Wallace
The daunting task of tackling
Spenser’s epic poem The Faerie
Queene may be familiar to students
of English literature, it’s not a work
you often see being read on the
tube or by the poolside. Apparently
the trick is not to read the scholarly
introduction: ‘You just have to go for it,
dive in! It’s wild and strange, evoking
a phantasmagorical world; you must
submit to its mad momentum. There’s
such life in this poem, it’s not just for
English literature exams!’
So says Dr Ewan Fernie, from
Royal Holloway, University of London,
who is leading a major new creative
project around the epic. Fernie, poets
Andrew Motion and Jo Shapcott and
Spenser biographer Andrew Hadfield
will be appearing at a special Poet in
the City event at Kings Place in March
to celebrate not only the epic poem,
but the culmination of a huge creative
project ‘The Faerie Queene Now’.
Spenser’s epic was written in
response to the militant Protestantism
and establishment of the Church of
England during the reign of Elizabeth I.
Fernie thinks it has powerful resonance
for our times too. He will focus on the
spiritual journey of the Redcrosse Knight
in Book 1, who seems to him a highly
contemporary figure: ‘He’s a young adult
adventurer, a wanderer in the wilderness,
both spiritual and physical. The work
is full of intense desire; the Redcrosse
Knight is not narrowly pious, is he seeking
spiritual fulfilment, or he is seeking
death, or a woman? We don’t know. In
this age of fantasy, of Philip Pullman’s
Dark Materials, we want to restore this
treasury of magnetic tales of questing
knights in fairyland to a new generation.’
The event at Kings Place alternates
readings from Book 1 with new poetry
inspired by it, from Shapcott, Michael
Symmons Roberts, Andrew Motion and
others, and with biographical insights
and excerpts from the new civic St
George’s Day liturgy which Fernie and
his colleagues have been creating.
Audiences at Kings Place will get a
taste of the music of this ambitious
project with excerpts from the Faerie
Queene Canticles composed by
Tim Garland of Acoustic Triangle.
Words on Monday: Edmund
Spenser and The Faerie Queene
curated by Poet in the City
7 March, Hall One. See Listings p66.
The Annual Sebald
Lecture on Literary
Translation:
Ali Smith
7 FEBRUARy
Iconoclasts and
Sacred Cows:
exploring the
boundaries of taste
and self-censorship
in the arts
14 FEBRUARy
Poet in the City
Love Poetry
21 FEBRUARy
ALSO PART OF EESTI FEST
Cheap Talk:
Skype and the
Genius of Estonian
Information
Technology
7 MARCH
Poet in the City
Edmund Spenser
and The Faerie
Queene
14 MARCH
PhotoVoice
Lecture Series:
Chris Steele-Perkins
28 MARCH
Colin Thubron in
conversation
18 APRIL
Poet in the City
Carol Ann Duffy
and Friends
11
radical percussionist Joby Burgess
is in training to play at super human
speeds in his next powerplant gig
Joby Burgess relishes a challenge, and his next
gig for Out Hear throws up plenty of them, including
a new arrangement of a mechanical work by Conlon
Nancarrow arranged for live performer by Dominic
Murcott. ‘Before Nancarrow was introduced to the
pianola he experimented with mechanised wood
blocks and skin drums, which he could record and
splice together. Dominic has turned this into an
acoustic piece for me, but to play it I have to go at
superhuman speeds!’ He’ll follow it with Murcott’s
own response to the Nancarrow for percussion and
electronics: Armed Response Unit.
Burgess’s trio, Powerplant, consisting of
himself, composer/sound designer Michael
Fairclough and visual artist Kathy Hinde,
are well-known for their dramatic audiovisual feasts, combining high-octane
performance with lavish multimedia
experience. A centrepiece of this event,
which includes works by Graham Fitkin
and Steve Reich, is a premiere by Max
de Wardener, 24 Lies per second. ‘The
title is a quote from film director Michael
Haneke, who said “Film is 24 lies per
second at the service of truth, or at the
service of the attempt to find the truth”.
His films use very little music, and
Max is conjuring up a dark, ambient
mood. Kathy will be working with him
to amplify the experience. He has
mentioned trying to get me to play 24
notes per second, but I’m not sure if
that’s really going to be possible!’
Out Hear: Joby Burgess and
Powerplant – 24 Lies per second
14 March, Hall Two
See Listings p68 for details
CONTEMPORARY
RACING AGAINST TIME
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
HIGHLIGHTS
Book tickets now:
MONDAYS, 8PM – HALL TWO
17 January
Nonclassical –
DJ Gabriel Prokofiev
24 January
Sophie Harris
& Friends
Leading vocal group Exaudi
breathes life into Cage’s
iconic Song Books
Anyone familiar with the riveting
precision of vocal group EXAUDI
will not want to miss a chance to
hear their special performance of
John Cage’s Song Books (1970) in
collaboration with sound artist Bill
Thompson. As EXAUDI director James
Weeks explains: ‘Song Books is a
compendium of his vocal writing,
an astonishing panorama of 92
separate vocal pieces covering the
full spectrum of his compositional
ideas and techniques. Many involve
the use of electronics, others involve
Fluxus-style theatrical happenings,
some are straight vocal solos, and
all of them offer the performers a
remarkable amount of creativity in
their realisation. Strange, hilarious,
intensely beautiful, this is a work
which will leave you energised
and enchanted.’
Out Hear: EXAUDI
28 March, Hall Two
HIGHLIGHTS
CONTEMPORARY
SONGS FROM
OUT OF THE CAGE
JOByBURGESS © chrisschMidt | EXAUDI © david Jensen | D-FUSE © paresh
JOB
12 HIGHLIGHTS
31 January
Warp Records:
Seefeel
7 February
Piano Circus:
Trilogies
14 February
VISION OF A
LIMITLESS CITY
VJ pioneers D-Fuse bring a new
multimedia project to Kings Place
Endless Cities is the brand new HD film from iconic
collective D-Fuse: an artistic exploration of urban
conditions, featuring live music by laptop composer
Matthias Kispert and David Ballesteros on violin.
Kispert, D-Fuse’s Music Director, has created a
distinctive musical strategy that combines real-world
urban sounds with recordings of different musical cultures
collected during research journeys. What emerges from
this process are soundscapes that blur the boundaries
between musical and non-musical sound. Since 2007
more than 50% of the world’s population have been
living in cities, with all trends pointing towards an everincreasing rate of urbanisation. Endless Cities is a timely
contribution to this debate: part-documentary, partvisual essay, the film captures the enduring fascination,
contradictions, complexities, and conflicts played out in
our new man-made environments.
Out Hear: D-Fuse – Urban Conditions
21 March, Hall Two. See Listings p70 for details
LOVERDRIVE:
An Alternative
Valentine’s Special
21 February
Ensemble Plus-Minus
celebrating Laurence
Crane’s 50th Birthday
28 February
Transition_Projects
7 March
Brian Ferneyhough:
Solo Elision
14 March
Joby Burgess
and Powerplant:
24 Lies per second
21 March
D-Fuse: Urban
Conditions
28 March
EXAUDI: John Cage’s
Song Books
4 april
Trio Atem
Radical Alchemies
11 april
Blank Canvas
13
14 HIGHLIGHTS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
Book tickets now:
JaZZ
anD THe TruMpeT
SHaLL SounD…
Trumpeter Jay Phelps has
been in Jazz Jamaican All Stars
and Tomorrow’s Warriors, but
now brings his own quintet to
Kings Place in February
HIGHLIGHTS
follows this pattern of organic
growth, commencing with smallscale works and culminating in
the world premiere of a piece for
vocalist, saxophone quartet and
accordion, The Serpent Hit. Kate
Westbrook, his wife and the vocalist/
lyricist recounts the narrative of the
work: ‘We fall and wheel from the
serpent in the garden of Eden, to
Armageddon.’
Recent premieres of Westbrook
works have taken place further
afield, for example, in Paris and
Zurich, so this London premiere is
a rarity. Happy 75th, Mike!
The Base: Mike Westbrook –
The Serpent Hit 2 April, Hall Two
MIKE AND KATE WESTBROOK © VIRgIN VENTuRE | KIT DOWNES © EMILE HOLBA | JAP PHELPS © PROPER RECORDS
Sebastian Scotney celebrates the exuberantly
creative career of jazz great Mike Westbrook
who celebrates his 75th birthday at Kings Place
Waxeywork Show, composed for
The Village Band comprising of
musicians he has found in the
area around his Devon home – he
imagines all the computers in the
world simultaneously crashing in a
power cut. It’s a powerful moment.
Westbrook has a unique
compositional voice, whether
writing for solo instrument or for
a screaming full-on big band. The
opening movement of The Cortege
(1979) shows off this versatility. The
composer reverses the gag of the
final movement of Haydn’s Farewell
Symphony: Westbrook has the
instrumentalists cued to arrive on
stage one by one, and start to play
and to build the texture from tiny
whisper to bursting point.
The Kings Place concert
SaTurDaYS, 8pM – HaLL TWo
22 JANuARy
The Fini Bearman
Quartet
29 JANuARy
Vancouver-born trumpeter Jay Phelps moved
to London at the age of 17, and has now lived here
for ten years. Bassist Gary Crosby encouraged
him, and got him playing in Jazz Jamaica and
Tomorrow’s Warriors. Phelps was in the original
line-up of Empirical, which tasted rapid success,
including an appearance at the Jazz Festival
in Newport, Rhode Island in 2008, a daunting
experience for a group of 20-somethings. He’s
joined by special guest vocalist and trombonist
Michael Mwenso for the gig in Hall Two, which will
feature material from Jay Walkin’ (Proper, released
November 2010) Phelps’s first CD as leader. He told
me about the tune 10 years. ‘It is about my time in
this melting-pot of musical experiences.’ One of
those experiences has been a happy association
with Kings Place: ‘I did one of the initial acoustic
tests in Hall One. In fact mine was the first trumpet
to hit the walls there.’
HIS Dark
MaTerIaLS…
‘We take what’s around us in life, in
music, whatever, and try to fashion
it into something of our own,’ writes
Mike Westbrook in the sleeve notes
to Chanson Irresponsable (2003,
ENJA Records). ‘There’s an analogy
with sculpture, somehow, and
composing. The sculptor gets a block
of wood, a bit of stone and has to
have something physically there to
work with.’
Composer, pianist and bandleader Westbrook, 75 this March,
has probably hunted down more
varied materials in his immediate
surroundings, and successfully
transformed them into music, than
any other composer in Europe.
And the years haven’t yet slowed
down this search for new sources
of inspiration. In one recent work,
HIGHLIGHTS
JAZZ
John Taylor
5 FEBRuARy
The Jay Phelps
Quintet
with special guest
Michael Mwenso
12 FEBRuARy
Robert Mitchell’s
Panacea: The Cusp
19 FEBRuARy
Full Circle
26 FEBRuARy
ALSO PART OF EESTI FEST
Kristjan Randalu
5 MARCH
Hans Koller
Sextet
The Base: The Jay Phelps Quintet
with special guest Michael Mwenso
5 February, Hall Two. See Listings p57 for details.
GoLDen
BoY…
It’s been a big year
for young pianist
Kit Downes, whose
first CD received a
Mercury nomination.
He’s launching
his next album at
Kings Place
12 MARCH
In Glorious
Pianoscope
There’s been a quiet buzz about the quality and
versatility of 24-year-old Norwich-born pianist Kit
Downes for a while. He’s known for a superb melodic
gift, and also for his capacity to absorb a wide range
of influences – from Messiaen to the film music of
David Torn. The buzz suddenly got louder in July,
when Golden (Basho Records), his first CD as leader,
was nominated for the 2010 Mercury Prize. Downes
has the inner confidence to take such surprises in his
stride. Kings Place is hosting the launch of his second
CD, in which his regular trio is augmented by new
textural possibilities, including Adrien Dennefeld’s
cello and James Allsopp’s sax. Downes says that he
has developed longer, simpler narratives through
performance. Watch this space...
The Base: Kit Downes 9 April, Hall Two. See p75.
Leon Michener, Oli Brice
& Mark Sanders
19 MARCH
Nu Beginnings
26 MARCH
Ian Shaw
2 APRIL
Mike Westbrook:
The Serpent Hit
9 APRIL
Kit Downes
16 APRIL
Nikki Yeoh
15
16 HIGHLIGHTS
Jon Boden, who
performs with the
Remnant Kings
9 February
7.30pm
In Search of Anon
with Chris Wood, Martin
Carthy, Simon Armitage
& Erica Wagner
10 February
7.30pm
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
Book tickets now:
HIGHLIGHTS
A Folk Song A Day
FrIDayS, 8pm – HaLL TwO
Jon Boden and
The Remnant Kings
21 JaNuary
Madam – Eva Eden
10 February
9.30pm
Martin Carthy,
a great fan of Anon
Late-night Songs
with Jon Boden
FREE
11 February
7.30pm
The Folly at the
Heart of It
Karine Polwart with
Alasdair Roberts &
Corrina Hewat
I LIKe THe
beauTy anD
rIcHneSS OF
THe OrDInary,
IT’S wHaT
bInDS uS aLL
11 February
8pm
aLSO parT OF FOLK uNION
On Common
Ground
presented by Hugh
Lupton & Chris Wood
12 February
7.30pm
Karine Polwart,
co-curator of
Commonplace
DancInG On
cOmmOn GrOunD
Colin Irwin meets Chris Wood,
co-curator of Commonplace,
a folk festival focused on the
treasures of the ordinary and
the anonymous
Chris Wood,
who curates
Commonplace,
a festival of the
ordinary
KARINE POLWART © eamONN mCGOLDrICK | JON BODEN © DaVID aNGeL
MARTIN CARTHY © JOhN haXby | CHRIS WOOD © SuppLIeD phOTO
The Tongue
that Cannot Lie
Karine Polwart
& Chris Wood
with Michael Marra
& Chris Mullin
HIGHLIGHTS
FOLK
FOLK
THe cOmpLeTe
cOmmOnpLace
‘It’s a festival of the everyday… a celebration
of the ordinary…’ So says the redoubtable Chris
Wood about Commonplace, the week of events
he’s co-curating with the outstanding Scottish
songwriter and singer Karine Polwart. ‘I like the idea
of presenting the Commonplace at Kings Place,’ he
says, laughing conspiratorially. ‘I like the beauty and
richness of ordinariness.’
Yet there’s little ordinary about Wood himself,
or his rampant imagination. An accomplished fiddle
player and guitarist, a singular song interpreter, a
provocative songwriter, a key member of the trailblazing multi-cultural big band Imagined Village, the
imaginative creator of a series of inspirational shows
and a forthright man of Kent, he’s one of the modern
folk world’s most influential figures, constantly
challenging accepted truths with his sharply observed
reflections on daily life.
‘What binds us all is the ordinary,’ he says,
warming to the subject, ‘and the commonplace
theme will run through our events like a word in
a stick of rock.’
Events include In Search of Anon, a show
featuring one of British folk music’s most revered
figures, Martin Carthy, preluded by a bold blend
of photography, poetry, storytelling and debate to
include the poet and novelist Simon Armitage and
hosted by The Times literary editor Erica Wagner. ‘I
like having different aspects to what is essentially a
music festival and wanted to bring several disciplines
under one roof. The concept of ‘Anon’ throws up lots
of ideas. Martin Carthy specialises in singing the
songs of Anon, while the songs I write tend to be
about ordinary nobodies.’
Other highlights include On Common Ground,
the words and music show Wood devised with
storyteller Hugh Lupton telling the tragic story of the
19th-century Northamptonshire ‘peasant poet’ John
Clare, which has already toured the country to huge
acclaim. ‘It’s a blinding show,’ says Wood without a
trace of immodesty. ‘Every time we do it, it knocks
people for six. John Clare is a metaphor for the English
diaspora… and he was denied his own music.’
The Commonplace events also showcase
another of Brit folk’s great innovators, Jon Boden,
who takes time out from his day job as front man
with Bellowhead to join his other band, The Remnant
Kings, performing Songs from the Floodplain, his
extraordinary recent album portraying a future
without oil in which people are forced to remain
rooted in their own communities.
‘I think,’ says Wood with some understatement,
‘it will be a powerful event.’
28 JaNuary
aLSO parT OF LISZT bICeNTeNary
The Roots of Liszt’s
Hungarian Rhapsodies
with the Jánosi Ensemble
4 February
Hiss Golden
Messenger
11 February
aLSO parT OF COmmONpLaCe
On Common Ground
18 February
Skaidi
25 February
aLSO parT OF eeSTI FeST
Suurõ Pilvõ
(Big Clouds)
4 marCh
Andy Cutting
with James Fagan
11 marCh
Re-arranging Folk
18 marCh
Bella Hardy
25 marCh
Urban Folk Quartet
1 aprIL
Flamenco Express
8 aprIL
Martin Simpson
15 aprIL
Commonplace 9–12 February
Rachael Dadd
& Friends
17
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
HIGHLIGHTS
INTERACT
15 January
26 February
Purely A Cappella!
Guitar Workshop with
Weekend Guitar Trio
Ò theÊ highestÊ qualityÊ performancesÊ ofÊ
IndianÊ classicalÊ musicÓ Ê ÐÊ BBCÊ RadioÊ 3
Singing workshops led by
the Swingle Singers.
Open to enthusiastic singers and
choirs of all ages and abilities.
Workshop 1
Hall Two 12 noon
Workshop 2
Hall One 1.30pm
The “UK’s premier festival of
Indian classical music” returns to
Kings Place on Easter in a five-day
star-studded line-up of musicians
from Britain and overseas.
Line up includes:
Niladri Kumar sitarÊ
Talvin Singh tabla
Arun Ghosh clarinet
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt slideÊ guitar
Kadri Gopalnath saxophone
Aruna Sairam carnaticÊ vocal
Swapan Chaudhuri tabla
Alam Khan sarod
Arati Ankalikar vocal
Madras String Quartet
Uday Balwalkar dhrupad
Workshops, talks with artists,
films and free recitals
www.darbar.org.ukÊ Ê
Workshop 3
Hall Two 3pm
22 January
Mozart unwrapped
Study Day:
Understanding Mozart
Prof. Simon Keefe
St Pancras Room 10.30am–4.30pm
5 February
tasMin little & Friends:
violin Journeys
Young Person’s
Workshop for Strings
eesti Fest
Children must be accompanied by
adults. Bring your own instrument.
Limehouse Room 11am – 12.30pm
Estonian Folk Music
with Suurõ Pilvõ
All instruments and singers and
all ages and abilities welcome.
Limehouse Room 1pm – 2.30pm
12 March
Mozart unwrapped
Study Day:
Mozart in Context
Prof. S Keefe & Prof. C Eisen
26 March
heinz holliGer in proFile
Lecture: Holliger
on Alban Berg’s
Kammerkonzert
Song-writing workshop.
Open to all.
St Pancras Room 3.30-5.30pm
19 February
celebratinG GrainGer 2011
Sing Grainger!
Choral workshop for audience
and choirs. Open to all.
Hall Two 2.30pm – 4pm
Robbo: Garbage. ’Boro v Burnley
– £21.
David: ENO’s Gounod’s Faust
– £23.
Robbo: Ah, but is it any good?
David: Are Middlesbrough?
David Pearl, artistic director of Impropera,
talks to Niall Ashdown’s mate, the musically
challenged sports aficionado and ex-BBC
blogger Robbo Robson
Suitable for ages 4–6
Hall Two 9.30am
Robbo: Pearly?
Robbo: Any road, my point is you
can’t understand what they’re on
about cos it’s all in foreign, like.
OAE Tots: Workshop
Sing Baroque!
Chris Wood – The
Handmade Song
David: Football tickets are pretty
much the same price.
David: (response inaudible)
Family Concert
with Karine Polwart
Suitable for age 10+
St Pancras 12.30pm – 2pm
Robbo: The bank wouldn’t give
me the loan so I could buy the
bloody tickets.
David: No.
OAE Tots: Concert
The Big Sing:
Water from the Well
IT’S AN OPERA
IN TWO HALvES…
oae: baroque. contrasted.
Students pre-selected.
Open to audience.
coMMonplace
DAVE! Robbo, can I ask you a
question? Have you ever seen an
opera?
Robbo: Which means... my poorly
backside?
Masterclass with
Tasmin Little
David: No.
Robbo: David?
Suitable for ages 6 and under
Hall Two 11am
10 February
Impropera
Open to all aspiring Baroque
singers, no experience necessary.
Hall One 12.30pm – 2.30pm
17 February
The Fix presents…
16 april
24 February
Study Day: Mozart the
Performer-Composer
10 March
Peacock and Gamble
Emergency Broadcast
Mozart unwrapped
WitTank
Prof. S Keefe & Prof. J Irving
ChamberStudio
Sunday afternoon coaching and
support sessions for up-and-coming
post-college chamber groups.
Eminent chamber players and
teachers will provide coaching
and guidance, and an opportunity
to meet other like-minded
musicians. Sessions at affordable
rates. For more information
and to book a session, go to
www.chamberstudio.org
17 March
The Fix presents…
24 March
Peacock and Gamble
Emergency Broadcast
31 March
Tilt presents… Is It Something
I Said? a shebeen of scurrilous,
edgy words
14 april
The Fix presents…
3 February
Comedy at Kings Place
3 March
7 april
HIGHLIGHTS
COMEDY
Robbo: So, like, Dave... can I call
you Dave?
9 april
12 February
HIGHLIGHTS
Hall One 5pm
with David Le Page
Suitable for ages 8–18; grades 3–8
Hall One 10.30am – 2.30pm
with the workshop participants
Hall One 2pm – 2.30pm
HIGHLIGHTS
SWINGLE SINGERS © ben ealoveGa | DAVID PEARL & ROBBO ROBSON © iMpropera
london a cappella Festival
COMEDY
WORKSHOPS & STUDY DAYS
INTERACT
EasterÊ WeekendÊ
AprilÊ 2011
Book tickets now:
David: Yes. David is fine.
Robbo: So, like Dave...id. Why’s
opera brilliant?
David: Put simply, opera distils
and transports the quintessence
of human emotion into the
ineffable sphere of expression
that is eternal truth.
Robbo: And that’s putting it
simply, like?
David: Yes.
Robbo: But it’s all in Italian.
David: Not all of it.
Robbo: All right but ‘Just One
Cornetto’ – that’s Italian, right?
David: O sole mio.
Robbo: If you’re going to start
insulting us like...
David: No the actual name of that
aria is O sole mio.
David: That presupposes that
human empathy is predicated
upon linguistic understanding.
Imagine, Robbie, you are in a
packed stadium watching a striker
celebrating a wonderful goal.
Robbo: I support Middlesbrough
so it’s been a while but –
David: You need not understand
the words to comprehend the
emotions.
Robbo: But what if they’re a big
fat lass squawking like a cat.
David: Well, that’s a myth that
many opera-bashers perpetuate.
Robbo: But that big woman that
sang with Freddie Mercury – I
mean she was massive. You could
get the whole of Kings Place
inside her frock, Dave.
David: David! DAVID! It is
impossible to work as a serious
classical musician if you’re called
Robbo: Fair point. So it’s a proper
opera you’re doing at Kings Place?
David: Actually, no. We improvise
one. Every night we do an entirely
spontaneous opera based upon
an audience suggestion. We make
up the story, the words, the
characters. It’s called Impropera.
You know, impro meets opera.
Robbo: So it’s a piss-take, right?
David: No, no, no. We have a
genuine commitment to
improvise authentic classical
music: truly contemporary opera
made up in the moment. It’s just
that people seem to find it funny.
Very funny.
Robbo: So less stuck-up then. I
won’t need a bow tie?
David: No.
Robbo: Or a degree in Latin?
David: No.
Robbo: And the performers aren’t
going to struggle to get in through
the doors?
David: No.
Robbo: I’ll come then.
David: You will?
Robbo: Aye, David.
David: Call me Dave.
Off with Their Heads!:
Impropera 10 February, Hall Two.
See Listings p60 for details.
19
20 HIGHLIGHTS
Keith Pattison’s photographs
capture with searing intimacy a
community struggling to survive
during the 1980s Miners’ Strike
Book tickets now:
ART
NO
REDEMPTION?
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
HIGHLIGHTS
ART
ART HIGHLIGHTS
4–21 January
Kings Place Galler y
Albert Irvin RA:
The Complete Prints
Spoilt for Choice:
Prints from Advanced
Graphics London
HIGHLIGHTS
11 January – 26 February
Pangolin London
Lynn Chadwick:
The Couple
28 January – 4 March
Keith Pattison: No Redemption
Kings Place Gallery, 28 January – 4 March 2011
See Art Listings p78 for details.
Kings Place Gallery
Keith Pattison:
‘No Redemption’
1984 Easington Colliery
Miners’ Strike
Angela Hughes:
Transitions
The Narrow World
of Norman Cornish
8 March – 21 april
Pangolin London
PHoTo???
The Miners’ Strike of 1984–85 shook the foundations of
British society, tearing apart traditional mining communities
and leaving them in tatters in a way that is still hard to
comprehend. The stark facts tell their own story: in 1983
there were 200,000 British miners working in more
than 400 pits. 27 years on and after years of a Labour
government, there are fewer than 4,000 miners working
in ten pits. There are many communities, not only former
industrial ones, that still languish outside the mainstream.
No Redemption looks back at one particular broken
community, Easington Colliery in County Durham. In August 1984, Keith Pattison was commissioned by
Sunderland’s Artists’ Agency to photograph the strike in
Easington Colliery for a month. He remained there on and
off until it ended in March 1985, photographing from behind
the lines a community rallying together against implacable
opposition. Making, as the documentary film-maker John
Grierson said, ‘creative use of actuality’, Pattison frames a
narrative sequence of images from the optimism of August,
through the deepening pessimism of winter, to the final
vote to return to work.
25 years later, on Election Day 2010, Pattison took
writer David Peace to Easington to interview three of
the people caught up in the strike. Their memories, still
freshly felt, make explicit the anger, pain, resilience and
warmth captured in the photographs, and can be found
in the exhibition publication, No Redemption (£20). As
Lodge secretary Alan Cummings comments to Peace: ‘We
were fortunate that during the Strike we had Keith, our
photographer. Because every one of his shots is from the
right side of the picket lines. People, when they’ve seen
them photos, then they’ve understood what it meant…
Because them photos encapsulate a year of struggle.
Not just by the lads. But by their families. And I love them
to bits... it is to their eternal credit to have got through
those 12 months. It’ll go down in history.’
Daughters of Vulcan
Kings Place Gallery
Helen Baker:
Paintings
Kings Place Gallery
Alan Davie: Boom, Boom –
Paintings and works on paper
wE wERE fORTuNATE
TO HAvE kEITH, OuR
PHOTOGRAPHER.
EvERy ONE Of HIS
SHOTS wAS fROM
THE RIGHT SIDE Of
THE LINES
TALkING ART
MONDAyS 6.30PM,
ST PANcRAS ROOM
24 January
Lynn Chadwick: ‘The Couple’
7 February
Lovers in Art
Dr Gail-Nina Anderson
7 March
Painting the Sea
11 april
The Dragon in Art
18 april
Sculpture: Is Gender Important?
21
22 HIGHLIGHTS
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Corneyside Farm,
Northumbria where
all the Rotunda’s
meat is sourced.
FROM BEAST TO BURGER,
A NORTHUMBRIAN TALE
The beef and lamb served at Kings Place’s
Rotunda Restaurant is reared on one
Northumbrian farm with a very special
connection to the arts centre. Jenny Linford
headed north to meet an inspired farmer
A COw THAT
HASN’T BEEN
OUTSIDE CAN’T
TASTE AS GOOD
AS ONE THAT’S
FED ON GRASS
Above: a British BlueLimousin cross-bred cow
Left: Farmer Ian Scott
HIGHLIGHTS
FOOD & DRINK
Diners at Kings Place’s airy Rotunda
Restaurant, tucking into a superb sirloin steak
or melt-in-the-mouth braised lamb, are enjoying
the results of a unique quest for gastronomic
provenance. Not only are the beef and lamb used
by the Rotunda Kitchen and Green and Fortune
Café exclusively sourced from Corneyside Farm
in Northumberland, but the farm itself is owned
by Peter Millican, Chief Executive of Kings Place.
When I suggest to him that this is taking
traceability very seriously indeed, Millican laughs,
but, in essence, agrees. ‘I wanted the restaurant
here to have good sourcing and the opportunity
to buy the farm came up. The advantage’, he
says, ‘is that I know exactly how the animals
are looked after. Animal welfare is very
important to me. It’s a philosophy; you do
what you think is right.’
A visit to Corneyside Farm, just a
few miles from Hadrian’s Wall, gives
me the chance to see for myself
how the animals are reared. Once
there I soon find myself bumping
across fields in a trailer, pulled
by Ian Scott, the farmer
here, on his quad bike
on my way to see the
grazing cattle and sheep.
Scott’s connections to
both farming and the
Northumbrian countryside
run deep. His grandfather
was a farmer, while his father
farmed at Corneyside before him. ‘I’ve
lived here all my life,’ he tells me in his gentle
Northumbrian burr, gazing at the land he
ROTUNDA
SUPPER CLUB
30 NOVEMBER
Beef Dinner
The Farmer, the Butcher, the Chef
Come and meet Ian Scott, the
farmer. See the skills of our
butcher and enjoy a menu full of
beef dishes, all from our farm in
Northumberland.
14 DECEMBER
Christmas Dinner
Carols, festive food and good
cheer all round
25Th JaNuaRy
HIGHLIGHTS
knows so well. ‘There are easier ways to make a living,
but at the end of the day, we like where we live, we
like what we do.’
Unlike many cattle farmers, Scott breeds his own
cattle to keep down the risk of bringing diseases into
his precious herd, opting for Limousin crossed with
British Blue. While the Limousin are famous beef
cattle, they’re notoriously bad-tempered, unlike the
docile British Blue. ‘I need an animal I can work with,’
explains Scott. ‘Do you see that British Blue over
there? If she calves and gets into trouble, I can do
anything I need to do to help her. I wouldn’t be able to
do that with a pure Limousin.’ His sheep are Texel, ‘a
good eating sheep’.
Scott firmly believes that his way of farming, with
his cattle allowed to gain weight slowly and naturally
through grazing outdoors on grass, rather than
being kept indoors and pumped full of supplements,
produces more flavourful beef. ‘You can grade on
shape and weight, but what you can’t grade is taste.
A cow that hasn’t been outside can’t taste as good as
one that’s fed on grass. What we’re doing here is too
slow for a lot of people, but for me farming has to be
natural, even if it takes time.’
For Scott the welfare of his cattle and sheep is
central to how he farms, and that includes allowing
them to express their natural behaviour. ‘If your
animals are content, they’ll do far better. I prefer my
cows to calve outside; they’re healthier that way. We
don’t take the calves away from the mother, though
lots of farmers do. That stresses them; we want our
animals to be happy.’
‘Getting the grass right is very important.’ A
few years ago, Scott stopped using pesticides and
fertilisers on his pastures, spreading on manure from
his animals instead. He reaches down to pick a clump
of green grass. ‘Look at it,’ he says with satisfaction,
‘This grass is rich with clover; we spread it with muck.
It’s great for the animals. We’ve turned full circle,’ he
observes, ‘We’re back to what my grandad used to do.’
Scott keeps his cattle for 26–28 months before
sending them to the abattoir, as opposed to an
intensive system which would slaughter them at 18–20
months, as he wants them to develop ‘a good coating
of fat’. This layer of fat protects the meat while it’s
hanging, a process which allows the meat to develop
flavour. His best cattle and sheep are earmarked for
Kings Place; once slaughtered locally, the carcasses are
sent to be hung in the Rotunda’s special hanging room.
‘A lot of chefs talk about provenance and working
with the producer; but we really are,’ points out John
Nugent, owner of the Rotunda Restaurant and Green
and Fortune Café. Head Chefs Ian Green and Norman
Harkness relish the opportunity to work with such
‘amazing’ meat. ‘Our challenge is that we have to
use the whole carcasse, including the braising cuts
like brisket, shin and lamb shanks,’ explains Ian.
‘Ageing the beef in the hanging room makes such a
difference; our burgers taste that much better. From
a chef’s point of view, it’s fantastic both to have such
great meat and to be able to control the hanging
process. We wouldn’t be able to offer the quality of
meat – say our 35-day hung beef fillet – at the price
we do if we didn’t have this relationship. There’s no
need to mess about with it; we like to let the meat
speak for itself.’
Comedy Dinner
Funny food never tasted this good!
14Th FEBRuaRy
Valentine’s & Poetry
Live poetry in our wonderful
waterside restaurant will create
the perfect Valentine’s for you
and your partner
22ND MaRCh
Mumm Champagne
Tasting & Dinner
Join us for a decadent evening
of fine food and champagne…
12Th apRil
Arts Dinner
Pangolin Gallery
Exhibition
Preview & Dinner
Enjoy a canapé reception whilst
discovering Pangolin’s latest
exhibition, followed by a
three-course dinner in Rotunda.
23
24 COVER FEATURE
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020 7520 1490
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it is our job to
sound as if we
are singing it for
the first time…
it needs to sound
improvised
Mozart was always a performer-composer, the two elements of his
art being in many ways inseparable. We hear from his letters how he would
improvise variations on the concert stage, harmonise parts he had barely
had time to write in and create unique performances by elaborating on a
given theme. When I spoke to many of the musicians collaborating in Mozart
Unwrapped about the challenges of performing his music, a common aim
was to recreate his music as if in the white heat of improvisation. Soprano
Rosemary Joshua, famous for her irresistible characterisations in the Da Ponte
operas, articulates the central hurdle with eloquence: ‘Mozart has a freshness
that is rare. As performers it is our job to sound as if we are singing it for
the first time. Mozart can’t ever be allowed to sound over-rehearsed
or mechanical! There is definitely an improvisational element to a
successful performance but years of hard work are needed in order
for it to sound improvised, which is where the challenge lies.’
Violinist Peter Cropper echoes these thoughts in connection
with the violin sonatas. Although he’s known and played them all
his life, it’s only recently that he’s come to understand that the key
is to sound as if he’s making it up as he goes along: ‘The sonatas
are difficult, but I don’t find them difficult in the way I used to,
because now I realise that they have to sound spontaneous. If you
do anything to Mozart, it’s too much, if you don’t do anything, it’s not
enough! To find the intensity, you must sing and project like a diva,
and feel as if you are making it up. Of course, to have the freedom to be
spontaneous you have to know it backwards, and make it sound like you
are re-harmonising it as you go.’
He points out that the simplest pieces of Mozart, often learnt by children
and amateurs, are actually the most terrifying and exposing to the seasoned
professional, something Rosemary Joshua underlines, recalling her student
days: ‘It has always baffled me that young singers are presented with Mozart
ROSEMARY JOSHUA, NICHOLAS COLLON © RUTH CRAFER | IMOGEN COOPER © BEN EALOVEGA | LEON MCCAWLEY © SHEILA ROCK
Helen Wallace discusses the challenges and rewards
of performing Mozart with six of the artists appearing
in the year-long Mozart Unwrapped series.
as a starting block. I found it very daunting as
a student. There’s nothing to “hide” behind
and any flaw in technique is cruelly exposed.
Mozart’s vocal lines are very pure, which requires
great clarity: precision alongside spontaneity.’
Purity, simplicity, precision and clarity –
words that echo in a conversation about the
piano sonatas with Leon McCawley, who
will be performing them all, in order, during
Mozart Unwrapped. The goal is simplicity, but
he doesn’t underestimate the work involved in
achieving it: ‘We musicians can be so obsessed
with details that we can get bogged down and
lose the overall picture. Also the “Dresden
China” approach can be unhelpful; I would
never want to play roughly and haphazardly…
but there is a tendency to over-venerate and
over-shape Mozart’s music so that it loses its
originality and freshness. There is so much
humour and sprightliness there.’
Another young artist, conductor Nicholas
Collon, shares a suspicion of over-reverence:
‘There’s an intense pressure on performers,
built up over years of recorded performances,
as to how Mozart “should” be played. Do we
use authentic instruments, following Leopold’s
instructions exactly on string-playing style, or
use modern instruments, and a sound and
style refracted through the 19th and 20th
centuries? The nervousness springs, of course,
from the absolute veneration for Mozart’s
music. But I feel it’s important to remember
that Mozart was a dynamic young man even
at the time of his death, who was always
experimenting, always moving on. As a young
conductor, I don’t want to be burdened by
comparisons with my predecessors. I approach
it in a spirit of freshness, try to go my own way,
and take the music as it comes to me.’
In Mozart Unwrapped there will be the
opportunity to hear both modern chamber
orchestras (Aurora, Orchestra of St John’s
and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields)
and a period-instrument approach from the
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Its
New Year performances will be conducted by
multi-talented cellist-harpsichordist-conductor
Jonathan Cohen, a musician very much in the
18th-century mode. ‘In the period-instrument
world we have gone through many phases and
our approach is constantly evolving. Recently, I
think some of us have felt the kind of phrasing
and articulation employed is too short and
too dry and we are rediscovering lyricism and
the romantic spirit in Mozart’s music. One of
Mozart’s great achievements was finding a new
way of singing, and those long trajectories are
important. The Holy Grail is not to find one way
of performing Mozart, but to keep the spirit of
enquiry alive.’
COVER FEATURE
MOZART UNWRAPPED
Left: Nicholas Collon.
Above: Imogen Cooper
Leon McCawley.
Nevertheless, these instruments have
informed Cohen’s approach at a profound level:
‘The wind instruments are distinctively different
in their sound and timbre; the sound of the
natural horns, particularly, is one of the great
treasures of a period-instrument orchestra. With
string playing, it is down to the most subtle
nuances of attack, vibrato, phrasing, something
drawn from long experience of performing
Mozart. Using gut strings was a revelation to
me, but it’s not all about the kit. You pick up
a classical bow and it opens a door on a way
of playing, and reveals more of what was in
the composer’s head when they were writing.’
But, he points out, you need the imagination
to enter that world, the instrument won’t do
it for you. He cites the earlier decay of notes,
which aren’t being sustained by heavy bowing
and vibrato, as significant in revealing more
powerfully the subtleties of consonance and
dissonance in Mozart’s harmonies.
He’s delighted to be joined by Kristian
Bezuidenhout for Piano Concerto No. 21,
K467. ‘I would compare the fortepiano to the
Steinway, as a classic old Aston Martin to a
huge, modern Ferrari: one has a distinctive,
unpredictable personality, the other is powerful
but less interesting. The fortepiano is so intimate,
the audience is drawn right in. Then there’s that
biting, hammer-like articulation which can add
such clarity, you hear every note of a chord.’
Pianist Leon McCawley, on the other hand,
is only too pleased to be playing a Steinway:
‘I think Mozart would have been amazed by the
possibilities of the modern piano. As cantabile is
uppermost in his writing, it was also his intention
to make the keyboard instrument sing as a voice.
All this is even more possible on the modern
instrument due to its sustaining qualities.’
The last word goes to another pianist, the
celebrated Imogen Cooper, who will be playing
piano quartets and a concerto in the series. She
homes in on the sheer emotional range
and vitality of the music, and the fascinating
communication between players: ‘The piano
concerti are one of the greatest bodies of
music ever written, and performing them
is a completely fulfilling experience. Their
composition is perfection, in beauty, in structural
concept, in the use of the orchestra, and how it
interrelates with the piano in dialogue of endless
emotion and wit that leaves you smiling and with
tears in your eyes all at once.’
Mozart Unwrapped Weeks 1–4
See Listings pp50, 52–53, 66–67 & 76–77
See www.kingsplace.co.uk for full year’s listings
25
Richard Wigmore explores the central keys, major and
minor, which Mozart made his own and through which he
expressed such a range of emotion over his vast output
‘The procedure by which the composer is prompted to choose this or that basic tonality is
as inexplicable as the creation of the genius himself . . . (he) hits upon the correct key immediately,
much as the painter chooses his colour.’ Writing in 1835, Schumann was profoundly sceptical
of the various theories about key characteristics developed in the late 18th century. Carl Zelter
had declared that each key could express any emotion, while the poet and composer Christian
Schubart (1739–91) associated each key with a distinct range of moods: ‘sharp’ keys were ‘wild and
strong’, flat keys ‘sweet and melancholy’, and ‘neutral’ ones – F, C, G major – ‘innocent and simple’.
There is no reason to believe that Mozart was familiar with Schubart’s theories, yet
certain keys tended to draw from him strongly defined responses, both of mood and sonority.
Convention played its part too. Throughout the 18th century, C and D major were the most
effective keys for trumpets and drums. Strings sound at their most brilliant in D and A major.
But, far more than his contemporaries, Mozart introduced ambiguous harmonies, chromatic
shadows into even his most ostensibly jubilant works. Elsewhere he made the tinta of a key
uniquely his own, as in his Viennese works in A major – a favoured tonality for love duets –
E flat major and, for many the most ‘Mozartian’ key of all, G minor.
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A mAjOR
Although Schubart dubbed the
keys with several sharps ‘wild and
strong’, he associated A major
with ‘declarations of innocent love… youthful
cheerfulness, trust in God’. For Mozart, A
major could be more ambivalent, as in the
beautiful, intensely introspective string quartet,
K464, a favourite work of Beethoven’s. In Così
fan tutte, A major is the key of the opera’s
emotional climax, a moment at once comical
and profoundly disturbing: the duet ‘Fra gli
amplessi’, in which Fiordiligi finally yields
to the advances of her ‘Albanian’ suitor. But
perhaps Mozart’s most characteristic A major
works are the concerto and quintet for clarinet,
and the much-loved Piano Concerto No. 23,
K488. The first movements of all three are
suffused with an unearthly lyrical radiance, yet
have an undercurrent of melancholy created
in part by frequent oscillations between
major and minor. In both the concertos the
combination of flutes – replacing the more
acidic oboes – and high-pitched horns makes
for soft, luminous orchestral textures, which
Mozart enriches in Symphony No. 29 with the
sensuous warmth of clarinets.
KEY WORKS
Symphony No. 29, K201 (13 Apr)
Clarinet Quintet, K581 (13 Apr)
Clarinet Concerto, K622 (13 Apr)
String Quartet, K464 The Drum (18 Sep)
‘Fra gli amplessi’ (Così fan tutte, K588) (20 May)
Book tickets now:
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26 COVER FEATURE
COVER FEATURE
mOZART UnWRAPPED
C minOR
With its hieratic, low-pitched
trumpets and darkly-louring
horns, C minor was a natural key
for the sombrely magnificent Kyrie of the
Mass Mozart embarked on in early 1783,
apparently in fulfilment of a vow made before
his marriage. Elsewhere Mozart associates
C minor – Schubart’s key ‘of unhappy love’
– with a certain bluntness of expression. Time
and again – in that most un-serenade-like of
wind serenades, K388 (later transcribed for
string and then oboe quintet, K406), in the
Sonata and Fantasie, K457 and K475, and in
the Piano Concerto, K491 – the key provoked
a tortuous or peremptory opening. Parts of the
Sonata, especially, approach the vehemence
of Beethoven in his own favourite minor key.
C minor is also the key of the Adagio and
Fugue for strings, K546 (to be played both by
piano duo and the Aurora Orchestra), music
that refracts Baroque styles and techniques
through a Mozartian prism. The Fugue
is perhaps the most uncompromisingly
rebarbative piece he ever wrote, with none
of the surface grace that usually overlays
even his most impassioned utterances.
C mAjOR
18th-century theorists
characterised C major as
‘grandiose, military, majestic’, and
as the key of ‘innocence, simplicity, naivety,
(Schubart) – a description that perfectly fits
works such as Mozart’s keyboard variations on
‘Ah, vous dirai-je, maman’, K265, the exquisite,
ethereal Adagio for glass harmonica, K356,
and the famous Sonata, K545. With trumpets,
horns and timpani pitched lower than in
D major, orchestral sonorities in C major
acquired an added depth and gravitas. This
was the key par excellence of pomp and
pageantry, of solemn festive Masses (most
of Mozart’s Salzburg Masses are in C). In his
Viennese years, though, Mozart deepened and
enriched the key’s traditional associations.
As early as the Piano Concerto, K415, military
swagger coexists with elaborate displays of
‘learned’ counterpoint. These contrapuntal
tendencies, allied to a new breadth of scale
and richness of texture, continue in the two
great C major concertos, K467 and K503, and
find their apogee in the polyphonic tour de
force of the Jupiter Symphony’s finale. This
mingled breadth and majesty also infuses
chamber works such as the Sonata for Piano
Duet, K521, and the glorious String Quintet,
K515, whose first movement conjures up
vast, tranquil expanses that look forward to
Schubert and even Bruckner.
D mAjOR
The peal of D major, resplendent
with trumpets and drums and the
bright resonance of open strings,
resounds through Mozart’s Salzburg serenades
and early symphonies. In 1778 it was the only
possible key for the Paris Symphony, K297,
that inspired orchestral showpiece calibrated
to flatter French taste. The swashbuckling
Haffner Symphony, K385, exudes Mozart’s
delight in sheer sonorous brilliance and his
new-found interest in Baroque polyphony.
Other, later, Viennese works at once
celebrate and subvert D major’s traditional
associations. The first movement of the Prague
Symphony, K504 – arguably Mozart’s most
monumental symphonic achievement – allies
regal splendour of sonority and scale with
lyrical warmth, ambivalent harmonies and
a contrapuntal intricacy that has no parallel
before the Jupiter. In the chamber sphere,
the beautiful, ‘stray’ String Quartet, K499,
opens with a breezy, march-like theme that
outlines the chord of D major before evolving
into a subtle, often shadowy argument, with
repeated dips into mysterious remote keys.
Two later works, the Piano Sonata, K576, and
String Quintet, K593, temper the key’s extrovert
brilliance (both evoke hunting horns) with an
abstracted nonchalance.
KEY WORKS
Wind Serenade, K388 (17 Jun)
Quintet, K406 (20 Jan/15 Oct)
Great Mass, K427 (9 Nov)
Adagio & Fugue for two pianos, K426 (17 Sep)
[Version for Strings, K546] (9 Mar)
Fantasie, K475; Piano Sonata, K457 (17 Apr)
KEY WORKS
Adagio for glass harmonica, K356 (16 Oct)
Piano Concerto No. 13, K415 (18 Jun)
Piano Concerto No. 21, K467 (31 Dec/1 Jan)
String Quintet, K515 (10 Mar)
Sonata for Piano Duet, K521 (13 Mar)
Symphony No.41, K551 Jupiter (16 Sep)
KEY WORKS
Symphony No. 31, K297 Paris (9 Mar)
Symphony No. 35, K385 Haffner (15 Sep)
Symphony No. 38, K504 Prague (14 Oct)
String Quartet, K499 Hoffmeister (13 Oct)
Piano Sonata, K576 (17 Apr)
String Quintet, K593 (15 Jun)
27
COVER FEATURE
mOZART UnWRAPPED
D minOR
Schubart defined D minor as the
key of ‘melancholy femininity’. But
for 19th-century musicians the
tonality of the D minor Piano Concerto, K466,
the Requiem and Don Giovanni’s descent into
hell became Mozart’s most tragic key. Whether
we construe Don Giovanni as a tragedy is
a moot point. Certainly, Mozart associated
D minor with revenge, in that opera and
elsewhere. In the Requiem the Dies irae evokes
divine vengeance with a convulsive power that
can shock even today. Mingling intimations of
Beethovenian heroism with an echt-Mozartian
pathos, the D minor Piano Concerto remained
a favourite in the 19th century, at a time
when most of his concertos were rarely aired.
The D minor String Quartet, K421 (Mozart’s
only mature quartet in the minor), exudes a
profound, fatalistic melancholy that even the
finale – a set of variations on a doleful siciliano
theme – fails to allay. The quartet as a whole
comes as close to tragedy as any of Mozart’s
instrumental works.
KEY WORKS
String Quartet, K421 (10 Mar)
Piano Concerto No. 20, K466 (15 Sep)
[arr. Alkan for solo piano] (21 Jan)
Requiem (19 Dec)
E FlAT mAjOR
Think Mozart in E flat major and
the odds are you will hear horns
and clarinets. Both instruments
sound particularly well in this key, dubbed by
Schubart ‘the key of love, devotion, of intimate
conversation with God’. Mozart turns this
description on its head in the roistering finales
of three of the four horn concertos. In the
operas, though, E flat – usually with clarinets
and horns to the fore – is the favoured key
for amorous or soulful arias: of Countess
Almaviva’s ‘Porgi amor’, and Tamino’s ‘Portrait’
aria. As an ideal key for woodwind and horns,
it was the natural choice for the Serenade,
K375, and the delectable Piano and Wind
Quintet, K452, which Mozart – never one to
miss a chance for self-promotion in his letters
to his father – blithely pronounced his finest
work to date. In Mozart’s orchestral works,
E flat typically evokes a mixture of grandeur
and mellow warmth (the strings take on a
slightly veiled, husky sonority in this key):
in the Sinfonia concertante for violin and
viola, K364, where divided violas add a deep
crimson glow to the inner textures, and in the
Symphony No. 39, in which oboes are replaced
by the velvet-toned clarinets which crucially
colour the work’s sonority.
KEY WORKS
Horn Concerto No. 4, K495 (16 Sep)
Symphony No. 39, K543 (31 Dec/1 Jan)
Piano and Wind Quintet, K452 (15 Oct)
‘Porgi Amor’ (10 Nov)
Sinfonia concertante, K364 (30 Nov)
Wind Serenade, K375 (30 Nov)
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
G minOR
For many commentators and
music-lovers, G minor is to Mozart
what C minor is to Beethoven: the
key of his most impassioned and ‘personal’
utterances. In his operas G minor was the
key he chose for the expression of extreme
(invariably feminine) pathos, most famously
in Pamina’s lament from Die Zauberflöte.
But the two iconic Mozartian G minor works
are the String Quintet, K516, and Symphony
No. 40, K550. There is none of the tragic
heroism or strenuous defiance found in
Mozart’s works in D minor and C minor. The
first movement of the quintet, especially,
sounds like a private confession, suggesting
disquieting depths of sorrow and regret
beneath the habitual smoothness of surface.
The symphony – significantly without trumpets
and drums – marries ‘discontent, unease,
gritting of the teeth in anger’ (Schubart’s
characterisation of G minor), chromatic pathos
and the composer’s most yearning lyricism.
The finale rises to a pitch of hectic anguish
barely matched in Mozart’s output. How ironic,
then, that Schumann, debunking Schubart’s
aesthetic theories, saw no more in the G minor
Symphony than a ‘buoyant Hellenic charm’!
KEY WORKS
Piano Quartet, K478 (12 Mar)
String Quintet, K516 (14 Apr)
Symphony No. 40, K550 (30 Nov)
Mozart Unwrapped Weeks 1–4
See Listings pp50, 52–53, 66–67 & 76–77
See www.kingsplace.co.uk for full year’s listings
SPRinG 2011 SEASOn FEATURES:
ILLUSTRATIONS: HARDIE / www.HARDIEIllustRAtoR.coM
28
Aurora orchestra | orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment | Academy of st Martin in the Fields
sir colin Davis | Nicholas collon | Jonathan cohen | Rosemary Joshua | sophie Bevan
Fflur wyn | Imogen cooper | leon Mccawley | Kenneth Hamilton | Kristian Bezuidenhout
Martin Fröst | thomas Gould | charles owen & Katya Apekisheva | chilingirian Quartet
cropper–welsh–Roscoe trio | study Days with Prof. simon Keefe | and many more
WORLD
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020 7520 1490
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WOrlD
January—April 2011 HiBiki: ResOnAnCes fROM JApAn
Reclaiming
the east
hibiki: Resonances
fRom Japan
3 MArCH
–
sho
: The sound of eternity
Mayumi Miyata
Michael Church meets curator Akiko Yanagisawa,
whose series Hibiki is a bold initiative to reclaim the
true traditions of Japanese music for a new audience
4 MArCH
Tsugaru-shamisen:
sheer Wind from the north
shunsuke kimura and etsuro Oro
5 MArCH
Tradition & exploration:
The koto of Michiyo Yagi
Akiko Yanagisawa’s personal journey could stand
as a metaphor for what her Kings place concert series
‘Hibiki’ – ‘sounds’ – is all about. Born in Tokyo, she
was brought up listening to Western classical music,
and this has remained her passion. Invited in 1997 to
study arts management at london’s City University,
she focused on orchestral music. ‘But then I found
myself starting to listen to Japanese traditional music.
When you are away from home, you begin to ask who
and what you are. And I realised that what I really
wanted to do was not promote Western music, but my
own, because I’d found that it was very patronisingly
presented over here.’ She researched a thesis on
‘the perception of Japanese music in Britain’, and
then began to put her conclusions into practice.
First she brought the work of the celebrated manga
artist Tetsuya Chiba to the ICA, spicing it up with
a synthesiser, a Japanese singer, and a performer
on the koto, which is Japan’s ancient version of the
zither. Then she promoted a larger group of Japanese
performers on traditional instruments, and took them
to the WOMEX World Music Expo, where they were a
notable success.
In a nation so famously pure-bred, Japan’s
ignorance of its own musical culture may seem
paradoxical, but the key lies in the great gear-shift
which occurred in 1868 when the new ruling dynasty
of this hitherto ‘closed’ empire decided to embrace
Western culture as its badge of entry into the modern
world. The piano – sweetly nicknamed ‘Western strings’
– became the musical symbol of this new awakening,
while the Imperial court musicians deputed to entertain
Western dignitaries were hastily schooled in Western
MICHIYO YAGI © YURiko TAGAki | HIBIKI CAllIGrApHY © YUki oHTA
30
in 1868 the new
Ruling dynasty decided
to embRace westeRn
cultuRe and Japan’s own
classical music witheRed
on the vine.
Michiyo Yagi,
celebrated
koto player
string-playing and church choral techniques.
Henceforth, Japanese schoolchildren were
taught to sing Western scales and harmonies,
and Japan’s own classical music withered on
the vine. In the early 1970s, as Japan’s national
pride was boosted thanks to the post-war
economic miracle, an attempt was made
to reintroduce traditional music to schools,
but there were no teachers to teach it; only
in 2003 did the government decree that all
middle-school students should ‘experience’ a
traditional instrument, but that’s still a mere
gesture. Significantly, each of the three star
players in Hibiki began with a Western musical
training, before gravitating to the music they
now so zealously pursue.
The first concert in this Kings place series
will be devoted to Mayumi Miyata’s artistry
on the sho–. looking like a bundle of petrified
icicles, this most ancient of instruments arrived
in Japan 1300 years ago from China, where its
descendant is now called the sheng; it’s also
the precursor of the accordion and our humble
harmonica. And as with these instruments, its
pitch can be varied by sucking or blowing; its
crystalline cluster-chords seem to freeze the
music’s melodic line. But what’s fascinating
about this concert is the way it spans the
ages, and crosses cultures. Some of the works
– for which Miyata is joined by soloists from
the london Sinfonietta – are by the avantgardist John Cage and by Japan’s greatest
20th-century composer, To–ru Takemitsu, both
of whom loved the sho–. Other works will be
taken from the Imperial gagaku. And gagaku
is living archaeology, the world’s oldest
orchestral music. The word, derived from the
Chinese ‘yayue’, means ‘elegant music’, and
its forms – which were laid down 600 years
ago – are still religiously adhered to. A full
gagaku ensemble comprises lutes, flutes,
drums and zithers as well as the sho–, and
with its haunting dissonances, its sepulchral
momentum and its languid swoops and slides,
the music itself seems petrified. Karlheinz
Stockhausen and Gavin Bryars are among the
Western composers who have written for its
particular mélange of timbres; pierre Boulez
has acknowledged its influence on his work.
Ms Yanagisawa has asked each of her
performers to match traditional forms with
cutting-edge experiment. Michiyo Yagi, one of
the most innovative koto players in the world,
will follow some 19th-century pieces with an
extended improvisation in a duet with the
British saxophonist Evan parker. Since the
pair have not yet met – Yagi having hitherto
admired parker from afar – this will be a
genuine voyage into the unknown. Meanwhile
in Song of the Steppes she distils the musical
impressions she recently garnered on tour in
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The
koto’s pedigree goes back almost as far as the
sho–’s, and it was for centuries the jealously
guarded preserve of blind musicians. Ms
Yagi brings three – with 13, 17, and 21 strings
respectively – to convey to her audience the
rich complexity of its sonority (which is normally
only fully savoured by the player bent over it).
The third key instrument in this concert
series is the three-string fretless shamisen
lute, here to be heard in its vibrant ‘tsugaru’
outdoor variant. In both sound and appearance
it evokes the American banjo, and in Japanese
culture it occupies a corresponding place:
itinerant story-tellers used to accompany
themselves on it, and it too was for many years
the preserve of the blind. Its dramatic timbral
contrasts and its sweet-sour resonance have for
centuries pervaded bunraku puppet shows and
performances of kabuki theatre. The Kings place
concert – with Shunsuke Kimura on shamisen
and flute, joined by the equally celebrated
shamisen player Etsuro Ono – will highlight the
way this instrument is keeping pace with Japan’s
fast-moving culture. As Ms Yanagisawa observes,
‘Japanese musicians never stand still – they are
always pushing out the boundaries.’
Hibiki: Resonances from Japan
31
aRT
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Lynn ChadwiCk’s
Chunky anguLar figures,
their textured surfaCes
suggesting great
strength and Contained
energy, are instantLy
reCognisabLe
Conjunction X
1964, Bronze
‘CONJUNCTION’ © Steve RuSSeLL | CHADWICK WITH ‘RAD LAD IV’ © JS LewinSki
32
When a seven-foot-high bronze sculpture
by Lynn Chadwick (1914–2003) made the
headlines after it was stolen in 2006 from
Roehampton University, this was for many
their introduction to his work. Although he
is one of the great names in 2oth-century
British sculpture, along with Henry Moore and
Anthony Caro, Chadwick is not a household
one. Yet once you know his chunky angular
figure sculptures, their heavily textured surfaces
suggesting great strength and contained
energy, they are instantly recognisable.
Chadwick’s career in art began late, after
an apprenticeship in architecture in the late
1930s, and employment as an architectural
draughtsman. Both before and after the war
he worked with the experimental architect
Rodney Thomas, whose breadth of vision
and practical knowledge were to be a lasting
inspiration. Thomas was at that time himself
experimenting with sculpture (a natural
extension to building architectural models),
making both mobiles and stabiles, and
Chadwick followed suit. His mobiles went
further than Thomas’s, involving suspended
elements which moved with the air currents,
and these were his first sculptures, made
between 1947 and 1949. In 1950, Chadwick
was given his first solo show, which attracted
a great deal of critical attention, and, more
importantly, three substantial commissions.
Two of these were for the 1951 Festival of
Britain, while the third was for the Battersea
Park Open Air Sculpture Exhibition. This was
public exposure indeed, and Chadwick’s
career was launched. By 1952 he was one of
eight artists chosen to represent England at
the Venice Biennale in an exhibition entitled
‘New Aspects of British Sculpture’. (Among the
others were Kenneth Armitage, Geoffrey Clarke
and Eduardo Paolozzi.) The distinguished critic
Herbert Read coined an evocative phrase to
describe their work: he called it ‘the geometry
of fear’. It was a label deriving from the mood
of horror and collective guilt occasioned by the
war, and particularly by the disclosure of the
concentration camps. Read went on to describe
‘the iconography of despair, or of defiance’
he identified in the new sculpture, and the
existential angst of the period was to come back
to haunt Chadwick later. Labels are useful in
jump-starting a reputation, but can all too easily
become a handicap if they cannot be dislodged.
But for the moment, Chadwick’s star was in
the ascendant, and in 1956 he was awarded the
highly prestigious International Sculpture Prize
in Venice for his solo exhibition of 19 sculptures
and 21 drawings. Giacometti had been tipped
to win, and the last time the prize had been
won by an Englishman was in 1948 when
ART
Lynn chadWick
Lynn Chadwick
with Rad Lad IV
seCrets of
the triangLe
His aesthetic was once labelled ‘the geometry of fear’, but
andrew Lambirth finds a more affirmative side to the life and
work of Lynn chadwick, whose sculpture is celebrated in a
new exhibition, The Couple, at Pangolin London this spring
33
ART
Lynn CHADWICK
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CLASSICAL 35
cracking tHe Holliger code
However
abstract His
work migHt
appear, tHe Human
figure Had always
been His principal
starting point
to conjure movement, and contrived to evoke
weight – or its absence – through marvellously
tensile structures, at once bulky and spindly.
The triangle remained a favourite shape
throughout his life, with its associated forms
of tripod, pyramid and cone. Chadwick liked to
work directly, intuitively, not thinking too much
or planning his next move, but constructing his
forms through the process of welding iron, a
kind of inspired drawing in space. These metal
skeletons were then filled out with an artificial
stone compound called Stolit, which dried hard
as glass and could be worked and coloured.
However, over long periods humidity could
affect it, and it proved safer to cast the sculptures
in bronze. In 1958, Chadwick bought Lypiatt
Park, a Gothic house outside Stroud, where
he set up his own foundry and later designed
and landscaped a sculpture park. He became
something of a recluse, and concentrated on
making work, thus accounting for his vast output
of around 1000 sculptures.
In 1989 he closed his own foundry
and appointed Rungwe Kingdon his sole
authorised founder. Rungwe, with his wife
Claude Koenig, set up Pangolin Editions on
the Chalford Industrial Estate, near Stroud,
and built it up to be the largest foundry in
Europe. When Kings Place opened, the chance
to have an outlet in the capital was not to be
missed, and Pangolin London came into being.
Chadwick was and still is a ‘defining artist’ for
Pangolin, and this latest show dedicated to
his work deals with the theme of the couple.
Including such seminal pieces as Teddy Boy
and Girl (originally 1955), Dancers and some
of the more abstract Conjunction sculptures,
the exhibition reaffirms Chadwick as a great
original. After a period of slight eclipse, his
stock is rising once more. Rungwe Kingdon
sees Chadwick’s work as far more affirmative
than the ‘geometry of fear’ tag allows. For him,
Chadwick’s simplified but dynamic figures
offer ‘a joyous and vital expression of peace’,
rather than guilt at wartime atrocities. It’s a
plausible reading, and one that can now be
properly explored.
Lynn Chadwick: ‘The Couple’
11 January – 26 February 2011, Pangolin London
See Listings p54 for the Talking Art event.
HEINZ HOLLIGER © SCHOtt MuSIC | IVAN HEWETT © tHE DAILY tELEGRAPH
Right top:
Teddy Boy and Girl
1955, Bronze
Bottom:
Sitting Figures
1989, Bronze
Lynn Chadwick in
his Pinswell studio
Henry Moore was the recipient. Now Chadwick
seemed all set to be Moore’s successor. But
fashion, innovation and art world politics exert a
stronger pull on reputation than mere originality,
and the 1960s afforded a very different cultural
context. Chadwick continued to consolidate his
reputation abroad, but in England the honours
were reserved for the latest stars, as Anthony
Caro and the St Martin’s school carried all before
them, closely followed by the Minimalists.
Nevertheless, Chadwick was not deterred
from pushing the boundaries of his work
further, and he continued to explore the
themes that he had made his own. However
abstract his work might appear, the human
figure had always been his principal starting
point. A lot of what Chadwick did was based
on the elimination of unnecessary detail, in
a process of seeking out essential form. Thus
a face on a bronze figure might appear as a
polished triangle or a rectangular block, and
arms were dispensed with entirely. Chadwick
was evidently drawn to the forms of birds
(or angels) for he endowed his figures with
vestigial wings, often suggested in wind-borne
cloaks. He also used other wind-blown forms
Ivan Hewett introduces the music
of Heinz Holliger, a towering figure
in Europe, whose work has a complex
relationship with music history, as a
Kings Place mini-series reveals
CHADWICK IN STUDIO © DAVID FARRELL | CHADWICK SCULPTURES © StEVE RuSSELL
34
Swiss composer Heinz Holliger,
now in his 70s, has long been
acknowledged as a major figure
on the European scene. But if
British music-lovers are aware of
Holliger at all it’s as a fabulously
gifted oboist who, along with
Maurice Bourgue, brought the
oboe out of the shadows in the
1960s and ’70s.
Our ignorance of Holliger the
composer is a symptom of the huge
culture gap that still exists between
the UK and ‘the Continent’.
Everything about Holliger’s music
is profoundly Central European –
its unremitting high-seriousness,
densely allusive symbolism,
tendency to go to extremes of
hyper-activity or death-like stillness
and its deep awareness of the
great German musical tradition.
These elements are revealed
with special vividness and intimacy
in Holliger’s chamber works,
which is why the four-part
series at Kings Place in March,
presented by his colleague and
close friend the renowned cellist
Christoph Richter is so welcome.
It ranges across the whole of
Holliger’s output, from the early
Piano Sonatina of 1958 to the
Duöli for two violins, completed
over 50 years later. The first and
third concerts places pieces by
Holliger in the context of music
that inspired him, including works
by Schumann and his revered
composition teacher Sándor
Veress. The influence of Veress’s
formal clarity and fondness for
strict counterpoint can be seen on
the Sonatina, while the knotted,
gnomic intensity of the Hungarian
composer György Kurtág is
reflected in Holliger’s Soli, a
series of short pieces for solo
instruments composed for the
Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
The second concert in the
series reveals the nocturnal,
romantic side of Holliger. He has
a penchant for the angular lyricism
of Anton Webern, which shows
itself in his use of huge intervals.
There’s a romantically expressive
weight in those great leaps and
plunges, which eloquently bears
out Leonard Meyer’s assertion that
modernism is really ‘late, late
romanticism’. You can hear that
fragile lyricism in the Romancendres
(2003), Holliger’s outpouring of
grief that Clara Schumann had
burned her husband’s Cello
Romances. In the 1970s Holliger’s
romanticism became a matter of
‘going to extremes’, a tendency
revealed in Trema for solo violin,
in which chord and line are often
pushed aside by noise – sometimes
frenzied, sometimes luminous and
calm. Alongside this is nocturnal
music from Schumann, and an
exquisite piece by Holliger’s
Korean friend Isang Yun, Espace II
for cello, oboe and harp.
The fourth concert brings
together childlike simplicity and
virtuoso complication. At one
extreme lie Berg’s enormous
Chamber Concerto and Holliger’s
own Präludium, Arioso and
Passacaglia. At the other are
Schumann’s Album for the Young,
and Holliger’s Duöli, which make
sly play with the difficulties children
have in learning the violin (Difficult,
More Difficult/…). These are typical
of the playfulness of some of
Holliger’s recent music. One thinks
of Auden’s description of music
itself in his Ode to St Cecilia, ‘The
Child with the enormous brain’.
But don’t for a moment imagine
that Holliger is moving into a
serene, reflective phase. The old
intensity and high-seriousness
are still there under the surface.
Heinz Holliger in Profile
23 March Souvenirs & Fairytales
24 March Darkness & Infinity
25 March Fantasies & Journeys
26 March Holliger on Alban Berg’s
Kammerkonzert
26 March Childhood & Encryptions
See Listings p70–71 for details.
36 CONTEMPORARY
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The Swingle
Singers
From Bulgarian twanging to beat boxing, Charlotte Gardner
meets three very different vocal groups performing at the
London A Cappella Festival in January, which rides a new
wave of popularity
cool to people who subconsciously take
on that message’, says Swingles alto, Clare
Wheeler. Crucially, the UK a cappella scene
is ready to be discovered by these people.
Vibrant and youthful, it’s more than ready to tip
over from niche interest to wide popularity.
The Swingle Singers themselves are a
classic case of preconceptions not matching
the reality. A mixed-voice, professional
group of eight, they formed in 1962 and
found fame with a Grammy award-winning
album of vocalised Bach fugues. So far, so
old-fashioned. However, a quick internet
search reveals a young, trendy-looking bunch
performing a haunting version of Björk’s
‘Unravel’. Their distinctive sound is summed
up by Wheeler as ‘complex, and unified.’ She
explains, ‘A lot of a cappella groups don’t have
more than five or six singers. The fact that
we’re eight, and mixed gender, means we have
something like a five-octave range, so there’s
a lot of things we can achieve just through
numbers and vocal ranges.’ She continues,
‘It’s usually a very soft tone, and often without
vibrato. The blend is everything. It ends up
sounding very instrumental because you’re not
using vocal inflections that you associate with
pop and other vocal music.’
The Swingles’ sound is just the tip of
london
a cappElla
fEstival
12 JANUARY
The Real Group
13 JANUARY
Shades of East
London Bulgarian Choir
Shades of East
Hertfordshire Chorus
14 JANUARY
Out of Office
Winners of Office Choir
of the Year 2010
Deloitte Choir
Rhinegold Singers
The Boxettes
Witloof Bay
SWINGLE SINGERS © BEN EALOVEGA
Musical history is packed with tipping
points. The moment the conductor supplanted
the concert master, for instance. Or, to be
flippant, the moment it became okay to
like Take That. Kings Place may well be
precipitating another musical tipping point
in January, when it hosts the second annual
London A Cappella Festival. Four days of
workshops, performances, coaching sessions,
master-classes and free foyer performances
will showcase the pleasures of singing without
instrumental accompaniment, from jazz and
pop, through to choral and contemporary.
The festival is exciting for its timing
as much as its content. Until very recently,
mention of a cappella choirs evoked images
of barbershop quartets in boaters, or po-faced
classical choirs ‘doppity-dum’-ing their way
though ‘Teddy Bear’s Picnic’. That was before
Glee hit UK television screens last January. This
American drama, about a group of high school
geeks who form a pop choir, has challenged
preconceptions about choral singing with its
versions of Salt-N-Pepa’s ‘Push It’ and Aretha
Franklin’s ‘Say A Little Prayer’. The London
A Cappella Festival’s curators, The Swingle
Singers, believe it’s the reason for a recent
surge of youth interest in a cappella music.
‘Glee has made the idea of a cappella singing
thE tv sEriEs
GlEE has madE
thE idEa of a
cappElla sinGinG
cool to a nEw
GEnEration
15 JANUARY
Purely A Cappella
(Workshops & Foyer performances)
Eclectic Voices
Swingles and Friends
CONTEMPORARY
LONDON A CAPPELLA FESTIVAL
the a cappella world’s stylistic iceberg, as
The Boxettes demonstrate. Formed only 18
months ago, this five-voice female group take
their name from beatboxing, the technique
of vocally producing rhythm and drum beats.
Their founder, Belle Ehresmann or ‘Bellatrix’,
is the World Female Beatbox Champion.
‘I suppose we’re somewhere between a
beatbox and an a cappella group’, she muses.
‘The first thing we did was an a cappella-ish
arrangement of a Cole Porter tune. I beatboxed
over the top of it, and that was about the size
of it. But now, rather than being four singers
and a beatboxer, I kind of see it more like five
sets of vocal chords and we can do what we
want with them.’ They certainly do. Watch
video on their MySpace page showing them
grooving together on-stage, all five both
singing and beatboxing, above a dancing,
cheering crowd. Furthermore, unlike many a
cappella groups, the majority of their repertoire
is original, influenced by jazz, classical, pop,
dance and hiphop.
The London Bulgarian Choir, who perform
before an adventurous programme from the
high-flying 120-strong Hertfordshire Chorus, is
entirely different again. Formed by Bulgarian
singer Dessislava Stefanova, it’s a 40ishstrong, mixed-voice choir singing largely
Bulgarian folk music. The non-Bulgarians in the
choir have had to learn a completely new vocal
technique to produce the loud, solid, resonant
and vibrato-less Bulgarian sound. ‘It’s achieved
by learning to twang’, explains Stefanova.
‘Slightly like imitating the noise of a duck or
seagull. It can be quite nasal until we position
it at the back of the throat.’ Their harmonic
language is just as striking. ‘Traditional
Bulgarian harmonies are very discordant’,
says Stefanova. ‘They’re so clashing that they
actually give you a real physical experience
when singing in harmony. You feel a buzz
in your mouth, with the very close sound
waves from other singers. It’s broken many a
microphone.’
There can’t be many music festivals
where the prospect of broken microphones
is an indicator of musical excellence, but it’s
one of the many preconception-smashers
that this festival seems set to offer up. Roll
on January.
London A Cappella Festival 2011
37
38 ESTonIa FESTIVaL
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ESTONIA FESTIVAL
EESTI FEST
Tallinn, European
Capital of Culture 2011
TALLINN © ESTONIA TOURISM BOARD | THE SINGING REVOLUTION © EESTI FIlMIARhIIv
February sees the arrival of a host of vibrant Estonian musicians at
Kings Place. Writer and critic Hilary Finch reflects on the extraordinary
recent history of a nation in which music became the force for
revolution, while curator Fiona Talkington introduces her guest artists
My earliest memories of Estonia, in the late
1980s, are of a potent and seductive aroma of
Lada exhaust fumes, Russian cigarettes, oily
black coffee, and a sharp saltiness in the air
which was distinctly Nordic. I was hearing and
reading a language which strongly resembled
Finnish, yet which was grittier, more jagged.
By the old city walls of Tallinn, just metres
away from the sea, old women were knitting
and selling thick socks the colour of porridge.
Deeper into the old town, there was an area
of rubble fenced off by chicken-wire – the
ruins of a wartime bombing assault. But which
side was Estonia on? I had to stop and think.
For, during the course of its history, this small
country had been Russified, Germanised,
and Russified all over again. Tallinn had even
changed names: the Germans preferred the
historic Reval, from the ancient land of Rävala,
whose capital it had been for many years.
Outside the city walls, and near my hotel,
was the Cuckoo Club: a dark, subterranean
gathering-place for writers, artists and
musicians, foggy with cigarette smoke and
tingling with the frisson of being both an
intellectual oasis and a KGB trap. Visiting
American Quakers chatted about the way the
times they were a-changin’. And there certainly
was something blowing in the icy Baltic wind. I
heard that one Tõnu Kaljuste and his Estonian
Philharmonic Chamber Choir were touring
unapproved programmes of contemporary
music, performing in village churches which
were strictly out of bounds.
Soon after that first visit, the Singing
Revolution began to take place. I had seen
the huge, bowl-shaped arena carved out of
the side of a hill just outside Tallinn, and had
been told about the great festivals of song.
For the Estonians had celebrated their identity
in a compilation of myth and legend which
revealed that the world had itself been sung
into being. The Estonian Kalevipoeg, like the
better-known (thanks to Sibelius) Finnish
Mass singing demonstrations
that led to the restoration of
Estonia’s independence in 1991
Kalevala, begins with an invocation to song.
The shared forefather of the two countries,
Väinämöinen/ Vanemuine, touches his lyre as
the poet begs ‘to unfold in song’ . . . The legacy
of ancient ages’
From 1987, a succession of demonstrations
took place, all characterised by the spontaneous
singing of national songs and hymns. And in
September 1988, 300,000 people attended
a huge festival called ‘Song of Estonia’ in
that massive open-air arena. A declaration
of sovereignty followed, but the Singing
Revolution was to continue for four years.
One participant wrote: ‘We sang all night, and
everyone went home early in the morning. It
was emotionally so strong that the next day
there were even more people. The day after,
even more. People took out flags that had
been hidden for 50 years, and started to wave
them...’ One of the unforgettable (yet already
widely forgotten) manifestations of this period
was the time when two million Estonians,
Latvians and Lithuanians joined hands along
a 600km stretch of road between Tallinn, Riga
and Vilnius, as a public statement against
Soviet rule.
In 1991, the citizens of Tallinn acted as
human shields, protecting radio and television
39
ESTONIA FESTIVAL
EESTI FEST
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eesti Fest
Composers
Arvo Pärt and
Veljo Tormis
(below)*
21 FEBRUARy
Cheap Talk – Skype
and Estonian IT genius
SPOKEN WORD
24 FEBRUARy
Vox Clamantis
CLASSICAL
25 FEBRUARy
Estonian Piano
Orchestra
CONTEMPORARY
Suurõ Pilvõ
FOLK
26 FEBRUARy
An Estonian
rune singer in
national costume
Weekend Guitar Trio
with Toyah Willcox
and Jan Bang
CONTEMPORARY
Kristjan Randalu
stations against Soviet tanks. Independence
was gained without any bloodshed. Nothing
that is performed in this week’s festival can be
fully appreciated without some knowledge of
those extraordinary events of the last 30 years.
But who are the Estonians today? It’s not
simple. Within such a small country, there are
many peoples. Russification has faded now,
but what is the Estonian identity? Does it lie
in the still-palpable Finno-Baltic tribalism of a
northern shamanist forest people once known
as the Aisti? Or in the culture of the proud Setu
people of the south-east Estonian lakeland,
bordering Russia, who still mark seasonal
celebrations with the chanting of ‘regilaul’
– runic songs and narrations which are still
being passed down to a younger generation.
Is it to be heard in the sweet, zither-like tones
of the kannel? Or within the exploratory plainchanting of a cutting-edge ensemble such as
the choral group Vox Clamantis? For Estonia
has always lived with what its great poet Jaan
Kaplinski has called a ‘wandering border’,
poised between the languages, politics and
eesti Fest oPens
just as tallinn
becomes a euroPean
caPital oF culture
customs of Orthodox Russia and Catholic/
Protestant Western Europe. The pivotal
position of Tallinn is, after all, what made it
great: the trade routes of merchants from the
north, west and east provided the wealth for
its castles, fortified walls and grand
Hanseatic architecture.
Fiona Talkington’s Eesti Fest at Kings
Place comes at a significant point in time.
This year Tallinn is finding a new focus for
itself as a European Capital of Culture. Many
Estonians are still anxious not to lose their
current stability and independent identity to
an integrated Europe to which it both loves
and hates to belong. In the words of Kaplinski
again: ‘the mouth doesn’t know on behalf of
which or both it has to speak’ Sofi Oksanen’s
recently published prize-winning novel, Purge,
is a microcosm of the hopes and the fears of
generations of Finns and Estonians, and their
history of perpetually shifting borderlands.
The composer Veljo Tormis, a kind of
Bartók figure for Estonia, celebrated his
80th birthday last August, and he has listened
to his country’s spirit through its singing
voices all his composing life. While celebrated
composer Arvo Pärt reforged his musical
language by absorbing Russian Orthodox and
medieval European traditions, Tormis turned
to the indigenous music of the Baltic Finns
living on the borders of Estonia, Finland and
Russia: the ‘Forgotten People’ of his renowned
song cycle. He preserved their music, but he
also reinvented it and subverted it at will. His
KRITSJAN RANDALU © HEiTi KruusmAA | OTHER ARTISTS © suPPLiED PHOTOs
JAzz
ESTONIAN RUNE SINGER © LEbrECHT musiC AnD ArTs PHOTO LibrAry | ARVO PÄRT © LuCiAnO rOssETTi / ECm rECOrDs | VELJO TORMIS © Tõnu TOrmis
40
great choral work Curse upon Iron works with
shamanist traditions to allegorise the evils of
war. It was banned by the Soviet government.
Tormis has been pushed this way and that,
between exploitation, rejection, lionisation. He
went through a period of feeling marginalised
by a new wave of the free Estonian avantgarde – and then of being celebrated once
again, and is now revered worldwide. ‘It is not I
who make use of folk music’, he has said, ‘but
folk music that makes use of me.’
The language of the new Estonian music
is, like the city of Tallinn itself, deeply rooted in
resilient and beautiful architectures of sound,
wounded by struggle. It is now profoundly
multilingual, innovative, outward-looking. With
not a second to waste in 1991, the composer
Erkki-Sven Tüür and the pianist, journalist and
producer Madis Kolk founded a pioneering
biennial festival of contemporary music called
‘NyDD’ (‘Now’). Much of what we’ll be hearing
this week will be in the spirit of their eclectic
ideals, particularly from the strongly emerging
Estonian jazz voice, which is making Europe sit
up and take notice, as this series will reveal.
Estonia’s music and musicians now
inhabit a constantly evolving city in which
churches, warehouses and museums are
lovingly and inventively renovated as concert
halls. In 2000 the Estonian Academy of Music
and Theatre grew into a light, elegant new
building overlooked on the one side by Soviet
tower blocks, and on the other by cobbled
alleys and tiny gardens. Dank cellars, once
cluttered with rubbish, are now vibrant with
all-night jazz. The Nokia Concert Hall (built
2009) ruffles sensibilities in its incorporation
of supermarkets, boutiques and still more
restaurants – which rival those of Helsinki
in their startlingly original and imaginative
cuisine (try a slug of the evil-looking barkbrown ‘Old Tallinn’ on your vanilla ice for a
start...) Last August (2010), Tallinn launched
an Internet Song Festival, both live and online.
That, too, is breaking through the stone walls
of Tallinn, resounding across the marshes and
the forests of this quiet land. And today, the
world is the limit.
Both Tormis in his day, and Tüür in his,
have spoken of ‘Bridges of Song’, and of their
desire to ‘build bridges in the archipelago of
new music.’ In 1995, a festival of Baltic culture
called ‘Emerging Light’, and hosted by the
South Bank, caught the rising sun-rays of the
new Estonia. A decade and a half on, there are
few Northern European countries which have
generated such a heady mix of the ever-living
past and the flaming present. By the end of
the Eesti Fest week, you’ll see and hear
what I mean.
ESTONIA FESTIVAL
EESTI FEST
curator Fiona talkington introduces
the PerFormers at eesti Fest
Vox Clamantis
One of Estonia’s most sought-after vocal groups. In recent
years they have made a big impact in the UK performing
their Sacred Voices programme with Dhafer youssef. They
will be performing at Kings Place on Estonian National Day.
The programme, Da Pacem, sees them returning to their
roots in Gregorian chant, as well as performing music written
specially for them by contemporary composers, including
Arvo Pärt. The group is made up of singers, instrumentalists,
composers and conductors, and this variety brings a
freshness and energy to their sublime repertoire.
Estonian Piano Orchestra
The Estonian Piano Orchestra offers a rare chance to revel in
the excitement of eight pianists performing on four pianos.
Led by acclaimed pianist Lauri Vainmää the Piano Orchestra
will be making their UK debut at Kings Place, showcasing the
rich and vibrant world of contemporary Estonian music with
music by Arvo Pärt, Peeter Vähi, Jaan Rääts, Ülo Krigul – and
Urmas Sisask, who joins the performers on shaman drum.
Suurõ Pilvõ (Big Clouds)
Folk trio Suurõ pilvõ got together in 1997. Hailing from
the south of Estonia, they are immersed in traditional
folk song, and combine the magical sound of the kannel
(a member of the zither family) and the lyrical Estonian
bagpipes with electric guitar (from the Weekend Guitar
Trio’s Robert Jürjendal).
Weekend Guitar Trio
The Weekend Guitar Trio consists of Estonians (Robert
Jürjendal, Tõnis Leemets and Mart Soo). They bring their
dazzling arsenal of effects and ideas together through
composed and improvised music for three electric guitars
and live electronics, captivating jazz and contemporary
classical music audiences all over the world. Their unique
event at Kings Place finds them joining forces with
legendary performer Toyah Willcox, performing her own
words, and Norway’s live sampling guru Jan Bang, whose
own Punkt project takes flight in Tallinn as part of the
Capital of Culture celebrations 2011.
Kristjan Randalu
The son of two classical pianists, Kristjan Randalu studied in
Estonia, Germany, London and New york, and attended the
Henry Mancini Institute in California, where he performed
on the two-time Grammy-nominated Concord Jazz album
Elevation. His latest album, enter denter is a collaboration
with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra. Named ‘a brilliant
pianist’ by Herbie Hancock, Randalu has established
himself as part of an elite group of specifically European
jazz musicians.
* Please note that Pärt and Tormis will not be appearing at the Eesti Fest events.
41
42 CLASSICAL
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
Book tickets now:
11 March – 21 April 2011
T: 020 7520 1485 E: [email protected]
CARoL ANN DUFFY © anVIL Press POeTrY
above:
Alan DAVIE
Boom Boom 1960
opus OG.215/60-7
Oil on paper
42 x 53.5cm
© Alan Davie
Courtesy of Gimpel Fils
Kings Place Gallery
Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG
Monday – Friday 10am – 6pm, Saturday and Sunday 12 – 6pm
Admission free
Photo Magnus skrede
ALAN
DAVIE
Boom Boom and other works
Vivienne Rosch celebrates the humour and
humanity of our first female poet laureate,
Carol Ann Duffy, who leads a Poet in the City
event at kings Place in april
SPOKEN WORD 43
When Carol Ann Duffy was made poet laureate her response
was characteristically both self-deprecating and festive. She wrote
at the time that she saw the role ‘quite simply, as a spotlight on
the vocation of poetry’, and used the opportunity to celebrate her
favourite female poets, just as she generously introduces the work of
other poets in her event at Kings Place. In the same Guardian article
she described herself as proud to belong to the ‘honourable tribe
of poets’ who share her belief that poetry is ‘the place in language
where everything that can be praised is praised, and where what
needs to be called into question is so’.
She began writing poems seriously at the age of ten, inspired
and encouraged by a succession of teachers who recognised her
talent. She went on to study philosophy at Liverpool, where her
poetic career began in the 1970s. Now a literary grandee with a
string of awards to her name, Duffy is probably best known for
simple, beautiful verse that follows the natural rhythms of speech
and uses everyday language, often with a punch-line.
She seems as at home writing humorous, or angry, occasional
verse as she is composing beautiful love poems or enchanting yet
thought-provoking verse tales for children. Graham henderson, Chief
Executive of Poet in the City, which hosts her April event, admires her
distinctive voice: ‘Carol Ann’s work hits all the buttons. It is by turns
funny, touching, clever and humane. For example, her recent poem
The Human Bee is a powerful story about a small child pollinating
fruit trees by hand in China. It manages to be topical, heart-breaking,
surreal and achingly beautiful all at the same time. the way that she
uses language to connect with broader themes and emotions seems
effortless, but is the product of great talent and versatility.’
As befits the first female laureate, there is plenty of exploration of
gender politics to be found in Duffy’s work. In both Standing Female
SPoKEN WoRD
CAROL ANN DUFFY
Nude (1985) and The World’s Wife (1999), Duffy
uses a traditional poetic form, the dramatic
monologue, resulting in poems of great
immediacy and emotional power. The World’s
Wife is a universe populated by the wives and
female counterparts of historic and mythical
figures (Mrs Darwin, Mrs Midas, Queen Kong),
a thought-provoking exploration of what it has
meant, and what it could mean, to be female
and to be male, suffused with humour, gentle,
sly, ribald, rip-roaring and black.
From the highly allusive humour of the
four-liner Mrs Darwin: ‘7 April 1852/ Went to
the Zoo./ I said to him – / Something about
that Chimpanzee over there reminds me of
you’, to the humour of inversion in Queen Kong
and Queen Herod which become quite black,
these poems use comedy as a liberating and
transformative force.
Little Red-cap is innocent in nothing but
appearance: ‘out of the forest I come with
my flowers, singing, all alone’, serving her
poetic apprenticeship in the wolf’s lair and
then slitting him open, ‘scrotum to throat’, and
filling his old belly with stones. Mrs tiresias
quietly humours her pompous husband prior
to his metamorphosis from male to female
form: ‘he liked to hear/ the first cuckoo of
spring/ then write to The Times./ I’d usually
heard it/ days before him/ but I never let on’,
and tries to help him once he shape-shifts into
a hideous caricature of femininity, until she
loses patience. ‘then he started his period./
one week in bed./ two doctors in./ three
painkillers four times a day.’
Feminine Gospels (2002) takes this
exploration even further. Duffy reworks history,
myth and contemporary reality, taking her
reader on a magical mystery tour through
female iconography: helen of troy, Cleopatra,
Marilyn, dieting woman, woman-who-shops,
working woman, woman-as-God. this collection
also famously features the long narrative poem
The Laughter of Stafford Girls’ High where the
liberating force of humour is thematised.
Yet the verse which Duffy herself prizes as
‘the most exciting, the most challenging poetry
to write’ is love poetry, possibly because of the
weight of tradition and danger of falling into
cliché. her 2005 volume Rapture, which won
a tS Eliot Prize, is a book-length love poem
which avoids all such dangers, a searingly
honest and achingly beautiful poetic account
of love’s joys and pains. She has recently
written more for children than for adults,
starting to do so in direct response to having
a child herself, Ella, born in 1995. She says she
couldn’t remember being a child until she had
one: ‘It was like living in a house for years, then
suddenly going upstairs and finding a whole
Carol ann’s work
hits all the buttons.
it is by turns funny,
touChing, Clever
and humane.
room full of treasure.’ Underwater Farmyard
(2002), Doris the Giant (2004), Moon Zoo
(2005), The Tear Thief (2007), The Princess’
Blankets (2009) are just some of her titles.
Since her appointment, Duffy has
frequently reacted in verse to current events,
reconnecting poetry with people’s daily lives
with flair and fearlessness. the first such
poem was Politics, thumping, hissing and
roaring the public’s indignation at the MPs’
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
expenses scandal. this was followed by Last
Post, a homage to the combatants of the
First World War, then a rewriting of the Twelve
Days of Christmas, covering topics from the
Afghan war to climate change. No experience
is beyond her ken; as she once put it, poetry is
‘the music of being human’.
this year, Duffy endeared herself to
football fans the world over with her Achilles
(for David Beckham) In a few lines she showed
that the ancient epic still has plenty to say…
and that she is truly a laureate for our time,
both for the public and for other poets, as
Graham henderson explains, ‘As laureate,
Carol Ann has the power to promote the work
of other fabulous poets writing today, many
of whom do not enjoy such name recognition.
We are delighted to be working with her on an
annual event at Kings Place which allows her
to introduce some of the UK’s best poets to
new audiences.’
Words on Monday:
Carol Ann Duffy and Friends
18 April, Hall One. See Listings p77 for details
BooK CoVERS © MaCMILLann; TeMPLar
44
Meetings & conference rooms • Dinners from 10 up to 220 guests •
Bespoke wedding planning • Birthday & family parties • Barbeques & outdoor events
90 York Way London N1 9AG event bookings: 020 7014 2838 [email protected] www.kingsplaceevents.co.uk
46 WORLD
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
Book tickets now:
TransTango
31 MARCH
Dreaming Cities...
Buenos Aires. London.
Rio. 1: Urban Encounters
tango band / dance / film event
with Marcelo Nisinman, Eduardo
Vassallo, Tim Garland and others
1 APRIL
Transamba
music event with Steve Lodder,
Robert Wyatt, Mônica Vasconcelos,
Dudley Phillips and others
2 APRIL
Dreaming Cities...
Buenos Aires. London.
Rio. 2: The Body and
the City
Expect a whole new take on the tango with dance, music and
film when Transtango comes to Kings Place. Helen Wallace met
the group’s founder, Patricia Bossio
TransTango is
all abouT The dreams
of people coming To The
ciTy, Their hopes and
fanTasies are woven
inTo our work
TANGO COUPLE © REX FEATURES
dance event with Tanya Pilbrow,
Ivan Arandia & Brazilian dancers
It all began when Patricia Bossio came
to London from Buenos Aires. ‘I ran an
international chamber music venue in
Buenos Aires. Then I met and married
an English film-maker, came here, had
my children, and began to realise how
many people there were like me in the
city – strangers from elsewhere who were
trying to rebuild their identity. I met lots
of musicians attempting to make sense of
their culture in a new context, seeing how
to recycle their own musical experience and
skills, absorbing new ideas and negotiating
a new space for themselves in this city.’
Her mind turned back to Buenos Aires
at the turn of the 20th century when 50%
of the city’s population were immigrants.
The tango dance form, already a EuropeanAfrican hybrid, began to absorb all these
influences and evolved with each new
wave of immigrants. In the time of the
PerÓn government tango was encouraged
as an officially uniting force for the new
republic; samba underwent a similar
baptism as Brazil’s ‘official’ music in the
reign of Getúlio Vargas, a means of building
nationhood. Tango and samba had made
the transition from backstreet urban music
to the defining cultural forms of two great
cities, Buenos Aires and Rio.
Patricia Bossio began to see that tango
might be used as a way to gain a fresh
perspective on the movement of people
in today’s modern cities. The Transtango
project is at its heart a collaboration, a
potential meeting-point for a wide range
of musicians, each bringing different
experiences: there’s jazz composer Tim
Garland, the distinguished Argentinean
cellist Eduardo Vassallo, whose father was
in tango composer Astor Piazzolla’s original
band. Eduardo is a fabulous classical
cellist, but also steeped in this tradition.
Then we have bandoneón players and
composers Michael Zisman and Carlos
Morera, pianist John Turville, bassist Mark
Goodchild and Jamiroquai’s percussionist
Sola Akingbola. Together they are
reconnecting tango with its deep African
roots, and bringing their own contemporary
music experience to it.
For the events at Kings Place the
band will be joined by tango dancers,
and the performances are framed by
film. Urban Encounters, made by Adam
Finch and William Hicklin, draws on
interviews Patricia has been conducting
with all sorts of Londoners for her thesis
at London University’s Birkbeck College:
‘I am not just talking to those from other
countries. Someone arriving in London
from a small village can be as traumatised
and bewildered as someone coming from
Japan! Transtango is all about the dreams
that people arrive with, coming to the
city to gamble with their own lives. Their
hopes and fantasies are woven into
our work.’
Transtango 31 March – 2 April
WORLD
TRANSTANGO
47
Book tickets now:
www.kingsplace.co.uk/tickets
25TH JANUARY:
“COMEDY DINNER”
14TH FEBRUARY:
“VALENTINE’S & POETRY”
12TH APRIL:
“ARTS DINNER.
PANGOLIN GALLERY EXHIBITION
PREVIEW & DINNER”
50
56
64
72
78
79
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
ART LISTINGS
CALENDAR
In the following
pages, you can find
the details for our
fantastic Spring
2011 Season. From
classical, jazz, folk
and world music
concerts to spoken
word and comedy
nights, with so
many events to
choose from and
tickets going very
quickly, book early
to secure your seats!
BOOK NOW
TIckeTS from
£9.50 oNLINe
Box offIce:
020 7520 1490
Private dining room for up to 24 people • Waterside terrace •
All our lamb & beef come from our farm in Northumberland • Cocktail classes
90 York Way London N1 9AG RESERVATIONS: 020 7014 2840 www.rotundabarandrestaurant.co.uk
49
LISTINGS
ROTUNDA
SPRING SUPPER CLUB
22ND MARCH:
“MUMM CHAMPAGNE TASTING
& DINNER”
LISTINGS
APRIL
See Feature on
‘Hibiki: Resonances
from Japan’ pp64–65
Photo: Michiyo Yagi, koto
© Yuriko Takagi
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
January 2011
This Week’s Focus
MoZART uNWRAPPeD
Week 1
31 dECEMBER – 6 JANUARY
Book tickets now:
www.kingsplace.co.uk | Prices shown are for online booking
This Week’s Focus
LoNDoN
A cAPPeLLA
FesTiVAL
JANUARY
SAtURdAY 1 JANUARY
MOZARt UNWRAPPEd WEEk 1
Orchestra of the Age
of Enlightenment
plays Mozart
£14.50 £19.50 £24.50 £29.50
Premium Seats £34.50
Saver Seats £9.50
Fflur Wyn
Hall One 1pm
Earlier performance at 6pm on Friday 31
December (requires separate tickets)
Hall One 7.30pm
£16.50 £21.50 £29.50 £34.50
Saver Seats £9.50
SUNdAY 9 JANUARY
RiNg iN The NeW yeAR WiTh The LAuNch
oF A MAjoR yeAR-LoNg coNceRT seRies
AT kiNgs PLAce: MoZART uNWRAPPeD
Sir Colin Davis, the Aurora Orchestra and the Orchestra
of the Age of Enlightenment launch a year-long series
of concerts encompassing the phenomenal range of
Mozart’s music. This week features arias from Sophie
Bevan and Fflur Wyn, the famous Piano Concerto No. 21
and two glittering late symphonies.
See Features on Mozart Unwrapped pp24–25 and pp26–28
Sir Colin davis conductor
Fflur Wyn soprano
thomas Gould violin
Aurora Orchestra
CLASSICAL
Distinguished Mozartian Sir Colin Davis is
joined by up-and-coming young soloists
Sir Colin Davis
LONdON ChAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Raphael Wallfisch
and John York
Rubbra Sonata in G minor
Fauré Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op.109
Alan Mills Song & Dance
for solo cello (World Premiere)
Franck (arr. delsart) [Violin] Sonata in A
(arranged for cello and piano)
Raphael Wallfisch cello
John York piano
CLASSICAL
The famous cello and piano duo in a
concert of British and French sonatas,
and featuring the premiere of a new
work for cello by Alan Mills.
Hall One 6.30pm
£16.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
Raphael Wallfisch
MOZART ILLUSTRATION © HARDIE / www.hardieillustrator.com | SIR COLIN DAVIS © matthias creutziger | FFLUR WYN © sian trenberth | THE REAL GROUP © mats bÄcKer | THE BOXETTES © shannon miKhail lobo
in a programme of masterpieces,
culminating in the sparkling Linz
Symphony No. 36.
Aurora Orchestra
Overture to La clemenza di Tito, K621
‘Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!’, K418
Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K219
‘Nehmt meinen Dank,
ihr holden Gönner!’, K383
Symphony No. 36 in C, K425 Linz
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
Hall One 7.30pm
What better way to start a year than with
Mozart played by the Orchestra of the Age
of Enlightenment? A real treat!
Sir Colin davis
conducts Mozart
Hall One 8.30pm
CONtEMPORARY
CLASSICAL
MOZARt UNWRAPPEd
WEEk 1
A CAPPELLA FEStIvAL
the Real Group
Support Act: The Oxford Gargoyles
(Voice Festival UK 2010 winners).
kristian Bezuidenhout piano
Sophie Bevan soprano
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Jonathan Cohen conductor
thURSdAY 6 JANUARY
Eastern-inspired music, including works
by Rachmaninov and Tavener.
World-famous Swedish ensemble The
Real Group have sold 200,000 albums
and performed 1,000 live shows. Here
they present a programme of incredible
creativity, mixing a cappella jazz
compositions with popular music.
Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, K492
Exsultate, jubilate, K165
Piano Concerto No. 21 in C, K467
Symphony No. 39 in E flat, K543
£16.50 £21.50 £29.50 £34.50
Saver Seats £9.50
WEdNESdAY 12 JANUARY
with the Oxford Gargoyles
12 – 15 JANUARY
thURSdAY 13 JANUARY
A CAPPELLA FEStIvAL
Shades of East:
London Bulgarian Choir
WORLd
The award-winning London Bulgarian
Choir presents a journey through Bulgaria,
exploring the landscapes of the voice
and the creative traditions of this
fascinating country through their unique
blend of ancient and modern Bulgarian
folk songs.
Hall One 7pm KP45’
The Real Group
Last year’s inaugural London A Cappella Festival was
a huge hit. This year the Swingle Singers are back,
bringing with them some of the world’s leading vocal
ensembles – and local rising stars – for a unique
celebration of unaccompanied singing and the
human voice. Book early!
See Feature on London A Cappella Festival 2011 pp36–37
FRIdAY 14 JANUARY
A CAPPELLA FEStIvAL
Out of Office: Office
Choir of the Year 2010
CONtEMPORARY
The talents of the corporate and musical
worlds come together as the winners of
the Office Choir of the Year 2010 – the
Rhinegold Singers and Deloitte Choir –
present an entertaining programme of
diverse a cappella arrangements. They
will be joined on stage by special guests
and festival hosts, the Swingle Singers.
Hall One 6.30pm KP45’
£11.50 £14.50 £17.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
A CAPPELLA FEStIvAL
the Boxettes
CONtEMPORARY
British beatbox phenomenon Bellatrix
combines her scintillating beats with
multi-talented fellow female vocalists
Yvette, Alyusha, Neo and Harriet. Expect
soulful grooves, dirty beats and beautiful
melodies as they fuse genres.
£11.50 £14.50 £17.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
Hall Two 7.45pm KP45’
50% off tickets for this concert when booked
with the 8.30pm Hertfordshire Chorus concert
(below). Excludes Saver Seats.
tables £14.50
General Admission £9.50
A CAPPELLA FEStIvAL
A ceLebRATioN oF The
VARieTy AND sPLeNDouR
oF The huMAN Voice
LIStINGS 51
January 2011
Shades of East:
hertfordshire Chorus
CLASSICAL
Hertfordshire Chorus is one of the finest
and most adaptable large choirs in
Britain. Under their director David Temple
the Chorus presents a programme of
The Boxettes
A CAPPELLA FEStIvAL
Witloof Bay
with Steel
CONtEMPORARY
One of Europe’s finest a cappella exports,
Witloof Bay are inspired by pop, jazz and
contemporary sounds. Eye of the Tiger
and Shakira’s Whenever, Wherever are
recent hits. They make their UK debut with
LIStINGS
50 LIStINGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
January 2011
A CAPPELLA FESTIvAL
Eclectic voices
CONTEMPORARY
Eclectic Voices challenges musical
boundaries as they present a jazzinfluenced programme with a mix of
repertoire including gospel songs, Take 6’s
A Quiet Place and Sweet Georgia Brown.
Book tickets now:
This Week’s Focus
MoZART uNWRAPPeD
Week 2
MONDAY 17 JANUARY
WORDS ON MONDAY
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
SPOkEN WORD
Support Act: Steel (British Association of
Barbershop Singers quartet winners 2010)
A CAPPELLA FESTIvAL
Hall One 9pm
Swingles & Friends
An event celebrating the 100th anniversary
of the birth of Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911–84),
one of the most prominent poets of the
Indian subcontinent, who wrote in both
Urdu and Punjabi, and whose humane
work was filled with love, respect, dignity
and resistance to injustice. This event will
feature Tariq Ali, the distinguished historian,
novelist and campaigner, and Faiz’s
daughter Salima Hashmi. Presented by
Poet in the City in partnership with the
Faiz Centenary Celebrations Committee.
CONTEMPORARY
Hall One 7pm
The Swingle Singers close this year’s
festival in style, sharing the stage with
beatbox guru RoxorLoops, and other
surprise guests you really don’t want to
miss! The programme includes Norma
Winstone’s A Timeless Place, Manuel de
Falla’s Lullabye, and the return of some
very special ‘classic Swingle’ numbers
fans have been eagerly awaiting.
£9.50
the incredible explosive beats of the
world champion beatboxer, RoxorLoops.
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
£5 off when booked with 7.45pm The Boxettes
concert (see previous page). Excludes Saver and
Premium Seats.
SATURDAY 15 JANUARY
A CAPPELLA FESTIvAL
Purely A Cappella!
vocal Workshops
INTERACT
Enthusiastic singers and choirs of all
ages and abilities are invited to join
members of the Swingle Singers and
other groups in a series of workshops
focusing on various aspects of singing
and a cappella performance. Book early
to avoid disappointment! And don’t miss
the free foyer performances throughout
the day from 1pm onwards!
Workshop 1 Hall Two 12noon
Workshop 2 Hall One 1.30pm
Workshop 3 Hall Two 3pm
£9.50 each, or book all 3 for £24
l Saturday Pass: All 5 events, £36
A CAPPELLA FESTIvAL
Talk: Contemporary
A Cappella
SPOkEN WORD
Hall One 6.30pm KP45’
£11.50 £14.50 £17.50
Saver Seats £9.50
FREE
Nonclassical –
Gabriel Prokofiev
CONTEMPORARY
Hall One 8pm
£ 19.50 £24.50 £29.50 £34.59
Saver Seats £9.50
SUNDAY 16 JANUARY
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Marmara Piano Trio
Haydn Piano Trio in E, Hob. XV/28
Shostakovich Piano Trio No. 2
in E minor, Op. 67
Dvořák Piano Trio in F minor, Op. 65
Peter Cropper
CLASSICAL
Mine Dogantan-Dack (piano), Zsuzsa
Berényi (violin) and Pál Banda (cello) in a
concert featuring some beautiful Haydn,
Shostakovich’s vivid and dramatic trio and
Dvořák’s monumental F minor trio.
Hall One 6.30pm
£16.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
Join us in a panel discussion with
leading figures from various musical
backgrounds. Includes a short
performance by the Swingle Singers,
premiering a piece written especially
for them by acclaimed conductor and
composer Fabrice Bollon.
Hall One 5.15pm
OUT HEAR
Marmara Piano Trio
iN MoZART’s TRios you hAve
This WoNDeRFul coNveRsATioN
beTWeeN equAls PeTeR cRoPPeR
Join Kings Place regulars Peter Cropper’s trio and the
Chilingirian Quartet for a feast of chamber music. On
Friday, live-wire pianist Kenneth Hamilton explores a
historic panorama of Mozart performance, from Mozart’s
attempts at the Baroque style to grandiose 19th-century
arrangements of his concertos by Alkan and Busoni.
Hall One 7.30pm
£15.50 £19.50 £24.50 £29.50
Saver Seats £9.50
SATURDAY 22 JANUARY
SUNDAY 23 JANUARY
MOZART UNWRAPPED
WEEk 2
MOZART UNWRAPPED
WEEk 2
Study Day:
Understanding Mozart
Mozart Trios and Duos 2
Prof. Simon keefe (University of Sheffield)
INTERACT
FRIDAY 21 JANUARY
MOZART UNWRAPPED
WEEk 2
Mozart – Past,
Present and Future
Suite in the Style of Handel –
Overture and Allemande, K399
Gigue in G, K574
Variations on the arietta ‘Unser dummer
pöbel meint’ from Gluck’s The Pilgrims
to Mecca, K455
Fantasy in C minor, K475
Andantino from Piano Concerto No. 9
in E flat, K271 Jeunehomme (arr. Busoni)
Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor,
K466 (arr. Alkan)
Nonclassical bring their alternative and
informal approach to programming
classical music to Kings Place. Innovative
and virtuosic young classical musicians
from the UK showcase the very latest work
from the label’s releases: Consortium5
launch Tangled Pipes including new works
by Richard Lannoy, Brian Inglis, Luke Styles
and Kim Ashton, there will be original
material and improv from the Mercury
Quartet and the incomparable Elysian
Quartet perform G. Prokofiev String Quartet
No. 1. Sets from resident DJs Gabriel
Prokofiev and Richard Lannoy. See Q&A p82.
kenneth Hamilton piano
Hall Two 8pm
CLASSICAL
An evening of performance and
conversation with Scottish virtuoso
Kenneth Hamilton, who will create a
panorama of two centuries of Mozart
performance. Starting with Mozart’s
own response to the Baroque, he
moves on to Mozart’s displays of
contemporary style and ends with
Mozart refracted through the
imagination of later composers.
Simon Keefe looks at portrayals of Mozart
the man and musician through various
biographies, in literature and on screen,
from the late 18th century to the present
day. He also looks at trends in 19th- and
20th-century reception of Mozart’s music,
both popular and scholarly.
St Pancras Room 10.30am – 4.30pm
£47.50 | Includes refreshments
and light lunch
MOZART UNWRAPPED
WEEk 2
Mozart Trios and Duos 1
Violin Sonata in G, K301
Piano Trio in G, K496
Violin Sonata in B flat, K454
Piano Trio in C, K548
Peter Cropper violin
Moray Welsh cello
Martin Roscoe piano
CLASSICAL
Violin and Viola Duo in G, K423
Violin and Viola Duo in B flat, K424
Divertimento in E flat, K563
Ludwig String Trio
Peter Cropper violin
James Boyd viola
Paul Watkins cello
CLASSICAL
A rare opportunity to hear the
ingenious duos for violin and viola
with the exquisite Divertimento in
E flat, one of Mozart’s truly great
creations. ‘He turns light entertainment
into art music of the highest order,
into something that leaves you
spellbound.’ Peter Cropper
Hall One 11.30am
£12.50 £14.50 £19.50
Saver Seats £9.50
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Pre-Concert Talk
CLASSICAL
In the first of a series of concerts
presenting Mozart’s violin sonatas
and piano trios we’ll hear the delightful
G major Trio, K496 with its final set of
variations and the majestic B flat
Violin Sonata, K454.
Dr François Evans discusses the
Quatuor pour la fin du temps and
places it in the context of Messaien’s
other work.
Hall One 7.30pm
Hall One 7.30pm
FREE to same-day ticket holders
£9.50
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
THURSDAY 20 JANUARY
FOLk UNION
MOZART UNWRAPPED
WEEk 2
Madam – Eva Eden
Mozart String Quartets
and Quintets 1
PETER CROPPER © Eamonn mccabE
Witloof Bay
20 – 23 JANUARY
expressive String Quintet in C minor, K406
(a transcription of the Wind Serenade,
K388) and the String Quartet in G, K387
with its remarkable fugal finale.
LISTINGS 53
January 2011
String Quartet No. 1 in G, K80
String Quartet No. 2 in D, K155
String Quartet No. 4 in C, K157
String Quintet in C minor, K406
with Simon Rowland-Jones viola
CLASSICAL
A rare opportunity to hear Mozart’s first
four quartets alongside the profoundly
FOLk
THE BASE
The Fini Bearman
Quartet
JAZZ
St Pancras Room 5.15pm
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
The Turner Ensemble
Concert 2
Schubert Piano Trio in B flat, D898
Messiaen Quatuor pour la fin du temps
An all-female night of cutting-edge
folk music. Madam (aka Sukie Smith) is
hailed as ‘terrific’ by Time Out, and by
The Guardian’s reckoning ‘should give
Kylie and Alison Goldfrapp a run for their
money’. Born in Czech Paradise, Eva Eden
grew up with a fondness for the weird and
wonderful world of tall tales. She started
to make music from an early age and is
now in the vanguard of London’s popular
music scene.
Singer and composer Fini Bearman
and her band of fine musicians perform
her own original material alongside
standards and contemporary songs.
Her heartfelt, intimate performance
makes her an exciting and unique
performer, already recognised on the
London jazz scene. Recently nominated
as Jazz Vocalist 2010 alongside Norma
Winstone and Ian Shaw.
This concert by the Turner Ensemble
features Schubert’s timeless B flat
Trio and Messiaen’s remarkable
Quartet for the End of Time, written
and first performed in a prisoner-of-war
camp in the early 1940s. The Turner
Ensemble is the London Chamber
Music Society (LCMS) Ensemble
in Residence.
Hall Two 8pm
Hall Two 8pm
Hall One 6.30pm
£9.50
£9.50
£16.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
CLASSICAL
LISTINGS
52 LISTINGS
This Week’s Focus
LisZT
BiceNTeNARY
26 – 29 JANUARY
MONDAY 24 JANUARY
TALKING ART
Lynn Chadwick:
‘The Couple’
SPOKEN WORD
An evening lecture to coincide with
the current exhibition at Pangolin
London which focuses on the theme
of the couple in the work of Lynn
Chadwick and its development
throughout his career.
£6.50
OUT HEAR
Sophie Harris
and Friends
CONTEMPORARY
Dénes Várjon
Celebrated cellist Sophie Harris
brings an eclectic mix of concert
and film music written for her to
Kings Place. She creates new territory
for the solo cello, working with some
of today’s most eminent composers
and ensembles (The Duke Quartet,
The Hilliard Ensemble, The Brodsky
Quartet, Django Bates and Kevin
Volans). Tonight Graham Fitkin
collaborates with Sophie to perform
Edging, his cello piece written for her.
The programme also includes works
by Arvo Pärt, Gavin Bryars and
Errollyn Wallen. Sophie will be joined
by two extraordinary musicians –
singer Melanie Pappenheim and
pianist Ian Belton – to perform works
from their recent CD release.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
A miNi FesTivAL ceLeBRATiNg LisZT
The huNgARiAN ANd The RevoLuTioNARY,
peRFoRmed BY LeAdiNg musiciANs
Liszt put Hungary on the musical map, and inspired his
compatriots for generations after. This celebration includes
the folk music that influenced him, a premiere of his Faust
Symphony arranged for two pianos, and a kaleidoscope of
Hungarian chamber and choral music, performed by a host
of exceptional musicians whose visits to London are rare.
See Classical Highlights on p10
WEDNESDAY 26 JANUARY
LISZT BICENTENARY
Pre-Concert Talk
CLASSICAL
Karl Lutchmayer hosts a discussion
introducing an evening of Liszt’s
finest sonatas for piano and violin,
accompanied by works by Bartók,
Enescu and Fauré which were
influenced by the Master. He is joined
by some of the concert performers.
Book tickets now:
The Jánosi Ensemble cast fresh light
on the pieces by setting them in context
in the contemporary musical world of the
19th century. The programme features
18th-century dance music, ‘verbunkos’
(recruiting music and dance), folkinfluenced songs of the Reform Period,
folk songs and gypsy music – the very
music which inspired Liszt.
LISZT BICENTENARY
Duets for Piano
and Violin by Liszt
and His Followers
Bartók Rhapsody No. 2
for violin and piano
Liszt Romance Oubliée; Benedictus;
Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth
Enescu Rhapsody
Fauré Violin Sonata No. 1 in A, Op. 13
CLASSICAL
Winners of the International Liszt Society’s
2001 Grand Prix du Disque, Gergely
Bogányi and Barnabás Kelemen perform
an evening of Liszt’s finest sonatas for
piano and violin accompanied by works
of Bartók, Enescu and Fauré that were
influenced by the Master.
Barnabás Kelemen
Gergely Bogányi
LISZT BICENTENARY
FRIDAY 28 JANUARY
Pre-Concert Talk
LISZT BICENTENARY
Liszt Award
Winner’s Concert
CLASSICAL
Ross Alley introduces the UK premiere of
the transcription of Liszt’s Faust Symphony,
and Bartók’s Second Suite for Two Pianos.
Bartók Suite No. 2, Op. 4b (transcription
for two pianos by the composer)
Liszt Faust Symphony (transcription
for two pianos by the composer)
[UK Premiere]
Edit Klukon piano
Dezsö Ránki piano
CLASSICAL
Edit Klukon and Dezsö Ránki, one of
Hungary’s most renowned musical
couples, bring the audience the UK
premiere of the transcription of Liszt’s
Faust Symphony and perform Bartók’s
Second Suite.
Hall One 7.30pm
£14.50 £19.50 £24.50 £29.50
Saver Seats £9.50
SATURDAY 29 JANUARY
F-IRE Collective
presents… John Taylor
LISZT BICENTENARY
JAZZ
Trinity Laban
John Taylor is one of Europe’s most
celebrated jazz pianists and composers.
His unique style draws on the whole jazz
palette and on classical music influences.
‘One of contemporary jazz’s great
performers.’ The Guardian
‘Something of a national treasure.’
Classic CD
CLASSICAL
THURSDAY 27 JANUARY
Faust Symphony
on Piano
THE BASE
Trinity Laban music and dance students
The Solstice Quartet (Trinity Laban
Richard Carne Junior Fellows)
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
LISZT BICENTENARY
£9.50
Dohnányi Piano Quintet No. 2
in E flat minor, Op. 26
Liszt & Ligeti solo piano works
New work for piano and dancer
Joyful Company of Singers
Hall One 7.30pm
John Taylor
Hall Two 8pm
Gergely Bogányi piano
Barnabás Kelemen violin
LISTINGS 55
January 2011
LISTINGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
January 2011
BARNABÁS KELEMEN © LaszLo EmmEr | JOHN TAYLOR © C ForBEs | ALLEGRI QUARTET © BENJAMIN EALOVEGA | OTHER ARTISTS © sUPPLIED PHoTos
54 LISTINGS
2010 Sussex International
Piano Competition
Liszt Funerailles
Ravel Gaspard de la nuit
Liszt Mephisto-Waltz No. 1
LISZT BICENTENARY
Liszt and the Hungarian
Choral Tradition
Liszt Ave Maria 1; Ave verum corpus;
Hymne de l’enfant à son réveil
Kodály Liszt Ferenchez (words: Vörösmarty)
with other choral jewels by Csemiczky,
Orbán, Farkas, Kodály, Bartók, Ligeti
Joyful Company of Singers
Peter Broadbent director
The younger generation take on
Liszt’s works, including a new work
for piano and dance inspired by Liszt’s
music Performed by students from
Trinity Laban, the UK’s first combined
conservatoire of music and
contemporary dance.
Hall One 6pm KP 45’
£9.50 £14.50
Saver Seats £6.50
50% off tickets for this concert when booked with
the 7.30pm Liszt, the Travelling Virtuoso concert
(below). Excludes Premium and Saver Seats.
CLASSICAL
CLASSICAL
LISZT BICENTENARY
This evening’s concert is given by the
winner of the prestigious Liszt Award at
the inaugural Sussex International Piano
Competition held in Worthing last April.
This concert links Liszt to other
composers by theme or subject, and
gives a good flavour of 20th-century and
contemporary choral Hungarian music.
Most of these pieces were inspired by
great Hungarian poetry.
Liszt, the Travelling
Virtuoso: A Recital by
Dénes Várjon
Hall One 6.15pm KP 45’
£9.50 £14.50
Saver Seats £6.50
50% off tickets for this concert when booked with
the 7.30pm Choral Music from Hungary concert
(below). Excludes Premium and Saver Seats.
Hall One 7.30pm
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
Sposalizio
Sonetto No. 104 del Petrarca
Schlaflos! Frage und Antwort
Valse oubliée No. 1
Jeux d’eaux à de la Villa d’Este
Sursum corda
Piano Sonata in B minor
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
SUNDAY 30 JANUARY
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Allegri Quartet:
The Complete
Beethoven String Quartet in F, H34
Shostakovich String Quartet No. 1
in C, Op. 49
Beethoven String Quartet in F,
Op. 59 No. 1 Razumovsky
Allegri Quartet
CLASSICAL
The first concert in a two-year cycle by the
Allegri Quartet, surveying the complete
Beethoven quartets and notable works by
Shostakovich. The series opens with the
early F major quartet and the first of the
great mid-period Razumovsky works.
Hall One 6.30pm
£16.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
Dénes Várjon piano
LISZT BICENTENARY
FOLK UNION
The Roots of Liszt’s
Hungarian Rhapsodies
with Jánosi Ensemble
FOLK
Klukon-Ránki
piano duo
Liszt’s Hungarian rhapsodies generated
many debates, even during his lifetime.
CLASSICAL
One of Hungary’s most renowned pianists,
Várjon showcases a spectacular selection
of Liszt’s music which was influenced by
the countries he travelled through.
Hall One 7.30pm
£14.50 £19.50 £24.50 £29.50
Saver Seats £9.50
Allegri Quartet
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
January/February 2011
This Week’s Focus
TAsMiN LiTTLe & FRieNDs:
VioLiN JouRNeYs
MONDAY 31 JANUARY
WORDS ON MONDAY
The Annual Sebald
Lecture on Literary
Translation: Ali Smith
3 – 5 FEBRUARY
SPOKEN WORD
The annual Sebald lecture on Literary
Translation, given by Ali Smith, is preceded
by the presentation of the 2010 Translation
Awards. Six prestigious, long-established
translation awards are given for fiction,
poetry and non-fiction, translated from the
original Arabic, French, German, Italian,
Spanish and Hebrew. There will be
readings from the prize-winning books and
the awards will be presented by Sir Peter
Stothard, editor of the TLS. In collaboration
with the British Centre for Literary
Translation and the Society of Authors.
Book tickets now:
Tchaikovsky Mélodie
John Lenehan and Tasmin Little
Tchaikovskiana
Places are very limited so book early via
Kings Place Box Office.
John Lenehan piano
Session 2: Masterclass
with Tasmin Little
A rare opportunity to listen to and watch
Gramophone Award-winner Tasmin Little
interact with and coach three hand-picked
and talented young violinists of different
ages. They can then join for the second half
of the Young Person’s Workshop to practice
with them before the Family Concert.
CLASSICAL
A unique recital programme devised to
showcase the violin and its repertoire from
Bach through to the early 20th century.
Hall One 7.30pm
Piers Lane
£14.50 £19.50 £24.50 £29.50
Saver Seats £9.50
rhythm of Szymanowski’s Tarantelle, this
programme is packed with sumptuous
works for violin, including one of the
greatest of Beethoven’s works for violin
and piano, the monumental Kreutzer
Sonata, and perhaps the most romantic
of all violin and piano partnerships,
Franck’s Sonata in A.
Hall One 7.30pm
Hall One 7pm
£14.50 £19.50 £24.50 £29.50
Saver Seats £9.50
£9.50
OUT HEAR
John Lenehan
FOLK UNION
Warp Records: Seefeel
Tasmin Little
i hAVe DeViseD This pRogRAMMe To TeLL A
sToRY oF The VioLiN AND iTs Music FRoM
BAch To The eARLY 20Th ceNTuRY TAsMiN LiTTLe
Tasmin Little explores music spanning 200 years, from
early 18th-century Bach to Messiaen’s wartime masterpiece.
She is joined by a host of musician friends, and includes a
master class and a children’s concert. ‘I tried to put myself
in the position of someone who had never heard the violin
before, and thought ‘What music would blow my mind?’
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!
Seminal band Seefeel returned to wide
acclaim in Autumn 2010 with their first
recorded material in 14 years. Seefeel
stalwarts Mark Clifford and Sarah Peacock
are joined by new members Shigeru
‘Shige’ Ishihara on bass and Iida ‘E-Da’
Kazuhisa on drums. With their new
line-up Seefeel are set to introduce a new
generation to their unique genre-hybrid
combining acoustic instrumentation with
electronics for a sound that’s often
imitated, but never duplicated.
Both the acts and the ambience are top
quality at our monthly comedy club night.
Featuring big names, the best-up-and
coming stand-ups, promising newcomers
and surprise guests. Join us in the
salubrious surroundings of London’s
swankiest venue. Presented in
association with Avalon Promotions Ltd.
Hall Two 8pm
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
£9.50
FEBRUARY
THURSDAY 3 FEBRUARY
TASMIN LITTLE & FRIENDS:
VIOLIN JOURNEYS
Partners in Time:
A recital by Tasmin Little
and John Lenehan
Kreisler Praeludium and Allegro
JS Bach Sonata in E, BWV 1016
Mozart Sonata in C, K296
Grieg Violin Sonata No. 2 in G, Op. 13
curated by Arctic Circle
Comedy
at Kings Place
FOLK
COMEDY
FRIDAY 4 FEBRUARY
VIOLIN JOURNEYS
From the Devil
to the Dance
Tartini Devil’s Trill Sonata
Beethoven Sonata in A, Op. 47 Kreutzer
Franck Sonata in A
Szymanowski Notturno e Tarantella
Piers Lane piano
CLASSICAL
From the notoriously demanding Devil’s
Trill Sonata to the unstoppable Spanish a
TASMIN LITTLE © Paul Mitchell | PIERS LANE © cliVe BaRDa | SEEFEEL © JONathaN hYDe | JAY PHELPS © WilliaM elliS | JOHN LENEHAN © SuPPlieD PhOtO
CONTEMPORARY
Hiss Golden Messenger
Hiss Golden Messenger, aka Michael
Taylor, weaves ancient themes (sin and
redemption, innocence and whisky)
into modern-day settings. With hints of
jazz and electronics, and citing influences
ranging from Robert Wyatt to Ry Cooder,
Taylor embraces a wealth of genres.
He is joined by Rick Tomlinson of
Voice of Seven Thunders fame.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
SATURDAY 5 FEBRUARY
VIOLIN JOURNEYS
Workshop for Strings –
Masterclass with
Tasmin Little
INTERACT
Session 1: Young Person’s Workshop
for Strings with David Le Page
Introduced by Tasmin Little, this musical
workshop for violin, viola, cello and
double bass players (grade 3–8+ and
aged 8–18), led by David Le Page,
culminates in a wonderful opportunity
to play on stage with David Le Page and
Tasmin Little (See ‘Family Concert’ below)
Workshop Part One: Hall One 11–12pm
Masterclass: St Pancras Room
11.15–12.15pm
Workshop Part Two: Hall One 12.15–1pm
All delegates to perform together for the
Family Concert at 2pm (details below)
Player Level : Workshop – Intermediate
Masterclass – Advanced
£19.50 Participants (Workshop)
£4.50 Audience
VIOLIN JOURNEYS
THE BASE
Spitz presents...
The Jay Phelps Quintet
with Michael Mwenso
JAZZ
The Jay Phelps Quintet brings together
some of London’s finest musicians,
bridging the gap between age and
experience. Swing is at the top of the
list for this band and you can expect an
evening of high energy, shifting moods
and tempi – and superb musicianship,
and compositions from the leader.
Jay will be playing music from his new
album, Jay Walking, released on Proper
Records. With the added bonus of
vocalist Michael Mwenso you’ll leave this
concert feeling ten feet tall!
SUNDAY 6 FEBRUARY
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Charles Owen and
Katya Apekisheva
Piano Duo
Milhaud Scaramouche Suite, Op. 165b
Rachmaninov Suite No. 1, Op. 5
Fantaisie-Tableaux
Ravel La Valse
Stravinsky The Rite of Spring
CLASSICAL
A concert featuring music for two pianos,
and including original piano versions of
two early 20th-century masterworks
associated with the choreographer
Diaghilev: La Valse and The Rite of Spring.
Hall Two 8pm
Hall One 6.30pm
£9.50
£16.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
Seefeel
Family Concert
CLASSICAL
join us for a fun-filled family concert,
introduced by Tasmin Little and David Le
Page, and involving all the participants in
the morning’s masterclass and workshops.
Hall One 2–2.30pm
£4.50
VIOLIN JOURNEYS
Chamber Music
Schubert Piano Quintet in A, D667 Trout
Messiaen Quatuor pour la fin du temps
Joan Enric Lluna clarinet
David Le Page viola
Paul Watkins cello
Graham Mitchell double bass
Piers Lane piano
CLASSICAL
In an unmissable evening of chamber
music Tasmin Little gathers together
world-renowned musical friends to play
two of the greatest pieces ever written for
chamber ensemble. Experience the
whole gamut of emotions, from the poetry
and pure joy of Schubert’s Trout Quintet
to the searing emotion of Messaien’s
Quartet for the End of Time.
Hall One 7.30pm
£14.50 £19.50 £24.50 £29.50
Saver Seats £9.50
LISTINGS 57
February 2011
Jay Phelps
LISTINGS
56 LISTINGS
THIS WEEK’S FOCUS
COMMONPLACE
monday 7 FeBRUaRy
TalKInG aRT
lovers in art
dr Gail-nina anderson
9 – 12 FeBRUaRy
SpoKen WoRd
It’s the season of St Valentine, and we are
celebrating with an exploration of the ways
that lovers have been portrayed in art. From
Ancient Egypt to the Victorians, the great
icons of romance (Romeo & Juliet, Anthony
& Cleopatra), as well more universal images
of seduction, devotion and happy marriage.
£6.50
WoRdS on monday
Iconoclasts and
Sacred cows
exploring the boundaries of taste
and self-censorship in the arts
SpoKen WoRd
A panel of artists and cultural commentators
discuss the boundaries of taste and debate
the role of the arts and artists in exploring
and testing them. Panellists include Kate
Adie OBE (NCA Chair), Prof. Frank Furedi,
Rt Rev James Jones (Bishop of Liverpool)
and Grayson Perry. Curated by the National
Campaign for the Arts.
Hall One 7pm
£9.50
oUT HeaR
Trilogies
piano circus
Karine Polwart
CLEAR VOICES IN A CLUTTERED WORLD...
CURATED BY CHRIS WOOD AND KARINE
POLWART WITH ALAN BEARMAN MUSIC
conTempoRaRy
Six-piano ensemble Piano Circus have
commissioned over 100 works during their
20-year history. Trilogies reflects the diversity
of this repertoire, from Graham Fitkin’s
energised post-minimalist works (1989–90)
to Colin Riley’s avant-garde, reflective
electronic soundworld for acoustic pianos
with treatments and keyboards (2007–10).
Includes the world premiere of Double Trio
by Colin Rile with specially created film and
live video by William Simpson.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
commonplace
In Search of anon
with chris Wood,
martin carthy,
Simon armitage
& erica Wagner
FolK
£9.50
commonplace
late-night Songs
with Jon Boden
FolK
After the concert the band will decamp to
the foyer to lead a singing session with the
audience. They will record a rendition of a
folk song with the audience (advance
notice of the song will be given!). The
recording will be posted on the A Folk Song
a Day podcast the following morning.
Hall One 7.30pm
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
premium Seats £29.50
Saver Seats £9.50
THURSday 10 FeBRUaRy
commonplace
a Folk Song a day:
Jon Boden and
The Remnant Kings
FolK
In the wake of the fantastically successful
A Folk Song A Day project (number one in
the iTunes music podcast charts),
Bellowhead’s lead singer brings his motley
crew of post-apocalyptic folk survivalists to
showcase just a few of the 365 folk songs
from the ongoing project. Lively new
arrangements of traditional material weave
in and out of Boden’s critically acclaimed
futuristic Songs from the Floodplain. Songs
old, new and from the not too distant future.
Hall One 7.30pm
oFF WITH THeIR HeadS!
Impropera
Piano Circus
Hall Two 8pm
Who is the greatest writer and composer
of them all? The answer, of course: ‘Anon’.
Erica Wagner begins the evening in
conversation with Simon Armitage, Martin
Carthy and Chris Wood. Together they will
explore the richness of the anonymous
voice and the role of Anon in the 21st
century. This is followed by Martin Carthy
and Chris Wood in concert, Carthy
specialising in the vivid reworking of
Britain’s rich canon of traditional song,
while Wood has emerged as a compelling
songwriter who ventures into areas few
artists dare to tackle.
comedy
See Folk Highlights on pp16–17
regular Niall Ashdown (Whose Line, Life
Game, Outnumbered) comperes an
evening of improvised wit, virtuoso
musicianship and genius storytelling from
West End favourites Impropera. Yes, it’s the
punch of serious music with the adrenaline
edge of improv. Come enjoy a world
premiere (and possibly derriere) invented
on the spot entirely from your suggestions.
‘Brilliantly clever and irresistibly funny’
The Telegraph
WedneSday 9 FeBRUaRy
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
Folk music has never existed in isolation, it has
always been an expression of community and the
prime commentator of its time. ‘Commonplace’
seeks to join up the dots and subtly redefine
the folk festival by reuniting the music with the
wider community.
Book tickets now:
Offering a new, legalised ‘high’ for comedy
and music addicts alike, Comedy Store
Ground level foyer 9.30–10.45pm
FRee
FRIday 11 FeBRUaRy
commonplace
The Folly at the Heart
of It: Karine polwart
with alasdair Roberts
and corrina Hewat
FolK UnIon
commonplace
on common Ground
with Hugh lupton and chris Wood
FolK SpoKen WoRd
An evening of stories, songs and music
exploring the life and times of peasant
poet John Clare. His poetry is regarded
as some of the finest of English nature
writing, yet his story goes from rapture
to despair. Author and storyteller
Hugh Lupton believes that, seven
generations on, Clare holds a mirror
up to contemporary English life.
Lupton and Chris Wood weave
Clare’s story into a spell-binding
parable of revelation for anyone seeking
understanding of contemporary
‘Englishness’.
commonplace
commonplace
‘Get the musicians out
of the Trees First’
The Tongue that cannot
lie: Karine polwart
and chris Wood with
michael marra
and chris mullin
Illustrated Talk and discussion
with adrian arbib
SpoKen WoRd
Adrian Arbib has been photographing
stories from around the globe for over 25
years. Since the late 1980s he has been
documenting the direct action movement
in the UK. These images of protest, largely
unpublished, provide a narrative that runs
in parallel to folk music.
‘Get the musicians out of the trees first’
is a direct quote from a police officer
clearing the tree protest on the 1996
M65 extension.
Limehouse Room 2.15-3.15pm
FRee
SaTURday 12 FeBRUaRy
commonplace
chris Wood – The
Handmade Song
The St Pancras Room will be transformed
into a secular church with glorious, massedharmony singing led by Karine Polwart.
All songs will be taught by ear – no music
theory required. Suitable for age 10+ years.
St Pancras Room 12.30pm–2pm
St Pancras Room 3.30-5.30pm
£4.50
£9.50
commonplace
InTeRacT
FolK
Robert mitchell’s
panacea: The cusp
JaZZ
Robert Mitchell’s award-winning Panacea
octet perform for the first time at Kings
Place, augmented by string players from
Cuba and Australia. This concert features
music from their new album The Cusp.
Panacea was the Greek goddess of
medicine and cures. In Mitchell’s world
the healing finds its expression in song.
‘Robert Mitchell is without doubt one of
the most interesting and talented
musicians I know of’ Django Bates
Hall Two 8pm
Draw the arc of a circle through
Glasgow (where Karine Polwart was born),
the hamlet of Kilmahog in Stirlingshire
(where Alasdair grew up) and Edinburgh
(where Corrina and Karine first discovered
their common love of vocal harmony),
and it finds its centre at Airth on the
banks of the River Forth, over Scotland’s
most bizarre building, a spectacular
18th-century folly in the shape of a
pineapple. It now stands just a spit from
Grangemouth’s oil-refining complex:
a triumph of imagination over logic.
Polwart, Roberts and Hewat unravel
the common threads that link them
geographically, musically and
metaphorically, in an exploration of
weirdness, wonderment and hubris.
£9.50
SUnday 13 FeBRUaRy
london cHamBeR
mUSIc SeRIeS
dante Quartet
Barber String Quartet, Op. 11
Haydn String Quartet in G minor,
Op. 74 No. 3 [Hob. III:74] Rider
Schubert String Quartet in G, D887
claSSIcal
The prize-winning Dante Quartet with
Haydn’s famous Rider quartet, an
opportunity to hear the whole quartet by
Samuel Barber – made famous by its
well-known Adagio middle movement
– and Schubert’s great last quartet.
Hall One 7.30pm
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
THe BaSe
InTeRacT
To achieve authenticity, song-writing
begins close to home. Chris Wood’s
uncompromising writing celebrates
his love for the unofficial history of the
English-speaking people. Chris invites
you to a song-writing workshop: be edgy,
be emotional, be political, tell a story –
but above all, be you. The Handmade
Song follows his acclaimed album,
Handmade Life. Come and write as
you are!
The Big Sing:
Water from the Well
FolK
To begin the final evening of Commonplace
Erica Wagner invites Chris and Karine,
Michael Marra, one of Scotland’s most
respected songwriters, and Chris Mullin,
author, journalist and former MP, to
separate spin from truth and shed light
on the poisoned chalice that is ‘the tongue
that cannot lie’, a gift given to Thomas
Rymer in a 13th-century Scottish Ballad.
Tonight’s concert sees Chris, Karine and
Michael share an evening of some of the
clearest voices in Britain today.
Hall One 7.30pm
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
lISTInGS 59
February 2011
Corrina Hewat
AlasdairR oberts
Hall One 6.30pm
£16.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
lISTInGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
February 2011
KARINE POLWART © EAMONN MCGOLDRICK | CORRINA HEWAT © VAN GILL MEDIA / THE ARIAN CROW | ALASDAIR ROBERTS © JEAN-MARC LUNEAU | PIANO CIRCUS © BILLC MARTIN
58 lISTInGS
This Week’s Focus
ceLeBRATiNG
GRAiNGeR 2011
MONDAY 14 FEBRUARY
WORDS ON MONDAY
Love Poetry
SPOKEN WORD
Celebrate Valentine’s Day in
grand romantic style at this fabulous
poetry event. Featuring leading Picador
poets Ian Duhig, Paul Farley, Anna
Freud, Clive James, John Stammers
and Robin Robertson reading poems
about love, passion and intimate
relationships, properly functioning
and otherwise. Make a change this
year, and say it with poetry!
Presented by Poet in the City and
Pan Macmillan
17 – 19 FEBRUARY
Hall One 7pm
£9.50
OUT HEAR
Loverdrive –
An Alternative
Valentine’s Special
CONTEMPORARY
An avant-garde and irreverent musical
‘tribute’ to this popular lovefest.
Experimental jazz vocalist E.laine
and contemporary music diva Loré
Lixenberg examine the issue of love
in all its vainglory and silliness. Come
celebrate or commiserate with us!
(Contains material of an adult nature.)
CELEBRATING GRAINGER 2011
Grainger’s World in Song
The Addison Singers with special guest
Yvonne Kenny soprano
David Wordsworth conductor
Stephen Varcoe baritone
Room-music Gems
CLASSICAL
A journey through Grainger’s
wonderful song and choral repertoire:
English and Scottish folk-settings –
some haunting, some fun – plus
Grainger’s idiosyncratic Kipling
settings, and finally a rollicking
Danish sequence, with the god
Thor appearing as an old woman at
a christening! This will be an intimate
event with the choir and soloists
sharing the stage in informal fashion,
the conductor not always obvious,
and the whole evening resembling
a musical gathering in a 400-seat
drawing-room.
St Pancras Room 6pm
£9.50
Wind Band Spectacular
The Fitzwilliam String Quartet
with Michael Broadway pianola
and Penelope Thwaites piano
Uniting some delightful miniatures for
chamber ensemble with original ideas,
and ending with the unlikely combination
of string quartet and pianola, the
Fitzwilliams, Michael Broadway and
Penelope Thwaites present an absorbing
and delightful 45-minute programme,
leading on to the ‘Sing Grainger’
choral workshop.
Hall Two 1.30pm
£6.50
l Saturday pass: All 4 events, £30
Sing Grainger!
Hall One 7.30pm
CLASSICAL
£12.50 £14.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
A thrilling programme of Grainger classics
for wind band, including his superb
Lincolnshire Posy and stirring The Power of
Rome and the Christian Heart, alongside
such hits as Country Gardens, Molly on the
Shore and Irish Tune from County Derry.
In appreciation of the Royal Artillery
Band’s participation, this concert will
support the charity Help for Heroes. Choral workshop for audience
and choirs
THURSDAY 17 FEBRUARY
A Band Blast-Off
Penelope Thwaites
The Fix presents...
Encompassing subjects from Kipling to Thor, and
sounds as diverse as the theremin and multiple pianos,
Grainger’s music is as colourful and original as his
personality. This week explores his art, from haunting
folksongs and visionary pieces for military band to his
experimental music for machines.
Combining folk music, original
compositions and early music in
unexpected arrangements (Ferrabosco
on saxophones!), the Band Blast-Off
will provide a galvanising launch for a
truly Graingeresque three days, which
juxtaposes Grainger’s hits with some
rarities from the composer’s output.
A one-off listening experience!
The Fix one of the UK’s top comedy nights
presents a bespoke comedy event
developed especially for Kings Place.
Working with the best comedic
performing and writing talent there
will be a new one off show every time.
Atrium 6pm
Hall Two 8pm
Free
£9.50
COMEDY
Hall One 7.30pm
£12.50 £14.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
David Wordsworth conductor
Matthew Hough piano
INTERACT
A great vocal workout for choirs and
audience under the expert conductorship
of David Wordsworth, exploring Grainger’s
heart-lifting choral repertoire. You may
know some of the folk-tunes – but you
may be surprised at what Grainger does
with them!
Hall Two 2.30–4pm
£9.50
FOLK UNION
Skaidi
FOLK
Experimenting
with Grainger
Norway’s celebrated yoiker Inga Juuso
and double bass player Steinar Raknes
combine their traditions of improvised
jazz and the ancient indigenous style of
yoiking to create a vast landscape of
sounds that both melt and transport
their audience. Inga Juuso is known
for her raw, direct presence and
enthralling voice. Steinar Raknes is one
of Norway’s foremost jazz bassists and
songwriters. With his fearless and
explosive playing style, he is often
compared with the legendary bassist
and songwriter Charles Mingus.
Presented by The Magpie’s Nest.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
The Fitzwilliam String Quartet
CLASSICAL
Major Neil Morgan conductor
The Royal Artillery Band
Percy Grainger
CLASSICAL FOLK
Ever curious about new inventions,
Percy Grainger was one of the first to
explore the possibilities of the Duo-Art
recording system, and here is a chance
to hear the man himself playing the
music of Grieg, Cyril Scott, Gershwin,
Josef Holbrooke and Roger Quilter and,
of course, his own compositions.
LISTINGS 61
February 2011
SATURDAY 19 FEBRUARY
Percy Grainger
and the Pianola
Michael Broadway pianola
CLASSICAL FOLK
£9.50 | Tables £14.50
Guildhall Recorder Choir
Guildhall Saxophone Choir
Grainger Wind Quintet
Grainger Brass Quintet
FRIDAY 18 FEBRUARY
The Harmonious
Songsmith
Hall Two 8pm
MexicAN FoLk soNGs, PiANoLA, TheReMiN,
eLecTRic eye-ToNe TooL ANd sAxoPhoNe
choiR... iT MusT Be GRAiNGeR!
Book tickets now:
LISTINGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
February 2011
PERCY GRAINGER © EstatE of PErcy GrainGEr | THE FITZWILLIAM STRING QUARTET © BEnJaMin HartE | PENELOPE THWAITES © sUPPLiED PHoto
60 LISTINGS
The Electric Eye Tone Tool
and the Theremin
Lydia Kavina theremin
Warren Burt performing on film
CLASSICAL
A totally unique event – a recital
where the performer makes music on
the instrument without touching it!
Watch a specially prepared film by
Australian/American avant-garde
composer and musician Warren Burt,
in which he describes his reconstruction
of one of Grainger’s experimental
machines, the Electric Eye Tone Tool.
Lydia Kavina will then present a
selection of original works for the
haunting sound of the theremin, of
which she is a leading exponent.
She will also include a realisation for
theremin of Grainger’s ‘Free Music’
and will answer questions from
the audience.
£9.50
East Meets West:
an Extravaganza
The Grainger Elastic Band
with members of the
Royal Artillery Orchestra
led by The Fitzwilliam String Quartet
Roger Montgomery conductor
John Lavender piano
The Team of Pianists
The Grainger Singers
Grainger Brass Sextet
CLASSICAL
Grainger’s uninhibited approach to
music-making is wonderfully reflected
in this extraordinary programme. From
early childhood he had been captivated
by the music of non-western cultures:
Indian, Indonesian and Mexican music
all have their part here. His exciting
works for two pianos (and up to 11
hands) celebrate English, Irish and
American folk music. His Thanksgiving
Song includes a haunting choral
postlude and his six-hand arrangement
of his major orchestral work The Warriors
(music to an imaginary ballet) comes
to a terrific conclusion with an
unexpected musical element. Come
and enjoy! In appreciation of the
Royal Artillery Orchestra’s participation,
this concert will support the charity
Help for Heroes. Hall One 7.30pm
£12.50 £14.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
(Excludes Premium Seats)
THE BASE
Full Circle
JAZZ
A modern expression of music inspired
by the classical/cultural musical traditions
of West Africa, mainly those of Ghana.
The musicians involved all represent
different styles and approaches to music,
but what unifies us is our love, respect and
appreciation for, and our research into, the
traditional and classical forms of African
music. Many styles of music draw
inspiration from Africa. The Full Circle is
therefore complete; we are using all the
different styles to create a new musical
texture or language. Presented by
F-IRE Collective.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
SUNDAY 20 FEBRUARY
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Pre-Concert Talk
CLASSICAL
Ian Christians discusses the Hummel
works to be performed in tonight’s
chamber music programme.
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Hummel Ensemble
Haydn Piano Trio in A flat, Hob. XV:14
Beethoven (arr. Hummel)
Symphony No. 7 in A, Op. 92
Hummel Piano Quintet in D minor, Op. 74a
CLASSICAL
The Hummel Ensemble with pianist
Andrew Brownell in a concert featuring
music either by, or arranged by, Johann
Hummel, together with a trio by Haydn.
Hall One 6.30pm
£16.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
This Week’s Focus
eesTi FesT
21 – 26 FEBRUARY
Tallinn, European
Capital of Culture 2011
MONDAY 21 FEBRUARY
WORDS ON MONDAY
EESTI FEST
Cheap Talk: Skype
and Estonian IT genius
SPOKEN WORD
Developed in Estonia, Skype has
become a way of life in our world of
communication. Sten Tamkivi is
General Manager of Skype Estonia
and considered to be one of the leading
figures in IT. He includes IT Adviser to
the Estonian President among his roles.
This is your chance to find out just how
Estonia has put itself on the IT map and
quiz Sten Tamkivi on the future of new
media technology.
Hall One 7pm
£9.50
OUT HEAR
Plus-Minus:
Celebrating Laurence
Crane’s 50th Birthday
CONTEMPORARY
Ensemble Plus-Minus is an Anglo-Belgian
octet committed to presenting new work
alongside landmark modern repertoire.
The group was formed by Joanna Bailie
and Matthew Shlomowitz, and its
interests lie in avant-garde, conceptual
and experimental open instrumentation
pieces such as Stockhausen’s 1963
classic, from which it takes its name.
This concert is a retrospective of
Laurence Crane’s recent works. It
celebrates his genuinely original
voice as a composer.
‘As minimal as you can get, and
irresistibly droll’ Gramophone
Hall Two 8pm
A Week oF vibrAnT
esToniAn music, curATed
by FionA TAlkingTon
Fiona Talkington (presenter of BBC Radio 3’s
Late Junction) is passionate about Estonian music.
‘In Tallinn I was catapulted from chamber music,
to jazz, to choral, back to contemporary classical
and folk. It is so vibrant! I’m proud to be able to
bring Estonian music to Kings Place.’
See Feature on Eesti Fest on pp38–41
£9.50
THURSDAY 24 FEBRUARY
EESTI FEST
Vox Clamantis:
Da Pacem
CLASSICAL
Vox Clamantis is one of Estonia’s most
sought-after vocal groups. They have
made a big impact in the UK, performing
their Sacred Voices programme with
Dhafer Youssef. Tonight is their first visit to
Kings Place, performing their own
Book tickets now:
breathtaking music on Estonian
National Day. They return to their roots
with Gregorian chant, alongside music
written specially for the group by
composers including Arvo Pärt. The group
is made up of singers, instrumentalists,
composers and conductors, a mix
which brings freshness and energy to
their repertoire.
LISTINGS 63
February 2011
Vox Clamantis
Kristjan Randalu
THE BASE
EESTI FEST
Kristjan Randalu
JAZZ
Intriguing Estonian jazz pianist Kristjan
Randalu numbers Herbie Hancock
among his fans. He divides his time
between Estonia, Germany and New York,
and his schedule takes in many of the
world’s jazz festivals, working on a huge
diversity of projects, ranging from
collaborations with orchestras, to sets
with smaller ensembles. Tonight is
a rare and welcome visit to London.
‘Deftly combines jazz, folk and classical
influences to produce music that is
inventive and quirky, adventurous yet
melodic’ The Jazz Man
Hall One 8pm
£12.50 £14.50 £17.50 £21.50
Saver Seats £9.50
Weekend Guitar Trio
Peacock & Gamble
Emergency Broadcast
COMEDY
Hall Two 8pm
When live performances go wrong,
step forward Peacock & Gamble
(Russell Howard’s Good News, Skins,
Doctor Who) with their ramshackle,
seat-of-the-pants, emergency comedy
night. www.peacockandgamble.com
‘Pure gold’ The Guardian
‘Immaculately funny’ Time Out
SUNDAY 27 FEBRUARY
£9.50
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
FRIDAY 25 FEBRUARY
EESTI FEST
Estonian Piano
Orchestra
CONTEMPORARY
Pianists revel in the setting and acoustics
of Kings Place, and this concert presents
no fewer than eight of them playing
together! The Estonian Piano Orchestra,
led by acclaimed pianist Lauri Vainmää,
make their UK debut at Kings Place,
showcasing the rich and vibrant world of
contemporary Estonian music with pieces
written specially for them. The programme
also includes music by one of Estonia’s
foremost and most intriguing composers,
Urmas Sisask (joining the Orchestra on
Trio ZilliacusPersson-Raitinen
Estonian
Piano Orchestra
shaman drum), and a reminder of Arvo
Pärt’s timeless piano repertoire.
SATURDAY 26 FEBRUARY
Hall One 7.30pm
EESTI FEST
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
Guitar Workshop
with the Weekend Guitar Trio
don’t have to play bagpipes or zithers, all
instruments and singers and all ages
and abilities welcome. Call Kings Place
Box Office to book your place.
Limehouse Room 1 - 2.30pm
£9.50
INTERACT
FOLK UNION
EESTI FEST
Suurõ Pilvõ
(Big Clouds)
FOLK
This concert brings together the
magical sound of the kannel (like the
Finnish kantele a member of the
zither family), the lyrical Estonian
bagpipes and the electric guitar,
in the hands of the Weekend Guitar
Trio’s Robert Jürjendal. Southern
Estonian folk trio Suurõ Pilvõ (Celia
Roose, Tuule Kann and Jürjendal) have
been together since 1997. Their focus
is on traditional Estonian song and
instrumental music combined with
guitar and live electronic soundscapes.
A magical combination.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
Learn new methods and marvel at the
talent of these fabulous musicians in this
workshop. The Weekend Guitar Trio are:
Robert Jürjendal, Tõnis Leemets and Mart
Soo. Bring your own instrument. Call
Kings Place Box Office to book your place.
Limehouse Room 11am – 12.30pm
£9.50
EESTI FEST
Estonian Folk
Music Workshop
with Suurõ Pilvõ (Big Clouds)
FOLK
Spend time under Estonian skies with
Celia Roose (Estonian bagpipes) and
Tuule Kann (kannel), who have a very
distinctive, take on the traditional music
of Estonia. They will guide you through
some memorable tunes and songs. You
Mozart Streichtriosatz in G, K Anhang 66
Beethoven String Trio No. 5 in C minor,
Op. 9 No. 3
JS Bach (arr. Sitkovetsky)
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
CLASSICAL
The famous Swedish trio perform Bach’s
magical Goldberg Variations together with
some Mozart and one of Beethoven’s
masterful Op. 9 trios from 1798.
EESTI FEST
Hall One 6.30pm
Weekend Guitar Trio
with Toyah Willcox
and Jan Bang
£16.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
CONTEMPORARY
A meeting of musical mavericks brings
Eesti Fest to an unforgettable close. The
Weekend Guitar Trio’s music (composed
and improvised) for three electric guitars
and live electronics captivates jazz and
contemporary classical music audiences.
Robert Jürjendal, Tõnis Leemets and Mart
Soo bring their dazzling effects and ideas
together with legendary vocalist Toyah
adding her poetry. Joining them for the
first time is Norway’s live sampling guru
Jan Bang.
Hall One 7.30pm
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
Toyah Willcox
LISTINGS
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020 7520 1490
February 2011
TALLINN © Estonia tourism Board © dEan stoCKinGs | KRISTJAN RANDALU © aBraham nowitz | OTHER ARTISTS © suPPLiEd Photos
62 LISTINGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
February/March 2011
This Week’s Focus
hiBiki: ResoNANces
FRoM JAPAN
MONDAY 28 FEBRUARY
OUT HEAR
Transition_projects
CONTEMPORARY
Astonishing experimental works for piano
by György Ligeti, including the famous
Musica ricercata, with live video and film.
Ligeti’s astounding experimental works
for piano, which ‘construct a New Music
from nothing’, gain a new dimension with
Transition’s signature live and interactive
video and film. Performed by composer/
pianist Ryan Wigglesworth, ‘a new British
star … glittered with skill’ The Times, with
‘the intelligence and beauty of Netia
Jones’ video’ The Guardian, ‘Transition …
startlingly original, bold and lively …
fresh and imaginative’ The Observer
3 – 5 MARCH
Hall Two 8pm
Book tickets now:
showcasing one of the oldest instruments
in the world, dating back to Asia in the
14th century BC. Japanese music brings
to mind delicate flute and percussion
–
sounds, but the sho can sound wild
and alarming, with its tone clusters and
animalistic inspiration/expiration phrases
– an untamed version of the harmonica
with dramatic-looking resonating tubes
extending above the player’s head.
Shunsuke Kimura The East Wind
Traditional Tosa no Sunayama –
Tsugaru Aiya Bushi
Etsuro Ono Dance to the North Wind
Shunsuke Kimura Cross Road
MARCH
THURSDAY 3 MARCH
HIBIKI: RESONANCES
FROM JAPAN
Virtuoso players Etsuro Ono and
Shunsuke Kimura are powerful innovators
of the three-stringed lute – tsugarushamisen. They have taken their dynamic
semi-improvised style from northern
Japan in new contemporary directions,
presenting both traditional pieces and
new material which fuses original folk
sound with the soul and blues rhythms
of the West. The dynamic, powerful
yet soulful and sensitive sound of the
tsugaru-shamisen fascinates many people
in Japan – tonight you will hear why.
Hall One 7.30pm
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
Comedy
at Kings Place
Featuring big names, the best up and
coming stand-ups, promising newcomers
Hall One 7.30pm
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
FOLK UNION
Andy Cutting
with James Fagan
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
FOLK
Michiyo Yagi
A 1000-yeAR JouRNey
ThRough The Rich heRiTAge
oF JAPANese Music
Immerse yourself in this celebration of Japanese
music, exploring both its unique traditions and vibrant
contemporary performers, who bring to life a millennium
of intricate art. We welcome to Kings Place internationally
–), Michiyo Yagi (koto)
acclaimed artists: Mayumi Miyata (sho
and the Kimura & Ono DUO (tsugaru-shamisen, fue).
HIBIKI: RESONANCES
FROM JAPAN
Pre-concert Talk
with Shunsuke Kimura
St Pancras Room 6pm
WORLD SPOKEN WORD
From street music to virtuosity: how a folk
tradition was reborn in the 21st century.
A talk by Shunsuke Kimura, tsugarushamisen virtuoso.
HIBIKI: RESONANCES
FROM JAPAN
–
Sho: The Sound
of Eternity
Traditional Gagaku Hyojo no choshi
John Cage ONE9
–
Toru Takemitsu Distance
Toshio Hosokawa Cloudscape Moonnight
Ichiro Nodaira Voix interiéure
Toshio Hosokawa Utsurohi
Traditional Gagaku Sojo no choshi
–
Mayumi Miyata sho
London Sinfonietta
WORLD
See Feature on Hibiki: Resonances
from Japan pp30–31
FRIDAY 4 MARCH
–
World famous sho player Mayumi Miyata
presents traditional Gagaku pieces
and mesmerising contemporary works,
St Pancras Room 6pm
HIBIKI: RESONANCES
FROM JAPAN
Tsugaru-Shamisen:
Sheer Wind from
the North
Traditional Tsugaru Jonkara Bushi
Shunsuke Kimura Ninja –
Fast like the wind
Traditional Taketa no Komoriuta –
Sunayama
Traditional Asadoya Yunta –
Tsuki nu Kaisha
MICHIYO YAGI © YURIKO TAGAKI | KIMURA & ONO DUO © SUchen SK | MAYUMI MIYATA © SUPPLIeD PhOTO
WORLD SPOKEN WORD
Renowned sho– virtuoso Mayumi Miyata
leads into this evening’s concert with a talk
about the instruments and imaginative
collaborations with Western music.
Ono-Kimura Duo
WORLD
Pre-Concert Talk
with Mayumi Miyata
Mayumi Miyata
Shunsuke Kimura tsugaru-shamisen, fue
Etsuro Ono tsugaru-shamisen
COMEDY
£9.50
LISTINGS 65
March 2011
LISTINGS
64 LISTINGS
A musician’s musician (BBC Radio 2
Folk Award Winner, Best Musician 2009),
Andy Cutting is a soulful, technically
outstanding melodeon player with an
ear for a fine tune. His tunes are
contemporary classics on the folk scene.
Andy is joined by Australian-born James
Fagan, well known for his bouzouki
playing and vocals with Nancy Kerr.
‘Hearing Andy Cutting play is like
going through the wardrobe and
finding Narnia. His music is glorious,
joyful, moving, subtle, emotionally
charged, a totally spell-binding
experience that is never long enough.’
June Tabor
Beethoven or blues legend
Robert Johnson to aspiring classical
musicians, pop stars or rock bands,
discover how comics in Japan have
explored a fascinating range of
musical themes with Paul Gravett,
author of Manga: 60 Years of
Japanese Comics.
St Pancras Room 5–6pm
£6.50
£4.50 when booked with the 7.30pm ‘Tradition &
Exploration’ concert (across).
HIBIKI: RESONANCES
FROM JAPAN
Hall Two 8pm
Foyer Performance
‘i.Ro.Ha’
£9.50
WORLD
SATURDAY 5 MARCH
HIBIKI: RESONANCES
FROM JAPAN
Pre-concert Talk:
Music in Manga
SPOKEN WORD
From a shamisen master to
enka singers, from biographies of
HIBIKI: RESONANCES
FROM JAPAN
Tradition & Exploration:
The Koto of Michiyo Yagi
Kengyo Yoshizawa Chidori No Kyoku
(Song of the Plovers)
–
Tadao Sawai Tori No Yoni (Like a Bird)
Michiyo Yagi Song of the Steppes
Michiyo Yagi Small Night
(for Sayoko Yamaguchi)
Nick Drake (arr. Michiyo Yagi) River Man
Michiyo Yagi Izayoi (16-Day Moon)
Improvisations with Evan Parker
WORLD
A rare chance to enjoy a complete concert
with Michiyo Yagi, one of the most virtuosic
and adventurous koto players in the
instrument’s history, joined here by
legendary improviser Evan Parker.
Eclectic new Japanese sound with
a unique mix of tsugaru-shamisen,
taiko, percussion, violin and enka-style
vocal, exploring traditional folk fusion.
‘I.Ro.Ha’ which means Japanese alphabet,
was formed in 2010 by London-based
talented young musicians, who perform
internationally. They first appeared
at WOMAD 2010 in collaboration with
London Bon Dancers.
Hall One 7.30pm
Foyer 6.15–7pm
Hans Koller leads an exciting new
international sextet with two saxophonists
FREE
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
THE BASE
Hans Koller Sextet
JAZZ
(John O’Gallagher from New York and
François Théberge from Paris), guitarist
Jakob Bro from Denmark, Percy Pursglove
from UK – doubling on double bass
and trumpet – and Jeff Williams, a
drummer who divides his time between
London and New York. A truly
international band! Hans is writing new
material for what promises to be a very
exciting and original group.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
SUNDAY 6 MARCH
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Rosamunde Trio
Shostakovich Piano Trio No. 1
in C minor, Op. 8
Beethoven Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 1/3
Smetana Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 15
CLASSICAL
The trio of international soloists – Martino
Tirimo (piano), Ben Sayevich (violin) and
Daniel Veis (cello) – in a programme of
Haydn, early Beethoven and Smetana’s
trio composed in memory of his daughter.
Hall One 6.30pm
£16.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
This Week’s Focus
MoZART uNWRAPPeD
Week 3
Monday 7 March
wedneSday 9 March
taLkInG art
Mozart unwrapped
week 3
painting the Sea
dr Gail-nina anderson
Spoken word
9 – 13 March
The sea offers a massive challenge to the
naturalistic artist, one that has been taken
up by Courbet and Monet, Turner and the
Dutch marine painters of the 17th century.
Yet it can also be shown in a more
stylised way, its patterns defining the art
of the Minoans, its symbolism explored
by Victorian illustrators and humanised by
Greek sculptors. From Cullercoats to the
Aegean, from Poseidon to the Fighting
Temeraire, this talk looks at our artistic
attempts to define the ocean.
£6.50
wordS on Monday
edmund Spenser and
‘the Faerie Queene’
Spoken word
Nicholas Collon
A spectacular event examining Edmund
Spenser’s great Elizabethan epic poem,
an ambivalent and multi-layered work,
and a seminal statement of English
Protestant religious identity. Featuring an
introduction from Andrew Hadfield, the
biographer of Spenser, Monawar Hussain
on Spenser’s attitude to Islam, original
poetry from Jo Shapcott, Michael
Symmons Roberts, Ewan Fernie and
Andrew Shanks, a dramatic adaptation by
Simon Palfrey, and contemporary musical
settings inspired by The Faerie Queene.
Presented by Poet in the City.
Hall One 7pm
£9.50
WiTh MoZART, AlMosT Above ANy
coMPoseR, you hAve exTReMes oF
lighT AND DARk NicholAs colloN
Conductor Nicholas Collon leads his exciting young
Aurora Orchestra in a scintillating programme combining
sublime concert arias sung by Rosemary Joshua and
the jubilant Paris Symphony. Also this week, the Choir
of King’s College sing choral rarities and Imogen Cooper
and friends perform the ambitious piano quartets.
out hear
Brian Ferneyhough:
Solo elision
Hall One 7.30pm
rosemary Joshua sings concert arias
with the aurora orchestra
£14.50 £19.50 £24.50 £29.50
Saver Seats £9.50
Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, K492
‘Bella mia fiamma, addio ...
Resta, o cara’, K528
Symphony No. 27 in G, K199
Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K546
‘Non più. Tutto ascoltai...’, K490
Symphony No. 31, K297 Paris
World-renowned soprano Rosemary
Joshua joins the talented young Aurora
Orchestra to sing two of Mozart’s most
scintillating concert arias; plus the great
Paris Symphony No. 31, K297.
WitTank
oFF wIth theIr headS!
Hall One 7.30pm
wittank
£14.50 £19.50 £24.50 £29.50
Saver Seats £9.50
Mozart unwrapped
week 3
Mozart String Quartets
and Quintets 2
String Quartet No. 5 in F, K158
String Quartet No. 15 in D minor, K421
String Quartet No. 7 in E flat, K160
String Quintet in C, K515
chilingirian Quartet
with Simon rowland-Jones viola
cLaSSIcaL
The second in the Chilingirian Quartet’s
series of Mozart quartets and quintets
boasts the extraordinarily powerful and
Levon Chilingirian
Quartet-in-residence, the Dante, will
perform some of the composer’s
rarely-heard church music for strings.
Hall One 7.30pm
£14.50 £19.50 £24.50 £29.50
Saver Seats £9.50
FoLk unIon
FoLk
cLaSSIcaL
thurSday 10 March
LIStInGS 67
March 2011
re-arranging Folk
aurora orchestra
rosemary Joshua soprano
nicholas collon conductor
Amongst the pyrotechnical complexities
and virtuoso demands of new music,
Brian Ferneyhough’s solo works have
long been recognised as Olympian in
their challenges. Tonight’s soloists
Carl Rosman, Graeme Jennings and
Séverine Ballon show that there are
indeed challenges, but the joy and
energy of the music come to the fore.
£9.50
obsessive D minor Quartet, K421, said to
have been written while his wife was giving
birth to their first child, and the masterly
String Quintet in C, the grandest and longest
of any of his chamber works for strings.
‘Bella mia fiamma’
conteMporary
Hall Two 8pm
Book tickets now:
LIStInGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
March 2011
coMedy
NICHOLAS COLLON © RUTH CRAFER | IMOGEN COOPER © BEN EALOVEGA | KATYA APEKISHEVA, CHARLES OWEN © JACK LIEBECK | LEVON CHILINGIRIAN, WITTANK © SUPPLIED PHOTOS
66 LIStInGS
One of Britain’s most exciting sketch
groups return to Kings Place bringing big
characters, inventive sketches and
fast-paced fun for those who enjoy a riot
but would rather sit in a theatre and
laugh. Three men who take silly very
seriously. Hurry, this is important.
Since the folk revival of the 1960s, bands
have employed lush string arrangements
to lift their music beyond the
conventional. Tonight promises an
evening of sublime folk music from
violinist Mike Siddell and cellist Will
Calderbank (otherwise known as dynamic
baroque indie band The Miserable Rich),
who are joined by special guests from
past collaborations. This is sure to be a
very special one-off night of folk music
arranged to perfection. Not to be missed.
Curated by Arctic Circle.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
choir of king’s college, cambridge
Stephen cleobury conductor
dante Quartet
with Steven Stirling
and Sue dent horns
cLaSSIcaL
The renowned Choir of King’s College
sings two of Mozart’s zestful early Masses,
interleaved with his liturgical settings.
Mozart Piano Quartet No. 2 in E flat, K493
JS Bach (arr. Mozart) Adagio and Fugue
in G minor, K404a/2
JS Bach (arr. Mozart) Adagio and Fugue
in F, K404a/4
JS Bach (arr. Mozart) Largo and Fugue
in E flat, K404a/5
Mozart Piano Quartet No. 1
in G minor, K478
cLaSSIcaL
FrIday 11 March
Missa brevis in B flat, K275
Divertimento in F, K247
First Lodron Night Music
Missa brevis in F, K192 interspersed with
Sancta Maria mater Dei, K273
Church Sonata in F, K224
Offertorium de B.V. Maria:
‘Alma Dei creatoris’, K277
Communion Gregorian chant
Imogen cooper & Friends
– Mozart piano Quartets
The incomparable Imogen Cooper is joined
by special guests to perform Mozart’s
ambitious piano quartets: the titanic,
tumultuous G minor and its serene pairing
in E flat major. Mozart’s intriguing
arrangements of Bach provide an interlude.
£9.50
choir of king’s college 1
Mozart unwrapped
week 3
Imogen cooper piano
katharine Gowers violin
krzysztof chorzelski viola
adrian Brendel cello
Hall Two 8pm
Mozart unwrapped
week 3
Katya Apekisheva
Imogen Cooper
Saturday 12 March
Mozart unwrapped
week 3
Study day:
Mozart in context
prof. Simon keefe (University of Sheffield)
prof. cliff eisen (King’s College London)
Interact
This day focuses on musical life in Salzburg
and Vienna during the periods of Mozart’s
residencies, the composer’s European
travels, and the musical influences that
shaped his style. Prof. Cliff Eisen joins us
to look at Mozart iconography in the late
18th and early 19th centuries.
£47.50 | Includes refreshments
and light lunch
Hall One 7.30pm
£16.50 £21.50 £29.50 £34.50
Saver Seats £9.50
the BaSe
In Glorious pianoscope
Leon Michener, oli Brice
and Mark Sanders
Jazz
A ground-breaking piano recital that
mixes jazz improvisation with film and
real-time animation. You will be
introduced to a new software system that
lets the traditional accompanist to
black-and-white silent movies take charge
of the projected film. Scenes, clips, and
the flow of images in real time are
controlled directly from the piano
keyboard. Amazing!
Charles Owen
Sunday 13 March
Mozart unwrapped
week 3
Mozart for Four hands 1
Sonata for keyboard four hands in D, K381
Sonata for keyboard four hands in C, K521
Fantasia in F minor, K608
charles owen piano
katya apekisheva piano
cLaSSIcaL
The first of two concerts showcasing
Mozart’s ebullient music for piano
duet, featuring the beautifully balanced
Sonata in D and the bright, extrovert
Sonata in C.
Hall One 11.30am
£12.50 £14.50 £19.50
Saver Seats £9.50
London chaMBer
MuSIc SerIeS
allegri Quartet:
the complete
Beethoven String Quartet in F, Op. 18/1
Shostakovich String Quartet No. 3
in F, Op. 73
Beethoven String Quartet in E minor,
Op. 59/2 Razumovsky
allegri Quartet
cLaSSIcaL
The second of the LCMS cycle surveying
Beethoven and Shostakovich quartets
includes one from the Beethoven Op. 18
set, the second of the great mid-period
Razumovsky works and Shostakovich’s
third quartet, composed in 1946
immediately following the attack by the
state on the Ninth Symphony.
Hall Two 8pm
Hall One 6.30pm
£9.50
£16.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
this Week’s Focus
sonia Wieder-atherton
MONDAY 14 MARCH
17 – 19 MARCH
CLASSICAL
PhotoVoice
Lecture Series:
Chris Steele-Perkins
Award-winning Magnum Photographer
Chris Steele-Perkins, whose career has
moved from journalism and reportage to
the pursuit of personal projects,
will talk about his experience as a
photographer and show clips from his
Video Diaries: Dying for Publicity, 1993
in which he reflects on his reporting of
and role in scenes of suffering.
‘I was doing research for the
soundtrack of a film by Chantal
Akerman – Histoires d’Amérique –
and came across the art of singing
of Jewish cantors or “hazzans”. Once
again, music opened a new door for
me: that specific sound, the very
expressive, but very contained, very
interior way of singing really moved
me and influenced my bow technique.
It felt also as though I was coming
home to my origins, as though I had
always known this music, even before
I was born. It was a very strange
sensation.’ Sonia Wieder-Atherton
Hall One 7pm
Hall One 7.30pm
£9.50
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
OUT HEAR
Joby Burgess
and Powerplant:
24 Lies per second
CONTEMPORARY
Sonia Wieder-Atherton
Led by genre-trashing virtuoso
percussionist Joby Burgess, British trio
Powerplant explore hi-octane
percussion-led music with an electronic
sound, bespoke film and live visuals.
Includes a major new work from
experimental jazz composer Max de
Wardener inspired by the work of
filmmaker Michael Haneke; a rare
performance of Steve Reich’s 1967
composition My Name Is for audience
and live looping; and a virtuosic
realisation of Conlon Nancarrow’s
pre-pianola experiments.
COMEDY
The Fix one of the UK’s top comedy
nights presents a bespoke comedy
event developed especially for
Kings Place. Working with the best
comedic performing and writing
talent there will be a new one off
show every time.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
French cellist sonia Wieder-atherton
takes her instrument on a journey
through time and space
Sought-after by many contemporary composers, Sonia
Wieder-Atherton occupies a special place on today’s musical
stage. Her questing musical spirit and imaginative conceptual
programmes set her apart. This week she performs Jewish
cantor songs, mixes the music of Monteverdi and Scelsi and
provides a haunting Russian soundtrack to the iconic film d’Est.
See Classical Highlights p09
THURSDAY 17 MARCH
SONIA WIEDER-ATHERTON
Chants juifs:
Jewish Songs
Traditional Priére; Question; Psalm;
Conversation
Jean-François Zygel Nigun
Traditional Kaddish
Jean-François Zygel Psalmodie
Traditional Conversation; Elégie
Montsalvatge Cradle Song for a
Little Black Boy
Salgán A fuego lento
Piazzolla Ballade pour un fou
Britten Sonata for cello and piano in C
The uncompromised construction of the
Schnittke reflects the threatening nature
of Stalinian architecture, but Prokofiev’s
Adagio shows that indeed life is there,
and it conquers all.’ Sonia Wieder-Atherton
Hall One 8pm
£14.50 £19.50 £24.50 £29.50
Saver Seats £9.50
THE BASE
Matthieu Lejeune
Nu Beginnings
Sara Iancu
JAZZ
Dune Music proudly showcases the
compositions and arrangements of
Peter Edwards and Binker Golding –
two young, dynamic and soulful black
British musicians from their ‘Tomorrow’s
Warriors’ young artist development
programme – who play jazz music with
a maturity belying their youth and with
fire in their swing! The evening’s
performances are your chance to see
these two young jazz stars of the future
at the beginning of their exciting careers.
The Fix presents...
Joby Burgess
LISTINGS 69
March 2011
Sonia Wieder-Atherton cello
Bruno Fontaine piano
WORDS ON MONDAY
SPOKEN WORD
Book tickets now:
Hall Two 8pm
Bella Hardy
FRIDAY 18 MARCH
Monteverdi’s Madrigals
and Scelsi’s Trilogia
Monteverdi (arr. Sonia WiederAtherton) Madrigals:
Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi
Zefiro torna
Se i languidi miei sguardi
Altri canti d’amor
(transc. Franck Krawczyk)
Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinde
(extracts) (transc. Franck Krawczyk)
Scelsi Trilogia: The Three Ages of Man
with Sara Iancu cello
and Matthieu Lejeune cello
CLASSICAL
Four centuries ago Claudio Monteverdi
was writing madrigals. Fifteen years
ago Giacinto Scelsi composed a trilogy
for solo cello, The Three Ages of Man.
Wieder-Atherton has transcribed some
Monteverdi madrigals – recounting
human drama, love, suspense and
dreams for cellos and bass, and she
juxtaposes them with the Scelsi trilogy.
Two lifelines are sketched out; two
musical compositions cross paths, each
an echo of the other - sometimes in
Peter Edwards
£9.50
opposition, sometimes surprisingly close,
especially when old age draws near.
SATURDAY 19 MARCH
SUNDAY 20 MARCH
Hall One 7.30pm
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
FOLK UNION
Bella Hardy
with special guests Anna Massie
and Chris Sherburn
FOLK
Acclaimed singer Bella Hardy, three times
nominated in the BBC Folk Awards, has a
voice marked as ‘mesmerising’ and
‘faultless’. She has established herself as
one of the finest young folk acts around,
singing unaccompanied ballads, or
entwining her hypnotic voice with her own
fiddle accompaniment to breathtaking
effect. Her latest album, In the Shadow of
Mountains, received critical acclaim.
‘A master class in melancholic sensuality
… In The Shadow of Mountains has the
stark beauty of an early winter’s morning.’
SpiralEarth.com
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
d’Est in Music
Rachmaninov Sonata for cello and piano
Rachmaninov Vocalise
Prokofiev Adagio, Op. 67
Schnittke Sonata for cello and piano No. 1
with Laurent Cabasso piano
CLASSICAL
Sonia Wieder-Atherton has imagined a
performance backed by excerpts from
d’Est (1993) a film by Chantal Akerman.
‘I have chosen Rachmaninov’s Sonata
because its soul is so Russian, and its
incredibly tender themes are conversing
with voiceless men and women. it allows
us to imagine what they would tell us.
Turner Ensemble
The Turner Ensemble
Concert 3
Brahms Clarinet Quintet, Op. 115
Schubert String Quintet in C, D956
CLASSICAL
This concert by the new Turner
Ensemble, features two of the greatest
19th-century chamber works: the String
Quintet by Schubert and the Clarinet
Quintet by Brahms. The Turner Ensemble
is the London Chamber Music Society
(LCMS) Ensemble in Residence.
Hall One 6.30pm
£16.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
LISTINGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
March 2011
SONIA WIEDER-ATHERTON © JEAN-BAPTISTE MONDINO | JOBY BURGESS © KAThy hINDE | BELLA HARDY © DAVID KOSKy | MATTHIEU LEJEUNE, SARA IANCU, PETER EDWARDS, TURNER ENSEMBLE © SUPPLIED PhOTOS
68 LISTINGS
tHis week’s focus
Heinz HoLLiger:
in profiLe
MONDAY 21 MARCH
23 – 26 MARCH
OUT HEAR
HEINZ HOLLIGER IN PROFILE
Darkness and Infinity
CONTEMPORARY
Heinz Holliger Trema for solo violin
Clara Schumann Romances
for violin and piano, Op. 22
Heinz Holliger Romancendres
for cello and piano (2003)
Robert Schumann Nachtstücke
for solo piano, Op. 23
Isang Yun Espace II for cello, harp & oboe
György Kurtág Játékok (Games)
interspersed with
JS Bach (arr. Kurtág) Chorale
Preludes (arr. for piano four hands)
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
WEDNESDAY 23 MARCH
Souvenirs and Fairytales
Heinz Holliger Souvenir de Davos
Schumann (arr. Kirchner) Pedal Studies,
Op. 56 (arranged for oboe, cello & piano)
Heinz Holliger Songs without words
for violin and piano
Schumann Five pieces in folk style, Op. 102
Veress Sonata for solo cello
Schumann Fairytales for viola
and piano, Op. 113
Heinz Holliger Duo for violin and cello
Schumann Romances for oboe
and piano, Op. 94
Heinz Holliger
Heinz is in tHe House...
oboist, composer,towering
figure in european music
In a series curated by Christoph Richter, we receive a
welcome visit from this eminent Swiss composer, who joins
a host of virtuoso musicians to explore his art: two concerts
intertwine his music with that of his beloved Schumann;
‘Darkness and Infinity’ looks at the nocturnal tradition; while
‘Childhood and Encryptions’ reveals his wit and his ingenuity.
See Column on Heinz Holliger p35
Heinz Holliger oboe
Muriel Cantoreggi violin
Florence Cooke violin
Hariolf Schlichtig viola
Xenia Jankovic cello
Alasdair Beatson piano
Nicola Eimer piano
Alexander Lonquich piano
Heinz Holliger oboe
Cristina Barbuti piano
Nicola Eimer piano
CLASSICAL
The second programme of the series
turns to a theme of darkness, mystery,
and coded complexity. Romancendres is
Holliger’s outpouring of grief for the lost
manuscripts of Cello Romances which
Clara Schumann had burned. Espace II
was composed in 1993, with Ursula and
Heinz Holliger performing in the premiere.
György Kurtág’s Játékok are playful piano
miniatures containing hidden codes,
references and themes of childhood. At
his suggestion they are interspersed with
his four-hand piano arrangements of
Bach’s Chorale Preludes.
Hall One 7.30pm
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
CLASSICAL
This first concert presents all the
musicians who are performing
throughout this series. Tonight’s
programme features Holliger’s idol,
Robert Schumann, alongside his own
compositions, Kirchner’s arrangement of
Schumann’s Studies for pedal piano and
the Sonata for solo cello by Holliger’s
much-respected teacher Sándor Veress.
Hall One 7.30pm
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
Ursula Holliger
THURSDAY 24 MARCH
Urban Conditions
As the world population continues to
move to urban centres, growing numbers
of people jostle for a limited amount of
space as their place for living. This brings
with it a whole range of issues. D-Fuse
present an evening of artistic exploration
of urban conditions, including the
part-documentary, part-visual-essay
HD film Endless Cities, featuring live music
by Matthias Kispert (laptop) and David
Ballesteros (violin), and the screening of
the programme Urban vs Suburban.
Book tickets now:
Christoph Richter
Peacock & Gamble
Emergency Broadcast
influenced by and honouring each other’s
work. Holliger’s Soli are interspersed with
pieces by György Kurtág, dedicated to
Holliger. The programme highlights
Veress’s influence on his pupil Holliger.
Hall One 5pm
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
£16.50
FOLK UNION
FOLK
Hall Two 8pm
The Urban Folk Quartet (Paloma Trigas –
fiddle, vocals; Joe Broughton – fiddle,
guitar and mandolin; Frank Moon – guitar,
oud, vocals; Tom Chapman – cajón,
percussion, vocals) has a truly unique
sound. Virtuosic not just in feel and
technical ability but in musical concept,
UFQ is a coming-together of four of the
most inspired and experienced young
people working in folk/world crossover
today. Tonight’s gig is a combination of
composed and traditional material.
£9.50
Hall Two 8pm
COMEDY
When live performances go wrong,
step forward Peacock & Gamble
(Russell Howard’s Good News, Skins,
Doctor Who) with their ramshackle,
seat-of-the-pants, emergency comedy
night. www.peacockandgamble.com
‘Pure gold’ The Guardian
‘Immaculately funny’ Time Out
£9.50
FRIDAY 25 MARCH
Fantasies and Journeys
Veress String Trio
Schumann Fantasy pieces
for piano trio, Op. 88
Heinz Holliger Sonatina (1958) for
solo piano
Veress Piano Trio 3 Quadri
Heinz Holliger Soli – Short pieces for
solo instruments interspersed with
György Kurtág Soli for oboe
Schumann Andante and Variations
for two pianos, two cellos and horn
anagrams, codes and hidden meanings
which pervade and illuminate the whole
piece. With Muriel Cantoreggi (violin),
Alexander Lonquich (piano) and wind
players of the Royal Academy of Music.
Hall One 7.30pm
Urban Folk Quartet
Holliger on Alban
Berg’s Kammerkonzert
INTERACT
Heinz Holliger explains the autobiographical
character of Alban Berg’s Chamber Concerto
and presents an analysis of the many
Hall One 7.30pm
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
Saver Seats £9.50
Childhood and
Encryptions
Schumann Album for the Young
interspersed with
Heinz Holliger Duöli violin duos (2009/10)
Heinz Holliger Präludium, Arioso and
Passacaglia for solo harp
Berg Kammerkonzert for violin, piano
and winds
Heinz Holliger conductor
Wind players of the
Royal Academy of Music
Violinists from Junior Guildhall
Themes of childhood and simplicity
alongside encryption and complexity.
Holliger’s Duöli are a friendly wink at the
child struggling to learn his violin pieces.
Schumann’s Album for the Young is a
sojourn in the child’s innocent view of the
world. Holliger’s Präludium, Arioso and
Passacaglia are dedicated to his wife,
Ursula, who performs them this evening.
The evening ends with Alban Berg’s
Kammerkonzert, one of his most complex
Ian Shaw
THE BASE
Samuel Joseph
presents… Ian Shaw
JAZZ
Twice voted Best Jazz Vocalist at the BBC
Jazz Awards, Ian Shaw is an incredibly
colourful character. He has been cited,
along with Mark Murphy and Kurt Elling,
as one of the world’s finest male jazz
vocalists. His acclaimed 2006 album
Drawn to All Things: The Songs of Joni
Mitchell saw him ‘Praised far and wide as
the single greatest male jazz vocalist
Britain has to offer’ Jazz Times.
Shaw’s career in performance began,
unusually for a jazz musician, on the
alternative cabaret circuit, alongside such
performers as Julian Clary, Rory Bremner
and Jo Brand. Shaw was spotted by Dave
Illic, jazz critic for City Limits and was
described as ‘the voice of the decade’.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
Florence Cooke
Heinz Holliger oboe
Hariolf Schlichtig viola
Richard Watkins horn
Nicola Eimer piano
Christina Barbuti piano
SUNDAY 27 MARCH
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Kodály Quartet
Haydn String Quartet in G, Hob. III:58
Mendelssohn String Quartet in D, Op. 44/1
Bartók String Quartet No. 5
CLASSICAL
Hungary’s most famous string quartet
– Attila Falvay, Erika Tóth (violins),
János Fejérvári (viola) and György Éder
(cello) – perform mid-period Haydn,
Mendelssohn and music from their
fellow countryman Béla Bartók.
CLASSICAL
Schumann’s Andante and Variations is
one of his most beautiful melodic
inventions. Tonight features the original
version with two cellos and horn. The
ending of the piece was composed by
Johannes Brahms, and this programme
features several examples of composers
compositions, containing hidden
references to significant people and
events in Berg’s life.
£11.50 when booked with the 7.30pm Childhood
and Encryptions concert (below). Excludes
Premium and Saver Seats.
CLASSICAL
SATURDAY 26 MARCH
LISTINGS 71
March 2011
Muriel Cantoreggi
Xenia Jankovic
Hall One 6.30pm
£16.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
LISTINGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
March 2011
HEINZ & URSULA HOLLIGER © PRISKA KETTERER | XENIA JANKOVIC © CHRIS TRIBBLE | FLORENCE COOKE © ALISon SAyERS | IAN SHAW © JoHAnn WoLF | CHRISTOPH RICHTER, MURIEL CANTOREGGI © SUPPLIED PHoToS
70 LISTINGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
March 2011
this Week’s Focus
trAnstAngo
31 maRCH – 2 aPRIL
monday 28 maRCH
Book tickets now:
adam Finch, William Hicklin film
curated by Patricia Bossio
Transtango musicians
Vassallo–Nisinman
ConTEmPoRaRy WoRLd
TRanSTango
Colin Thubron
in conversation
Concert, film and dance that tell the story
of the city... A new sound, blending
contemporary tango and jazz. This concert
is a celebration of three great world cities:
London, Rio and Buenos Aires in music,
film and dance. It is a collaboration
between internationally recognised artists
from Brazil, Argentina and the UK,
capturing the powerful imaginary space of
these three evocative cities.
Transtango Talks
Colin Thubron is one of Britain’s foremost
travel writers, and President of the Royal
Society of Literature. His new book,
published in February, explores Tibet, but
is interwoven with reflections on his
mother’s death. Hear him in conversation
with Victoria Glendinning in this event,
curated by the Royal Society of Literature.
Hall One 7pm
£9.50
SPoKEn WoRd
Part 1: The Journeys of Tango and Samba
How tango and samba came from the
margins of Buenos Aires and Rio to take
over the imagination of the world.
Coordinated by the Centre for Iberian and
Latin American Visual Studies, Birkbeck
College, in collaboration with Patricia
Bossio. Guest Prof David Treece (Kings
College, London)
Hall One 7.30pm
£12.50 £14.50 £17.50 £21.50
Saver Seats £9.50
Marcelo Nisinman
(Transtango)
Ivan Arandia
and Tara Pilbrow
(Transtango)
oUT HEaR
EXaUdI
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
THURSday 31 maRCH
TRanSTango
dreaming Cities...
Buenos aires. London.
Rio. 1: Urban Encounters
Transtango is a unique combination of London-based
jazz with contemporary Argentine Tango. It celebrates
the creativity of different people and cultures melding in
today’s great cities. This week sees a heady mix of concerts,
film and dance that tells the story of the city. Be prepare for
an intoxicating new blend of contemporary tango and jazz!
See Feature on Transtango pp46–47
Tim garland sax, flute, bass clarinet
marcelo nisinman bandoneón
Eduardo Vassallo cello
mark goodchild bass
John Turville piano
Ivan arandia, Tara Pilbrow dance
EXAUDI
FREE
Mike Westbrook
TRanSTango
Dan Antopolski
oFF WITH THEIR HEadS!
Tilt presents...
Is It Something I Said?
a shebeen of scurrilous, edgy words
ComEdy
Triple Perrier Award nominee Dan
Antopolski and other cutting-edge
comedians and wordsmiths share new
work in an intimate environment. Part
tribute to Richard Pryor and Bill Hicks, and
part experiment, the event explores the
power of straight talking and saying the
unsayable, with an extraordinary bill mixing
stand-up comedy and poetry. Curated by
arts producer Melanie Abrahams.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
TARA PILBROW © Jérôme Delatour | EXAUDI © DaVID JeNSeN | LA JOAQUINA © FlameNCo eXPreSS | MARCELO NISINMAN © SerBaN meSteCaNeau | OTHER ARTISTS © SuPPlIeD PHotoS
Since its debut in 2002, EXAUDI has
emerged as one of Britain’s leading
young contemporary music ensembles.
With a repertoire that encompasses
Ockeghem and Ferneyhough, Tallis and
Xenakis, EXAUDI has established a
ground-breaking and much-praised
discography. Tonight they perform
Cage’s Song Books, interpreted in an
exciting new collaboration with sound
artist Bill Thompson.
Part 2: Round Table – music and Identity
Behind Transtango ideas, a collaboration
between the artists and academics.
Coordinated by the Centre for Iberian and
Latin American Visual Studies, Birkbeck
College, with Patricia Bossio. Guest Prof
David Treece (Kings College, London).
Part 1 St Pancras Room 4 – 4.45pm
Part2 St Pancras Room 5.15 – 6pm
ConTEmPoRaRy
London, Buenos Aires And rio
come ALive in on-the-move
tAngo And sAmBA
SaTURday 2 aPRIL
WoRdS on monday
SPoKEn WoRd
aPRIL
FoLK UnIon
Spitz presents…
Flamenco Express
FRIday 1 aPRIL
FoLK
TRanSTango
Flamenco is music, sex and history all
rolled into one. Flamenco Express allows
the performers total artistic freedom
resulting in an amazing diversity of artistic
voices, all committed to delivering their
own view of the world in their own unique
way, according to how they feel at the
time. Which means that every show is
special. This one will be no exception.
Featuring La Joaquina, Chris Clavo, Titi
Flores and Manuel de la Malena.
Transamba
Steve Lodder piano and keyboards
dudley Phillips acoustic and electric bass
mônica Vasconcelos vocals
adriano adewale percussion
marius Rodrigues drums
Ife Tolentino guitar
Robert Wyatt songwriter, composer
ConTEmPoRaRy WoRLd
Retracing the historical steps that led to
the birth of samba in Brazil in the early
20th century, musicians from Britain and
Brazil join together to rediscover the
genre in new-millennium London,
exploring past, present and future,
combining infectious African/Brazilian
rhythms, jazz, classical music and Latin
soul to make new, beautiful, unexpected
music that offers the perfect soundtrack
to the city that brought them together.
Curated by Patricia Bossio in collaboration
with Mônica Vasconcelos.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
composers, filmmakers and musicians to
make a unique work, blending sound,
movement and images. Curated by
Patricia Bossio.
Hall One 7.30pm
£12.50 £14.50 £17.50 £21.50
Saver Seats £9.50
THE BaSE
mike Westbrook at 75:
The Serpent Hit
with Kate Westbrook, Pete Whyman,
Chris Biscoe, Karen Street, Chris
Caldwell & Simon Pearson
JaZZ
Marking his 75th birthday, this concert
focuses on Mike Westbrook’s small-scale
works, here performed by different
permutations of a seven-piece ensemble.
It includes the world premiere of The
Serpent Hit (texts by Kate Westbrook) for
voice, percussion and saxophone quartet.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
dreaming Cities...
Buenos aires. London.
Rio. 2: The Body and
the City
Tara Pilbrow dancer
Ivan arandia dancer
marcelo nisinman bandoneón
and Transtango musicians
Linda Pontoriero motion graphic
andrew Cowton sound design and music
adam Finch film
with Brazilian dancers
ConTEmPoRaRy danCE
A composition of contemporary
dance, tango music and film capturing
the energy and pulse of London,
Buenos Aires and Rio today. Dancers
of traditional tango and samba collaborate
with contemporary dancers, Transtango
Mike Westbrook
SUnday 3 aPRIL
London CHamBER
mUSIC SERIES
Philippe graffin, marisa
gupta & Catherine Beynon
Chausson Poème for violin and piano
Franck Sonata in A for violin and piano
debussy Sonata for violin and piano
Caplet Divertissement à l’espagnole for harp
Saint-Saëns Fantaisie for violin and harp
Ravel Tzigane for violin, harp & piano
Philippe graffin violin
marisa gupta piano
Catherine Beynon harp
CLaSSICaL
A concert that explores the relationship
between harp, piano and violin, surveying
some of the wonderful French repertoire
for this colourful instrumental combination.
Hall One 7.30pm
£12.50 £14.50 £17.50 £21.50
Saver Seats £9.50
LISTIngS 73
April 2011
La Joaquina
(Flamenco Express)
Mônica Vasconcelos
Hall One 6.30pm
£16.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
LISTIngS
72 LISTIngS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
April 2011
this Week’s Focus
orchestra oF the age
oF enlightenment:
Baroque. contrasted.
6 – 10 APRIL
MoNDAY 4 APRIL
oUT HEAR
Trio Atem
Radical Alchemies: Transformations
in Sound, Space and Time
CoNTEMPoRARY
A vibrant programme of experimental music
exploring fusions of colour, space and
sound. Radical Alchemies showcases the
multi-genre work of new music ensemble
Trio Atem (flute/mezzo/cello). Hear the
gamut of possibilities in sound and
performance, including acoustic and
electro-acoustic commissions by Ian Vine,
Michael Mayhew, Richard Whalley,
Manuella Blackburn and Chris Swithinbank
as well as Helmut Lachenmann’s 1968
classic, temA. Supported by the PRS for
Music Foundation & the RVW Trust.
Hall Two 8:00pm
£9.50
WEDNESDAY 6 APRIL
BARoqUE. CoNTRASTED.
Baroque from Scratch
Book tickets now:
Anthony Robson oboe
Lisa Beznosiuk flute
Alison Bury violin
oFF WITH THEIR HEADS!
Comedy
at Kings Place
Featuring big names, the best up-andcoming stand-ups, promising newcomers
A rare chance to hear baroque chamber
music for flute, oboe, trumpet, violins and
continuo, written by major composers.
Introduced from the stage by musicians.
Hall One 6.45pm
£9.50 £14.50
Saver Seats £6.50
SPoKEN WoRD CLASSICAL
An informal talk and demonstration with
OAE musicians, looking at the baroque
cello and an instrument which always
arouses great interest: the theorbo.
Baroque music: predictaBle?
pretty? unthreatening?
think again...
£9.50
THURSDAY 7 APRIL
Thought that all Baroque music sounded the same? The
OAE will change your perception with this dazzling series
showcasing its soloists, juxtaposing well-known favourites
with virtuoso rarities. Discover from the experts just what
their instruments were like in the Baroque period; bring
along the family for workshops and singing on Saturday.
JS Bach Sonata in B flat, BVW 1039
Schickhardt Sonata in C minor
Telemann Sonata in D minor
Handel Sonata in F, Op. 2/4
Williams Sonata in Imitation of Birds
Purcell Three in One Upon a Ground
St Pancras Room 8pm
£6.50 | or £4.50 if booked with
evening concert. Excludes Saver Seats.
Baroque Winds
See Listings for details
Soloists of the oAE
David Blackadder trumpet
Pallavicino Sinfonia from Il Diocletaine
Corelli Sonata in D
Handel Trio Sonata
Finger Sonata in C
Vivaldi Concerto in D, RV89
Stradella Sinfonia avanti Il Barcheggio
Torelli Sinfonia in D
Soloists of the oAE
Anthony Robson oboe
Rachel Beckett recorder
Catherine Latham recorder
Andrew Skidmore cello
Uccellini Aria quinta ‘Sopra La Bergamasca’
Castello Sonata decimal
Gabrielli Sonata for cello and continuo
Merula Chiacona
Corelli Trio Sonata in F, Op. 3/1
Geminiani Sonata in D minor for guitar
and basso continuo
Locatelli Trio Sonata in A, Op. 8/7
Vivaldi Variations on La Follia, Op. 1/12
CLASSICAL
The baroque oboe (Hautbois) first
appeared in the French court in the
mid-17th century, and here it is contrasted
with the flute and recorder in a
programme of music that includes a
particular curiosity – Williams’s Sonata in
Imitation of Birds. Introduced from the
stage by musicians.
Soloists of the oAE
Alison Bury violin
Elizabeth Kenny theorbo
Hall One 6.45pm
£9.50 £14.50
Saver Seats £6.50
CLASSICAL
Contrasting with the earlier event, this
concert features music for strings from 17thand 18th-century Italy, and concludes with
the famous La Follia (madness) variations.
You’ll be humming the tune for days!
Hall One 8.45pm
FREE Aftershow performance –
Concert Level 10pm
£9.50 £14.50
Saver Seats £6.50
St Pancras Room 8pm
Baroque music from Germany
and England
FoLK UNIoN
OAE © ERIC RICHMOND, HARRISON & CO.
Hall Two 7pm
£9.50
The Sprightly
Hautboy and the Soft
Complaining Flute
orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Participants should pre-register with the
OAE by e-mailing their details, including
instrument details, to [email protected],
or by calling 020 7239 9374. Places may
be limited on some instruments. The event
lasts two hours, including a short break.
Get to Know:
Baroque Winds
Hall Two 8pm
Baroque Strings
Join us for an informal talk and
demonstration with OAE musicians,
looking at the baroque oboe and recorder.
FRIDAY 8 APRIL
Get to Know:
Baroque Strings
£9.50
£6.50
CLASSICAL
Hall Two 8pm
CoMEDY
CLASSICAL
The festival kicks off with a chance for
amateur adult musicians to play music
from the baroque era, rehearsed by and
playing alongside OAE musicians.
eclectic and spellbinding. A guitarist of
immense subtlety.
£4.50 when booked with the 8.45pm Reflections
on the Grand Tour concert (below). Excludes
Saver Seats.
Queen. Share the fun afterwards with
everyone at the following OAE Tots
Concert. Suitable for ages 4–6.
Hall Two 9.30am
£3.50 participants
£1.75 parents
oAE Tots Concert
INTERACT
Bring your favourite toy and hear our
favourite instruments at this fun and
informal concert – plus enjoy the fruits of
the earlier workshop as our youngest
performers share the stage! Suitable for
ages 6 and under.
Hall Two 11am
£4.50 | FREE to parents of participants
Reflections on
the Grand Tour
Fantini Processional Imperiale Prima
Gabrieli O sacrum convivium
Viviani Trumpet Sonata No. 2
Biber A due
Schmelzer Aria per il balletto a cavallo
Vejvanovský Sonata a tre
Speer Two Sonatas
Pezel Sonata for two trumpets
Henry VIII En vray amoure
Scottisch Tanz Bradg
Tye Farewell My Good One Forever
Cornish Dance
Fantini Fanfare Imperiale Seconda
Soloists of the oAE
CLASSICAL
Baroque brass instruments feature in this
hour-long concert, in which grand ceremony
rubs shoulders with sacred music and
contrasts with earthy country dances.
Hall One 8.45pm
Aftershow performance –
Concert Level 10pm
£9.50 £14.50
Saver Seats £6.50
FREE Aftershow performance
Martin Simpson
SATURDAY 9 APRIL
FoLK
Nominated an astounding 23 times in the
BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards – more than any
other performer – Martin Simpson is one
of the finest acoustic and slide guitar
players in the world. His interpretations of
traditional songs are masterpieces of
storytelling, his solo shows intense,
oAE Tots Workshop
INTERACT
This workshop is an exciting, involving and
fun way to introduce toddlers to the joy of
music. Bang a drum, shake a maraca and
ting a triangle to Purcell’s magical The Fairy
LISTINGS 75
April 2011
Sing Baroque!
INTERACT
Join director Robert Howarth and OAE
players to learn and be coached in choruses
from Purcell operas. Suitable for all aspiring
baroque singers, no experience necessary!
Lasts two hours, with a short break.
Hall One 12.30pm
£9.50
Pre-concert Talk
Join us for an informal talk exploring this
evening’s concert.
FREE to same day ticket holders
collide with tender arias. The evening
opens with a gutsy concerto grosso from
Handel and culminates the furious beauty
of ‘Da Tempeste’.
Hall One 7.30pm
£12.50 £14.50 £17.50 £21.50
Saver Seats £9.50
THE BASE
Samuel Joseph
presents… Kit Downes
JAZZ
The Kit Downes Trio uses melody,
inspired by a range of sources ranging
from Bartók to Bill Frisell to Skip James,
to create a sound that is engaging without
sacrificing its integrity. Their first album
Golden was critically acclaimed, and
tonight sees the launch of their second.
‘A very skilled and fluid pianist,
Downes is not only bursting with fresh
ideas but has that rare ability to carry
them off.’ Jazzwise
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
SUNDAY 10 APRIL
Coffee Concert
CLASSICAL
Get your Sunday off to a musical start with
an informal concert given by musicians
from the Ann and Peter Law OAE Experience
for young players. Tickets include a cup of
tea or coffee. Please check the website for
full programme details. No interval.
Hall Two 11.30-12.30am
£9.50
A Restoration
Spectacular
Handel Concerto grosso in D minor, Op. 6/10
Purcell Suite from The Fairy Queen
JS Bach Concerto in D minor for two violins
Handel ‘Ombre pallide’ from Alcina
Handel ‘Ritorna, o caro’ from Rodelinda
Handel ‘Da tempeste’ from Giulio Cesare
Matthew Truscott director/violin
Alison Bury violin
Julia Doyle soprano
CLASSICAL
Saturday comes to a close with this rousing
programme, in which energetic dances
LoNDoN CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Badke quartet
Haydn String Quartet in B flat, Op. 33/1
Janáček String Quartet No. 2 Intimate Letters
Ian Wilson Her Charms Invited
Dvořák String Quartet in F, Op. 96 American
CLASSICAL
The excellent Badke Quartet presents a
varied programme of Czech masterworks
with Haydn and the London premiere of a
new work by Irish composer Ian Wilson.
Hall One 6.30pm
£16.50 | Saver Seats £9.50
LISTINGS
74 LISTINGS
this week’s Focus
mozart unwrapped
week 4
MonDay 11 aPriL
Fröst will play them on the basset clarinet,
as Mozart originally intended.
TaLkinG arT
Part of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields’
Mozart Double Wrapped series at Kings Place
The Dragon in art
Hall One 7.30pm
Dr Gail-nina anderson
sPoken worD
13 – 17 aPriL
Mozart string Quartets
and Quintets 3
cLassicaL
£6.50
Another opportunity to hear more of
Mozart’s chamber music. This programme
features the great String Quartet in
E flat, whose exhilarating finale was
clearly inspired by Haydn, and the
G minor String Quintet, often considered
to be Mozart’s greatest achievement
in the form.
Blank canvas
conTeMPorary
Leon McCawley
Blank Canvas pianist Will Dutta presents
a programme that connects the dots
between modern dance music and
experimental art music, featuring works for
piano and electronics by Dai Fujikura, Plaid,
Gabriel Prokofiev and a new piece by Grime
producer Medasyn. New Noise take a more
exploratory path with Cornelius Cardew,
Michael Zev Gordon, Stephen Montague
and the premiere of a new work by Tansy
Davies. Curated by Chimera Productions.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
acclaimed pianist leon
mccawley embarks on a
mozart sonata marathon
‘Mozart’s unique voice is felt in every sonata’, says Leon
McCawley. ‘Over the course of this journey, he perfected
the form into something very special, revelatory, unique.’
Before his special weekend, enjoy master clarinettist
Martin Fröst performing the radiant Clarinet Concerto
and Quintet with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields
weDnesDay 13 aPriL
MoZarT UnwraPPeD
week 4
academy of st Martin
in the fields: Mozart
and the clarinet
saTUrDay 16 aPriL
MoZarT UnwraPPeD
week 4
study Day: Mozart the
Performer-composer
THUrsDay 14 aPriL
String Quartet No. 6 in B flat, K159
String Quartet No. 16 in E flat, K428
String Quartet No. 8 in F, K168
String Quintet in G minor, K516
friDay 15 aPriL
MoZarT UnwraPPeD
week 4
chilingirian Quartet
with yuko inoue viola
Leon Mccawley plays
Mozart Piano sonatas 1
Piano Sonata in C, K279
Piano Sonata in F, K280
Piano Sonata in B flat, K281
Piano Sonata in E flat, K282
Piano Sonata in G, K283
Piano Sonata in D, K284
Leon Mccawley piano
£47.50 | includes refreshments
and light lunch
MoZarT UnwraPPeD
week 4
Leon Mccawley plays
Piano Sonata in A minor, K310
Piano Sonata in A, K331
Leon Mccawley piano
£14.50 £19.50 £24.50 £29.50
Premium seats £34.50
saver seats £9.50
cLassicaL
The first recital in Leon McCawley’s epic
journey through Mozart’s keyboard sonatas
features the very first six piano sonatas
written by the young virtuoso pianist.
The second of four recitals taking us
through Mozart’s keyboard sonatas. This
programme contrasts the delightfully
Haydnesque sonatas K309 and K311 with
the fierce Sonata in A minor, K310, a
dissonant, virtuosic whirlwind. The Sonata
in A, K331 with its famous variations and
‘rondo alla turca’ completes the evening.
Hall One 7.30pm
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
saver seats £9.50
coMeDy
The Fix one of the UK’s top comedy
nights presents a bespoke comedy
event developed especially for Kings
place. Working with the best comedic
performing and writing talent there will
be a new one off show every time.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
Leon MccawLey TickeT offers
Brunch offer for 17 April – Show your
ticket for either concert in the Rotunda
and receive a free glass of house red
or white wine with your Sunday roast.
Martin fröst clarinet
academy of st Martin in the fields
Book a £19.50 ticket for both concerts
on 17 April and only pay £24.00 in total.
cLassicaL
Book the same number of tickets for
all 4 events – 10% off all prices except
Saver and Premium Seats.
foLk Union
rachael Dadd
and friends
foLk
With numerous releases under her belt,
both solo and with collaborators, Rachael
Dadd is a unique soul. Often playing at
low-key, intimate venues, Dadd has
toured the world gathering inspiration for
her uniquely-crafted modern-day folk
songs. Employing banjo, clarinet, piano,
guitar and harmonium in her live sets, she
weaves everyday themes into magical
tales with a delicate touch.
Dadd will be joined for this concert by
very special guests from the Bristol scene.
Hall Two 8pm
£9.50
Hall Two 8pm
Hall One 3.00pm
£9.50
£12.50 £14.50 £19.50
saver seats £9.50
inTeracT
cLassicaL
The fix presents...
famous sonata ‘for beginners’, K545 in C, in
fact, one of the most difficult and exposing
pieces in the entire piano repertoire.
sUnDay 17 aPriL
Hall One 7.30pm
off wiTH THeir HeaDs!
connected her very contemporary ideas
back to the great jazz tradition ... Yeoh’s
most mature writing to date’ The Times
MoZarT UnwraPPeD
week 4
St Pancras Room 10.30am-4.30pm
Hall One 7.30pm
£13.50 £15.50 £19.50 £24.50
saver seats £9.50
THe Base
f-ire collective
presents... nikki yeoh
JaZZ
The Seven Deadly Sins project showcases
Nikki Yeoh’s versatility as a composer and
a pianist. She uses the sins to create seven
varied and curious musical stories for the
suite: from fiery, punchy, fusion numbers to
more melancholy Debussy-esque writing.
This is the London debut of the Seven
Deadly Sins project and is also Nikki
Yeoh’s first performance at Kings Place.
‘The long slow melody of greed was a
delight and the raunchy blues of Lust
LisTinGs 77
April 2011
Prof. simon keefe (University of Sheffield)
Prof. John irving (University of London)
Looks at Mozart’s career as a performer. We
explore the autograph scores of his piano
sonatas and concertos to discover what
they reveal about his combined composerperformer mentality. Prof. John Irving
discusses performance practice issues.
MoZarT UnwraPPeD
week 4
Symphony No. 29 in A, K201
Clarinet Quintet, K581
Symphony No. 17 in G, K129
Clarinet Concerto in A, K622
Two radiant works inspired by clarinettist
Anton Stadler. Swedish virtuoso Martin
Martin Fröst
£14.50 £19.50 £24.50 £29.50
saver seats £9.50
In Christian art, snakes and dragons are the
most potent symbols of evil, representing
Satan and all things hellish – yet an endless
succession of altarpieces, manuscripts and
ecclesiastical carvings bear witness to our
fascination with the concept. There are seamonsters and serpentine foes in classical
art, cousins to those dragons who haunt
the landscape of Northern pagan mythology,
hoarding gold and tempting heroes to
unequal combat. In Chinese culture, the
dragon is benevolent, associated with
water and a popular decorative motif. This
talk explores our visual construction of a
fabulous beast whose shapes are as
various as its meanings.
oUT Hear
Book tickets now:
LonDon cHaMBer
MUsic series
Leon Mccawley plays
russian Virtuosi
with ashley wass
Piano Sonata in F, K332
Fantasie in C minor, K475
Piano Sonata in C minor, K457
Mozart Salzburg Symphony No. 1
in D, K136
Mendelssohn Concerto in D minor
for violin, piano and strings
Bruckner Adagio
Bartók Divertimento for Strings
Leon Mccawley piano
cLassicaL
In the third leg of McCawley’s Mozart
sonatas marathon we arrive at the
sophisticated Sonata in B flat, K333, with its
harmonic twists and a magnificent finale
worthy of a piano concerto. McCawley
has chosen to pair the C minor Sonata
with the famous Fantasie in the same key,
with which it was originally published.
Hall One 11.30am
£12.50 £14.50 £19.50
saver seats £9.50
MoZarT UnwraPPeD
week 4
Leon Mccawley plays
Piano Sonata in F, K533/494
Leon Mccawley piano
cLassicaL
The final part of McCawley’s journey through
Mozart’s keyboard sonatas features late
works such as the Sonata in F, K533, to
which Mozart lent his famous Rondo, K494
as a finale, and the rumbustious, huntingstyle Sonata in D major. This concert will
also provide a chance to hear Mozart’s
russian Virtuosi
ashley wass piano
cLassicaL
The splendid Russian Virtuosi, led by Yuri
Zhislin, perform works for string orchestra,
including Mendelssohn’s exuberant early
double concerto for violin and piano.
Hall One 6.30pm
£16.50 | saver seats £9.50
MonDay 18 aPriL
TaLkinG arT
sculpture:
is Gender important?
sPoken worD
A panel of four female artists currently
exhibiting at Pangolin London discuss
their careers, their outlook and the
challenges they face.
£6.50
worDs on MonDay
carol ann Duffy
and friends
sPoken worD
Following on from last year’s memorable
event at Kings Place, spend an evening in
the company of Carol Ann Duffy, the Poet
Laureate and one of Britain’s best-loved
poets, who will be reading a selection of
her own poems and introducing the
audience to readings by some of the best
contemporary poets writing in the UK
today. Presented by Poet in the City.
Carol Ann Duffy
Hall One 7pm
£9.50
LisTinGs
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
April 2011
LEON MCCAWLEY © SHEILA ROCK | MARTIN FRÖST © MATS BÄCKER | CAROL ANN DUFFY © ANVIL PRESS POETRY
76 LisTinGs
lynn chadwick:
The couple
Kings Place Gallery
Monday – Friday, 10am – 6pm,
Saturday – Sunday, 12 – 6pm
arT
FrEE admission
An exciting exhibition of sculpture and
prints from well-known 20th century
British sculptor Lynn Chadwick. Focusing
on the theme of the couple and its
development throughout Chadwick’s
career, this exhibition will offer viewers
the opportunity to view well-known works
alongside lesser-known but equallybeautiful and energetic abstract works.
4–21 January
Pangolin London Gallery
Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 6pm
Mondays by appointment
FrEE admission
Kings placE gallEry
albert irvin ra:
The complete prints
Working almost exclusively with the
print studio and publisher Advanced
Graphics since the early 80s, Irvin began
producing screenprints with the same
intensity of colour and form as his
paintings. This major retrospective
of Irvin’s printmaking, organised in
association with Advanced Graphics,
is accompanied by a fully illustrated
catalogue with an in-depth discussion
of Irvin’s printmaking career by Mary
Rose Beaumont.
Kings placE gallEry
The narrow World
of norman cornish
arT
Lynn Chadwick,
Conjunction X, 1964, Bronze
4 – 21 January
Kings placE gallEry
Kings placE gallEry
Keith pattison:
‘no redemption’
1984 Easington colliery
Miners’ strike
arT
arT
Running concurrently with Albert Irvin’s
print retrospective, ‘Spoilt for Choice’
includes original prints published by
Advanced Graphics by fellow
Academicians as well as other
established artists.
The Strike of 1984–85 shook the
foundations of British society, tearing
apart traditional mining communities. In
August 1984 Keith Pattison was
commissioned to photograph the strike at
Easington Colliery for one month. He
remained there until it ended in March
1985, photographing from behind the
lines a community rallying together
against implacable opposition. Pattison
frames a narrative sequence of images
FrEE admission
arT
Angela Hughes’s atmospheric paintings
and drawings produced during her
residencies at Swan Hunter Shipyard and
Lemington Glassworks shortly before
they closed are a poignant reminder of
two other Northern industries that no
longer exist.
Kings Place Gallery
angela hughes:
Transitions
FrEE admission
FrEE admission
spoilt for choice:
prints from advanced
graphics london
Kings placE gallEry
Kings Place Gallery
arT
Kings Place Gallery
One of the most important artists to have
emerged from the North East in the postwar years, Norman Cornish, born in 1919,
in Spennymoor, County Durham, was
apprenticed at the age of 14 at the Dean
and Chapter Colliery and spent the next
33 years working in the pits. His paintings
and drawings evoke the life of mining villages in the 30s and 40s and a landscape
both intensely beautiful and marked by
heavy industry.
Kings Place Concert Level
FrEE admission
Norman Cornish
The Pit Road
pangolin london
daughters of Vulcan
arT
Focusing on contemporary female
sculptors this exhibition includes a variety
of subject matter concerning female artists
today. Ranging from the candid and
controversial to the calm and cathartic
these sculptures, presented in a range of
different media, offer an alternative view
of current sculpture practices.
Pangolin London Gallery
Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 6pm
Mondays by appointment
CALENDAR
FrEE admission
Kings placE gallEry
helen Baker:
paintings
arT
Inspired by a residency in Rome, which
brought the artist face to face with
fragmented mosaics and crumbling
frescos, Helen Baker takes a rectangular
surface and packs it with a mosaic of
intricate geometric grids with painted
variations of tone and colour and texture.
Kings Place Gallery
FrEE admission
Kings placE gallEry
alan davie:
Boom, Boom – paintings
and works on paper
arT
Represented in many of the world’s major
museums and collections, the Scottish
artist Alan Davie (b. 1920) is one of the few
British painters of the last fifty years to
attain an international reputation on the
scale of such Americans as Jackson Pollock
and Mark Rothko. Brush drawings and
gouaches are included in this exhibition
of Davie’s work as he improvises and
develops primitivistic compositions in
‘magic landscapes’ as redolent of the
esoteric mysteries of Caribbean religion as
they are of the music of ancient Asian ritual.
Kings Place Gallery
Closed Easter Bank Holiday 22 – 25 April
FrEE admission
January – April 2011
January 2011
31 Fri (dec.)
Hall One
6pm
1 sat
Hall One
1pm
4 Tue
4 Tue
6 Thu
Kings Place Gallery
Kings Place Gallery
Hall One
ONGOING
ONGOING
7.30pm
9 sun
Hall One
6.30pm
11 Tue
12 Wed
13 Thu
13 Thu
14 Fri
14 Fri
14 Fri
15 sat
15 sat
15 sat
15 sat FrEE
15 sat
15 sat
16 sun
Pangolin London
Hall One
Hall One
Hall One
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall One
Hall One
Hall One
Hall One
Hall One
FIRST DAY
7.30pm
7pm
8.30pm
6.30pm
7.45pm
9pm
12 noon
1.30pm
3pm
5.15pm
6.30pm
8pm
6.30pm
17 Mon
17 Mon
20 Thu
21 Fri
21 Fri
21 Fri
21 Fri
22 sat
22 sat
22 sat
23 sun
23 sun
23 sun
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Kings Place Gallery
Kings Place Gallery
Hall One
Hall Two
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
St Pancras Room
Hall One
7pm
8pm
7.30pm
LAST DAY
LAST DAY
7.30pm
8pm
10.30am
7.30pm
8pm
11.30am
5.15pm
6.30pm
24 Mon
24 Mon
26 Wed
26 Wed
27 Thu
27 Thu
28 Fri
28 Fri
28 Fri
28 Fri
28 Fri
28 Fri
29 sat
29 sat
29 sat
30 sun
St Pancras Room
Hall Two
St Pancras Room
Hall One
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Kings Place Gallery
Kings Place Gallery
Kings Place Gallery
Hall One
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
6.30pm
8pm
6.30pm
7.30pm
6.30pm
7.30pm
FIRST DAY
FIRST DAY
FIRST DAY
6.15pm
7.30pm
8pm
6pm
7.30pm
8pm
6.30pm
31 Mon
31 Mon
3 Thu
3 Thu
4 Fri
4 Fri
5 sat
5 sat
5 sat
5 sat
5 sat
6 sun
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
7pm
8pm
7.30pm
8pm
7.30pm
8pm
10.30am
11.15am
2pm
7.30pm
8pm
6.30pm
calEndar 79
JANUARY–APRIL 2011
MoZarT unWrappEd Week 1
Mozart unwrapped – Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment plays Mozart
(with Sophie Bevan, Kristian Bezuidenhout & Jonathan Cohen, conductor)
Mozart unwrapped – Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment plays Mozart
(with Sophie Bevan, Kristian Bezuidenhout & Jonathan Cohen, conductor)
Exhibition – Albert Irvin RA: The Complete Prints (until 21 January)
Exhibition – Spoilt for Choice: Prints from Advanced Graphics, London (until 21 January)
Mozart unwrapped – Sir Colin Davis conducts Mozart
(Aurora Orchestra with Fflur Wyn & Thomas Gould)
london chamber Music series – Raphael Wallfisch (cello) and John York (piano)
london a cappElla FEsTiVal
Exhibition – Lynn Chadwick: The Couple
london a cappella Festival – The Real Group (Support Act: The Oxford Gargoyles)
london a cappella Festival – Shades of East: London Bulgarian Choir
london a cappella Festival – Shades of East: Hertfordshire Chorus
london a cappella Festival – Out of Office: Office Choir of the Year 2010
london a cappella Festival – The Boxettes
london a cappella Festival – Witloof Bay (Support Act: Steel)
london a cappella Festival – Purely A Cappella! Vocal Workshop 1
london a cappella Festival – Talk: Contemporary A Cappella
london a cappella Festival – Eclectic Voices
london a cappella Festival – Swingles & Friends
london chamber Music series – Marmara Piano Trio
MoZarT unWrappEd Week 2
Words on Monday – Faiz Ahmed Faiz (centenary celebrations)
out hear – Nonclassical – Gabriel Prokofiev
Mozart unwrapped – Chilingirian Quartet: Mozart String Quartets and Quintets 1
Exhibition – Albert Irvin RA: The Complete Prints
Exhibition – Spoilt for Choice: Prints from Advanced Graphics, London
Mozart unwrapped – Kenneth Hamilton: Mozart – Past, Present and Future
Folk union – Madam – Eva Eden
Mozart unwrapped – Study Day: Understanding Mozart
Mozart unwrapped – Cropper-Welsh-Roscoe Trio: Mozart Trios and Duos 1
The Base – The Fini Bearman Quartet
Mozart unwrapped – Ludwig String Trio: Mozart Trios and Duos 2
london chamber Music series – Pre-Concert Talk with Dr François Evans
london chamber Music series – The Turner Ensemble – Concert 2
lisZT BicEnTEnary
Talking art – Lynn Chadwick: ‘The Couple’
out hear – Sophie Harris and Friends
liszt Bicentenary – Pre-Concert Talk
liszt Bicentenary – Gergely Bogányi & Barnabás Kelemen
liszt Bicentenary – Pre-Concert Talk with Karl Lutchmayer
liszt Bicentenary – Edit Klukon & Dezsö Ránki Piano Duo
Exhibition – Keith Pattison: ‘No Redemption’ 1984 Easington Colliery Miners’ Strike (until 4 March)
Exhibition – Angela Hughes: Transitions (until 4 March)
Exhibition – The Narrow World of Norman Cornish (until 4 March)
liszt Bicentenary – Liszt Award Winner’s Concert
liszt Bicentenary – Liszt and the Hungarian Choral Tradition
liszt Bicentenary – The Roots of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies with the Jánosi Ensemble
liszt Bicentenary – Trinity Laban
liszt Bicentenary – Liszt, the Travelling Virtuoso: A Recital by Dénes Várjon
The Base – F-IRE Collective presents… John Taylor
london chamber Music series – Allegri Quartet: The Complete Beethoven Quartets 1
TasMin liTTlE & FriEnds: Violin JournEys
Words on Monday – The Annual Sebald Lecture on Literary Translation: Ali Smith
out hear – Warp Records: Seefeel
Violin Journeys – Partners in Time: A Recital by Tasmin Little & John Lenehan
off With Their heads! – The Fix presents...
Violin Journeys – Tasmin Little & Piers Lane: From the Devil to the Dance
Folk union – Hiss Golden Messenger
Violin Journeys – Young Person’s Workshop for Strings with David Le Page
Violin Journeys – Masterclass with Tasmin Little
Violin Journeys – Family Concert
Violin Journeys – Chamber Music
The Base – Spitz presents… The Jay Phelps Quintet with Michael Mwenso
london chamber Music series – Charles Owen & Katya Apekisheva Piano Duo
classical
classical
art
art
classical
classical
art
contemporary
World
classical
contemporary
contemporary
contemporary
interact
interact
interact
spoken Word
contemporary
contemporary
classical
spoken Word
contemporary
classical
art
art
classical
Folk
interact
classical
Jazz
classical
spoken Word
classical
spoken Word
contemporary
spoken Word
classical
spoken Word
classical
art
art
art
classical
classical
Folk
classical
classical
Jazz
classical
spoken Word
contemporary
classical
comedy
classical
Folk
interact
interact
classical
classical
Jazz
classical
calEndar
pangolin london
from the optimism of August through the
deepening pessimism of winter, to the
final vote to return to work.
Book tickets now:
January
11 January – 26 FEBruary
Albert Irvin
Kepler I
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
FEBruary
arT lisTings
78 arT lisTings
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall One
Hall Two
Atrium
Hall One
Hall Two
St Pancras Room
Limehouse Room
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
6.30pm
7pm
8pm
7.30pm
7.30pm
8pm
9.30pm
7.30pm
8pm
12.30pm
2.15pm
3.30pm
7.30pm
8pm
6.30pm
14 Mon
14 Mon
17 Thu
17 Thu
17 Thu
18 Fri
18 Fri
18 Fri
19 Sat
19 Sat
19 Sat
19 Sat
19 Sat
20 Sun
20 Sun
Hall One
Hall Two
Atrium
Hall One
Hall Two
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall Two
Hall Two
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Hall Two
St Pancras Room
Hall One
7pm
8pm
6pm
7.30pm
8pm
6pm
7.30pm
8pm
1.30pm
2.30pm
4.45pm
7.30pm
8pm
5.15pm
6.30pm
21 Mon
21 Mon
24 Thu
24 Thu
25 Fri
25 Fri
26 Feb
26 Sat
26 Sat
26 Sat
26 Sat
27 Sun
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall Two
Pangolin London
Limehouse Room
Limehouse Room
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
7pm
8pm
8pm
8pm
7.30pm
8pm
LAST DAY
11am
1pm
7.30pm
8pm
6.30pm
28 Mon
3 Thu
3 Thu
3 Thu
4 Fri
4 Fri
4 Fri
4 Fri
4 Fri
4 Fri
5 Sat
5 Sat FREE
5 Sat
5 Sat
6 Sun
Hall Two
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Hall Two
Kings Place Gallery
Kings Place Gallery
Kings Place Gallery
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Hall Two
St Pancras Room
Atrium
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
8pm
6pm
7.30pm
8pm
LAST DAY
LAST DAY
LAST DAY
6pm
7.30pm
8pm
5pm
6.15pm
7.30pm
8pm
6.30pm
7 Mon
7 Mon
7 Mon
8 Tue
9 Wed
10 Thu
10 Thu
11 Fri
11 Fri
11 Fri
11 Fri
12 Sat
12 Sat
12 Sat
13 Sun
13 Sun
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Hall Two
Pangolin London
Hall One
Hall One
Hall Two
Kings Place Gallery
Kings Place Gallery
Hall One
Hall Two
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall One
6.30pm
7pm
8pm
FIRST DAY
7.30pm
7.30pm
8pm
FIRST DAY
FIRST DAY
7.30pm
8pm
10.30am
7.30pm
8pm
11.30am
6.30pm
COMMONPLACE
Talking Art – Lovers in Art
Spoken Word
Words on Monday – Iconoclasts and Sacred Cows (taste and self-censorship in the arts)
Spoken Word
Out Hear – Piano Circus: Trilogies
Contemporary
Commonplace – In Search of Anon with Chris Wood, Martin Carthy, Simon Armitage & Erica Wagner
Folk
Commonplace – A Folk Song A Day: Jon Boden and The Remnant Kings
Folk
Off With Their Heads! – Impropera
Comedy
Commonplace – Late-Night Songs with Jon Boden
Folk
Commonplace – The Folly at the Heart of It: Karine Polwart with Alasdair Roberts & Corrina Hewat
Folk
Commonplace – On Common Ground with Hugh Lupton & Chris Wood
Folk Spoken Word
Commonplace – The Big Sing: Water from the Well
Interact
Commonplace – ‘Get the Musicians Out of the Trees First’: Illustrated Talk with Adrian Arbib
Spoken Word
Commonplace – Chris Wood: The Handmade Song (song-writing workshop)
Interact
Commonplace – The Tongue that Cannot Lie: Karine Polwart & Chris Wood with Michael Marra & Chris Mullin
Folk
The Base – Robert Mitchell’s Panacea: The Cusp
Jazz
London Chamber Music Series – Dante Quartet
Classical
Words on Monday – Love Poetry with leading Picador poets
Spoken Word
Out Hear – Loverdrive: An Alternative Valentine’s Special
Contemporary
Celebrating Grainger – A Band Blast-Off
Classical Folk
Celebrating Grainger – The Harmonious Songsmith: Grainger’s World in Song
Classical Folk
Off With Their Heads! – The Fix presents...
Comedy
Celebrating Grainger – Percy Grainger and the Pianola
Classical
Celebrating Grainger – Wind Band Spectacular
Classical
Folk Union – Skaidi
Folk
Celebrating Grainger – Room-music Gems
Classical
Celebrating Grainger – Sing Grainger!
Interact
Celebrating Grainger – Experimenting with Grainger: The Electric Eye Tone Tool and the Theremin
Classical
Celebrating Grainger – East Meets West: An Extravaganza
Classical
The Base – Full Circle
Jazz
London Chamber Music Series – Pre-Concert Talk with Ian Christians
Spoken Word
London Chamber Music Series – Hummel Ensemble
Classical
EESTI FEST (ESTONIA FESTIVAL)
Words on Monday (Eesti Fest) – Cheap Talk: Skype and Estonian IT Genius with Sten Tamkivi
Spoken Word
Out Hear – Plus-Minus: Celebrating Laurence Crane’s 50th Birthday
Contemporary
Eesti Fest – Vox Clamantis: Da Pacem
Classical
Off With Their Heads! – Peacock & Gamble Emergency Broadcast
Comedy
Eesti Fest – Estonian Piano Orchestra
Contemporary
Folk Union (Eesti Fest) – Suurõ Pilvõ (Big Clouds)
Folk
Exhibition – Lynn Chadwick: ‘The Couple’
Art
Eesti Fest – Guitar Workshop with the Weekend Guitar Trio
Interact
Eesti Fest – Estonian Folk Music Workshop with Suurõ Pilvõ (Big Clouds)
Interact
Eesti Fest – Weekend Guitar Trio with Toyah Willcox & Jan Bang
Contemporary
The Base (Eesti Fest) – Kristjan Randalu
Jazz
London Chamber Music Series – Trio Zilliacus-Persson-Raitinen
Classical
HIBIKI: RESONANCES FROM JAPAN
Out Hear – Transition_projects
Contemporary
Hibiki – Pre-Concert Talk with Mayumi Miyata
Spoken Word
–
Hibiki – Mayumi Miyata: Sho – The Sound of Eternity
World
Off With Their Heads! – Comedy at Kings Place
Comedy
Exhibition – Keith Pattison: ‘No Redemption’ 1984 Easington Colliery Miners’ Strike
Art
Exhibition – Angela Hughes: Transitions
Art
Exhibition – The Narrow World of Norman Cornish
Art
Hibiki – Pre-Concert Talk with Shunsuke Kimura
Spoken Word
Hibiki – Kimura & Ono DUO: Tsugaru-Shamisen – Sheer Wind from the North
World
Folk Union – Andy Cutting with James Fagan
Folk
Hibiki – Pre-Concert Talk: Music in Manga
Spoken Word
Hibiki – Foyer Performance: ‘i.Ro.Ha’
World
Hibiki – Tradition & Exploration: The Koto of Michiyo Yagi
World
The Base – Hans Koller Sextet
Jazz
London Chamber Music Series – Rosamunde Trio
Classical
MOZART UNWRAPPED Week 3
Talking Art – Painting the Sea
Spoken Word
Words on Monday – Edmund Spenser and ‘The Faerie Queene’
Spoken Word
Out Hear – Brian Ferneyhough: Solo Elision
Contemporary
Exhibition – Daughters of Vulcan (until 21 April)
Art
Mozart Unwrapped – ‘Bella mia fiamma’ – Rosemary Joshua sings concert arias with Aurora Orchestra
Classical
Mozart Unwrapped – Chilingirian Quartet: Mozart String Quartets and Quintets 2
Classical
Off With Their Heads – WitTank
Comedy
Exhibition – Helen Baker: Paintings (until 21 April)
Art
Exhibition – Alan Davie: Works on Paper (until 21 April)
Art
Mozart Unwrapped – Choir of King’s College: Mozart’s Sacred Music 1
Classical
Folk Union – Re-arranging Folk with Mike Siddell (violin) & Will Calderbank (cello)
Folk
Mozart Unwrapped – Study Day: Mozart in Context
Interact
Mozart Unwrapped – Imogen Cooper & Friends: Mozart Piano Quartets
Classical
The Base – In Glorious Pianoscope: Leon Michener, Oli Brice & Mark Sanders
Jazz
Mozart Unwrapped – Charles Owen & Katya Apekisheva: Mozart for Four Hands 1
Classical
London Chamber Music Series – Allegri Quartet: The Complete Beethoven Quartets 2
Classical
Book tickets now:
14 Mon
14 Mon
17 Thu
17 Thu
18 Fri
18 Fri
19 Sat
19 Sat
20 Sun
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
7pm
8pm
7.30pm
8pm
7.30pm
8pm
8pm
8pm
6.30pm
21 Mon
23 Wed
24 Thu
24 Thu
25 Fri
25 Fri
26 Sat
26 Sat
26 Sat
27 Sun
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
8pm
7.30pm
7.30pm
8pm
7.30pm
8pm
5pm
7.30pm
8pm
6.30pm
28 Mon
28 Mon
31 Thu
31 Thu
1 Fri
1 Fri
2 Sat
2 Sat
2 Sat
3 Sun
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall Two
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
7pm
8pm
7.30pm
8pm
7.30pm
8pm
4pm
7.30pm
8pm
6.30pm
4 Mon
6 Wed
7 Thu
7 Thu
7 Thu
7 Thu
7 Thu FREE
8 Fri
8 Fri
8 Fri
8 Fri
8 Fri FREE
9 Sat
9 Sat
9 Sat
9 Sat
9 Sat
9 Sat
10 Sun
10 Sun
Hall Two
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall Two
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Concert Level
Hall One
Hall Two
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Concert Level
Hall Two
Hall Two
Hall One
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall One
8pm
7pm
6.45pm
8pm
8pm
8.45pm
10pm
6.45pm
8pm
8pm
8.45pm
10pm
9.30am
11am
12.30pm
6.15pm
7.30pm
8pm
11.30am
6.30pm
11 Mon
11 Mon
13 Wed
St Pancras Room
Hall Two
Hall One
6.30pm
8pm
7.30pm
14 Thu
14 Thu
15 Fri
15 Fri
16 Sat
16 Sat
16 Sat
17 Sun
17 Sun
17 Sun
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall Two
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Hall Two
Hall One
Hall One
Hall One
7.30pm
8pm
7.30pm
8pm
10.30am
7.30pm
8pm
11.30am
3pm
6.30pm
18 Mon
18 Mon
21 Thu
21 Thu
21 Thu
Easter Weekend
St Pancras Room
Hall One
Kings Place Gallery
Kings Place Gallery
Pangolin London
Kings Place
6.30pm
7pm
LAST DAY
LAST DAY
LAST DAY
CALENDAR 81
Words on Monday – PhotoVoice Lecture Series: Chris Steele-Perkins
Spoken Word
Out Hear – Joby Burgess and Powerplant: 24 Lies per second
Contemporary
Sonia Wieder-Atherton – Chants juifs: Jewish Songs
Classical
Off With Their Heads – Comedy at Kings Place
Comedy
Sonia Wieder-Atherton – Monteverdi’s Madrigals and Scelsi’s Trilogia
Classical
Folk Union – Bella Hardy (with special guests Anna Massie & Chris Sherburn)
Folk
Sonia Wieder-Atherton – d’Est in Music
Classical
The Base – Nu Beginnings
Jazz
London Chamber Music Series – The Turner Ensemble Concert 3
Classical
HEINZ HOLLIGER: IN PROFILE
Out Hear – Urban Conditions
Contemporary
Heinz Holliger – Souvenirs and Fairytales
Classical
Heinz Holliger – Darkness and Infinity
Classical
Off With Their Heads! – Peacock & Gamble Emergency Broadcast
Comedy
Heinz Holliger - Fantasies and Journeys
Classical
Folk Union – Urban Folk Quartet
Folk
Heinz Holliger – Holliger on Alban Berg’s Kammerkonzert
Spoken Word
Heinz Holliger – Childhood and Encryptions
Classical
The Base – Samuel Joseph presents… Ian Shaw
Jazz
London Chamber Music Series – Kodály Quartet
Classical
TRANSTANGO
Words on Monday – Colin Thubron in conversation
Spoken Word
Out Hear – EXAUDI
Contemporary
Transtango – Dreaming Cities… Buenos Aires. London. Rio. 1: Urban Encounters
Contemporary World
Off With Their Heads! – Tilt presents... Is it Something I Said?
Comedy
Transtango – Transamba
World
Folk Union – Spitz presents… Flamenco Express
Folk
Transtango – The Journeys of Tango and Samba / Round Table: Music and Identity
Spoken Word
Transtango – Dreaming Cities… Buenos Aires. London. Rio. 2: The Body and the City
Contemporary World
The Base – Mike Westbrook at 75: The Serpent Hit
Jazz
London Chamber Music Series – Philippe Graffin (violin), Marisa Gupta (piano) & Catherine Beynon (harp) Classical
ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT: BAROQUE. CONTRASTED.
Out Hear – Trio Atem
Contemporary
Baroque. Contrasted. – Baroque from Scratch
Classical
Baroque. Contrasted. – Baroque Winds
Classical
Off With Their Heads! – Comedy at Kings Place
Comedy
Baroque. Contrasted. – Get to Know: Baroque Strings
Spoken Word
Baroque. Contrasted. – Baroque Strings
Classical
Baroque. Contrasted. – Aftershow
Classical
Baroque. Contrasted. – The Sprightly Hautboy and the Soft Complaining Flute
Classical
Folk Union – Martin Simpson
Folk
Baroque. Contrasted. – Get to Know: Baroque Winds
Spoken Word
Baroque. Contrasted. – Reflections on the Grand Tour
Classical
Baroque. Contrasted. – Aftershow
Classical
Baroque. Contrasted. – OAE Tots Workshop
Interact
Baroque. Contrasted. – OAE Tots Concert
Interact
Baroque. Contrasted. – Sing Baroque!
Interact
Baroque. Contrasted. – Pre-Concert Talk
Spoken Word
Baroque. Contrasted. – A Restoration Spectacular
Classical
The Base – Samuel Joseph presents… Kit Downes
Jazz
Baroque. Contrasted. – Coffee Concert
Classical
London Chamber Music Series – Badke Quartet
Classical
MOZART UNWRAPPED Week 4
Talking Art – The Dragon in Art
Spoken Word
Out Hear – Blank Canvas
Contemporary
Mozart Unwrapped – Academy of St Martin in the Fields featuring Martin Fröst:
Classical
Mozart and the Clarinet
Mozart Unwrapped – Chilingirian Quartet: Mozart String Quartets and Quintets 3
Classical
Off With Their Heads! – The Fix presents...
Comedy
Mozart Unwrapped – Leon McCawley plays Mozart Piano Sonatas 1
Classical
Folk Union – Rachel Dadd and Friends
Folk
Mozart Unwrapped – Study Day: Mozart the Performer-Composer
Interact
Classical
The Base F-IRE Collective presents… Nikki Yeoh
Jazz
Classical
Classical
London Chamber Music Series – Russian Virtuosi with Ashley Wass (piano)
Classical
DARBAR FESTIVAL 2011
Talking Art – Sculpture: Is Gender Important?
Spoken Word
Words on Monday – Carol Ann Duffy and Friends
Spoken Word
Exhibition – Helen Baker: Paintings
Art
Exhibition – Alan Davie: Works on Paper
Art
Exhibition – Daughters of Vulcan
Art
Darbar Festival 2011
World
CALENDAR
7 Mon
7 Mon
7 Mon
9 Wed
10 Thu
10 Thu
10 Thu FREE
11 Fri
11 Fri
12 Sat
12 Sat
12 Sat
12 Sat
12 Sat
13 Sun
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
MARCH
APRIL
FEBRUARY
MARCH
CALENDAR
80 CALENDAR
82 CONTEMPORARY
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
Q&A
GAbriel
Prokofiev
Gabriel Prokofiev, grandson of Sergei, is a
composer, DJ, producer and impresario. He
kicks off the Out Hear series at Kings Place
in January 2011
Did you find inspiration when
studying music at university?
Jonty Harrison was a big
inspiration: he ran the
Birmingham electroacoustic
music studio (BEAST). The work
they did there was fantastic,
comparing sound with gesture
and getting away from music
that is too self-conscious about
pitch, metre and harmony. It
was very refreshing to come
upon that when you are young
and feeling the weight of
music history!
Your club night is called
‘Nonclassical’ – does that
mean anti-classical?
Not at all. It’s not that we’re
anti-classical, but we are
exploring it in a new way.
I wanted to bring my two
worlds together: a music
event that chimed with my
lifestyle, that wasn’t formal
and intimidating. I felt that
a lot of people might discover
some wonderful music
this way. There’s a growing
generation of composers
and performers who have
grown up playing in bands
and enjoying dance music,
and want to do things
differently. The fact was, I
wrote a string quartet and I
wanted to share it with my
friends. They weren’t going
to come unless it was being
performed somewhere they
wanted to be – so I started
the club.
How have the club and the
music evolved?
A lot. We started with two or
three events a year, now it
happens every month. I bring
in a huge range of different
performers, and do short sets of
about 20 minutes with different
classical contemporary music
interspersed with ten minutes
of DJs. It keeps it fluid and all
the music interacts with other
music. We’ve also launched
a label, which now has more
than ten releases, all of them
unique, which is very exciting.
You plan to mix acoustic with
laptops at Kings Place event?
We amplify acoustic
instruments to keep the sound
world consistent, but I do it
very subtly. We want the Kings
Place event to be a showcase:
Elysian Quartet is an amazing,
pioneering ensemble in
alternative contemporary
music. The way they responded
to my first quartet inspired my
second. The singers from juice
are brilliant and have recorded
with us too. Consortium5 won
our battle of the bands last
year. Half their repertoire is
Renaissance and half new. They
love bass recorders and the
woody texture of that dark sound
comes across beautifully when
amplified. We’ll make the event
as informal as possible with a
DJ set afterwards in the foyer.
What have you created that
you are most proud of?
I think the ‘Nonclassical’ label
is something I’m becoming
more proud of. Also, my third
string quartet. It was inspired
by the lyrical, rich, very Dutch
sound of the Ruysdael Quartet.
I wrote them something more
classical, but with syncopated
rhythms. They found it hard
but just before the concert the
adrenaline kicked in and they
got into the groove.
Is the name Prokofiev a burden
or a door-opener?
I want to make progress by my
own merit alone. I didn’t know
my grandfather: he died 22
years before I was born. I’m still
discovering things about my
own father, who died 12 years
ago. Recently there was an
exhibition that included newly
discovered paintings by him
in Moscow, and I appreciated
his role in founding the
non-conformist movement
in painting in the 1960s. He
was definitely affected by the
success of his father, and was
a very introverted person. I’m
certainly inspired by Sergei
and love his music, but it’s a
daunting legacy too: he had
a magical life and he was
a total star. As a performer
his reputation affected me
and killed my motivation,
the expectation reduced my
confidence. But recently I’ve
thought I should really learn
some of his piano music, like
the Vision fugitives. I love
Romeo and Juliet: it blows my
mind every time I hear it, every
single theme is a killer piece
of music.
Out Hear: Gabriel Prokofiev
17 January, Hall Two.
GABRIEL PROKOFIEV © ALICIA CLARKE
What was the musical
experience that made the
biggest impact on you?
I had a really mixed bag of
experiences. Although I had a
famous composer-grandfather,
both my parents were visual
artists, and they never wanted
to push us into music, but I
learnt piano and French horn.
I realised that I liked making
music when I was 10 or 11, and
my friend and I would walk
around the playground making
up pop songs. I found it was
a big thrill to come up with a
melody and turn it into a song.
DJ / composer
Gabriel Prokofiev
Photo Tom Bland

highlights - Kings Place

Transcription

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