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Festivals

  • FestivalsPremières

    Proms 2021: George Lewis – Minds in Flux (World Première)

    by 5:4 September 1, 2021 • 16:34
    September 1, 2021 • 16:34 1 minutes read

    A word that rarely comes to mind when listening to Proms premières is “brave”. Bravery in music, to me, involves a demonstration of the composer’s singular vision to the extent that many, even all, of the expectations that i may bring to the piece as a listener are ignored, overturned, …

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  • FestivalsInterviews

    Proms 2021: pre-première questions with Charlotte Bray

    by 5:4 August 26, 2021 • 05:00
    August 26, 2021 • 05:00 1 minutes read

    The second half of tomorrow evening’s BBC Symphony Orchestra Prom concert opens with the first UK performance of Where Icebergs Dance Away, by British composer Charlotte Bray. In preparation for that, here are her answers to my pre-première questions, along with the programme note for the piece. Many thanks to …

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  • FestivalsInterviews

    Proms 2021: pre-première questions with George Lewis

    by 5:4 August 25, 2021 • 05:00
    August 25, 2021 • 05:00 1 minutes read

    Tomorrow night’s Prom concert brings together music by Beethoven and the première of Minds in Flux, a 30-minute electroacoustic work by US composer George Lewis. As an upbeat to that, here are his answers to my pre-première questions, together with his programme for the piece. Many thanks to George for …

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  • FestivalsPremières

    Proms 2021: Bernard Hughes – Birdchant; Nico Muhly – A New Flame (after Sweelinck); Shiva Feshareki – Aetherworld (World Premières)

    by 5:4 August 23, 2021 • 17:21
    August 23, 2021 • 17:21 3 minutes read

    More Proms premières, more demands that composers must ‘respond’ to existing music. Perhaps by now the Proms organisers regard this approach as an integral, even defining, part of its commissioning strategy, but it demonstrates a complete lack of faith and trust in composers to forge their own unique conceptions from …

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  • FestivalsInterviews

    Proms 2021: pre-première questions with Shiva Feshareki

    by 5:4 August 19, 2021 • 05:00
    August 19, 2021 • 05:00 1 minutes read

    This evening’s Prom concert, in addition to new works from Bernard Hughes and Nico Muhly, features the world première of Aetherworld by UK composer Shiva Feshareki. It’s a rare and very welcome instance of an electroacoustic work of contemporary music at the Proms, and in preparation for it here are Shiva’s answers …

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  • FestivalsInterviews

    Proms 2021: pre-première questions with Bernard Hughes

    by 5:4 August 18, 2021 • 05:00
    August 18, 2021 • 05:00 1 minutes read

    Tomorrow evening’s Prom concert given by the BBC Singers features three world premières, one of which is Birdchant by British composer Bernard Hughes. By way of an introduction to the piece, here are his answers to my pre-première questions, together with his programme note for the piece. Many thanks to Bernard …

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  • FestivalsPremières

    Proms 2021: Britta Byström – Parallel Universes (World Première)

    by 5:4 August 11, 2021 • 15:20
    August 11, 2021 • 15:20 1 minutes read

    One of the things that’s pretty much guaranteed to pull me into a piece of contemporary (or indeed any) music and hold me there is having my expectations raised and then thwarted. In the case of the latest première at this year’s Proms, Parallel Universes by Swedish composer Britta Byström, …

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  • FestivalsPremières

    Proms 2021: Augusta Read Thomas – Dance Foldings (World Première)

    by 5:4 August 9, 2021 • 14:04
    August 9, 2021 • 14:04 1 minutes read

    Yesterday evening’s Prom concert included the third world première of the season, Augusta Read Thomas‘ orchestral work Dance Foldings. In her very detailed responses to my pre-première questions, Thomas discussed the science-related inspiration for the piece (which formed part of the commission brief) – specifically the “biological ‘ballet’ of proteins …

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  • FestivalsInterviews

    Proms 2021: pre-première questions with Britta Byström

    by 5:4 August 9, 2021 • 05:00
    August 9, 2021 • 05:00 1 minutes read

    In tomorrow evening’s Prom the BBC Philharmonic will be exploring works by Sibelius and Schumann after opening the concert with the world première of Parallel Universes by Swedish composer Britta Byström. In anticipation of that, here are her answers to my pre-première questions, along with the programme note for the …

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  • FestivalsInterviews

    Proms 2021: pre-première questions with Augusta Read Thomas

    by 5:4 August 7, 2021 • 05:00
    August 7, 2021 • 05:00 1 minutes read

    Tomorrow evening’s Prom concert given by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, in addition to music by Dvořák and Ives, includes the world première of Dance Foldings by US composer Augusta Read Thomas. As preparation for that, here are her answers to my pre-première questions, together with her programme note …

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  • Festivals

    Proms 2021: Thomas Adès – The Exterminating Angel Symphony

    by 5:4 August 6, 2021 • 13:53
    August 6, 2021 • 13:53 2 minutes read

    Last night’s Proms performance of Thomas Adès‘ The Exterminating Angel Symphony wasn’t a première (a so-called “London première” is not a première!) so i’m not technically including it as part of my annual survey of the season’s new works, but there’s a couple of good reasons to say a little …

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  • FestivalsPremières

    Proms 2021: Elizabeth Ogonek – Cloudline (World Première)

    by 5:4 August 3, 2021 • 15:19
    August 3, 2021 • 15:19 1 minutes read

    Yesterday evening’s Prom featured the second world première of the season, Cloudline by US composer Elizabeth Ogonek (whose answers to my pre-première questions you can read here). The title of her piece is interesting as it contains two opposite implications: ‘cloud’ indicates mutability and a concomitant uncertainty of shape, while …

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  • FestivalsInterviews

    Proms 2021: pre-première questions with Elizabeth Ogonek

    by 5:4 August 1, 2021 • 05:00
    August 1, 2021 • 05:00 1 minutes read

    Tomorrow evening’s Prom concert features the first performance of Cloudline, a new orchestral work by US composer Elizabeth Ogonek. In anticipation of that, here are her answers to my pre-première questions. Many thanks to Elizabeth for her responses.

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  • FestivalsPremières

    Proms 2021: James MacMillan – When Soft Voices Die (World Première)

    by 5:4 July 31, 2021 • 12:53
    July 31, 2021 • 12:53 1 minutes read

    Last night the 2021 Proms season began, featuring – as has been the custom for many years – the world première of a new piece. When Soft Voices Die is a choral work by Scottish composer James MacMillan that brings together two texts by Shelley, Mutability (also known as ‘The …

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  • FestivalsPremières

    Baltic Music Days 2021, Estonia (Part 2)

    by 5:4 June 2, 2021 • 05:00
    June 2, 2021 • 05:00 1 minutes read

    Despite its name, it’s important to note that not everything performed at this year’s inaugural Baltic Music Days originated in the Baltic (though all of the performers did). Among the most striking of the international pieces was Spur by Austrian composer Beat Furrer. Composed in 1998, it was especially interesting …

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  • FestivalsPremières

    Baltic Music Days 2021, Estonia (Part 1)

    by 5:4 May 30, 2021 • 05:00
    May 30, 2021 • 05:00 2 minutes read

    Does the phrase “Baltic music” mean anything? Is it something that has a discrete, tangible identity? i found myself considering this question during pretty much every concert of this year’s first ever Baltic Music Days. A festival that’s been in the offing for a number of years, bringing together composers …

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  • AnnouncementsFestivals

    Gigs, gigs, gigs: Proms 2021

    by 5:4 May 28, 2021 • 16:23
    May 28, 2021 • 16:23 1 minutes read

    This year’s Proms programme has begun, tentatively, to be unveiled. At present there remains a number of concerts where the content has not yet been announced – plus several ‘Mystery Proms’ – so there will be more to come, but thus far there are a few contemporary items to start …

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  • FestivalsPremières

    Borealis 2021 (Part 2)

    by 5:4 April 9, 2021 • 11:32
    April 9, 2021 • 11:32 1 minutes read

    In addition to the various multimedia / audiovisual events at Borealis 2021, the festival included a number of more conventional concerts. Violinist Ricardo Odriozola’s recital featured a mix of Norwegian, British and US works, two of which, Dániel Péter Biró‘s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Moshe Went Up and Tim Hodgkinson‘s The Landscape Theory …

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  • FestivalsPremières

    Borealis 2021 (Part 1)

    by 5:4 April 7, 2021 • 14:19
    April 7, 2021 • 14:19 2 minutes read

    Norway’s annual Borealis festival is more than just a conventional sequence of concerts primarily concerned with the way music sounds. Its aim is evidently toward a more holistic experience, one in which words and visuals are just as important – often, more so – than what we’re hearing. As such, …

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  • CommentFestivalsPremières

    Proms 2020: the premières – how you voted

    by 5:4 October 12, 2020 • 12:03
    October 12, 2020 • 12:03 2 minutes read

    Many thanks to those of you who voted in this year’s Proms première polls. Not surprisingly, given the circumstances, the turnout was considerably lower than usual, with just under 200 votes cast. Considering that the polls were only open for four weeks this year (instead of the usual 10), and …

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