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Proms 2017: pre-première questions with Laurent Durupt

Posted on July 24, 2017 by 5:4 in Premières, Proms | Leave a comment

This afternoon, at the second Proms Chamber Music concert at Cadogan Hall, French composer Laurent Durupt‘s first string quartet, Grids for Greed, will receive its world première by the Van Kuijk Quartet. Durupt is a composer new to me, so his answers to my pre-première questions are a useful starting point for becoming acquainted with him and his work. Many thanks to Laurent for his responses.

Proms 2017: Pascal Dusapin – Outscape (UK Première)

Posted on July 22, 2017 by 5:4 in Premières, Proms | Leave a comment

Concertos are a regular occurrence among Proms premières. Usually – too often – they’re for violin, but last year bucked this trend by featuring a pair of cello concertos (by Huw Watkins and Charlotte Bray). The 2017 season is bucking it some more, again featuring two of them, the first of which, by Pascal Dusapin, was given its UK première last Wednesday by soloist Alisa Weilerstein with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by her brother, Joshua Weilerstein. The title, Outscape, is an interesting … →

Proms 2017: Roderick Williams – Là ci darem la mano (World Première)

Posted on July 21, 2017 by 5:4 in Premières, Proms | Leave a comment

As i noted in my introduction to his answers to my pre-première questions, until the announcement was made about this year’s Proms in April, it had passed me by completely that Roderick Williams, as well as being one of Britain’s most well-known singers, is also a composer. Unsurprisingly focused on vocal and choral music, he stated that his compositional starting point is often the text, and that’s the case in his new work too, a madrigal setting of ‘Là ci … →

Proms 2017: Harrison Birtwistle – Deep Time (UK Première)

Posted on July 21, 2017 by 5:4 in Premières, Proms | 2 Comments

It’s easy to believe – even take for granted – that we ‘get’ Harrison Birtwistle. He represents a lot of things to a lot of people, but the tendency is to conflate the man and his music, mix in stereotypes drawing on his age and northern heritage, and arrive at a surly amalgam that, crudely stated, neither gives nor takes any shit. Very many years ago, as a callow student volunteering at the Cheltenham Music Festival, i was charged with … →

Cheltenham Music Festival: 21st Century String Quartet, The Hallé

Posted on July 19, 2017 by 5:4 in Cheltenham Music Festival, Concerts, Premières | Leave a comment

Here’s a suggestion: if a composer can’t summarise their programme note in fewer than a couple of hundred words, that’s a problem. Is that terribly controversial? Judging by what we were given at the Cheltenham Music Festival last Saturday, it is. This is not a local problem, though, it’s something that manifests itself all too often, composers seeking to convey at length not merely the inspiration for their music but a blow-by-blow account of what happens in it. It’s interesting … →

HCMF 2017: looking forward

Posted on July 19, 2017 by 5:4 in Announcements, Concerts, HCMF | Leave a comment

i’ve just returned from a few days in Poland, and before i get started on catch-up reviews of Cheltenham and the Proms, at a press conference in Warsaw a couple of days ago a slew of new announcements were made about this year’s 40th edition of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. Last month, it was announced that there’s to be the world première of a large-scale new piece by James Dillon performed by his compatriots Red Note Ensemble, as well as … →

Proms 2017: pre-première questions with Roderick Williams

Posted on July 17, 2017 by 5:4 in Premières, Proms | Leave a comment

Today’s Proms première is by renowned baritone Roderick Williams, whom many may not have realised – as i didn’t, until relatively recently – also has a sideline in composition. In preparation for the first performance of his new work Là ci darem la mano at Cadogan Hall this afternoon – in a concert otherwise devoted to the music of Monteverdi – here are his answers to my pre-première questions. Many thanks to Roderick Williams for his responses and to Francesco Bastanzetti … →