Sounds New -

Posted on: 14th May 2012

As the Festival draws towards its conclusion, time for a penultimate post to highlight two extraordinary pieces at the lunchtime concert by Workers Union.

An eclectic programme included Two Elegies Framing A Shout for soprano sax and piano, delivered with astonishing accomplishment by saxophonist Ellie Steemson and pianist Edward Pick. A lyrical first elegy for unaccompanied sax, requiring sustained control of lengthy phrases, is followed by the Shout, in which spiky gestures are punctuated by periods of tense silence, before opening out into a real tour de force for the saxophonist over restless piano riffs. The second Elegy is familiar from Turnage’s epic Blood on the Floor, a beautiful, jazz-hued movement with weaving melodic lines over rich jazz-inflected harmonies. Saxophonist Ellie Steemson demonstrated superb control of her performance, delivered with conviction and commitment and consummate lyrical skill. The piece as a whole is a fine riposte to all those who claim that ‘modern music has no melodies;’ next time you hear it, point them gently in its direction...

The programme also included Benjamin Oliver’s Ripped Up, for the complete six-piece ensemble.  Delicate opening piano chords lead into a driving groove pitching four-against-three rhythms; an elegiac episode interrupts with a cluster-chord, and showed some careful textural writing in the creation of some effective woodwind and percussion sonorities.  A ticking shaker sees time fragmenting in its erratic utterances, whilst the piano picks out some gossamer-thread shapes above hushed, low saxophone trills; but the rhythmic impetus is not to be denied, and returns with driving momentum. The faltering ticker interrupts once more, accompanied by haunting mobiles from the xylophone that fall across the barline, before a hesitant conclusion sees the piece finishing with wide-eyed expectancy.

A fascinating programme, delivered with real accomplishment by youthful former members of the Guildhall School. Expect to hear more from them, and from Benjamin Oliver in the future.

(And for anyone who couldn't make the concert, here they are performing the piece in concert last year.)

Posted by Daniel Harding.

Posted on: 10th May 2012

An icy-blue glow and plethora of audio-visual equipment turned Augustine Hall into a shrine to electronica last night, a dimly-lit hall and an expectant hush for the start of the Powerplant concert. The waiting audience were greeted with a screen on which the heads of sightless dummies rotated in endless circles, back and forth, a metaphor perhaps for the often de-humanising isolation of modern life which was about to be exploded in vigorous fashion.

Striding purposefully onto the stage, percussionist Joby Burgess launched into Piece for Percussion by Nancarrow, a work bristling with the familiar complex poly-rhythms that characterise the Hermit of Mexico’s later pieces for player-piano. Projected onto the screen behind were a parade of still-photographs of horses, famous from zoetrope, each of which was triggered by Burgess into stages of movement; this almost detracted from the technical mastery Burgess displayed as he moved around the various pieces of percussion.

Matthew Fairclough’s The Boom and the Bap, a homage to a sixties drum-break for solo drum-kit and electronics, builds from small fragments in a series of samples and loops into full-on grooving with subtle warping bass-lines  – a kind of drum’n bass-meets-Radiohead collage, with Fairclough himself at the mixing-desk. This was followed by Fitkin’s Chain of Command, written for Burgess’ trademark instrument, the xylosynth, an electronic xylophone which triggers all manner of samples and effects; the piece builds a dense tapestry of sounds from speech samples à la Steve Reich, with snatches of speech from George Bush Jnr and Donald Rumsfeld; behind Burgess, uncomfortable images of barbed-wire and obscene graffiti blossomed piece by piece on the screen like drops of blood pooling on a surface, reflecting the menacing political overtones of the sampled speech about Guantanamo Bay, created by artist Kathy Hinde.

24 Lies Per Second by Max de Wardener brought the first half to a close, a trio of pieces ranging from shimmering and swooping electronics ( occasionally reminiscent of Mark Snow’s incidental music to ‘The X-Files’) to tinkling glockenspiel, a menacing child’s lullaby, into a breakdown of Schubert’s Im Dorfe, a Kagel-esque collage of percussive effects, piano samples and film, in which rapid jump-cuts between a pianist’s hands and a metronone reflected the changing textures. This last movement was almost Nancarrow-esque in its dizzying whirlwind of rapid piano figures and flashing syncopated stabbed chords, perhaps a nod to the piece with which the concert had begun.

By far the most interesting piece began the second half, Temazcal by Mexican composer, Javier Alvarez. This was a tour de force for maracas and electronics, in which Burgess turned playing the shakers into a real performance art. A rich sonic tapestry clothed his frantic playing, in which instrumental effects were morphed electronically into warping gestures and drum-beat samples drifted in and out of focus, accompanied by a haunting and lonely repeated figure. The piece slowly assembles into a Venezuelan folk-song, from which all the material previously heard is generated, a sudden, bizarre transition into a sunny folk-song greeted with amused laughter by the audience; the contrast is extreme, and the piece finishes in far sunnier climes than expected, the change into a guileless calypso-style a little head-scratching.

Gabriel Prokofiev’s Import/export; suite for global junk brought the evening to a close, a piece which is basically a ‘concerto for sound effects’ built from an oil-drum, plastic bags, bottles and a de-constructed packing-crate, all held together by self-sampling and looping. What the piece lacks in concision, it makes up for in the diverse range of sounds distilled from unorthodox materials, all consummately played, as the whole performance had been, by Burgess with real flair.

Posted by Daniel Harding.

Images: Peter Cook

Posted on: 8th May 2012

Fresh from touring with Peter Gabriel, percussionist Joby Burgess comes to Canterbury tomorrow night with Powerplant, promising an audio-visual feast including music by Graham Fitkin and Gabriel Prokofiev.

Find out how Joby answered the 'Three Questions' about contemporary music and coming to Sounds New in an earlier post here, where you can also hear him performing some of the music appearing in the concert.

Details of the concert online here.

Where multi-media meets minimalism: don't miss it...

Posted by Daniel Harding

Posted on: 1st May 2012

Internationally-renowned conductor, and a terrific champion of contemporary music, Diego Masson will be appearing In Conversation on Friday May 4^th at 11am at Augustine Hall.

Masson is recognised as one of the world’s leading exponents of contemporary music. In 1966, following a period of study with Pierre Boulez, he formed Musique Vivante which became famous for its regular concerts presenting important contemporary works. After considerable success as Music Director of the Marseille Opera in the 1970s, Masson went on to pursue an international conducting career which has taken him to the major musical centres of Europe, Scandinavia and the Antipodes.

A regular visitor to the UK, Masson has appeared with the Philharmonia, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Hallé Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, English Northern Philharmonic, Nash Ensemble, Opera Factory, Opera North and Scottish Opera.  His engagements in Europe have included appearances with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de Radio France, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Avanti Chamber Orchestra in Helsinki, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic, and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic.

Masson has a long-standing relationship with the London Sinfonietta, as well as regularly appearing with the world’s leading contemporary ensembles including Ensemble Modern, Musik Fabrik, Ensemble Alternance, Klangforum Wien, Composers Ensemble and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group.

Later in the evening, Masson conducts the London Sinfonietta in a programme that includes George Benjamin’s At First Light, Peter Maxwell Davies’ A Mirror of Whitening Light and music by Oliver Knussen and Simon Bainbridge, as well as pieces by winners of the 2011 International Composer Pyramid: details online here.

To whet your appetite, here’s Masson conducting Xenakis with the Ensemble Asko Schoenberg.

Posted by Daniel Harding

Posted on: 28th Apr 2012

Ahead of their appearance at Sounds New on Sunday 6 May, I put three questions to  Marlene Dröge Nielsen and Matthew Jones of the Danish chamber ensemble, Ensemble MidtVest. The ensemble is renowned for its creative programming, pushing the boundaries of the traditional classical concert form through creativity and excellence. I asked them about the group and what lies ahead next week.

1 Tell us about yourself / your ensemble

We’re a chamber music group, founded in 2002, consisting of eleven outstanding musicians from all over the world, including former participants in the BBC Radio 3 Young Generation Artists and major prize-winners in international chamber music competitions such as the ARD Competition and the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition. We're especially renowned for our performances of chamber music repertoire, mainly from the classical and romantic period. Earlier this year, back in February, we made our debut at Carnegie Hall, New York.

We perform more than eighty concerts every year in Denmark and abroad, with more than 15 different programmes and productions, regularly incorporating other musical styles and art forms. In addition to classical chamber music, we also frequently work with improvisation, creating a sound and musical language, breaking down barriers between musical styles and genres. The world-renowned Danish jazz pianist Carsten Dahl was appointed our first Artistic Advisor in 2007.

In 2006, our recording of piano quartets by Mozart and Brahms was a prize-winning disc, the 'Best chamber music CD of the year' as voted for by the listeners of Danish Broadcasting Company!

2 What excites you about contemporary music?

The extraordinary variety within contemporary music and the limitless possibilities of the genre. The chance to introduce listeners to a work which is not known to them, and to present it in the most favourable light, is a wonderful challenge! To improvise to an audience takes it a step further...

3 What can we look forward to in your concert for Sounds New next month?

A mixture of the above! Three contrasting and seldom performed contemporary chamber works, along with a free improv performance. All performed with passion, exuberance and commitment.

Ensemble MidtVest's concert on 6 May at 8pm includes Per Nørgård's Virvelverden for wind quintet, as well as an improvisation session with the full complement of eleven players: details online here.

With thanks to Marlene and Matthew.

Posted by Daniel Harding.

Posted on: 25th Apr 2012

Ahead of their concert in the new Marlowe Theatre on Tuesday 15 May, which will bring this year’s Sounds New Festival to a close, I put three questions to Jonathan Howard, bass with the group, who describes himself as  ‘’twenty-five, six-foot five, brown hair, likes travelling and sushi, dislikes peanut butter,’’ about why the group is so excited about coming to Canterbury…

Tell us about your ensemble

The King's Singers have been around for over 44 years. There are just six of us - two counter-tenors, a tenor, a baritone and a bass - and we perform almost exclusively a cappella: that's right, no accompaniment, just the six of us on stage, and almost always with no amplification. Over the course of the 130 concerts in our 2011/2012 season, we've been all over the world, in venues including the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie and the Beijing National Concert Hall. Our repertoire is incredibly diverse - the group performs Renaissance polyphony and pop songs in equal measure - and contemporary music takes a prominent place in lots of our programmes. It's an honour to perform at the Sounds New Contemporary Music Festival in Canterbury next month, and to be able to share what we believe are some of the most exciting contemporary pieces in our repertoire.

What excites you about contemporary music?

Contemporary music is so exciting to us for a number of reasons. For a start, it often makes us question our established beliefs about music: as is so often the case in contemporary music, the harmonies and rhythms used are so out of sync with Western musical conventions, that we really have to think about what the piece is trying to say, and how it is trying to respond to its musical antecedents.  Then there's the fact that many of the contemporary pieces that we sing were commissioned by the group for the group. It means that the voice parts in each piece tend to fit the voice parts within The King's Singers brilliantly, and the pieces themselves have really been designed to suit our ensemble. Finally, there's the fact that contemporary music is often pretty tricky - it's great for us to have music that we really have to sink our teeth into.

What can we look forward to in your concert for Sounds New next month ?

Well, it's a programme composed almost entirely of pieces that were commissioned for The King's Singers, by some of the great composers of the 20th century: Peter Maxwell Davies, John McCabe, Paul Patterson and former tenor in The King's Singers, Bob Chilcott. (We admit that Britten's ‘Choral Dances’ from Gloriana were not written for us....) And, following a first half of pieces that have been in our repertoire for a number of years, we'd like to present a piece that's new to us this year, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of HRH Queen Elizabeth II. A Rough Guide to the Royal Succession by Paul Drayton is a witty enumeration of the kings and queens of England, warts and all, right through from the seventh century to the present day, and it's an absolute delight to perform. We hope you enjoy it, as well as the rest of the concert, as much as we do, and we look forward to seeing you all in Canterbury on May 15th. We might even throw in a few contemporary pop songs, to make sure we're really sticking to the theme...."

Here’s the group in Chilcott’s lulling and beautiful arrangement of ‘Steal Away,’ in which the sumptuous added-note harmonies are matched by the group’s spot-on intonation and unity of ensemble:

To whet your appetite further still, here’s the group in John McCabe’s evocative and purple-hued Scenes in America Deserta, which is part of the all-British programme for their Sounds New concert.

More details about the concert at the new Marlowe Theatre on Tuesday 15 May here.

With thanks to Jonathan.

Posted by Daniel Harding.

Posted on: 24th Apr 2012

Responsible for some of the most important contributions to contemporary music through their commissioning of new works, the Arditti Quartet continues its trail-blazing trajectory as it comes to Sounds New on May 7^th.

Since its foundation in 1974, the Quartet has commissioned pieces from a veritable Who’s Who of giants of contemporary music, including Stockhausen, Ligetti, Britten, Andriessen, to name but a few. In an interview back in 1999, first violinist and founder member Irvine Arditti reflects on the impact the Quartet has had since its inception:

''I often quote the statement that Boulez made, I think, in the Seventies: 'The string quartet is dead.' Later he rescinded this comment. And I like to think that was largely because we have inspired so many composers to write for the string quartet.''

Stockhausen’s notorious Helicopter String Quartet was premièred by the Arditti in Holland in 1995; here’s the composer talking about his philosophy, or rather his having ‘no philosophy,’ and in rehearsal with the Quartet.

The Arditti are also champions of educational projects, with members of the group acting as instrumental tutors on the legendary Darmstadt Summer School across the 1980’s and early 90’s.

Their concert for Sounds New on Monday 7 May, which will be recorded for later broadcast by BBC Radio 3,  includes music by Ferneyhough, the première of Paul Max Edlin’s Frida Sketches, and Thomas Ades’ Arcadiana, a seven-movement piece commissioned by the Endellion String Quartet and first performed in 1994. ‘O Albion,’ the sixth movement, is a beautiful, sonorous, hymn-like section which nods in wistful fondness to Elgar.

O Albion from 'Arcadiana': Thomas Adès by Faber Music: MusicforNow

Here is the Arditti Quartet in the sinuous weaving lines which open Ligeti’s first String Quartet:

More details about their concert online here.

Posted by Daniel Harding.

Posted on: 22nd Apr 2012

I love Julian Joseph’s playing. Since coming across his playing as one of two pianists on Emanon (1987) with a youthful Vaughan Hawthorne (the other pianist being Jason Rebello), hearing him behind that great British jazz vocalist (and member of the short-lived but hugely influential Jazz Warriors), Cleveland Watkiss, on the latter’s Blessing in Disguise (1991) and then finding his solo album, Reality (1994), I’ve always been enamoured of his robust, no-nonsense approach to jazz playing. I saw him perform a solo gig in York many years ago, and was struck by his deft rhythmic flexibility, and solid groove-based vamping combined with a lightness of melodic touch that gives him a unique sound amongst jazz pianists.

His compositions are branded with a restless rhythmic sense, constantly shifting, never still, always inventive; a defined, quasi-melodic bass-line doubled in left-hand and bass, and colourful cluster chords, laced with the impish spirit of Thelonius Monk, punched in on the off-beat, all of which will suddenly disappear and a simple, sleekly melodic right-hand improvisation will take over. Listen to the title track on ‘Universal Traveller’ to hear all these elements at play; whilst here’s Julian in more sombre mood in Wayne Shorter’s Footprints;

As a pianist, leader, composer, and mellifluously-toned presenter on Radio 3’s Jazz Legends, Joseph is ubiquitous, a quiet giant driving the British jazz scene since the 1980s. You can hear his trio when it comes to the Gulbenkian Theatre on Sunday 13 May.

Ahead of his appearance at Sounds New, I put three questions to him: the first reply comes from his press kit, the second two from the man himself…

Tell us about yourself

Virtuoso pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger and broadcaster, Julian Joseph has been a leading figure on the international jazz scene for over two decades. Acclaimed by critics and audiences the world over, he never fails to inspire with his mastery of the keyboard, the versatility of his musicianship, and the seemingly limitless scope of his creative imagination.

Julian's musical ideas reflect the eclectic influence of all forms of music in the history of jazz: from classical to rock and pop, everything is relevant. A feature of a Julian Joseph concert is the wide-ranging repertoire of original compositions and arrangements upon which he draws. Challenging and innovative, they are deeply rooted in the jazz tradition and, as with all great jazz music, combine his own unique voice with those of his predecessors.

Julian is completely at home on any stage and in front of any band, whether performing solo, or leading his own trio, quartet, electric band or big band, or with full symphony orchestra. His passion for the music is always palpable, and his desire to communicate that passion compelling. The trio includes Mark Hodgson (bass) and Mark Mondesir (drums).

What excites you about contemporary music ?

The excitement of contemporary music is that it’s undefined and part of finding fresh ways to express oneself with music. Travelling uncharted waters or looking at particular pieces of music differently. Contemporary in music means finding that fresh spirit, so that even if the musical sound is recognisable it becomes filled with a bright energy that lifts the spirit, the mind and the soul. Contemporary music means being readily accepting of what could be – that’s exciting!

What can we look forward to in your concert for Sounds New ?

We hope to embody the invention that comes with the pursuit of the elusive consistency of creative communication in jazz. We have new material we’re working on trying to develop a rhythmic sophistication that penetrates the groove nuance in the swing conception. Intimacy in our delivery is what we want our audience to be able to experience with us at all tempos.

As a taster, here is Julian Joseph in a vibrant and robust rendition of Autumn Leaves;

Find out more about Julian Joseph at Sounds New here. I can't wait...

Posted by Daniel Harding.

Posted on: 19th Apr 2012

Ahead of their concert at Sounds New on Monday 14 May, saxophonist and group-member, Ellie Steemson answers three questions about the youthful and vibrant ensemble, Workers Union.

Tell us about your ensemble 

Workers Union Ensemble initially came together for a performance of Louis Andriessen's epic work of the same name whilst its members were studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Since it formed in 2008, the group has evolved into its unusual six-piece line-up consisting of sax, oboe, piano, double bass and two percussionists, under the direction of conductor Ben Oliver.

What excites you about contemporary music?

Close collaboration with composers is central to our work. We are gradually building up a set of works commissioned specifically for the ensemble with the addition of one or two new pieces at each performance. Working in this way has led to the development of a process of interaction between us and composers which gives a great sense of energy and excitement. 

What can we look forward to in your concert on May 14 ?

Workers Union are very excited to be performing at Sounds New on May 14th. We will be presenting a brand new work by Ryan Latimer as well as works previously written for the ensemble by associated composers Matthew Kaner and Ben Oliver, and two works by British stalwarts Michael Finnissy and Mark-Anthony Turnage. 

Here is Workers Union in concert in July last year, performing one of the pieces featuring in their Sounds New concert, Gaugin Sketches by Matthew Kaner.

And, from the same concert, another of the pieces coming to Canterbury, Ben Oliver’s brash, groove-inflected Ripped Up.

Also included in their concert is Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Two Elegies Framing a Shout, for soprano sax and piano. More details about the concert online here.

As one of this year's 'International Composer Pyramid' winners, Benjamin Oliver's piece Momentum is being performed at the London Sinfonietta concert at Augistine Hall on the opening night of Sounds New, Friday 4 May.

With thanks to Ellie.

Posted by Daniel Harding.

Posted on: 17th Apr 2012

Coming to Sounds New on 9 May, Powerplant, led by percussionist Joby Burgess, represents a kaleidoscope of percussion, electronics and multi-media.

I first came across Powerplant in the form of the novel twist Burgess provided on Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint. Originally written for jazz-guitarist Pat Metheny, with Metheny playing against pre-recorded multi-tracks of guitar and bass guitar lines to create Reich’s trademark tapestry of interlocking sounds, I approached a percussive incarnation of the piece with some trepidation; but played on Burgess’ trademark ‘xylosynth,’ it remains true to the spirit of Reich’s vision whilst providing an interesting sonic and visual alternative take on Reich’s pulsating work:

Burgess recently gave the premiere of Gabriel Profiev’s Concerto for Bass Drum:

I caught up with Joby ahead of his imminent tour with Peter Gabriel (a busy performing calendar means Joby is fitting the concert for Sounds New in between gigs in Germany and Poland!), and put a few questions to him.

Tell us about Powerplant

I formed Powerplant in 2005 to perform and develop music using live electronics and live looping, although a percussionist I have always been a bit of a studio rat, needing to find the latest toy, box or noise. The group generally tours as a trio with myself playing a mixture of drums, percussion, found objects and a xylosynth, alongside Matthew Fairclough handling the sound design and Kathy Hinde creating film and live visuals, to create a truly multimedia experience.  Powerplant has recorded two studio albums Electric Counterpoint - the music of Steve Reich and Kraftwerk (2008) and Import/Export - Gabriel Prokofiev's suite for global junk (2010), Powerplant has performed extensively throughout the UK and given performances in Europe and the USA.

What excites you about contemporary music ?

 I am lucky to spend nearly all of my time working with composers, song-writers and improvisers in creating and bringing to the world at large new music and performances.  I am not interested in the label it might be given, as long as the music is good and has honest intentions.  Over the past two years, I have spent much time working with a range of artists including Peter Gabriel, Gabriel Prokofiev, Graham Fitkin, Adrian Utley and Will Gregory.

Tell us about your concert for Sounds New next month

 For Sounds New Powerplant will present recently developed music for the group including Conlon Nancarrow's Piece for Tape - an early pre-pianola experiment arranged for drums and blocks by composer Dominic Murcott, Matthew Fairclough's The Boom and The Bap - a piece for drum set and and live electronics exploring the world of break beats and Max de Wardener's 2011 commission 24 Lies Per Second - a suite of pieces inspired by the films and words of Austrian director Michael Haneke, including a particularly special mash-up of Schubert's Im Dorfe from the Piano Teacher. Alongside these Powerplant plays its two major commissions from late 2008, Graham Fitkin's Chain of Command and Gabriel Prokofiev's suite for global junk Import/Export.

Find out more about the concert for Sounds New online here.

Posted by Daniel Harding.