the new home of chamber music

Transcription

WHAT'S ON DECEMBER 2013 – MARCH 2014
Classical
NEW Sunday Coffee Concerts
Ian Bostridge & Fretwork
Aurora goes American
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week
Jeanette Winterson
Jazz
Gwilym Simcock
The Golden Age of Steam
Nikki Iles, Reuben Fowler
Folk
Eliza Carthy
& Norma Waterson
in Custom-made Winter
Contemporary
The Real Group
Cutting-edge Cello
THE NEW HOME
OF CHAMBER MUSIC
CHAMBER CLASSICS UNWRAPPED
03
WELCOME
TO THE WINTER
2013 SEASON
AT KINGS PLACE
Iʼm very excited to be launching our new
year-long series for 2014, Chamber Classics
Unwrapped, Top 50 Chamber Works as
voted by you. In association with BBC Music
Magazine we held a poll last year to find out
what your favourite pieces of chamber music
were. We then distributed the top 50 among
a host of brilliant ensembles and soloists
who have created imaginative programmes
around the works. Weʼre thrilled with the
results and hope you will be too. The line-up
features groups of the highest calibre, from the
established Quatuor Mosaïques to our cover
artists, the young Navarra Quartet. The Navarra
provide a good example of a quartet who have
not only graced our stage through the London
Chamber Music Society and our own series,
but have benefited from ChamberStudio,
the unique mentoring project hosted by Kings
Place each Sunday. Seasoned veterans give
inspirational masterclasses to up-and-coming
ensembles, who have a chance to perform
in the foyer and may graduate to Hall One.
It makes Kings Place not just an ideal venue
for chamber music, but also an important hub
for nurturing the next generation.
Before our big series kicks off, we celebrate
Christmas in style with a fabulous folk week,
ʻCustom-made Winterʼ (12–14 Dec), and some
great seasonal concerts, including A Ceremony
of Carols, Messiah, and the finale of our Bach
Unwrapped series, the B minor Mass. Look out
too, for seasonal menus at the Rotunda, fire
pits, rugs and hot mulled wine on the terrace.
December also brings the launch of our
new Sunday morning Coffee Concerts, which
will begin in style with Lucy Parham hosting a
celebrity gala (8 Dec). Contributors to her series
Word/Play include Andrew Kennedy, Tim Hugh,
Edward Fox, Martin Jarvis and Henry Goodman.
January sees Gwilym Simcock, one of the
UKʼs most distinctive and talented jazz pianists,
curate his own series (9–10 Jan). More jazz
comes in the form of AIR Sessions (13–15 Mar),
featuring Magnus Öström, Marius Neset, Julia
Biel, Troyka and many more.
In February weʼre delighted to welcome
Jewish Book Week (22 Feb–2 Mar) to Kings
Place once again, with its lavish line-up of
stimulating speakers, authors and poets.
Book early for the fifth edition of the London
A Cappella Festival (23–25 Jan) with its stellar
line-up, and look out on the website for details
of a brand-new series from the Americana
Music Association UK (13–15 Feb), featuring
some top North American and British bands.
NAVARRA QUARTET (COVER) & PETER MILLICAN (ABOVE) © NICK WHITE
CONTRIBUTORS
Colin Irwin previews ‘Custom-made
Winter’, which features some legends
of the folk world. He is a regular
contributor to MOJO, The Guardian
and fROOTS, and has several books
to his name, including In Search
Of The Craic and In Search Of Albion.
Sophie Solomon, who writes on
Joceyln Pook’s new music theatre work
for Jewish Book Week, Drawing Life,
is Artistic Director of the Jewish Music
Institute. A leading klezmer violinist,
sheʼs a founder member of Oi Va Voi, and
also composes for film, TV and theatre.
Philip Vann who writes on the art of
Lucy Jones, is author of the critically
acclaimed Face to Face: British SelfPortraits in the Twentieth Century,
and other books on modern British
and Irish artists, including Dora
Holzhandler and William Crozier.
Helen Wallace writes on Chamber
Classics Unwrapped and interviews
cover artists the Navarra Quartet.
She is an author, broadcaster and
critic as well as Editor-in-Chief of Kings
Place’s What’s On and Consultant
Editor of BBC Music Magazine.
CONTEMPORARY
COMEDY
JAZZ
SPOKEN WORD
CHRISTMAS PARTIES © GREEN & FORTUNE
LUCY JONES SERENITY © FLOWERS GALLERY, LONDON
DYLAN THOMAS © GETTY IMAGES
JAMES ALLSOPP © ALEX BONNEY
SARAH BENNETTO © SUPPLIED PHOTO
SARAH SARHANDI © TOMEK SIEREK
BLAIR DUNLOP © MARIO ROTA
DAWN LANDES © SUPPLIED PHOTO
FOLK
CLASSICAL
ART/INTERACT
CHRISTMAS
FOLK HIGHLIGHTS
CONTEMPORARY HIGHLIGHTS
COMEDY HIGHLIGHTS
JAZZ HIGHLIGHTS
SPOKEN WORD HIGHLIGHTS
ART HIGHLIGHTS
FOOD & DRINK
08 Bostridge sings Dowland
Fretwork and Elizabeth Kenny
join the celebrated tenor
09 Join Our American Road Trip
Aurora Orchestra mix up
American classics with folk
singer Dawn Landes (above)
32 HOME TRUTHS
Helen Wallace looks at the
challenges and rewards of
a life in chamber music
with the Navarra Quartet
and mentors from
ChamberStudio
44 SUNDAY MORNING MUSIC
Lucy Parham introduces
her new Sunday morning
Coffee Concert
series Word/Play
10 Custom-made Winter
Mother-daughter team
Norma Waterson along with
KAN and Eliza Carthy feature
in a mini folk festival
14 Keeping it Real
Swedenʼs The Real Group
is just one of the
international visitors
to the London
A Cappella Festival
16 Karachi Kaleidoscope
Sarah Sarhandi (above)
brings a host of
collaborators to her
Out Hear event
82 Q & A: GÉNIA
The pianist, composer
and creator of Piano-Yoga®
is the great-great-neice
of Vladimir Horowitz
17 The Melbourne Method
Story-telling comedian
Sarah Bennetto (above)
weaves a winterʼs tale from
her own home town
18 Nikki & The Printmakers
Nikki Iles brings her ideal
band to The Base
19 Fowlerʼs Prize-Winning
Band Reuben Fowler
makes his debut
22 The Beast, the Angel
and the Madman
Gwyneth Lewis pays tribute
to Dylan Thomas in the year
of his 100th anniversary
26 Looking Out, Looking In
The work of painter Lucy
Jones by Philip Vann
30 Go Off-Piste this Winter
Great ideas for Christmas
parties and get-togethers
at Kings Place
Publisher
Kings Place
Music Foundation
Contact
+44 (0) 20 7520 1440
mag@kingsplace.co.uk
www.kingsplace.co.uk
12 Running in the Blood
for Blair Dunlop
Blair Dunlop (above) brings
his new trio to Folk Union
13 A Reeling Ride to the
Highlands Scots fiddler
Duncan Chisholm
Editor-in-Chief
Helen Wallace
Editorial Team
Emrah Tokalaç
Janie Nicholas
Michael Green
Alice Clark (web)
Lindsay Garfoot (web)
Art Direction
Moira Gil
Picture Research
Sunita Sharma-Gibson
Proofreading
Susannah Howe
Print
Artisan Press, Leicester
Thanks to
Peter Millican, Jen Mitchell,
Alister Hussain, Amy SibleyAllen, Hannah Cooke, Zoë
Jeyes, Geraldine D’Amico,
Chris Nye, Holly Thomas,
Hervé Bournas, Rachel
Jackson, Aurelie Gillson,
Andrew Clawson, Graham
Newlands, Nell Halford,
© Kings Place 2014
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.
20 Welcome to Bat Country
James Allsopp (above) and
his Golden Age of Steam
24 Flying Feet take to the Page
Dancer Carlos Acosta
discusses his new novel
21 Taking to the Air
A rare visit from Magnus
Öström, Marius Neset
and stars from the Air
Artist Agency
25 Words to Beat the Blues
Stephen Grosz in
conversation with Jeanette
Winterson on the Most
Depressing Day of the year
40 IMPOSSIBLE GENTLEMAN
Gwilym Simcock tells Oliver
Condy about his new
curated series with admired
British and European friends
46 DRAWING LIFE
Sophie Solomon introduces
Jocelyn Pookʼs new music
theatre work inspired
by the poems and drawings
of children in Terezín
WHAT'S ON DECEMBER 2013 – MARCH 2014
CONTENTS
INTERACT HIGHLIGHTS
28 Beyond Cello
Matthew Barley gathers
a bevy of cellist pioneers
38 THE NIGHTS BEFORE
CHRISTMAS
Seasonal music to suit
every taste
LISTINGS
50 Listings
78 Calendar
REGULARS
EDITORIAL TEAM
CLASSICAL HIGHLIGHTS
03
06
07
08
32
50
51
Welcome
Ticket Information
Planning Your Week
Highlights
Features
Listings
December
57
64
73
77
78
82
January
February
March
Art Listings
Calendar
Q& A
with Génia
06 TICKETS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
December 2013 — March 2014
TICKET BOOKING & VENUE INFORMATION
Book tickets now:
PLANNING YOUR WEEK 07
JOURNEY
WEEKLY FOCUS
KINGS PLACE IS SITUATED JUST A FEW MINUTES', WALK FROM KING'S
CROSS AND ST PANCRAS STATIONS, ONE OF THE MOST CONNECTED
LOCATIONS IN LONDON AND NOW THE BIGGEST TRANSPORT HUB
IN EUROPE. SEE MAP BELOW FOR DETAILED TRAVEL ADVICE
WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY – SATURDAY EACH WEEK
A COLLABORATIVE MIX OF ARTISTS, CURATORS, ORGANISATIONS
AND PRODUCERS PRESENTING AN EXCITING SERIES OF EVENTS
al
an
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Central Saint Martins
d
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Wha
Battlebridge
Basin
St Pancras
International
Thameslink
Euston
Station
BOOKING
Tickets for all performances
from £9.50 online
Tickets are cheaper if booked
online. (The online ticket prices
are shown in the listings.)
Please add £2 per ticket to
the online price if booking
by telephone or in person.
Kings Place do not charge any
additional booking or postage fees.
Tue 10–6pm; Sun 12–7pm
(closed Bank Holidays).
Opening Hours are subject to
change – please call the Box
Office for more details.
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG
£9.50 Saver Seats can only
be purchased online and are
limited in availability
VENUES
All seating is unreserved and
general admission – choose your
own seat on arrival. Some events
may be standing only.
GROUP BOOKINGS
Buy six or more tickets per event,
and save 20%. Group discounts
are available through the Box
Office only and are not bookable
online. May not be applicable for
some events and subject to
availability.
ONLINE
Secure online booking 24hrs a day.
BY PHONE
Kings Place Box Office
+44 (0)20 7520 1490
IN PERSON
Box Office Opening Hours
Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri & Sat 12–8pm;
HALL TWO
ST PANCRAS ROOM
HALL ONE
Assigned Seating – Choose your
own seat when booking.
£9.50 Saver Seats can only
be purchased online and are
limited in availability
You are guaranteed a seat. Its
location will be allocated by the
Box Office. Tickets may be
collected at any time during the
hour before the performance.
All seating is unreserved and
general admission – choose your
own seat on arrival. Some events
may be standing only.
ACCESS
Kings Place aims to be accessible
to everyone, and all performance
spaces offer suitable seating for
wheelchair users. Please inform
the Box Office Staff of any access
requirements when booking.
There is an induction loop at the
Box Office Welcome Desk to assist
those with hearing aids. An
infrared system is installed in Halls
British
Library
One and Two, with hearing
advancement headsets available
for audience members who do not
use a hearing aid. Neck loops are
also available to use with hearing
aids switched to the ‘T’ position.
All areas of Kings Place are
accessible to those with Guide
& Hearing Dogs.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
ARRIVING LATE
TUBE
We will endeavour to seat latecomers at a suitable break in the performance, although this may not always
be possible and in some instances
latecomers may not be admitted at
all. Tickets are non-refundable.
TAKING PICTURES
The use of cameras, video or sound
recording equipment is strictly
prohibited during performances,
concerts and exhibitions. Kings
Place may take pictures during
your visit that are later used for
promotional purposes.
RETURNS POLICY
Tickets cannot be refunded or
exchanged, except where an event
is cancelled or abandoned when
less than half of the performance
has taken place.
d
nR
sto
Eu
The Transport for London
Journey Planner provides live
travel updates and options on how
to reach Kings Place quickly and
accurately. You can also call
London Travel Information
on +44 (0)343 222 1234.
The nearest tube station is
King’s Cross St Pancras,
on the Circle, Metropolitan,
Hammersmith & City, Piccadilly,
Northern and Victoria lines.
The station has step-free access
from platform to street level.
From the tube station the
quickest way to Kings Place is via
the new King’s Boulevard. You
can also walk up York Way.
BUS
The bus route to York Way is the
390. Other services running to
nearby King’s Cross St Pancras are
routes 10, 17, 30, 45, 46, 59, 63,
73, 91, 205, 214, 259 and 476.
CAR
Kings Place is easily accessible
by car and is clearly signposted
in the immediate area.
Ca
led
on
ian
Rd
King’s
Cross
90 York Way
London N1 9AG
Wharfdale Rd
York Way
d
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cra
Pan
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Mid
Kin
g’s
Bou
leva
rd
NCP
Car
Park
Crinan St
ay
ds W
Goo
ville Rd
Penton K
ing
’s C
ros
sR
Gr
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ay
’s
Inn
Rd
The building is outside the
Congestion Charge Zone. The
nearest car park is NCP London
St Pancras (www.ncp.co.uk)
on Pancras Road, open 24 hours,
7 days including Bank Holidays.
If you are using sat nav our
postcode is N1 9AG.
BIKE
There is a Barclays Bike Hire
Docking Station right next door
to Kings Place on Crinan Street.
For its latest status and
recommended cycling routes
to Kings Place, please visit the
Transport for London website:
www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling
or call London Travel Information:
+44 (0)343 222 1234.
FOOT
If you live in King’s Cross or the
surrounding area then why not
walk to Kings Place? We are
located right on the Grand Union
Canal towpath.
TAXI
Visitors can pick up taxis either on
York Way and the streets
immediately surrounding Kings
Place or at the taxi ranks at King’s
Cross and St Pancras Stations.
PLANNING YOUR WEEK
SUNDAYS
CLASSICAL
FRIDAYS
FOLK
P08
P10
SUNDAYS
CONTEMPORARY P14
THURSDAYS
COMEDY
SATURDAYS
JAZZ
MONDAYS
SPOKEN WORD
P17
P18
P22
HIGHLIGHTS
CLASSICAL
CLASSICAL
HIGHLIGHTS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
Book tickets now:
Fretwork are joined by renowed tenor Ian Bostridge for a delectable
programme of Dowland this season. Richard Boothby looks ahead
For viol consort Fretwork, this year has been
an incredibly active one, dominated by John
Dowland’s intricate instrumental music as they
marked the composer’s 450th anniversary. You
may well have last seen them performing on
the recent BBC series Music and Monarchy,
demonstrating the music of Dowland, Lawes
and Gibbons. In February they will be joined in a
very special concert by tenor Ian Bostridge and
lutenist Elizabeth Kenny for a programme of some
of Dowlandʼs most famous songs combined with
the famous sequence of Seven Pavans. Tenor viol
player Richard Boothby explains their choice of
soloists: ‘Ian spends a lot of time singing a totally
different repertoire – Romantic lieder and a huge
amount of Britten too. But we’re keen to work
with artists who donʼt specialise in early music,
and Ian brings another aesthetic. His experience
of the intimate, literary, highly expressive lieder
repertoire finds a keen resonance in Dowland.
One of our players, Richard Tunnicliffe, has played
continuo for Ian when he’s been Evanglist in
HIGHLIGHTS
CLASSICAL
09
JoIn our AmerICAn
roAd TrIp
BoSTrIdGe SInGS dowLAnd
Aurora Orchestra plans to hit the road
in style for its opening concert of the
2014 season, which finds echoes in
Chamber Classics Unwrapped too
the Bach Passions, so there’s a great respect
between us already. As for Elizabeth Kenny, she
really is the pre-eminent lutenist in this field and
we’ve long wanted to work with her.’
The programme will interweave lute songs
like ‘Flow my teares’ and ‘Time stands still’ with
instrumental lachrimae. The project began
life at a sold-out BBC Proms chamber music
concert this September, which Fretwork are
taking on a ten-concert tour of America this
winter, including to St Thomas’s Church in New
York, ‘a curious outpost of Anglicanism’, where
they perform Gibbons’s verse anthems and
a new work connected to Gibbons by young
American Nico Muhly. Dowland’s reputation
is in safe hands with these passionate
ambassadors of his art.
Fretwork with Ian Bostridge
12 February
See Listings p67 for details
IAN BOSTRIDGE © SIMON FOWLER | FRETWORK © CHRIS DAWES | DAWN LANDES © SUPPLIED PHOTO | THOMAS GOULD © LAURA LAJBER
08
Aurora Orchestra, Kings Place’s resident chamber orchestra,
has become adept at turning the tables on standard
programming and is famous for its unparalleled appetite
for collaboration. Its New Year concert in Hall One is a
bracing example. An all-American road trip is the theme,
starting in the Appalachians with Copland’s blazing ballet
Appalachian Spring, moving north for Ives’s evocative Three
Places in New England and crossing to California for John
Adams’s invigorating Chamber Symphony. But that’s not all:
the orchestra will be joined on its journey by some special
guest travellers who will splice these folk-inflected orchestral
masterpieces with folk and popular songs.
One will be Kentucky-born, Brooklyn-based singer Dawn
Landes (pictured left), who will join the orchestra to play
some folk arrangements by composer Nico Muhly especially
written for her, and not heard on these shores before. Muhly
has said he’s ‘drawn to folk music where there is really
a sharp contrast between the beauty of the melody and
grimness of the lyrics.’ He has already worked on the tragic
song ‘Lord Thomas and Fair Eleanor’ with Landes: ‘it’s about
a marriage gone wrong; everyone ends up dying. There
are so many versions, all with 15 million extra verses you
didn’t know about.’ Landes collaborated on Muhlyʼs ballet
score Two Hearts, choreography by Benjamin Millepieds
for New York City Ballet last year. Muhly has gone on to
create exquisite, plangent instrumental arrangements which
brilliantly set off Landesʼ effortless, jewel-like voice. One
review mentions her ‘ability to go from fun to serious in one
twang of her guitar’. Another described her as a performer
whose ‘unique style showcases her ability to whisper a
lulling hush as well as a rock-meets-alt-country wail’. She
certainly slips easily between satin mezzo and glistening
high soprano (catch Muhly’s version of ‘Lord Thomas and
Fair Eleanor’ on www.dawnlandes.com).
Aurora hope to record the three orchestral pieces
(by Copland, Ives and Adams) and the songs as part
of a future album based on this concert. And for more
Americana catch Aurora’s charismatic leader, Thomas
Gould (pictured left), on 21 March 2014, when he’ll play
John Adams’s 1995 violin sonata Road Movies with Alasdair
Beatson as part of Chamber Classics Unwrapped.
oTHer CLASSICAL
HIGHLIGHTS
CHrISTmAS & new YeAr
AT kInGS pLACe
19 deC Christmas Oratorio
20 deC Britten: A Ceremony
of Carols
22 deC Handelʼs Messiah:
Orchestra of St Johnʼs
31 deC New Yearʼs Eve: OAE
01 JAn New Yearʼs Day: OAE
04 JAn Aurora Orchestra:
Road Trip
endYmIon'S 30THAnnIverSArY CeLeBrATIonS
06 FeB Brahms Horn Trio
07 FeB Debussy Sonata
pArT oF CHAmBer
CLASSICS unwrApped
08 FeB Brahms on Clarinet
IAn BoSTrIdGe & FreTwork
12 FeB Dowland songs
and Lachrimæ with
Elizabeth Kenny
SundAYS, 6.30 pm | HALL one
01 deC Maggini Quartet
08 deC Allegri Quartet with
Martin Outram
15 deC Sir Roger Norrington
& Cambridge University
Chamber Orchestra
05 JAn Emperor Quartet
&Sarah Beth-Briggs
12 JAn Wihan Quartet
19 JAn Charles Owen
& Katya Apekisheva
Aurora Orchestra: Road Trip
4 January
Chamber Classics Unwrapped
John Adams: Road Movies
Thomas Gould & Alasdair Beatson
21 March
See Kings Place website for details
26 JAn Tippett Quartet with
Stephanie Gonley
02 FeB London Soloists
Ensemble
09 FeB Clare Presland
Eniko Magyar
&Vicky Vannoula
16 FeB Raphael Wallfisch
& John York
09 mAr Tamsin Waley-Cohen
& Huw Watkins
HIGHLIGHTS
FOLK
FoLK
HiGHLiGHts
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
Book tickets now:
HIGHLIGHTS
FOLK
Custom
-made
Winter
Colin Irwin welcomes a boutique winter folk festival featuring legends
of the British scene, including KAN and mother-and-daughter team
Norma Waterson and Eliza Carthy
You wouldn’t get far into any analysis of great British
folk singers past and present without the Carthy/Waterson
clan looming large. The vivacious harmonies of the Yorkshire
family ignited the folk revival in the 1960s and continued to
do so for several decades until, as the scene itself hit the
doldrums, Eliza Carthy – daughter of Norma Waterson and
Martin Carthy – stepped forward with sensual vocals, faithful
fiddle and bold new ideas to play a key role in its resurrection.
With her hugely varied Wayward Daughter compilation
celebrating two decades as a progressive, free-thinking
professional – in which time she’s also evolved into a hugely
imaginative songwriter – Eliza’s all too rare appearances
with Norma, sadly the only surviving member of the three
Waterson siblings, are to be treasured. Their Kings Place
night will feature The Gift Band from their 2010 Gift album,
which mixed hardy traditional song with unexpected leftfield choices such as Ukulele Lady and the Longfellow
poem Psalm Of Life. It was justly festooned with awards and
now, following Norma’s recovery from major illness, their
effortless, empathetic magic can resume.
Both mother and daughter have provided profound
inspiration for the impressive new wave of young artists
who’ve lit up Brit folk in recent years – none more
convincingly than Bella Hardy. A deeply emotive singing
fiddle-player from Derbyshire’s Peak District, she recently
released her sixth album, Battleplan, to ecstatic reviews,
using the tradition as a root for her own inventive and
challenging songs. Her first, Three Black Feathers, written
during a maths exam, was nominated for a BBC Folk Award
and is now regarded as a classic; while The Herring Girl,
a delicious tale of female retribution, went on to win Best
Song at those same awards last year.
motHer and dauGHter
Have provided inspiration
For tHe impressive neW
Wave oF younG artists
KAN © ALLAN MACDONALD | BELLA HARDY © DECARLO | NORMA WATERSON AND ELIZA CARTHY © SUPPLIED PHOTO
10
Now backed by an accomplished band, The Midnight Watch,
which includes the outstanding Scottish guitarist Anna
Massie, Hardy has made great strides with each album and,
given the time of year, her Kings Place night will doubtless
include songs from her Christmas collection Bright Morning
Star, which features daringly enterprising versions of Yuletide
favourites such as Rocking Around The Christmas Tree and
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.
Another highlight of the season is an appearance by
KAN, the folk supergroup featuring Lau’s Aidan O’Rourke on
fiddle, Brian Finnegan of Flook on flute, Ian Stephenson on
guitar and bass and Jim Goodwin on percussion. Blending
Irish and Scots tunes with Breton dance, modern jazz and
their own complex and excitingly innovative arrangements,
their Sleeper album is considered a modern classic.
Custom-made Winter
12–14 December
and Christmas Music feature on pp38–39
11
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
Book tickets now:
running
in the Blood
For BlAir
dunloP
HIGHLIGHTS
FOLK
13
FridAys 8PM – hAll tWo
HIGHLIGHTS
FOLK
i deCided to MAke
PhysiCAl Journeys
in My Mind For WhiCh
i Would then CreAte
A soundtrACk
Tim Woodall talks to awardwinning singer-songwriter
Blair Dunlop, who brings
his new trio to Kings Place
for the first time this December
6 deCeMBer
Blair Dunlop
13 deCeMBer (10PM)
KAN
Part of Custom-made Winter
31 JAnuAry
Jim Causley
with Lukas Drinkwater
The Poetry of Charles Causley
7 FeBruAry
Chris Wood
14 FeBruAry
The son of British folk legend Ashley Hutchings
(Fairport Convention and the Albion Band),
young British singer-songwriter and guitarist
Blair Dunlop has nevertheless ploughed his
own furrow as a musician.
You’re from a folk family, and grew up
around the music. At what age did the
music bug hit?
I was always surrounded by music but I actually
started playing relatively late on. I messed
around with indie guitar and then got completely
sucked into the guitar on hearing Nic Jones
albums and the like. The rest is already history.
To someone who had never heard your
music before, how would you describe
it in a few sentences?
Folk is in my DNA but I don’t necessarily see
myself as a folk artist. With influences as wide
as Jackson Browne and John Mayer there is
a strong American influence in my music as
well. To summarise, I would say I’m a singersongwriter with folk influences from both the
UK and USA.
Tell us about the performance you’re
bringing to Kings Place, and the
musicians you’ll be playing with.
I have a new trio. The wonderful Angharad
Jenkins from the band Calan is playing fiddle
and (at the time of writing) I have been playing
with Mark Hutchinson on guitar. The tour is a
Police Dog Hogan
with The Vagaband
Part of Americana
A reeling ride to the highlAnds
Scots fiddler Duncan Chisholm promises to evoke the beauty of his Highland home
when he comes to Kings Place in February, as he tells Tim Woodall
celebration of the most amazing year where so
much has happened for me, but also a look to
the future with an introduction to some new
material as well.
Your debut album, Blight & Blossom, has a
lovely, light touch and soft, contemplative
quality. What inspires you as a songwriter?
I love great songwriters who have something
to say. I’m not a fan of meaningless love songs.
It takes me a long time to write and I like to
think about the story within each song… I guess
that’s the contemplative folk artist in me!
You won the Horizon Award at the 2013
BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, a gong that’s
gone to great folk artists. What did that
meant to you?
It meant so much as it is recognition from
peers: a nod from the heritage of folk music,
so to speak. I was delighted to win it but
it also already seems so long ago.
Folk Union: Blair Dunlop
6 December
BLAIR DUNLOP © MARIO ROTA | DUNCAM CHISHOLM © SUPPLIED PHOTO
12
Scottish fiddle player Duncan Chisholm has spent half
a decade or more creating, recording and performing music
dedicated to his roots and, more specifically, his particular
neck of the woods in the Highlands. The Chisholm clan have
had lands near Inverness and Loch Ness for hundreds of
years. It is the spectacular beauty of this area that Chisholm
explored and celebrated with his Strathglass Trilogy of
albums, released between 2008 and 2012. ‘The making of
the Trilogy was about creating soundscapes for the places
that I know and love so well,’ says Chisholm. ‘I decided to
make physical journeys in my mind for which I would then
create a soundtrack. I saw these journeys in cinematic
episodes, coloured by weather and landscape.’
The result was a collection of music at once soaring and
warmly atmospheric, all bound together with Chisholm’s
expressive violin playing. ‘I have always aspired to have a vocal
quality in my playing and I believe I am as close to that as I have
ever been in my life,’ he says of his own particular fiddle style.
Understandably unwilling to say goodbye to the Strathglass
project, Chisholm created a suite from the albums, which he
performed with a quintet of traditional players and 20-piece
orchestra at the 2013 Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow.
He subsequently released the live recording of this gig and
he brings a stripped-down version of the suite to Kings Place.
‘The performance should take the audience to a different
place, to let them escape the confines of the hall,’ he says.
‘Having fewer musicians means a more intimate space to
really get to the heart of the music. With Jarlath [Henderson]
on pipes/whistles and Matheu [Watson] on guitar I can attain
all the musical colouring that I need to express myself fully.’
Folk Union:
Duncan Chisholm
28 February
28 FeBruAry
Duncan Chisholm
7 MArCh
Ewan McLennan
14 MArCh
Tony McManus
other Folk
highlights
12–15 deCeMBer
Custom Made Winter
with The Albion Xmas Show,
Norma Waterson & Eliza
Carthy with The Gift Band,
KAN and Bella Hardy
13–15 FeBruAry
Americana
with Laura Cantrell, Sturgill
Simpson, Police Dog Hogan,
The Vagaband, Will Kaufman,
Emily Barker & The Red
Clay Halo, Austin Lucas
and Hatful of Rain
HIGHLIGHTS
CONTEMPORARY
CONTEMPORARY
HIGHLIGHTS
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You famously sang ‘Dancing Queen’ with
Abba’s Anni-Frid Lyngstad. What’s your
favourite Abba track?
I grew up singing Abba songs with my skipping
rope as a microphone with no idea of what any
of the English words meant. The other day
I heard ‘Knowing me, knowing you’ and realised
that there’s real lived experience behind that
song, it’s very sad.
REAL RHYTHM
FROM THE REAL GROUP
Swedish star singers The Real Group join an international line-up
including House Jacks, The Songmen, SLIX and The Swingles at this
year’s London A Cappella Festival. Helen Wallace talked to soprano
Katarina Henryson, a founding member of the super group
HIGHLIGHTS
CONTEMPORARY
15
What can we expect to hear at your LACF gig?
I can’t give too much away, but we’ll be doing
a Daft Punk song, and some jazz…
London A Cappella Festival 2014
The Real Group
24 January
SUNDAYS, 4PM – HALL TWO
1 DECEMBER
Miniaturised Concertos
Double piano concertos,
commissioned by Kate Halsall
8 DECEMBER
Lazy Modem 2
feat. Howlround
Reel-to-reel tape machines
Curated by Esther Ainsworth e_s_t
15 DECEMBER
How did you find each other in the beginning?
Amazingly, we all went to the same choir school
in Stockholm as children. Four got together at
the Royal Stockholm Academy and invited me
to join. I was more interested in pop singing
then, and was quite resistant. Now I realise
that this was the right thing to do. As I get older
I become more aware of – and more emotional
about – the power of the human voice to
connect people, and I’m glad I’ve dedicated
my life to singing.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’ve just spent the morning practising some new
songs we are singing in LevelEleven, the group
we formed with our Finnish friends Rajaton.
We’re about to do a tour of Scandinavia with
them, it’s lots of fun… perhaps we’ll be invited
to Kings Place one of these days!
What’s interesting for you in coming
to London’s A Cappella Festival?
To be part of the world A Cappella community
is a joy: we reconnect with lots of friends,
and there’s such warmth and openness to
new ideas. Also, it’s an opportunity to see
The Swingle Singers, who co-curate the festival,
and are such an inspiring institution. We love
their current line-up.
Are you always looking to push the
boundaries of your music-making?
Yes, although Anders Edenroth is our main
arranger, we all find songs and create music.
It’s vital our material evolves with new voices:
Emma Nilsdotter and Morten Vinther have
brought their own special musicianship to
FOUND
our work. Yes, we’re always looking out
for new songs: we went to South Korea
recently and did our version of ‘Gangnam
style’ in the posh Gangnam area of Seoul
– I cannot describe the level of the reaction,
people screamed!
Music, electronics, dance & poetry
Curated by Sarah Sarhandi Music
12 JANUARY
Anarchy in
the Organism
An exploration of
our relationship with complexity
Curated by Kate Romano
Your incredibly fluid rhythm is a very
striking aspect of your music-making
– how is it achieved?
The short answer is: a very clever arrangement.
But there are no free lunches in this business
– it may sound spontaneous and fluid, but we
have to work very, very hard on those complex
scores, and we are not fast learners.
19 JANUARY
Fitzwilliam Quartet
Absolutely!
Album Launch
26 JANUARY
nu:nord feat.
Tre Voci Cello Ensemble
and Silje Aker Johnsen
Do you ever make your arrangements
available to others?
Absolutely, we have a score store on our
website, though we do find that because our
bass Anders Jalkeus sings unusually low, other
groups sometimes have to change the key.
How do you work as ambassadors
for the Star for Life charity?
We travel all over the third world singing in
schools and for gala events to raise money.
Witnessing the Star for Life vocal group
performing in Stockholm was very moving.
On a personal level, I learn a huge amount
from visiting places like South Africa, the
singing culture is so strong.
What’s the secret of a healthy voice?
I do one and half hours of Ashtanga yoga
every day. I drink plenty, sleep plenty,
and try to be kind to myself.
2 FEBRUARY
We Spoke: Song
Exploring the cultural
heritage of song
9 FEBRUARY
GéNIA and Max
de Wardener
16 FEBRUARY
Mechanical Air
A Hyper~Graphic Score
2 MARCH
THE REAL GROUP © TINA AXELSSON
14
Will Dutta
Pargenon Live
9 MARCH
Beyond Cello
Workshops, concerts & cabaret
celebrating the alternative cello
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comedy
Karachi Kaleidoscope
Sarah Sarhandi brings a fascinating collection of
collaborators to her Out Hear event in December
Sarah Sarhandi is a violist with a difference:
trained at the Royal Academy of Music, she
draws on her Pakistani heritage to create
unique audio-visual works. While solo
performance is central to her work, she’s
composed music for dance (most notably with
Russell Maliphant in the award-winning Sheer)
and worked with Damien Hirst and others on
the installation Agongo.
She’ll be coming to Out Hear with a host
of collaborators on 15 December, to launch her
new project, Found. She created the piece of
music in 2012, inspired by footage and sounds
of traffic in Karachi, Pakistan. She’s always
been aware of the spaces between different
strands of her ancestry, and has always looked
for ways to cross those gaps: ‘There are spaces
actual and imagined, especially between my
Muslin and Western cultures. I’m interested in
integration. Perhaps here’s a new space we can
inhabit, where violent polarisation dissolves.
I felt I had reached that space when I was
creating Found, the sound of my viola seemed
to be a thread drawing everything together in
this turbulent millennial flow we inhabit.’
highlighTs
The sound of my viola
seemed To be a Thread
drawing everyThing
TogeTher in This
TurbulenT flow
Her music has been described as ‘a whispering
collage’ and she herself speaks of ‘finding a
sound that moves me’ and weaving together
‘a vibration, a noise, a homemade fairy tale’.
In her Out Hear set she’ll be joined by Jemima
Burrill, trumpeter Yaniv Fridel, Gina Birch on
bass, poet and artist Ana Corbero and singers
Lore Lixenberg and Lauren Kinsella. Her set will
involve a string of short works, songs, some
mini-operas, each presented through a fresh
visual treatment.
Out Hear
FOUND: Sarah Sarhandi
15 December
Thursdays, 8pm – hall Two
HIGHLIGHTS
CONTEMPORARY
SARAH SARHANDI © TOMEK SIEREK | SARAH BENNETTO © SUPPLIED PHOTO
16
3 december
Storytellers’ Club:
Crumby Christmas
he'd asKed
for a laTTe
wiTh such
flamboyance
she'd assumed
he was iTalian
The melbourne
meThod
Australian comedian Sarah Bennetto,
who comes to Kings Place with the
Storytellers’ Club in December, returns
to her roots for a barista’s mystery
They always beamed when she asked ‘the usual?’
It was an educated guess, in honesty; most customers had
an unwavering preference for café latte. She’d nod, smooth
her apron and turn to the gleaming La Marzocco. With a ding
and a buzz and a tap, tap, tap, the ritual began. He first walked
into the café during the last embers of the Melbourne summer
and he’d been coming ever since. He didn’t have a ‘usual’. In
fact, everything about him was unusual, irregular, in flux.
One wintry Wednesday he walked in, his heavy coat dripping
a trail to the counter. ‘Affogato, please,’ he rasped, sotto voce. He
smiled, but never spoke more than necessary. She commenced
the ding and the buzz and the tap, tap, tap of his order. She
could’ve sworn he was European. Though, today, his accent had
a suggestion of Estuary English. Back in summer, he’d asked
for a latte with such flamboyant affectation, she’d assumed he
was Italian. She dismissed the idea the following week when
he asked for a ’blazing hot espresso!’ with decidedly Aussie
machismo. She smiled, startled. She must have been mistaken.
The outfits changed with searing frequency too. At first,
he wore leather trousers, luxuriant shirts and military boots,
finished with an inky lick of fringe in one eye. Within a week
he was back for a decaf Americano, with cropped hair, jeans
and a sartorially offensive Hawaiian shirt. Next he wore a stiff
suit and spent the afternoons curtly muttering into a phone
about shares, while stirring a flat white, teaspoon deftly
tracing the cup’s edge with a ping, ping, ping. Now, during
winter’s icy onslaught, he resembled a mountain man:
corduroy trousers, checked shirts, thickening beard.
‘What’s the filter coffee like today?’ he asked, in a deep
North American drawl. ‘It’s good,’ she responded, peering
towards the rain-lacquered front window. ‘Hey, great scarf.
Looks pretty warm.’ Curiosity had taken hold; she was going
for it. ‘Thanks, it’s for work.’ he replied. ‘Right… and… where is
it you work?’ She tried to mask the pitch shift in her question,
walking to the table, cup and saucer leading the way.
‘Everywhere, really. I’m a park officer in Yosemite right now.
And last month I worked on Wall Street. In autumn I was in
an Italian folk band. Then I was a jewel thief from Sydney.’
‘An actor?’ He nodded and took a sip. ‘Is that why you order
the different drinks?’ she chortled. ‘Yep, whatever the character
wants.’ She shook her head. He was found out, ‘Well, actually,
I’m an extra.’ Silence fell for a beat between them. ‘But… the
clothes, the haircuts… the accents! For weeks!’ He shrugged,
‘Yeah, I just get really into it.’ She baulked at this madness, ‘You
use Method as an extra?’ His gaze arced upward to hers for the
first time, ‘Well, I figure, why not go for it, you know?’ A moment
passed. Then she reached into her apron pocket, and pulled
out a tiny loyalty card. ‘Well, then you’re going to need one of
these. You’re always welcome here. All of you.’
The door shuddered open. A family lurched in, shivering,
shaking umbrellas by the mat. ‘Latte?’ she asked them, as
she headed back towards the La Marzocco. In the booth by
the window a park officer smiled to himself, tucking his new
loyalty card deep in his damp coat pocket.
12 december
Impropera’s (Not So)
Bleak Midwinter
more shows To be announced
soon! Keep an eye on our websiTe.
HIGHLIGHTS
COMEDY
Off with their heads!
Storytellers’ Club: Crumby Christmas
3 December
17
HIGHLIGHTS
JAZZ
JAZZ
HIGHLIGHTS
NOBODY WORKS
HARDER THAN ILES
AS AN IMMENSELY
POPULAR JAZZ
EDUCATOR
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FOWLER'S
PRIZE-WINNING
BIG BAND
NIKKI AND THE PRINTMAKERS
Sebastian Scotney pays tribute to pianist Nikki Iles,
who makes a welcome return to The Base in December
One short trip to the US in 2010 finally brought pianist
Nikki Iles the level of recognition that she had deserved
for a very long time. She went into a studio in Englewood,
New Jersey and recorded an album with one of the great
jazz bassists, Rufus Reid, and drummer Jeff Williams. The
resulting CD, Hush (Basho, 2012), has had the superlatives
flowing: ‘For sheer enjoyment this calm, lucid teamwork is
unsurpassed.’ (Observer)
Trips across the Atlantic are rare, however, because
Nikki Iles is so busy in the UK. Nobody works harder than
her as an immensely popular educator; she criss-crosses the
country as a constantly in-demand pianist, and is the firstchoice accompanist for many singers.
The band which she leads is The Printmakers (The Base,
7 December, a concert to be recorded by BBC Radio 3), a
sextet featuring vocalist Norma Winstone and guitarist Mike
Walker. Iles always looks forward to playing with Walker:
‘He can play incredibly tenderly, yet there can be amazing fireworks.’ The band has the perfect anchor of Steve
Watts’ bass, and the variety and emotional depth of Mark
Lockheart’s saxophone playing.
The core of the sextet formed for the 1994 Manchester
Jazz Festival, when Iles was asked ‘ to form any band I
liked’. The name, Iles explains, uses the analogy of what a
printmaker does. ‘Like a print, each subsequent performance
is not a copy of the first impression, but unique.’ The
Printmakers have an age range between oldest bandmember (Norma Winstone) and youngest (drummer James
Maddren) of more than 40 years, with Iles – as ever – in
the middle. The Printmakers were on a UK tour this summer
celebrating her 50th birthday. ‘It’s been great, with quite a
few sell-out gigs,’ she comments. When The Printmakers
come to Kings Place they will have just recorded an album in
Ambleside, Cumbria. Plans for 2014 include a German tour
and preparation work on the release of the new CD.
And how would she describe her method as
bandleader? She sums up the secret of her success simply:
‘Not telling the musicians how to play, but allowing their
personalities to take the music wherever they want it to go.’
The Base: Nikki Iles
and The Printmakers
7 December
The Royal Academy of Music made
a clever decision when it awarded
Reuben Fowler a prize to make his
first recording, says Sebastian Scotney
HIGHLIGHTS
JAZZ
19
SATURDAYS, 8PM – HALL TWO
7 DECEMBER
Nikki Iles
50th Birthday Celerbation
with The Printmakers,
featuring Norma Winstone
and Stan Sulzmann
14 DECEMBER
Mercury Quartet
21 DECEMBER
The Golden
Age of Steam
Welcome to Bat Country
NIKKI ILES © SUPPLIED PHOTO | NORMA WINSTONE © PETRA KEMPER | REUBEN FOWLER © DAVE STAPLETON
18
FOWLER'S BIG BAND
PERSONNEL COMBINES
PLAYERS OF HIS OWN
GENERATION WITH
TOP-DRAWER LONDON
MUSICIANS
The Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize has some smart thinking
behind it. It gives one jazz student each year graduating
from the Royal Academy of Music the opportunity to produce
a recording on Edition Records, whose label boss Dave
Stapleton is on the awarding panel, alongside long-term
Kenny Wheeler associate Evan Parker, and the Academy’s
Head of Jazz Nick Smart.
23-year-old Wakefield-born trumpeter Reuben Fowler
(The Base, 18 January) won the prize in 2012. He struck lucky,
as he admits, to be offered the mentoring of Dave Stapleton
to supervise the recording, but his good fortune continued.
A few months later, he received a Peter Whittingham Award
from the Musicians Benevolent Fund. This prize offered more
top-level musical mentoring, so, combining the prizes to
his advantage, Fowler enlisted the help of trumpeter/
arranger Guy Barker.
Barker, who will direct this concert for Kings Place’s The
Base, is unstinting in his praise for his younger trumpet/
composing colleague, and for the newly-released, acclaimed
CD Between Shadows (Edition), the result of the whole
process. Barker marvels ‘that someone can achieve that
level of musicality, can sound that mature when he’s only
just left college’. Fowler’s big band personnel combines
players of his own generation with top-drawer London
musicians such as trumpeter Mike Lovatt and trombonist
Gordon Campbell. His writing draws inspiration from the
greats – Gil Evans, and Kenny Wheeler – but is fresh, forceful
and individual. Guy Barker emphasises that Fowler doesn’t
just have brief flashes of inspiration: ‘It’s all interesting, it all
works so well.’
The Base:
The Reuben Fowler Big Band
18 January
18 JANUARY
Reuben Fowler
Big Band
Featuring Stan Sulzmann,
Jim Hart & Guy Barker
1 FEBRUARY
Dakhla Brass
8 FEBRUARY
Tim Richard’s HEXTET
15 FEBRUARY (7PM)
Matthew Halsall
& The Gondwana Orchestra
15 FEBRUARY (9.15PM)
GoGo Penguin
Mammal Hands
OTHER JAZZ
HIGHLIGHTS
9–10 JANUARY
Gwilym Simcock
& Friends
Featuring Johannes Berauer
and Celine Bonacina Trio
13–15 MARCH
AIR Sessions
Curated by Air Artist Agency
Featuring Magnus Öström,
Marius Neset, Troyka, Daniel
Herskedal, Michael Wollny,
Tamar Halperin, Julia Biel and
Anthony Strong
HIGHLIGHTS
JAZZ
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Welcome
to Bat
country
Sebastian Scotney pays tribute to the
talent of saxophonist James Allsopp,
who brings his Golden Age of Steam
to The Base this December
The graduating class of 2003 from the Royal Academy
of Music’s jazz course has proved to be a vintage crop.
James Allsopp, leader of The Golden Age of Steam (21 Dec),
was the saxophone colossus in a cohort which also included
pianists Gwilym Simcock and Ivo Neame.
Ten years on, the reputation for limitless technique
and adaptability makes Allsopp first call for many different
bands. What’s his own view of his prodigious virtuosity?
‘Technique is the means to an end, allowing me to do things
the saxophone doesn’t normally do.’ His band The Golden
Age of Steam, he says, ‘is increasingly about a big textural,
atmospheric thing, not just highlighting distinct solos’. It’s
certainly a vehicle for Allsopp’s eclectic compositions and
go-anywhere improvisatory attitude, spiced with his energy
and imagination.
The Golden Age of Steam’s two albums – whose titles
also point to his quicksilver sense of the absurd – underline
this direction. Raspberry Tongue, 2009 (Babel), was for a
trio with the acclaimed drummer Tim Giles and the protean
pianist Kit Downes. Welcome to Bat Country, 2012 (Basho),
explores the richer sound palette of a quintet with Alex
Bonney (on trumpet/electronics), and the subtly propulsive
bassist Ruth Goller. Surreal humour is a feature of an Allsopp
gig, and Downes has described the latest album as ‘circus
music for the insane, including brass bands, waffle thrones
and butterdomes’.
The Base:
21 December
THE GOLDEN AGE OF STEAM © JAZZ IN THE ROUND | JAMES ALLSOPP © ALEX BONNEY | MAGNUS ÖSTRÖM © GÖRAN PETERSSON
20
Jazz has always been about connections: fusions with
other musical styles, conversations between players, direct
emotional ties with its audience. These three days, curated
by Air Artist Agency, are centred round contemporary music
that highlights these connections. It provides a vivid portrait
of the vitality of this music in 2014.
Magnus Öström felt the lure of the beat early on. At the
age of eight he turned his father’s paint tins into a drum kit;
by 13 he was playing drums with a similarly music-obsessed
kid from across the road, pianist Esbjörn Svensson. Fast
forward 30 years and the pair were touring concert halls
around the world as two-thirds of e.s.t. – the most successful
European jazz group of modern times. It had been a
beautifully arcing career which echoed the way Öström
builds a piece of music. But this arc stopped suddenly at its
zenith. Esbjörn Svensson died in a diving accident and in
the aftermath Öström considered giving up music.
That the beat has restorative properties is clear from
the drummer’s subsequent work as band leader. Öström
has found a compelling way of making connections between
jazz and rock, adding electric guitar on top of the piano
trio and drawing his structures and ethos from prog-rock.
His quartet’s recent album, Searching for Jupiter, is filled
with rich electro-acoustic constructions underpinned by his
slow-build foundations. They have both rock power and jazz
pliability. For this night, entitled Visions, British trio Troyka
achieve a similar, albeit edgier, synthesis with a mash-up of
their diverse musical tastes, which include both Aphex Twin
and cutting-edge jazz. The results can be spiky or lyrical.
The evening before this double bill, Voices, focuses on
singers and song-writing. With no instrument to act as a
barrier, the singer makes a particularly strong relationship
with the audience – they look each other in the eye.
Anthony Strong turns songs that were evergreen when
his grandparents were teenagers into muscular modern
pop-jazz; Julia Biel, on the other hand, looks to the singersongwriters of the ‘70s as her role models, translating their
work nto fresh, original 21st century compositions.
The third evening, Duets, makes connections between
musicians, introducing five eloquent conversationalists
to the stage. Some pairs – saxophonist Marius Neset
and tuba maestro Daniel Herskedal; pianist Michael Wollny
and pianist/harpsichordist Tamar Halperin – know each
other well. But conversations between relative strangers
can be as fascinating as those between good friends. And
with Magnus Öström added to the mix, all manner of new
and surprising links are going to be made in the heat of the
moment – so be there to hear it.
Air Sessions
13 March: Voices
14 March: Visions
15 March: Duets
Featuring Magnus Öström, Marius Neset,
Troyka, Daniel Herskedal, Michael Wollny,
Tamar Halperin, Julia Biel and Anthony Strong
13 – 15 March
See Listings pp75–76 for details.
HIGHLIGHTS
JAZZ
taking to the air
Peter Bacon welcomes drummer Magnus Öström,
formerly of e.s.t., along with a clutch of exciting stars
from the Air Artist Agency, including Marius Neset,
Troyka and Anthony Strong, for a mini-series in March
ÖstrÖm has found
a compelling Way of
making connections
BetWeen jazz and rock
21
HIGHLIGHTS
SPOKEN WORD
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THE BEAST, THE ANGEL AND THE MADMAN
One hundred years after Dylan Thomas’s birth, Poet in the City celebrates Wales’s
greatest poet. Former Welsh Poet Laureate Gwyneth Lewis, who appears at
the event in February, discusses a misunderstood genius with Helen Wallace
HIGHLIGHTS
SPOKEN WORD
23
This event will be part of the official
Dylan Thomas 100 celebrations and
supported by the Welsh Government.
For more information on anniversary
events see www.dt100.info
Words on Monday
Dylan Thomas: In My Craft
curated by Poet in the City
10 February
MONDAYS, 7/7.30PM
SPOKEN WORD
‘He was, without doubt, a prodigy, and wrote some of his
most brilliant pieces while very young,’ Lewis explains.
‘But when you have such an instinctive gift, at some point
you have to make a difficult transition to a more conscious,
mature style and I think he was trying to work that out
when he died, when he was only in his late thirties.’
She’s also keen to dispel the myths over that death:
‘He’s saddled with the image of a drunken Welshman, so
people tend to think he died of drink, but he was actually
suffering from pneumonia. There’s no doubt that he was
an alcoholic, but you have to remember that there was less
understanding at that time about the hazards of addiction,
and its connection with mental illness. He said of himself
“I hold a beast, an angel and a madman in me, and my
enquiry is as to their working, and my problem is their
subjugation and victory, downthrow and upheaval, and
my effort is their self-expression”.
She hopes that the event, which will include Thomas’s
biographer Andrew Lycett and young Welsh poet Owen
Sheers, will also paint a fuller picture of Thomas: ‘He
wasn’t just a poet: he was a great, comic prose writer, a
screen-writer and a pioneer of talking books. He was a very
generous performer, and we’re lucky to have recordings
of the poetry of his contemporaries which he also chose
to read. His wonderful anthology of the poetry he liked to
read, The Colour of Saying, is one of my absolute favourites,
and still in print.’
2 DECEMBER
Literary Death Match
feat. Stephanie Merritt, Mark
Billingham & Andi Magnason
2 DECEMBER
Edna O’Brien
The Love Object
9 DECEMBER
Carlos Acosta
Pig’s Foot
16 DECEMBER
Rock’n’ Roll Politics
Steve Richards & Guests
13 JANUARY
The Shelf-Help Sessions
12 Reasons
to Feel Better
with Jeanette Winterson
and Stephen Grosz
20 JANUARY
Grammar
with David Marsh
27 JANUARY
Germain Greer
The Rainforest Years
3 FEBRUARY
Bedsit Disco Queen:
Tracey Thorn
HIGHLIGHTS
10 FEBRUARY
Poet in the City presents...
‘The charge against Thomas is often that he was drunk
on the sound of words,’ observes poet Gwyneth Lewis, on
the phone from her home on the South Pembrokeshire
coast. ‘The implication is that there was nothing behind
the surface music of his poetry. But the more I’ve re-read
Thomas, the less true that appears: he was not just a great
poetic talent, his intellect matched the music.’ She, like
many of her generation in Wales, was brought up on
A Child’s Christmas in Wales, Richard Burton’s
mesmerising recording of Under Milk Wood and the
‘trophy’ poems such as Do not go gentle into that good
night. In her adulthood she’s re-discovered the startlingly
fine, but lesser-known poems. ‘Some of them have taken
me a long time to understand: they’re not simple, there’s
real substance, and some very serious ideas there.’ She
picks out the short, but hard-hitting lyric about political
despotism, The hand that signed the paper, and his
momentous, inventive birthday poems, reciting lines
from Twenty four years:
Twenty-four years remind the tears of my eyes.
(Bury the dead for fear that they walk to the grave in labour.)
In the groin of the natural doorway I crouched like a tailor
Sewing a shroud for a journey
By the light of the meat-eating sun.
DYLAN THOMAS © GETTY IMAGES | GWYNETH LEWIS © KEITH MORRIS | OWEN SHEERS © EMYR YOUNG
22
THE MORE I'VE RE-READ
THOMAS, THE MORE
I SEE HIS INTELLECT
MATCHED THE MUSIC
OF HIS POETRY
Dylan Thomas:
In My Craft
17 FEBRUARY
Connecting
Conversations
3 MARCH
Photovision
Nick Danziger
10 MARCH
Reprieve
Clive Stafford Smith
HIGHLIGHTS
SPOKEN WORD
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SPOKEN WORD
flying feet
take to tHe page
great writers
can tell us
a story and
actually make
us tHink in a
different way
Dancer Carlos Acosta caught the writing bug when he penned his autobiography. Now his first novel
has been published, says Amanda Holloway, and he’ll discuss it at Kings Place in December
Carlos Acosta is probably the most famous ballet dancer in the world,
and certainly the most famous Cuban after Fidel Castro. He’s also The Royal
Ballet’s popular Principal Guest Artist, an impresario whose company
performs all over the world and a published writer – his page-turning
autobiography, No Way Home: A Cuban Dancer’s Story, came out in 2007,
and his debut novel set in Cuba, Pig’s Foot, has just been published.
The rags-to-riches story he recounts in No Way Home is inspiring,
but full of heartache. A young boy from a poor suburb of Havana, he
was sent away to ballet school by his lorry-driver father to keep him off
the streets. ‘Junior’ Acosta, as he was known, struggled to fit in. He was
athletic and strong but he despised dance and dreamed instead of being
an international footballer. Once he accepted his fate, he became an
exciting performer with extraordinary classical technique, and after he
won the Prix de Lausanne at 16, his career took off. He joined The Royal
Ballet in 1998 and has tackled the most demanding of roles – and the
most romantic (he was The Royal Ballet’s first black Romeo).
Today Acosta is a hero in Cuba, spearheading plans to create a
new ballet school, but there’s still a trace of that uncertain boy. He is
charming, quietly spoken and thoughtful, still surprised to find himself
on the world stage. He started writing his autobiography in the hope
that the process would be a sort of therapy. ‘I’d reached the top of my
profession, yet it didn’t satisfy me,’ he said. Looking back on his years
at the ballet boarding school he realised that he’d missed out on time
with his family and friends. But he pays tribute to a father who taught
him what mattered in life – to work hard and to value the talent he had
been given. His new book, which he’ll discuss at Words on Monday, is a
magic-realist historical saga that follows a Cuban family from the 1800s
to the present day. It took him ‘three or four years’ to write, mainly in
his dressing room, and he’s not sure he could do it again, as he said
in a recent interview: ‘It really is so lonely, so painful. I can tell a story,
help you have a good time, but I don’t consider myself a writer.’ Some
disagree: he was recently chosen as one of the Waterstones Eleven,
their list of the best new writers.
He was atHletic
and strong but
He despised dance
and dreamed
instead of being
an international
footballer
Words on Monday
Carlos Acosta dicusses
his new novel ‘Pig’s Foot’
9 December
words to beat tHe blues
Psychoanalyst and author Stephen Grosz talks
about The Most Depressing Day of the Year, about
which he’ll be finding twelve reasons to feel better,
with author Jeanette Winterson
CARLOS ACOSTA © CORBIS | PIG’S FOOT BOOK COVER © BLOOMSBURY | JEANETTE WINTERSON © CORBIS | STEPHEN GROSZ © BETTINA VON ZWEHL
24
‘It may be that some epidemiological psychologist has proved
statistically that 13 January is the most depressing day of the year,’ says
Stephen Grosz, ‘but in my experience any day can be The Worst Day:
some people are quite happy on the darkest, dreariest day of the year,
and others are in the depths of depression in the height of summer.’ The
quietly spoken American, author of The Examined Life, concedes, though,
there are some specific reasons why January might cause suffering:
‘People do find the winter holiday period very difficult, that’s certainly
true. If their hopes and expectations aren’t met by friends and family
it can be a time of disappointment, and even New Year itself can be a
moment to reflect on loneliness or lack of achievement or change.’ He’s
always favoured the American holiday of Thanksgiving over Christmas
because it’s so simple, and doesn’t come freighted with the trauma of
present-buying and receiving. ‘Thanksgiving is just a big get-together,
you can enjoy each other’s company and there are no obligations. The
trouble with gift-giving at Christmas is that gifts can be taken the wrong
way, or that people can be defensive or aggressive about receiving them.’
He feels his profession has been guilty of not taking sufficient
account of environment when treating patients, and Seasonal Affective
Disorder is something he recognises. ‘If I’m planning with a patient to
take them off anti-depressants, I would certainly try to make the end
date the beginning of spring, for example, rather than the shortest day
of the year. Light certainly has an impact on us.’
So does he find self-help books too simplistic, prescriptive and onedimensional? ‘Lots of self-help books about meditation, mindfulness
and such things are very helpful. It would be foolish to ignore their
findings. Ultimately, though, I think I learn more by reading literature.
Great writers can tell us a story and actually make us think in a different
way; thinking in a new way gives us a lift and a sense of possibility. If you
can think differently, you can act differently. It’s the first step.’
He cites Jeanette Winterson, with whom he will share the Words on
Monday event, as one of those writers who has changed him: ‘I particularly
loved Jeanette’s latest book Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal.
I know of nobody who read that who wasn’t changed by it. It’s a very
powerful piece of writing. When I was listening to her reading it on the
radio I had to stop the car and listen. She deals in it with profoundly painful
truths about her real and adoptive mother. But the way she writes is
elegant, simple but so direct – right to the heart, electrifying. I shall be so
fascinated to speak with her about it.’
He names Andrew Solomon’s book Far from the Tree: Parents, Children
and the Search for Identity and Katherine Boo’s account of life in a Mumbai
slum, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, as other examples of writing that
have enlarged his perspective, changed him. He firmly believes that his
own role with patients is to help them find their own story. ‘It was Karen
Blixen who said “all sorrows can be borne if you put them into a story or
tell a story about them” and I think that’s so true. My work is to help people
tell their own stories, especially when the story seems to be telling them,
when they’ve lost control or don’t understand the narrative any more.’
Referring to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Grosz likens himself to the
three ghosts who show Scrooge a new way of thinking. ‘I think we have to
haunt our patients a little, to make them think about things they might be
avoiding. The ghost is a good analogy.’ Come and see the distinguished
analyst in flesh and blood on Monday 13 January, in conversation with
author Jeanette Winterson.
Words on Monday
The Shelf-Help Sessions: Twelve reasons to feel better
Jeanette Winterson and Stephen Grosz in conversation
13 January
25
HIGHLIGHTS
ART
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ART
HIGHLIGHTS
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ART
ART HIGHLIGHTS
15 noveMbeR – 24 JAnuARy
Kings Place Gallery
Lucy JoneS:
LookInG ouT,
LookInG In
Ørnulf Opdahl
Paintings and Prints
13 – 23 deceMbeR
Pangolin London
Christmas Show
9 JAnuARy – 15 febRuARy
Pangolin London
Pangolin London
Showcase
31 JAnuARy – 21 MARcH
Kings Place Gallery
Lucy Jones
Looking Out, Looking In
JAnuARy (dATe TbA)
Philip Vann welcomes a new exhibition of Lucy Jones’s paintings at Kings Place Gallery, opening in January 2014
Pangolin London
Sculpture Trail Relaunch
21 febRuARy – 29 MARcH
Born in London in 1955, Lucy Jones is a painter of both provocatively
disquieting self-portraits (one contains the words ‘who the hell do you
think you are’ dyslexically scrawled in mirror-image across the canvas)
and unpeopled landscapes of flaring colours and raw, wild beauty. Her
landscape paintings preclude, she says, ‘overt human narrative, so I’ve
left people out. My landscapes are about looking out into the world;
my self-portraits are the other side of the coin.’
At Camberwell School of Art, an expressionist affinity was nurtured
by visiting tutors the painters Frank Auerbach and Leon Kossoff. Living
for many years in London (until moving to Shropshire in 2004), she
painted incandescent riverscapes of ‘the simple architectural spaces’
around the South Bank.
Kings Place Gallery
Ralph Brown
Creating early self-portraits, ‘I had not liked looking at myself in the mirror.
I felt sexless (unlike Frida Kahlo)... Things have changed quite a lot in
the last years and depression is far less prominent. I met my husband
25 years ago and my confidence grew. I began to paint the whole of me
and paint the awkwardness of how I look – which is both personal and
common to all. I still use a mirror every time... in my studio I have two
full-length mirrors and another smaller one.’
Looking Over My Glasses (2012) is painted against a black
background which ‘rather as in Russian icons, makes the colours stand
out with jewel-like vividness’. She comments on ‘the resolved triangular
geometry of the pose’ and likens the piercing autobiographical regard to
the way ‘Rembrandt used eyes very powerfully to transfix the viewer’s’.
(Left) Fall of the Year, 2013
Oil on canvas, 130 x 180cm.
Lucy Jones
(Above right) Wheelie, 2012
Oil on canvas, 180 x 120cm.
Lucy Jones
Memorial Exhibition
SHe'S A pAInTeR
of pRovocATIveLy
dISquIeTInG
SeLf-poRTRAITS
And unpeopLed
LAndScApeS of
fLARInG coLouR And
RAw, wILd beAuTy
PAInTInGS By LUCy JOnES © SUPPLIED PHOTOS
26
Central to her artistic practice is a Bonnard-like appreciation of the quite
musical role of complementary colours and tones in making a painting
cohere and sing. The prominent arc-like eyelids are echoed here in the
slightly ruddier tints of the decorative crosses on the cardigan, whose
startling turquoise appears as high-pitched in tone as the eyelids
themselves. Other recent self-portraits feature poignantly matter-of-fact
‘props’, including a wheelie walking frame, clinically bleak in form and
hue, whose sculptural ‘pose’ wittily echoes that of the standing artist
herself, resplendent in psychedelically striped jumper.
Exploring the Marches (her local terrain) by car, she will kneel on
the ground, in front of the landscape, for several hours. These literally
painstaking, consummately absorbed sessions result in intensively
worked drawings and watercolours, which she repeatedly uses later
in the studio as studies for oil paintings.
In Fall of the Year (2013), a gorgeous autumnal tree flows like a tongue
of flame onto the mauve hedgerows and over lush green verges,
counterpointed in this painting – which is, in effect, an exquisite colourist,
calligraphic choreography of diverse arboreal forms – against a tree with
delicate branches and sparse foliage. The reflected treescape in Serenity
(2010) shows the artist’s predilection for off-black paint to help evoke
(in this case) a scintillatingly dappled atmosphere of contemplative
retreat. ‘I think’, she says, ‘you need blacks or greys for relief against the
heightened colours, to create a rhythm through the painting.’
Kings Place Gallery: Lucy Jones
31 January – 21 March
See Art Listings p77 for details
27
HIGHLIGHTS
INTERACT
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INTERACT
technique which combines the finger techniques
of flat bass guitar with those used on ouds, and
Zoë Martlew, famous for her bondage cabaret
act. ‘Cellists really are the most collegiate lot,
so I’m hoping we’ll be able to work together
in this event to create some chemistry on the
night, where everyone gets a chance to shine
and bounce ideas off each other.’
During the day there will be workshops
with Ivan Hussey and Matthew himself and
an audience with the éminence grise of this
cellistic world, Dutchman Ernst Reijseger, a rare
visitor to these shores. His iconic recordings
on the Winter + Winter label reveal an artist
who is willing to use every inch of both the
instrument and his body to create fascinating
music. ‘Ernst does unbelievable things, he’s a
real adventurer among cellists, his creativity is
boundless. He’s hardly known here so this is
a compelling reason to come along.’
BEYOND CELLO
Matthew Barley directs an extraordinary day showcasing a host of pioneers
in the cello firmament who are pushing at the boundaries of the instrument.
He shared his plans with Helen Wallace
The event is being run through the London
Cello Society and Barley is expecting an
audience made up of 50% young cellists from
the colleges, and 50% interested amateurs
and listeners – ‘and other instrumentalists’,
he adds, ‘they’ve got a lot to learn from us!’
Violinists, take note.
Beyond Cello
9 March
Ivan Hussey (Celloman)
INTERACT
INTERACT
29
INTERACT HIGHLIGHTS
CHAMBERSTUDIO
ChamberStudio Masterclasses
SUNDAY AFTERNOONS
(2.30pm & 4.30pm)
A year-round base where outstanding
chamber groups can be supported as
they develop and establish themselves
in the early stages of their careers
with the guidance of international
chamber musicians. FREE admission
for observers. Tickets can be reserved
by phone at the Box Office. Full details
at chamberstudio.org
1, 8 & 15 DECEMBER
5, 12, 19 & 26 JANUARY
9 & 16 FEBRUARY
9 & 16 MARCH
2 FEBRUARY – Junior Masterclass Day
(1–6.30pm) followed by an informal
concert in Hall Two (7pm)
23 MARCH – Public Masterclass with
guest Professor Shmuel Ashkenasi
(11am–3pm)
PIANO-YOGA® CERTIFICATE COURSES
HIGHLIGHTS
Foundation Course (10am–1pm)
Course One (2pm–5pm)
1 DECEMBER
Visionary Russian virtuoso pianist
GéNIA returns with the Piano-Yoga®
Certificate Courses to give pianists from
advanced-beginner to advanced level
everything they need to transform their
playing whilst enhancing their
well-being. piano-yoga.com
IT'S IMPORTANT
TO SPREAD THE WORD
THAT WITH THE CELLO,
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
LONDON A CAPPELLA FESTIVAL 2014
‘The profile of cellists has changed beyond
recognition in the last decade or two,’ says
cellist and collaborator extraordinaire Matthew
Barley. ‘The cello’s role used to be that of a
Romantic hero – now we’re branching out
into sophisticated looping and interactive
electronics, singer-songwriting, cabaret and
the most amazing new techniques influenced
by instruments from other cultures. And
London is home to a lot of these innovators,
so I thought it would be good to gather them
round and look into the future together.’
He decided it was time to expose a new
generation of young cellists to the creative
potential of this versatile instrument. Of course,
he himself is one of the most high-profile
innovators and has inspired others. ‘When I was
at college none of this was going on, it was
unimaginable. But I do know that one young
cellist, Peter Gregson, came along to hear
me doing some mutli-tracking once and was
inspired to follow that path. Peter will be joining
us, and he’s done some amazing things since
becoming professional. So it’s important to
plant those seeds, to spread the word that
with the cello, anything is possible.’
The sheer diversity of talent is striking.
Barley himself will be giving a concert with
jazz legend Julian Joseph, showcasing their
ground-breaking Brazilian programme. In the
final cabaret he’ll be joined by Ayanna WitterJohnson, the award-winning singer-songwritingcellist who has collaborated with just about
everyone from rappers to Björk and Courtney
Pine, ‘Celloman’ Ivan Hussey, well-known for
his phantasmagoric loops and ‘arpezzato’
MATTHEW BARLEY © ALISTAIR MORRISON | IAVN HUSSEY © MEL CORRIGAN | AYANNA © SUPPLIED PHOTO
28
All Things Vocal: Workshops
25 JANUARY
Enthusiastic singers and choirs of all
ages and abilities are invited to join
international industry experts and
performers in a series of workshops
focusing on various aspects of singing
and vocal performance. Early booking
is a must to avoid disappointment!
Please note that all workshops are
standing events with limited seating.
Ayanna
Workshop I: Brazilian Rhythms
& Body Percussion (10am)
Workshop II: Pitch Perfect
Unpicked with Deke Sharon
and Nick Girard (11.30am)
Workshop III: The Craft with
Bob Chilcott (1pm)
Workshop IV: Pass me the Jazz
with The Real Group (3.45pm)
Workshop V: Dominic Peckham’s
Total Vocal (4.45pm)
HIGHLIGHTS
FOOD & DRINK
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FOOD & DRINK
GO OFF-PISTE
THIS WINTER
JACK FROST IS BOOKED
TO CONJURE UP A
SPECTACULAR ALPINE
RETREAT WITHIN THE
BATTLEBRIDGE ROOM
Prepare for glittering transformations at Kings Place this winter for the Christmas
party season, with a range of seasonal features to inspire and delight
This Christmas at Kings Place promises
rather more than a decorated tree in the foyer,
as Emma Williams, General Manager of Green
and Fortune, explains: ‘After the success
of our Christmas party nights last year and
the popularity of the Great British Summerthemed terrace, we decided we should make
the most of this unique outside space in the
winter too. We’ve taken our inspiration from
Alpine ski resorts where people sit out, drink
and party no matter how cold the weather!’
So the canal-side terrace surrounding the
Rotunda Restaurant is to be transformed into
a cosy, candle-lit hideaway with rugs, fire pits,
rattan chairs, outdoor heaters, mulled wine
and toasted marshmallows – on offer for allcomers. For those who want to make the most
of this ‘Winter by the Water’ scene, events
can be pre-booked for dates between 2 and
24 December. Small groups (a minimum of
10 people) can find packages from as little as
£24.50 per head which include an assortment
of seasonal bites and bevvies for informal,
standing gatherings: pigs in blankets, Christmas
cocktails and Cashel Blue cheese croquettes
all appear on that menu. Larger groups can
request exclusive space on the terrace, and
menus in the private dining room start at £40,
which includes a three-course winter menu
– home-cured salmon, 12-hour slow braised
shoulder of lamb and winter berry trifle are
just some of the tempting choices – rising to
a £60 menu of scallops, venison and melt-inthe-middle chocolate sponge.
The Rotunda Bar and Restaurant is
also offering a £36.50 per head Christmas
party package throughout the season which
can be booked but will also run alongside
HIGHLIGHTS
CHRISTMAS PHOTO © GREEN & FORTUNE
30
HIGHLIGHTS
FOOD & DRINK
the à la carte menu for walk-in customers.
Rotunda Head Chef Nicky Foley has used
the best of the season’s produce including
potted organic pork belly, Roast Goosnargh
turkey with duck-fat roasted potatoes and
‘traditional Christmas pudding, the Foley
way’, to create a mouth-wateringly festive
menu. ‘As well as the great food, everyone
will enjoy festive table games and crackers
as a given but we can also add extra special
touches like champagne, canapés or winter
warmers on arrival,’ says Emma. ‘And the
Secret Santa DJ app will allow you to choose
the soundtrack to your own party.ʼ
For larger office or corporate groups
(80+ people) Jack Frost is booked at the end
of November to conjure up a spectacular
Alpine retreat within the Battlebridge Room.
Enter the white-out and be surrounded
by crackling log fires; seek out your table
through a forest of snowy trees. At a cost of
£70 per person, you can have exclusive use of
the transformed Battlebridge Room, a meal,
decorated tables and five hoursʼ unlimited
house wine, bottled beer and soft drinks.
There will be a choice of specially-themed
seasonal menus, ranging from a buffet, to
bowl food to a sit-down three-course meal.
For those looking for an alternative to the
traditional turkey dinner there’s Northumbrian
beef, roast cod, honey and mustard glazed
salmon and sweet potato, butternut squash
and ricotta strudel, while mouth-watering
desserts include winter spiced plum and
frangipan tart and bitter chocolate mocha
torte with caramelised pecans. Says Williams,
‘We’re calling the Battlebridge Room our Off
Piste party package as it promises something
quite different. While Winter by the Water
can be enjoyed by all our customers from 7
November until the end of January, Off-Piste
will just run for pre-booked parties through
December until Christmas.’
Whether it’s some seasonal nibbles and
drinks with a group of friends, a high-end
Christmas lunch in the private dining room,
spontaneous winter warmers one icy night
on the terrace or a sparkling office party
to remember, there’s something to suit all
budgets at Kings Place this winter.
For Winter by the Water bookings:
enquiries@rotundabarandrestaurant.co.uk
T +44 (0) 20 7014 2840
For Off-Piste:
events@kingsplaceevents.co.uk
T +44 (0)20 7014 2838
31
32 CLASSICAL
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The young Navarra Quartet is fast establishing itself on the international circuit,
while making the most of opportunities at Kings Place, from ChamberStudio
coaching to performing in Chamber Classics Unwrapped. Cellist Brian O’Kane tells
Helen Wallace about the rewards and sacrifices of a career in chamber music
member must have quartet playing as their
primary motivation. What’s important is what
the four of us combined can achieve.’
As the Navarra’s second violinist Marije
Johnston put it simply in a recent film: ‘We
really love playing string quartets and that’s
what we want to do for the rest of our lives.’
Putting individual ego to one side and
pursuing a joint musical goal takes a special sort
of musician with an intense focus, especially
in a city like London with its mass of musical
opportunities, from playing in orchestras pit
bands to session work. ‘Here there are many
ways in which we could make a quick buck,
and it’s hard sometimes to say, “No, the quartet
has to come first.” Sacrifices have to be made,
quality of life, standard of living, it’s really tough.
If we had a round of big subscription concerts
in a territory like Germany we’d only need a
certain number a year to live. But in this country
the bread and butter work is still regional
musical societies, and one can only survive by
combining that with other dates, festivals and
tours – and playing in other guises.’
Lead violinist Magnus Johnston also heads
up the acclaimed Aronowitz Ensemble (who will
perform in Chamber Classics Unwrapped, 15 May
2014), while O’Kane is involved with the Irishbased Cappa Ensemble, alongside duo recitals
and concerto appearances. He can be heard
again, for instance, performing Bach with James
Galway in his Chamber Classics Unwrapped
concert (12 December 2014). He concedes there’s
an upside to this varied life: ‘I think we all enjoy
doing our other work and it helps the dynamic
of the quartet, which can get so intense. Playing
chamber music with other people keeps us fresh.’
the sheer amount of work
you have to put in is beyond
almost anything in music
Juggling four individual careers is only
one of many challenges facing a young
quartet. Some are purely practical: where
does an ensemble find a space to rehearse
in a crowded city where they won’t disturb
others at all times of day or night? Although
they can squeeze into small rooms, such a
space doesn’t allow them to prepare for a
concert hall acoustic. ‘A young quartet needs
a lot of support to survive. We are incredibly
NAVARRA QUARTET © NICK WHITE
It was always Brian O’Kane’s goal to
perform chamber music. Now, as a member
of the Navarra Quartet, prizewinners at Florence,
Melbourne and Banff, and poised to launch
its own festival in Holland, he’s achieved it.
So why does the young Irishman describe the
experience as ‘thankless’? ‘The sheer amount
of work you have to put in is beyond comparison
with almost anything else in music. Four different
people have to find a way of working together,
of balancing four opinions, of making their
musicianship gel. There are endless possibilities
and nuances in the quartet dynamic, the
rehearsals have to be very, very long. Believe
me, playing an Elgar Cello Concerto is a piece
of cake in comparison!’
The pay-off, of course, is the repertoire.
‘You do it for the love of the music. For me,
the string quartet repertoire is better than any
symphony, concerto, sonata – anything! It tells
us a huge amount that Beethoven, Bartók,
Britten, Schubert and Shostakovich, to name
but five, devoted their last months to this
medium. It’s the one through which composers
find their strongest, most personal voice. The
string quartet is such an intimate form it seems
that composers discover it can express their
most profound, complex emotions. It’s a huge
challenge, though, to create performances
of some of these great masterpieces. Every
fortunate in knowing some people who really
love chamber music, and allow us to use their
houses to rehearse in from time to time, for the
whole day and most of the night if necessary.
Without that, and all those supporters, be they
family, friends, fans, we wouldn’t be here.’
There’s also the question of building a
repertoire and a reputation: the members of the
Navarra Quartet left college some time ago, but
mentors are still vital. The quartet was awarded
the ChamberStudio Mentorship 2012/13,
supported by the Musicians Benevolent Fund,
which has enabled them to select mentors to
work with them at Kings Place. ‘That’s been
tremendously helpful. We wanted to work with
Professor Eberhard Feltz but it would simply
not have been affordable to go to Berlin.
ChamberStudio has enabled us to invite him
over to London and have masterclasses here.
Time spent with Eberhard is invaluable – his
almost mystical understanding of any score,
combined with his vivid imagination, is so
invigorating. He can reference a passage in
one chamber work with so many others. We
played Beethoven in the key of E minor, and
he explained how composers choose E minor
because of its specially fervid energy – seeing
music through his eyes gives our performance
a whole new context. It’s possible to get rather
stuck inside ourselves – he opens doors for us,
gives us a wider perspective.’
Through ChamberStudio they have also
worked with David Waterman, cellist of the
Endellion Quartet: ‘It’s particularly good to
work with David for me, because he’s such a
fantastic cellist and musician, but we find his
guidance so valuable too, especially on our
career choices and what we should be doing.’
One decision was to enter the prestigious
2013 Banff International Quartet competition
in August, at which they won third prize.
Other decisions focus on learning pieces that
both make the quartet distinctive and useful
to concert promoters: ‘We need a repertoire
which will be useful in all sorts of situations but
will give the quartet its own identity,’ O’Kane
explains. ‘If you say yes to every request, you
may be learning works that you will only play
once. So you have to become smart about
building your repertoire gradually and making it
work for you.’ The Navarra learnt three quartets
by Latvian composer Pe̵ teris Vasks for a
Challenge Classics recording, a project that has
reaped rewards, as those will know who heard
them perform the Third Quartet at their London
Chamber Music Society concert earlier this year.
‘Since the recording we’ve programmed the
Third Quartet a number of times. It’s a stunning
piece, and audiences seem to love it.’
CLASSICAL
NAVARRA QUARTET
composers discover they can express
their most profound, complex
emotions through the string quartet
33
CLASSICAL
NAVARRA QUARTET
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CLASSICAL
KRYSIA OSOSTOWICZ
Words
from
the Wise
Krysia Osostowicz, who will perform
in Chamber Classics Unwrapped with
the Dante Quartet and Endymion Ensemble,
is also a mentor for ChamberStudio.
Here she and Richard Ireland, formerly
of the Chilingirian Quartet, and Artistic
Director of ChamberStudio, reflect on
the subtle art of chamber music
As every quartet knows, spending hours
together can put musicians under strain,
even the best of friends. Marriage can help,
as the Brodsky Quartet’s cellist and violist
have shown, and Magnus and Marije Johnston
are newly-weds, but the Navarra – like many
quartets – has already gone through several
incarnations since its founding at the Royal
Northern College of Music. How does one keep
an identity alive? ‘Quartet life is complicated,’
says O’Kane. ‘It won’t always suit everyone
in the long term. Magnus was originally lead
fiddle of the Elias Quartet when it was called
the Johnston Quartet. I’ve been playing with
the Navarra for just over a year. It’s quite
common for the second violinist and viola to be
the core, and that’s the case for us with Marije
and Simone, who’ve been best of friends
since they were young.’ He describes them as
forming the body of the quartet, with the lead
violin as the head and cellist the legs – or, as
Siegmund Nissel (second violinist of the
Amadeus Quartet) famously used to say: a
string quartet is like a bottle of wine, first violin
is the label, the bottle is the cello, and the
content is provided by the middle voices. It’s
an appropriate analogy for the Navarra, whose
name was chosen not – as I had assumed – in
tribute to cellist André Navarra, but from the
label on a rather nice bottle of Spanish wine.
I ask him how he’s found performing in
Hall One? ‘Wonderful. What matters to me is
whether a hall is properly proportioned for
chamber music, whether I can hear everyone
clearly and we don’t have to cram together.ʼ
He describes the London audience as wellinformed, if sometimes a little reserved, in
comparison with Dutch audiences ‘who leap
to their feet after your first bow!’
As we look at the list of the Top 50
chamber works chosen by the Kings Place
audience and readers of BBC Music Magazine
he comments that it wouldn’t look so different
had it been chosen by musicians. ‘The works
that have risen to the top are those I would
happily play every day: the Mendelssohn Octet,
the Schubert Quintet and the Trout Quintet,
yes, that makes complete sense.’ Those he
feels should be there and aren’t include the
quartets of Britten and Dutilleux’s Ainsi le nuit:
‘That’s a question of knowledge. As a string
quartet player one gets to know works deeply,
and there are quartets by Haydn, Mozart and
Beethoven which are not here but are among
the finest ever written, but perhaps not so well
known to audiences. That’s why it’s good that
this series has allowed each group to create
their own programme around the ‘Top 50’
works: so we’ve placed Borodin’s gorgeous
Second Quartet (No. 21) with Mozart K159
and Beethoven’s Op. 74.’
Others have juxtaposed Henning
Kraggerud with Bartók, Thea Musgrave with
Nielsen, David with Schubert or Panufnik
with Mozart. To whet your appetite for
the series, come and hear the Navarra
Quartet play Schubert’s Quintet in C at the
ChamberStudio’s concert in November,
and catch it again in February at Chamber
Classics Unwrapped, one of several young
quartets showcasing fascinating programmes,
including the Finnish Meta4, the American
Escher Quartet, and German Signum and Kuss
Quartets. With such imagination, dedication
and spirit, the future of chamber music
appears to be in good hands.
Chamber Classics Unwrapped
begins on 15 January
Navarra Quartet concerts at Kings Place
ChamberStudio Annual Concert: 10 November
Chamber Classics Unwrapped: 20 February
NAVARRA QUARTET © NICK WHITE | KRYSIA OSOSTOWICz & RICHARD IRELAND © SUPPLIED PHOTOS
34
AgAiN ANd AgAiN,
i Come BACk to
the ideA of A
CoNversAtioN.
thAt is the esseNCe
of ChAmBer mUsiC
Krysia Osostowicz feels ‘enormously privileged’ when asked to mentor a young
quartet for ChamberStudio. ‘It’s a special occasion. I know they will have prepared the
work to a high level, developed their own ideas and will be receptive to input. I know
I’ll also learn something.’ She says the essence of string quartet playing is ‘the idea of a
conversation: I come back to that again and again. Quartets can have “good” ensemble,
and bring things “together” and even give a “polished” performance, but if they’re
focusing too much on the finished product, without seeing how the music is working,
they won’t engage the audience. They need to be aware of their own roles in the
conversation, when they need to come forward, when fall back, when they are travelling,
developing, when they have arrived, and also where they are in the narrative of the
whole piece.’ Richard Ireland concurs: ‘In the end it’s all about developing powerful
communication. How can you recreate this amazing music for an audience so that it
lives?’ His passionate belief in the value of all young musicians engaging in chamber
music, has led to his allocating certain ChamberStudio sessions to school ensembles:
‘The skills learnt in playing chamber music – of listening, combining and balancing
sound, refining technique, communication, musical awareness – provide the best
possible grounding for orchestral and solo performance too.’
Growing up in a family of string quartet players (his father was a founder member
of the Allegri, his brother Robin in the Lindsay) he knows all about that ‘elusive personal
chemistry’ that can exist between four people: ‘You can discuss how you are going to
play as much as you like, but if you’re not comfortable making music with those other
three people nothing will keep you together.’ For Krysia, there are no easy answers,
and no one piece of advice: ‘When four musicians see eye to eye and are prepared
to devote themselves to the work, it’s a rare and lucky happenstance. And when that
shared commitment is there, it radiates through their playing, and promoters and
audiences feel it, even with the inevitable changes of personnel.’
She says there’s nothing like the way you can go deeply into the repertoire with
a long-term ensemble: ‘To come home to a Haydn or Beethoven quartet again after
20 years of performing it, one always finds something new. It’s like reading Shakespeare.
When young quartets have got beyond competitions, they can start the life-long work
of exploring this extraordinary music.’ Both agree that the really hard years are not the
early ones, but a decade later, when players reach their 30s. ‘That’s when you are not
the new kids on the block any more, the quartet interferes with family life and you have
to work very hard to sustain your identity,’ says Krysia.
ChAmBerstUdio iN ACtioN
ChamberStudio masterclasses are open to a limited number of public listeners, free
of charge, on Sunday afternoons. On 23 March 2014 there will be a public masterclass
with special guest Shmuel Ashkenasi in Hall Two, tickets at £9.50.
ChamberStudio’s new mentorships for the 2013/14 season have been awarded to
the Bernadel Quartet, the Busch Ensemble and Ruisi Quartet. The Busch Ensemble makes
its Kings Place debut in the ChamberStudio gala concert on 10 November, featuring the
Navarra. The Bernadel will perform in one of the free foyer concerts that preface the London
Chamber Music Society concerts on a Sunday evening, a new Kings Place initiative. Come
along half an hour before the LCMS concert, have a drink in the foyer and listen to stars
of the future, playing music that casts an illuminating side-light on the main programme.
The Navarra Quartet will have an open masterclass with Eberhard Feltz on 10 Nov
at 4.30pm. See Interact Highlights (p29) for other ChamberStudio events
35
CLASSICAL
CHAMBER CLASSICS
WHAT
DO THE
TOP
50
CHOICES
SAY ABOUT
YOU?
Helen Wallace, who
wrote about each of
the 50 great works of
chamber music for our
new series brochure,
considers what the list
says about tastes
audience today
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020 7520 1490
Trends in classical music evolve slowly, but
the 2012 vote cast by the Kings Place audience
and readers of BBC Music Magazine holds up
a mirror to our times. The quartets of Bartók,
Janáček and Shostakovich loom large: highprofile recording projects of the 1980s and
ʼ90s led to ‘complete’ live performances and
boosted familiarity. More significantly, there
works are ʻup close and personal.ʼ The strongly
confessional nature of Shostakovich and
Janáček quartets suits our self-obsessed times:
while Shostakovich indicated his quartets were
private diaries, Janáček revealed his were the
expression of his illicit passion for a younger
woman. There’s a harsh directness to their
communication which suits our no-holdsbarred sensibilities – emotion red in tooth
and claw. But while both composers appeal to
our voyeuristic fascination with private worlds,
both would have found the 21st-century ‘selfie’
culture entirely alien, and probably abhorrent.
We exist in an overwhelmingly visual
culture, where image often wins over sound.
While Beethoven’s Archduke and Ghost
Trios, his Spring Sonata, Dvořák’s American,
Schubert’s Trout and Death and the Maiden
are all indelible masterpieces, how keenly
their names resonate: opus numbers rarely
brand the memory in the same way. We love a
headline story too: the ‘newest’ piece in our list
is Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time,
a miraculous meditation by any standards and
at any time, but its back-story set in a freezing
German prisoner-of-war camp underpins its
message so effectively, it’s become the most
frequently performed ‘quartet’ of the postwar period, despite its unusual line-up. Of
the Second Viennese school, we have only
Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht, a pivotal work
in the history of music, but, crucially to the
audience today, the realisation of a profoundly
romantic drama.
Looking at concert programmes from
50–60 years ago, the core of the classical
quartet repertoire – Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven
and Schubert – dominates. From our new list
it’s clear that the quartets of Haydn and Mozart
now suffer from a lack of recognition. The
sophisticated conventions within which Haydn
and Mozart were working can present a barrier:
here is musical discourse of high abstraction
and formality, while we seem to need to feel
personal struggle – the stock of Beethoven’s
mighty ‘late’ quartets has never been higher.
Happily, the musicians themselves, for whom
Haydn and Mozart remain a burning inspiration,
have programmed quartets by these two in
their Chamber Classics Unwrapped concerts.
The number of piano trios, piano quintets,
string quintets and clarinet quintets in this list
(including the top three – two quintets and
an octet) would suggest that modern ears find
something a little ascetic and unyielding about
the pure string quartet texture in its Classical
incarnation; we seem to want it leavened or offset by other sonorities. When Bartók, Debussy
and Ravel explode that texture, saturating it
as they do with new colours in their quartets,
we are all ears again.
How might this list look in 50 years? I would
expect the majority of the great works to remain,
with perhaps a few 19th-century pieces falling
out of fashion to be replaced by shining gems
lost in time from Lawes, Couperin and Guillemain
to Britten, Dutilleux, Nørgard and Hosokawa…
SHOWCASE
2014
THU 13 FEB 7.30PM
Laura Cantrell
Sturgill Simpson
For details see Listings
pp59–60, 65–66 & 69–70
•
FRI 14 FEB 7.30PM
Police Dog Hogan
The Vagaband
•
SAT 15 FEB 5.30PM
Woody Guthrie:
Hard Times & Hard Travellin’
(A multi-media show by Professor Will Kaufman)
•
SAT 15 FEB 7.30PM
Emily Barker
'DEATH AND THE MAIDEN' ILLUSTRATION © JEAN JULLIEN
36
& The Red Clay Halo
Austin Lucas
Hatful of Rain
Online Savers £9.50 | kingsplace.co.uk/ama
38 CHRISTMAS
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KINGS PLACE
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
THE ALBION BAND PROMISE
YOU THE PERFECT
ANTIDOTE TO THE
CORPORATE CHRISTMAS
Ivor Setterfield
IVOR SETTERFIELD © ORIGINAL VERSION BY SIM CANETTY-CLARKE | THE ALBION BAND © MICHAEL HUGHES
Christmas comes but once a year, and Kings Place has something for every
taste in its musical stocking, plus a sophisticated New Year celebration
There’s nothing like music to evoke the
Christmas season, and this year Kings Place
audiences will find a treasure trove of aural
treats under the tree, from timeless Baroque
masterpieces such as Handel’s Messiah and
Bach’s Christmas Oratorio to toe-tapping folk
airs from all regions of the British Isles.
First up on 12 December comes the Albion
Christmas Show, on its 15th-anniversary tour
and part of the ‘Custom-made Winter’ week
featuring stars of the folk firmament. Described
as ‘the perfect antidote to the corporate
Christmas’ (Guardian), this beguiling evening is
led by the legendary Ashley Hutchings (founder
of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and The
Albion Band), who’s joined by guitarist Simon
Nicol (Fairport Convention), singer Kellie While
(The Albion Band) and Simon Care (currently
with Edward II), an expert in traditional English
dance and song and the leading exponent of
the comical Monkseaton Egg Dance. Together
they’ll cook up a delicious mixture of carols,
irreverent readings, songs and dances. They
promise a dose of festive fun for all ages, and
to pull out your favourites from their back
catalogue of Christmas albums.
Next in line come two star-studded
concerts which form a celebratory finale to our
highly successful Bach Unwrapped year. The
Platinum Consort, which embraces a stellar
cast of soloists, present the complex and varied
Christmas Oratorio along with the Orchestra
of the Age of Enlightenment on 19 December.
For many, Bach’s magisterial B Minor Mass
represents the pinnacle of his achievement, and
it forms an ideal way to complete your
Bach Unwrapped experience. Hear it performed
by the Aurora Orchestra with soloists Rosemary
Joshua, Andrew Kennedy, Benedict Nelson,
Jennifer Johnston and William Towers and
the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge under
the baton of Nicholas Collon on Saturday 21
December, the winter solstice.
With such a focus on the music of
Benjamin Britten in his anniversary year, we
couldn’t leave 2013 without a performance
of his enchanting A Ceremony of Carols,
provided for us by Barts Chamber Choir under
the direction of Ivor Setterfield. From the
haunting, icy setting of Southwell’s ‘In Freezing
Winter Night’ to the thrilling, cascading canons
of ‘This Little Babe’, Britten’s masterpiece
traverses the centuries of English verse and
liturgy to create a vivid drama, drawing on both
religious and pagan traditions. In the second
part of the evening, the audience will be invited
to join in with some best-loved carols along
with jazz improvisations from pianist Chris Lee.
Nothing in all music can beat the glorious
‘Hallelujah!’ Chorus for sheer, spirit-lifting power.
Come along and hear it sung on Sunday 22
December when the Orchestra and Choir of
St John’s under John Lubbock perform Handel’s
Messiah with four talented young vocal
soloists. To herald in the New Year, join the
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment either
on New Year’s Eve (6pm) or on New Year’s
Day (3pm) when they will be presenting a rich
tapestry of Baroque gems. The programme
includes Bach’s Second Brandenburg Concerto
with its resplendent baroque trumpet solos
given by the distinguished David Blackadder,
who will also perform more intimate music
by Telemann and Biber, while soprano Ruby
Hughes sings Dido’s indelible Lament (from
Dido and Aeneas) and Bach’s lively Wedding
Cantata BWV 202. With mulled wine, winter
cocktails and decorations galore (see Food
and Drink, pp30–31) Kings Place will mark the
season in style this year, so book well in time.
CHRISTMAS – NEW YEAR CALENDAR
12 December
Custom-made Winter – Albion Christmas Show
19 December
Bach: Christmas Oratorio
with Platinum Consort/OAE
20 December
Britten: A Ceremony of Carols with
Barts Chamber Choir/Ivor Setterfield
21 December
Bach: B Minor Mass with Choir of Clare College
and Aurora Orchestra/Nicholas Collon
22 December
Handel: Messiah with OSJ Voices and
Orchestra of St John’s/John Lubbock
31 December & 1 January
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2
OAE/Matthew Truscott, director/violinist
David Blackadder, trumpet
Ruby Hughes, soprano
See Listings pp59–60, 65–66 & 69–70
39
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You’re clearly a musician of many facets – but who are
your main jazz influences?
Keith Jarrett and Pat Metheny are certainly big figures.
There’s some music of theirs which changed my life and
got me into jazz. Then there are people like [pianist] Jason
Rebello and especially John Taylor, who’s a fantastic pianist.
He’s always been a warm, loving spirit in the way that he
makes music. And I’m getting to that age when people ten
years younger than me are starting to make great music –
musicians like Kit Downes. I taught him and it’s wonderful to
see him become such a fantastic, individual musician. The
lovely thing about jazz is that you don’t always have to learn
from people older than you: you learn it from the people
around you from any generation.
You’ve chosen to bring Johannes Berauer’s ‘The Vienna
Chamber Diaries’ to Kings Place: a real mesh of
contemporary classical music and jazz. Tell us about it.
I met Johannes a couple of years ago when he came to
my concerts in Vienna at a club called Birdland. He thought
that the style I play in – and having a classical background
– could be interesting to use in The Vienna Chamber Diaries.
So we went over to Austria and just recorded it. It was a very
special couple of days. Johannes’s music is wonderful – it
does have a serious classical structure to it, but also the
space for improvisation. And it’s very accessible, too.
Is there nothing jazz pianist and composer
Gwilym Simcock cannot do? You’ll see
him play in his own trios and quintets,
compose for orchestra, perform piano
concertos and now he’s curating a miniseries at Kings Place with European mates.
Oliver Condy heard the latest
Hailed as an ‘original’ and a ‘creative genius’ by none
other than Chick Corea, pianist, arranger and composer
Gwilym Simcock is, at just 32, one of jazz’s most versatile
and accomplished musicians. Originally classically-trained
at Manchester’s Chetham’s and Trinity College, London
in composition, piano and French horn before attending
the Royal Academy of Music as a jazz pianist, Simcock
shot to worldwide attention with his dazzling 2007 album,
Perception. Since then, his highly imaginative solo playing
and brilliant work with numerous ensembles, including
the Impossible Gentlemen, The Lighthouse Trio, Acoustic
Triangle and Blinq have won him much acclaim, including
a Mercury Nomination for his Keith Jarrett-esque 2011 solo
album Good Times at Schloss Elmau. In 2006, Simcock
was chosen as the very first jazz musician to be admitted
onto the BBC New Generation Artist scheme. Away from the
piano, Simcock is in demand as a composer, and has written
widely for ensembles and orchestras, including a major
work, Progressions, for the 2008 BBC Proms, a concerto for
Germany’s NDR Big Band and Jackie’s Dance for the Britten
Sinfonia. Simcock will be curating and performing in a twoday piano series at Kings Place this coming January.
Michel Benita
GWILYM SIMCOCK © RON BEENEN | MICHEL BENITA & GABI SWALLOW © SUPPLIED PHOTOS
40 JAZZ
JAZZ
GWiLYM SiMCOCK
41
The lovely Thing abouT
jazz is ThaT you don'T
always learn from
people older Than
you: you learn from
The people around you
from any generaTion
The European jazz scene, particularly among young
players, is quite extraordinary at the moment, isn’t it?
Oh yeah. Go to any of the countries, it’s just amazing. It’s an
interesting situation because there are more music colleges
than ever doing jazz courses all over the world, which
means that there are so many more wonderfully well-trained
musicians all over Europe than there ever have been. It feels
like a very vibrant scene today.
And your job is to bring them over to the UK!
Well, that works two ways. One of the other concerts in
January is with Céline Bonacina, who’s a lovely saxophone
player from France, and bass player Michel Benita who
plays with Andy Sheppard, among others. Because they’re
both based in France we thought it might be a nice idea to
get something happening. It’s difficult for British musicians
to find their way into a different scene, just as it’s difficult
for French musicians to get into the English scene. So
we thought it might be a nice way of opening up those
possibilities for everybody involved.
Gabi Swallow
JAZZ
GWiLYM SiMCOCK
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On the same day you’re doing the trio, you’re going to
be leading the Gwilym Simcock Quintet, a unique group
of musicians, including a classical violinist and cellist;
not the usual ensemble you expect from a jazz pianist!
No! I recorded half an album in November last year with the City
of London Sinfonia, for whom I’d written a 30-minute suite for
chamber orchestra and piano trio. The other half of the album
will be a suite for this quintet – Simple Tales – which originally
came about as a commission for the Britten Sinfonia. When the
opportunity came up last year to record the CD, which we’ll launch
at the concert, I wanted to upgrade the commission a bit, to add
bass and drums and slightly rework it. I thought that there was
something in the work that I wanted to pursue and get it performed
again. [Violinist] Tom Gould is a fantastic person to work with – he’s
got two very accomplished feet, from the jazz and classical worlds,
so he was a natural choice to play this music. And Gabby [cellist
Gabriella Swallow] is probably one of my oldest friends in the world.
Will the classical musicians be expected to improvise?
I’m definitely going to leave some space to let everyone have
a chance to play a little. They’re all massively up for doing that.
Yuri, who’s playing bass, is an amazing improviser, both pizzicato
and also with the bow, so it’ll be like having a little string trio. I’m
looking forward to that.
Johannes Berauer
When the weekend is over, what will you be working on next?
I’ve just finished an Impossible Gentlemen album and I recorded
a duo album with Yuri the bass player in Schloss Elmau when
we stayed there – that comes out in 2014. I’ve got some more
Lighthouse gigs later this year, too, and quite a lot of classical
commissions, including one for the City of London Sinfonia and
clarinettist Michael Collins. I’ve got to play Rhapsody in Blue in
concert in November, and I’m on tour with Nigel Kennedy before
that, so that’ll be fun!
Gwilym Simcock and Friends
9–11 January
Celine Bonacina
There are more
wonderfully wellTrained musicians
around europe Than
There ever have been
JOHANNES BERAUER © PAUL | CELINE BONACINA © DOCMAC-PHOTO.COM
42
44 COFFEE CONCERTS
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Lucy Parham introduces her brand-new series of monthly
Coffee Concerts at Kings Place, Word/Play
There can be few better-connected pianists
in the UK than Lucy Parham, as her new
Sunday morning concert series reveals. When
you meet her it’s easy to see why: she wears
her considerable talent lightly, is the most
engaging and confiding of conversationalists,
twinkles with a mischievous sense of humour
but has the discretion of a career diplomat.
She’s carved a unique niche for herself in the
UK music world by creating dramatic recitals
which play to her repertoire strengths – the
Schumanns, Brahms, Debussy, Liszt and
Chopin – and feature some of our finest actors,
including Dame Harriet Walter, Edward Fox,
Juliet Stevenson, Martin Jarvis, Alex Jennings
and Henry Goodman.
She’s drawing on her unique network
of musicians and musically inclined actors for
her brand-new Coffee Concert series at Kings
Place, Word/Play, which kicks off with a glitzy
Celebrity Carnival gala event on 8 December.
A host of amateur celebrity pianists will
contribute one of Schumann’s delightful
Kinderszenen miniatures, including actors
Simon Russell Beale, Juliet Stevenson, Alistair
McGowan and Edward Fox, broadcaster Sarah
Walker, Philharmonia Orchestra CEO David
Whelton, Oldie editor Richard Ingrams and
Guardian Editor-in-Chief Alan Rusbridger,
whose recent book Play It Again: An Amateur
Against the Impossible gave an insight into his
titanic struggle to learn Chopin’s First Ballade
during the height of the Wikileaks and phonehacking scandals.
How does Lucy persuade and prepare
these sometime-pianists for such a concert?
‘I always make it clear to everyone that this
should be a morning of fun – no one is
expecting them to play like Alfred Brendel.
My golden rule is to practise as much as
possible and I’m willing to help anyone with
that who’d like me to! I also remind them that
ALAN RUSBRIDGER © DAVID LEVENE | ALEX JENNINGS & SIMON RUSSELL BEALE © SUPPLIED PHOTOS | LUCY PARHAM © SVEN ARNSTEIN
SUNDAY
MORNING
MUSIC
all professionals feel tense before playing,
so that’s natural, but the great thing is that
we are all in it together.’ She certainly will
be, taking up one of the four piano parts for
Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals in the
second half, along with actor Simon Russell
Beale – ‘He’s really very good, everyone wants
to sit beside him!’. When I saw the actor and
presenter later he hastened to add that he
was intending to put in ‘some really proper
practice’ before the event. He means business:
he was preoccupied with learning Ancient
Greek at the time.
Parham’s monthly concerts will all have
powerful themes, both comic and serious.
‘I’d like the Kings Place Sunday morning
concerts to have a distinct identity from other
coffee concert series in London, and the
collaboration of actors gives us that. I like
matching big theatrical names to subjects
in which they have a real interest. I’m hugely
looking forward to Martin Jarvis and Richard
Sisson’s Just William event (26 January).
I could listen to Martin reading Richmal
Crompton all day – bliss! – and Richard
Sisson will be brilliant at devising musical
interludes. And I know that the superb Janie
Dee’s cabaret (23 March) is going to be very
sophisticated and entertaining.’ Theatre critic
Michael Billington certainly thought so when
he last saw the actress do cabaret: ‘Her range
is remarkable. She can be wistfully romantic in
Sondheim, and lend Mick Jagger’s ‘Satisfaction’
an extra layer of sultry suggestiveness. She
can also be very funny.’ (The Guardian)
From comedy to tragedy: The Dark
Pastoral (16 February) promises to be a
beautifully curated sequence of poetry and
song associated with the First World War. Alex
Jennings will be the reader and leading tenor
Andrew Kennedy will sing, accompanied by
pianist and broadcaster Iain Burnside, in this
programme of words and music, devised
by Dr Kate Kennedy. The London Symphony
Orchestra’s principal cellist Tim Hugh and
actor Edward Fox will combine to create a
profoundly reflective hour in which the poetry
of TS Eliot, Robert Browning and others will
be interspersed with movements from Bach’s
solo suites for cello (25 May). Lucy herself
will perform Strauss’s melodrama based on
Tennyson’s Enoch Arden, with Henry Goodman
narrating (27 April).
She is already planning for the 2014–15
season and can reveal that John Suchet and
John Lill will perform a Beethoven event together.
Lucy’s series will be interleaved with a series
of illuminating Keyboard Conversations® with
American pianist Jeffrey Siegel beginning with
The Romantic Music of Chopin on 9 February.
COFFEE CONCERTS
LUCY PARHAM
45
NEW-LOOK SUNDAY MORNINGS
Word/Play
8 DECEMBER
Celebrity Carnival with Alan Rusbridger,
Simon Russell Beale, Juliet Stevenson,
Lucy Parham and others
26 JANUARY
Just William with Martin Jarvis (actor)
and Richard Sisson (piano)
16 FEBRUARY
The Dark Pastoral with Iain Burnside
(piano) and Andrew Kennedy (tenor)
26 MARCH
Cabaret with Janie Dee
I'D LIKE THESE SUNDAY
MORNING CONCERTS
TO HAVE A DISTINCT
IDENTITY, AND THE
COLLABORATION OF
ACTORS GIVES US THAT
27 APRIL
Enoch Arden with Henry Goodman
(actor) and Lucy Parham (piano)
25 MAY
Bach and Poetry with Tim Hugh
(cello) and Edward Fox (actor)
Keyboard Conversations®
9 FEBRUARY
The Romantic Music of Chopin
1 JUNE
Mistresses and Masterpieces
See Listings pp53, 63, 66 & 69
46 SPOKEN WORD
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SPOKEN WORD
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
Terezín, a walled 18th-century garrison
town in northwest Czechoslovakia, was used
by the Nazis as a vast concentration camp for
more than 150,000 Jews, many of whom were
then sent on to the death camps of Auschwitz
and Treblinka. Also known during the war by its
German name Theresienstadt, the camp was
the destination for 15,000 deported children
between 1941 and 1944. Just 100 of these
young people saw the end of the war. But while
most did not survive, their poetry and drawings
did, stuffed into walls or buried outside.
The first line of one of these poems,
written by the young Pavel Friedman in 1942,
has now become the title of a collection of
poetry and drawings.
DRAWING LIFE
Sophie Solomon, Artistic Director of the Jewish
Music Institute, tells the story behind a new songcycle – to be previewed at Jewish Book Week
– which takes its inspiration from poems written
at the infamous Terezín concentration camp
JOCELYN POOK © HUGO GLENDINNING | DRAWINGS © PHOTO ARCHIVE, JEWISH MUSEUM IN PRAGUE
‘I never saw another butterfly…
That butterfly was the last one.
Butterflies don’t live here
In the ghetto.’
Jocelyn Pook
Soon after writing the poem, Friedman died in
Auschwitz. Living conditions in Terezín were
appalling. Inmates were crammed together,
ravaged by starvation and disease. But the
story of the camp demonstrates the enormous
resilience of the human spirit even amid the
horror of the Holocaust. Those who lived there
found ways to play music together and artists
stole supplies with which to capture their
impressions of life. Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, a
Terezín inmate who was an artist and educator
before the war, organised art classes for the
child inmates, seeing art as a way for the young
to process the horror of the experience. Helga
Weiss was one such child-inmate who, on her
father’s advice to ‘draw what you see’,captured
the intimate details of camp life in her
drawings. Fifteen-year-old Petr Fischl recorded
how they all became accustomed to standing
in a long queue ‘with a plate in our hand, into
which they ladled a little warmed-up water with
a salty or coffee flavour. Or else they gave us a
few potatoes. We got used to sleeping without
a bed, to saluting every uniform, not to walk on
the sidewalks, and then again to walk on the
sidewalks. We got used to undeserved slaps,
blows and executions.’
Drawing Life is a new cross-disciplinary
musical composition and performance inspired
by the drawings and poems of the prisioners
of Terezín. Commissioned by the Jewish Music
Institute, the piece brings together awardwinning composer Jocelyn Pook with a creative
team that includes dramaturg Emma Bernard
of Streetwise Opera, visual artist Dragan Aleksic
and a stellar line-up of performers including
Lorin Sklamberg, lead singer of the Grammywinning New York Klezmatics, soprano Melanie
Pappenheim and a band of virtuoso klezmer
and classical musicians.
(Top) Life in the Ghetto,
unknown author
(Left) Beyond the Looking Glass,
Margit Koretzova (1933–1943)
(Bottom Left) Living Quarters,
Vilem Eisner (1933–1943)
47
Jocelyn Pook’s work often combines
contemporary music with symbolic dramatic
elements and video to deliver a powerful
impact to her audience. The aim of this
commission is to enable audiences to
experience the act of remembrance in a new
way by creating a staged piece that combines
Pook’s music with the aural testimonies of
survivors and Nazi propaganda films made
inside Terezín. Unusually for a prison camp,
Terezín had a large number of famous
composer and musician inmates, including
Viktor Ullman (who composed the opera
The Emperor of Atlantis while interned), Gideon
Klein and Hans Krása, many of whom continued
to compose and perform in captivity. Indeed,
Krása’s charming children’s opera Brundibár
received its premiere in the camp during a visit
from Danish Red Cross Officials. The Nazis used
Terezín as a ‘model camp’ to convince those
officials that mass genocide of Jews was not
occurring across Europe.
‘When asked to make a piece of work
inspired by the poems and drawings of the
camp’s children, I accepted without hesitation.
I had seen some of these works exhibited
in the Jewish Museum in Prague when I was
recording there several years ago, and it had
a profound effect on me,’ reflects Pook. ‘What
shines through in these works, and also in
many survivors’ testimonies I have read, is the
capacity in people to find hope and beauty in
the direst and bleakest of circumstances and
the inventive, creative ways of doing this. I was
also touched to read of countless individual
acts of kindness and bravery from all sides.’
As the 70th anniversary of the mass
deportation of Terezín inmates to Auschwitz
approaches, this piece is a memorial to those
who perished. The children’s poems and
drawings combine images of harsh camp
guards, deportations, cramped barrack
conditions, beatings and executions with
positive visualisations of birds and butterflies,
beautiful gardens and a future life beyond
the ghetto. Pook says, ‘This piece will, I hope,
be reflective without being devoid of light.
It is about the human ability to find ways
to nourish the spirit even in the harshest
conditions. It is about the positive impact
of creativity against all the odds.’
The event at Kings Place will be a doublebill comprising a preview performance and
discussion on Saturday 22 February 2014,
as part of Jewish Book Week.
Jewish Book Week (jewishbookweek.com)
22 February (opening night) – 2 March
For details see Listings pp72–74
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
The closed town
...Everything leans, like tottering, hunched old women.
Every eye shines with fixed waiting
And for the word ‘when?’
Here there are few soldiers.
Only the shot-down birds tell of war.
You believe every bit of news you hear.
The buildings now are fuller,
Body smelling close to body,
And the garrets scream with light for long, long hours...
Anonymous
tickets online £9.50 | kingsplace.co.uk
TriniTy Laban GoLd MedaL
ShowcaSe
Six elite musicians showcase their musical talents at the
Trinity Laban Gold Medal Concert.
The Gold Medal Award is the most prestigious prize for
musicians at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance,
awarded for excellence in performance. Performers taking
part in the showcase concert are each nominated by Heads
of Departments for their high standard of performance and
contribution to the musical life of Trinity Laban.
Melanie Pappenheim
Join us for an evening of music, which will see one of them
honoured with this prestigious award.
Thu 16 Jan 19.00h
KinGS PLace
£14.50, £11.50, £9.50 (saver seat £6.50)
KinGSPLace.co.uK | 020 7520 1490
Image: jk-photography
SPOKEN WORD
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
MELANIE PAPPENHEIM © STEVEN WILLIAMS
48
TRINITY LABAN CONSERVATOIRE
OF MUSIC & DANCE
LISTINGS
51
57
64
73
77
78
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
ART LISTINGS
CALENDAR
THIS WEEK'S FOCUS
BACH UNWRAPPED
WEEK 13
SUNDAY 1 DECEMBER
5 – 7 DECEMBER
SUNDAY RETREAT
DECEMBER
BOX OFFICE
020 7520 1490
BAFTA award winner Emily Barker
and The Red Clay Halo (right) will be
performing during the Americana
Showcase (13–15 February 2014).
See Listings pp67–68 for details.
Emily Barker © Supplied Photo
Maggini Quartet
Foundation Course (Morning)
Course One (Afternoon)
INTERACT
The last day of Russian virtuoso pianist
GéNIA’s new Piano-Yoga® Certificate
Courses for pianists from advancedbeginner to advanced level. More details
at kingsplace.co.uk/piano-yoga
DAY PLAN: Tension release exercises –
Practising according to your body
energy – Combating pre-performance
nerves – Concert (guests are welcome)
& certificate award
Course One – Day Four (2pm)
DAY PLAN: Using yoga props in piano
playing – Mastering tone-control on the
piano – Improving your memory with
Piano-Yoga® – Concert (Guests are
welcome) & certificate award.
Limehouse Rm 10am–1pm (Foundation
Course) 2pm–5pm (Course One)
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Maggini Quartet
Mozart String Quartet in D,
K499 Hoffmeister
Stuart MacRae String Quartet (premiere)
Mendelssohn String Quartet No. 3 in D,
Op. 44 No. 1
CLASSICAL
The famous Maggini Quartet perform
Mozart’s D major quartet (written in 1786
for his friend FA Hoffmeister), the premiere
of a new work by the Scottish composer
Stuart MacRae, and Mendelssohn’s 1938
D major Quartet (the first of three
dedicated to the Crown Prince of Sweden).
Hall One 6.30pm
Online Rates £16.50 | Savers £9.50
Online Rates £50 (morning or afternoon)
Multi-buy offers available. Please visit
kingsplace.co.uk/piano-yoga for more details.
OUT HEAR
Miniaturised Concertos
DANIEL-BEN PIENAAR © HIROYUKI FURUKAWA | MAGGINI QUARTET © MELANIE STROVER | ANDRI MAGNASON © CHRISTOPHER LUND
SAVER SEATS
£9.50 ONLINE
CHAMBERSTUDIO MASTERCLASSES
at Kings Place | 2.30pm & 4.30pm
Free tickets (subject to availability)
Details at chamberstudio.org/calendar
Piano-Yoga® Certificate
Courses with GéNIA – 4
Foundation Course – Day Four (10am)
In the following pages,
you will find details of
our fantastic Winter
2013–14 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!
LISTINGS 51
December 2013
Daniel-Ben Pienaar
DANIEL-BEN PIENAAR PERFORMS
BACH'S FAMOUS ‘48’,
THE WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER
In the thirteenth week of Bach Unwrapped, two magical
nights of Bach Preludes and Fugues, in which South African
pianist Daniel-Ben Pienaar will take us through every key in
a feast of dazzling counterpoint. Christoph Richter returns
to complete his traversal of the Solo Cello Suites with the
expressive and darkly coloured suites in D and C minor.
See Classical Highlights for complete Bach Unwrapped details
Kate Halsall & Mary Dullea pianos
South West Music School Ensemble
Maxime Tortelier conductor
Philip Cashian, Katharine Norman
& Colin Riley composers
Peiman Khosravi
& James Waterworth electronics
CONTEMPORARY
Experimental double piano concertos
commissioned by Kate Halsall explore
the traditional double piano concerto.
Working with electroacoustics and film,
chamber ensemble, extended techniques
and duo, they create large-scale effects
from small forces, incorporating notated
and improvised music. The project began
with a Residency at The Banff Centre
(Canada) in 2012 and is supported by Arts
Council England, the Britten-Pears
Foundation, the RVW Trust and South
West Music School.
Andri Magnason
MONDAY 2 DECEMBER
WORDS ON MONDAY
Literary Death Match
Mark Billingham, Andri Magnason
and Stephanie Merritt
SPOKEN WORD
Four authors read their most electric writing
for seven minutes or less before a panel of
three all-star judges. After each pair, the
judges take turns spouting hilarious,
off-the-wall commentary about each story,
poem or otherwise, then select their
favourite to advance to the finals. The two
finalists then compete in the Literary Death
Match finale, which trades in the show’s
literary sensibility for an absurd and
comical climax to determine the winner.
Hall Two 4pm
Hall One 7pm
Online Rates £9.50
Online Rates £9.50
LISTINGS
Book tickets now:
www.kingsplace.co.uk | Prices shown are for online booking
THURSDAY 5 DECEMBER
WORDS ON MONDAY
BACH UNWRAPPED
Edna O’Brien
Daniel-Ben Pienaar:
The Well-Tempered
Clavier, Book I
SPOKEN WORD
Edna O’Brien scandalised audiences with
her 1960 novel Country Girls. Last year
she published her memoirs to great
acclaim. For this event the winner of the
prestigious Frank O’Connor Prize looks
back on 50 years of writing short stories
with The Love Object, a collection of her
best pieces.
Hall Two 7.30pm
Online Rates £9.50
TUESDAY 3 DECEMBER
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!
Storytellers’ Club:
Crumby Christmas
Sarah Bennetto & Guests
COMEDY
A night of true tales by excellent comedians
of their funniest ever festive experiences.
Weird families and Christmas carcrashes.
Hosted by stand-up Sarah Bennetto, with a
line-up of special guest comedians to be
announced soon. Expect to see top standups telling true stories and sometimes
revealing more than they planned!
Storytellers’ Club: you show, we tell.
JS Bach The Well-Tempered Clavier,
Book I, BWV 846–869
Daniel-Ben Pienaar piano
CLASSICAL
South African pianist Daniel-Ben Pienaar
embarks on an epic mission to perform
one of Bach’s keyboard masterpieces
in two successive nights. Published in
two separate volumes, The WellTempered Clavier consists of 48 preludes
& fugues, each pair written in a separate
key. Opening with the ever popular
C major prelude, the first book was
finished in 1722 when Bach was
‘Hofkapellmeister’ in Köthen. Abstract
and formal concepts meet a mesmerising
sense of beauty and sophistication in
these pieces whilst providing a vast
playing field for the pianist to express
sublime musical thoughts.
Hall One 7.30pm
Online Rates £14.50 £19.50
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
FOLK UNION
Blair Dunlop
FOLK
Blair, son of Fairport Convention’s Ashley
Hutchings, and winner of the Horizon
Award (BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards), is a
captivating young vocalist and
phenomenal guitarist, fast gaining a
reputation as one of the UK’s finest
singer-songwriters. This concert features
songs from his acclaimed debut album
Blight & Blossom, alongside new material
from his forthcoming recording.
‘The British folk scene has produced a
series of impressive dynasties, and this
looks like the start of yet another’
**** The Guardian
Hall Two 8pm
FRIDAY 6 DECEMBER
Hall Two 8pm
BACH UNWRAPPED
WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER
Daniel-Ben Pienaar:
The Well-Tempered
Clavier, Book II
GUARDIAN REVIEW
BOOK CLUB
JS Bach The Well-Tempered Clavier,
Book II, BWV 870–893
Helen Fielding
Daniel-Ben Pienaar piano
SATURDAY 7 DECEMBER
CLASSICAL
BACH UNWRAPPED
Virtuoso pianist Daniel-Ben Pienaar
will perform the second book of Bach’s
hugely influential masterpiece, which
came 20 years after the first, when Bach
was ‘Thomaskantor’ in Leipzig. The
maturity and complexity of Bach’s writing
is unmistakable in this second set,
demonstrating how seemingly
conservative musical ideas can be
treated progressively.
Christoph Richter:
Bach Cello Suites
& Sonatas – 3
SPOKEN WORD
‘Weight: nine stone (terrifying slide into
obesity – why? why?); alcohol units: six
(excellent); cigarettes: 23 (vg).’ It’s almost
two decades since Helen Fielding
introduced us to the chardonnay-swigging,
chain-smoking 30-something singleton –
Bridget Jones. Now, in Mad About the Boy,
Bridget is back – a 51-year-old mother of
two, with a mobile phone and a twitter
account. Oh, and she’s a widow. Don’t miss
this rare opportunity to join Helen Fielding
for a celebration of one of the best-loved
heroines of all time.
Hall Two 8pm
Hall One 7.30pm
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
Book for both Daniel-Ben Pienaar concerts
and save 25%. To take advantage of this offer
please call the Box Office on 020 7520 1490.
(representing the more personal and tragic
side of Bach’s compositions) alongside
the uplifting Sonata in G major. For Bach,
D minor is a key associated with religion,
and at the end of the prelude he paints in
sound the sign of the cross – an ‘Amen’.
The C minor Suite is the only one to feature
a prelude and fugue, and the famous
lone-voice sarabande. The Sonata for cello
and piano in G major, transcribed by
Bach from a trio sonata, presents a lighter
contrast to the reflective mood of the solo
suites – bright, pastoral and serene.
Christoph Richter
JS Bach Suite No. 2 in D minor
for solo cello, BWV 1008
Sonata in G for cello and piano, BWV 1027
Suite No. 5 in C minor for solo cello,
BWV 1011
Nikki Iles
THE BASE
Nikki Iles
50th-Birthday Celebration with
Norma Winstone & The Printmakers
A superb band of players from the
British jazz scene. British super-pianist
Nikki Iles and jazz innovator Norma
Winstone are joined by improv guitarist
Mike Outram, saxophonist Stan
Sulzmann, bass player Steve Watts (a
significant member of innovative groups
led by Django Bates, Iain Ballamy and
others) and the hugely talented young
drummer James Maddren (a collaborator
with Gwilym Simcock and Kit Downes).
The Printmakers cross the boundaries
between jazz, folk and contemporary
music. Their repertoire has the distinctive
air of English song, and includes original
pieces by band members alongside
explorations of other more uncharted
territory (Steve Swallow, Ralph Towner,
Joni Mitchell, Fred Hersch).
‘For my money this now has to be the top
working band in Britain’
London Jazz News
Hall Two 8pm
CLASSICAL
Norma Winstone
LISTINGS 53
December 2013
SUNDAY 8 DECEMBER
COFFEE CONCERTS
Celebrity Carnival –
Lucy Parham & Friends
CURATED BY ALAN BEARMAN MUSIC
Part of ‘Word/Play’
devised by Lucy Parham
12 – 14 DECEMBER
CLASSICAL SPOKEN WORD
Schumann Kinderszenen, Op. 15
Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals (1886)
Pianists to include: Ed Balls (MP, Shadow
Chancellor), Simon Russell Beale
(Actor), Humphrey Burton (Writer,
Broadcaster) Oliver Condy (Editor, BBC
Music Magazine), Niamh Cusack (Actor),
Edward Fox (Actor), Richard Godwin
(Journalist, Evening Standard), Richard
Ingrams (Journalist, Editor, The Oldie),
Alistair McGowan (Actor) Alan
Rusbridger (Editor, The Guardian),
Juliet Stevenson (Actor), Sarah Walker
(Presenter, BBC R3), David Whelton
(Managing Director, Philharmonia);
Conrad Williams (Novelist, Author of
The Concert Pianist)
£27.50 £34.50 | Savers £9.50
Christoph Richter cello
Alasdair Beatson piano
Completing his cycle of Bach solo cello
suites and sonatas, Christoph Richter
performs the two minor-key cello suites
THIS WEEK'S FOCUS
CUSTOM-MADE WINTER
Hall One 7.30pm
JAZZ
Book for both Daniel-Ben Pienaar concerts
and save 25%. To take advantage of this offer
please call the Box Office on 020 7520 1490.
‘A magical idea.’ The Metro
Blair Dunlop
Book tickets now:
LISTINGS
MONDAY 2 DECEMBER
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
December 2013
BLAIR DUNLOP © MARIO ROTA | NORMA WATERSON © PETRA KEMPER | BELLA HARDY © LOUISE DECARLO | ALISTAIR MCGOWAN © CLARE PARK | JULIET STEVENSON © BENJAMIN EALOVEGA | CHRISTOPH RICHTER & NIKKI ILES | SUPPLIED PHOTOS
LISTINGS
52 LISTINGS
Sean Rafferty host
Martin Jarvis & Joanna David narrators
Join The Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger
and other piano-playing celebrities for a
morning of fun at the keyboard. 13 pianists
each play a movement from Schumann’s
enchanting Kinderszenen (Scenes from
Childhood). This piece is followed by a
star-studded performance of Saint-Saëns’
Carnival of the Animals. Hosted by R3’s
Sean Rafferty. Presented by Lucy Parham.
Hall One 11.30am
Online Rates £14.50 (incl. cup of coffee/
tea) | Savers £9.50 (without drink)
Bella Hardy
A CUSTOM-MADE WINTER FROM BELLA
HARDY, ALBION BAND, NORMA WATERSON,
ELIZA CARTHY, THE GIFT BAND AND KAN
A winter celebration that mixes echoes of the distant past,
traditional favourites and cutting-edge creativity from some
of Britain’s most illustrious folk talents. Bella Hardy brings
songs from Bright Morning Star while legendary motherand-daughter duo Waterson and Carthy are reunited with
The Gift Band and firebrands KAN conjure up a late show.
See Folk Highlights p10–11
OUT HEAR
Lazy Modem 2
featuring Howlround
CONTEMPORARY
The second event in a series considering
our day-to-day soundscape as technology
continues to evolve. Howlround are a duo
who take a literal approach to
deconstructing perceived notions of time
and location. They create a composition
performed on ‘out-moded’ analogue reelto-reel tape machines, using the ‘hidden’
sounds of the Kings Place building as raw
material. The result is a spatial exploration
at times akin to an aural séance, where
memories seep out of the walls and the
Alistair McGowan
Juliet Stevenson
everyday is suddenly viewed in a strange
new light. This semi-improvised
performance twists the source material
into new shapes and projects it back,
fundamentally changed, into the space
where it was found. Curated by
Esther Ainsworth (e_s_t).
Hall Two 4pm
Online Rates £9.50
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Allegri Quartet with
Martin Outram (viola)
Pre-Concert Talk with Prof W Drabkin
Mozart String Quintet in E flat, K614
Haydn (compl. Drabkin) String Quartet
in D minor, Op. 103R (London premiere)
Brahms String Quintet No. 2 in G, Op. 111
CLASSICAL
The celebrated Allegri Quartet performs
the last string chamber works by the three
Viennese masters. In 1803, Haydn, aged
71, had completed only the middle two
movements of his final quartet. He allowed
the fragment to be published as Op. 103,
adding the following words to the score:
‘Gone is all my strength, old and weak am
I.’ William Drabkin has completed Haydn’s
sketches for the first movement and also
supplied a clever finale to the work. We are
pleased to present the London premiere
of his reconstruction.
Talk – St Pancras Rm 5.10pm (45 mins)
Performance – Hall One 6.30pm
The pre-concert talk is FREE, but requires tickets.
Please contact the Box Office to reserve your seat.
KInGS PLace arTISTIc HIre
ann Liebeck with Omar
Puente’s Tango Quartet
Violetta’s Last Tango
music, dancing and celebration. This
is a special anniversary show, and the
band will be playing favourites from
the back catalogue. A truly festive treat.
Book early!
‘The perfect antidote to the corporate
Christmas’ The Guardian
‘Long may the dynasty flourish’ BBC Review
cLaSSIcaL TanGO
Hall One 7.30pm
International opera singer and
tango-lover Ann Liebeck, who has sung
Violetta, Tosca, Salome and the Queen
of the Night, joins forces with
contemporary dancer Nuno Silva and
Cuban jazz/classical violinist Omar
Puente and his Tango Quartet. A journey
in song and dance through the
melancholic passion of the most beautiful
tangos staged in the memories of a
Buenos Aires ‘Traviata’. With
arrangements of Gardel, Canaro, Bizet,
Verdi and Piazzolla by Grammy-Awardwinning Nicolas ‘Colacho’ Brizuela...
Online rates £14.50 £19.50
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
Hall Two 8pm
Online rates £24.50 | Savers 9.50
Save 30 % when you book all three 7.30pm
‘Custom Made Winter’ concerts
Hall One 7.30pm
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
Save 30% when you book all three 7.30pm
‘Custom-made Winter’ concerts
OFF WITH THeIr HeadS!
Impropera’s (not So)
bleak midwinter
cOmedy
Join Impropera for an evening of yuletide
glamour and giggles as they improvise a
fun festive opera just for you. Do you fancy
a coloratura carol? Or a wassail about
wellies? The choice is yours. Festive family
fun and seasonal cheer, guaranteed to
make you merry!
WOrdS On mOnday
‘The perfect operatic pick-me-up’
The Independent
‘Hugely entertaining’ The Telegraph
carlos acosta
Hall Two 8pm
Pig’s Foot
Online rates £12.50 | Savers £9.50
mOnday 9 december
and some surprising gems. Norma and
Eliza are two of the country’s finest
exponents of traditional song. Between
them they have three Mercury Prize
nominations, and both have won the BBC
Folk Singer of the Year award and many
other accolades.
SPOKen WOrd
Dazzling dancer Carlos Acosta has already
entranced readers with his autobiography.
Now he comes to Kings Place to talk
about his much-awaited second book.
Pig’s Foot is a sweeping literary novel full
of dark comedy and magical history – a
big tale of revolution, family secrets, love
and identity set in the Cuban hinterland,
across three generations.
KAN
Hall One 7pm
Online rates £9.50
Carlos Acosta
cUSTOm-made WInTer
bella Hardy
bright morning Star
FOLK
Kan
Hall One 7.30pm
FOLK
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
Hall Two 10pm
Online rates £12.50 | Savers 9.50
£6.50 if booked with Friday 7.30pm concert
Mercury
THe baSe
mercury
Tom Thorp saxophones
daniel brew guitar
Jim molyneux drums
Gavin barras bass
FrIday 13 december
JaZZ
cUSTOm-made WInTer
cUSTOm made WInTer
After their critically acclaimed appearance
at the Manchester Jazz Festival in 2012,
Mancunian-based quartet Mercury started
2013 with a run of various jazz festivals
throughout the UK and launched their selftitled EP in May. The band’s unashamed
rock ’n’ roll aesthetic draws influences from
a wide spectrum of musical genres. They
are constantly finding new ways to interpret
traditional roles in the jazz quartet, bringing
together approaches and sound worlds
from genres as diverse as classical avantgarde, ECM jazz, dub-step and grunge.
15th anniversary Tour
FOLK
Take a guided tour of Christmas customs
with this seasonal blend of carols, spoken
word, humorous readings and dance. The
Guvnor himself, Ashley Hutchings (founder
of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and
The Albion Band), is joined on stage by
trad folk enthusiasts Kellie While (The
Albion Band), Simon Care (Edward II) and
Simon Nicol (Fairport Convention) for an
evening of traditional English Christmas
norma Waterson
& eliza carthy
with The Gift band
FOLK
Wrap yourself in the warm sound of Norma
Waterson & Eliza Carthy with The Gift
Band – distinctive earthy voices that tap a
rich, authentic vein of traditional song.
The velvet richness of this mother/
daughter duo, backed by family and
friends (incl. Martin Carthy) is truly
sumptuous. Expect traditional classics
Norma Waterson & Eliza Carthy
Hall Two 8pm
Online rates £9.50
SUnday 15 december
on another hit show at this year’s Edinburgh
Festival: political journalism live on stage.
OUT Hear
Hall One 7pm
FOUnd
Online rates £9.50
Sarah Sarhandi viola, electronica
with guest musicians and dancers
Sarhandi created FOUND in 2012 around
recorded traffic sounds collected in Karachi.
She has always had an awareness of
incongruous spaces – actual or imagined
– between Islamic and Western cultures.
As well as Sarhandi’s viola performance,
FOUND includes poetry set to music from
America via Ancient Rome, Viola for Isla,
(film of a child’s dance), The Dance of
Giving Up (dance performance), a piece
about surrender that began in Pakistan in
2011 and Us and Them, a video created
with pupils at Wendell Park School London.
Hall Two 4pm
Online rates £9.50
cHamberSTUdIO maSTercLaSSeS
LOndOn cHamber
mUSIc SerIeS
Sir roger norrington
& cambridge University
chamber Orchestra
Haydn Symphony No. 104 in D,
Hob. I:104 London
a Scarlatti Cantata pastorale
mendelssohn Symphony No. 1
in C minor, Op. 11
Malin Christensson
MALiN chRisTeNssoN siNGs iN BAch's B
MiNoR MAss, ALoNG WiTh The choiR oF
cLARe coLLeGe ANd AuRoRA oRchesTRA
Bach Unwrapped comes to a climactic end with Bach’s B
Minor Mass on 21 December, under the baton of Nicholas
Collon. We also welcome the peerless Baroque violinist
Rachel Podger, who completes the solo Partitas, while the
Platinum Consort unwrap the Christmas Oratorio with the
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
See The Night before Christmas pp38–39
LISTInGS 55
December 2013
cOnTemPOrary
Save 30% when you book all three 7.30pm
‘Custom-made Winter’ concerts
THUrSday 12 december
The albion Xmas Show
18 – 21 december
A feast of seasonal treats, from the carols
of Bella Hardy’s North Derbyshire home
to rather less traditional fare. People flock
from far and wide to sing the Peak
District’s local carols, and the villages are
lit up with song. Join in similar
unadulterated seasonal cheer at Kings
Place in the company of Bella and special
guests guitarist Anna Massie and
concertina genius Chris Sherburn.
Nominated three times in the BBC Radio
2 Folk Awards, and winner of Best Original
Track for The Herring Girl in 2012, Bella
is famed for entwining her hypnotic
voice with fiddle accompaniment to
stunning effect.
‘Seductive and original’ The Telegraph
‘Marvellously assured’ Financial Times
‘A live wire of rhythm and melody
– a tapestry of textures, there is magic
in this’ Songlines
This Week's Focus
chRisTMAs AT kiNGs PLAce
BAch uNWRAPPed Week 14
SaTUrday 14 december
FOLK UnIOn
cUSTOm-made WInTer
A late show with firebrands KAN, four
of the most influential instrumentalists
of today’s traditional music world. There’s
certain to be an upbeat party
atmosphere! Melding the beautiful,
bold flute virtuosity of Brian Finnegan
(mainstay of Flook) with the daring fiddle
innovation of Aidan O’Rourke (of
award-winning Lau), intuitive drumming
from Jim Goodwin and the playful guitar
stylings of Ian Stephenson, KAN are
masters of intricate melody.
book tickets now:
cLaSSIcaL
The finest musicians currently at Cambridge
University, conducted by Sir Roger
Norrington, perform Mendelssohn’s
youthful First Symphony, Haydn’s last
symphony (composed for his second visit
to London), and a beautiful Baroque
cantata by Alessandro Scarlatti written
for performance on Christmas Eve.
Hall One 6.30pm
mOnday 16 december
WOrdS On mOnday
rock’n’roll Politics 2
Steve richards & Guests
SPOKen WOrd
Join the columnist and broadcaster Steve
Richards for some festive fun and insights
in a brand-new ‘Rock’n’Roll Politics’ based
WedneSday 18 december
bacH UnWraPPed
rachel Podger
& marcin Świa˛tkiewicz
bach Violin Sonatas & Partitas – 3
JS bach Sonata No. 3 in C
for solo violin, BWV 1005
Sonata No. 2 in A for violin
and harpsichord, BWV 1015
Partita No. 3 in E for solo violin, BWV 1006
Sonata No. 3 in E for violin
and harpsichord, BWV 1016
rachel Podger violin
marcin Świa˛tkiewicz harpsichord
cLaSSIcaL
In this last instalment of her Bach recital
series here at Kings Place, Baroque
violinist Rachel Podger continues to
explore some of Bach’s most brilliant
chamber music. The programme includes
the particularly demanding C major Sonata
for solo violin that features an extensive
fugue, and the popular Partita No. 3,
widely known for its delightful tune in
‘Gavotte en Rondeau’.
Hall One 7.30pm
£27.50 £34.50 | Savers £9.50
THUrSday 19 december
bacH UnWraPPed
christmas Oratorio
JS bach Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248
(Parts I, III, V & VI)
Platinum consort
Orchestra of the age of enlightenment
Scott Inglis-Kidger director
cLaSSIcaL
Bach’s Christmas Oratorio is a complex,
almost mathematical, display of
compositional genius. On a spiritual level,
however, Bach shows us the whole gamut
of human emotion, from the ecstatic timpani
fanfare of ‘Jauchzet, frohlocket!’, announcing
the coming of Christ the King, to the
affectionate alto solo ‘Schließe, mein Herze’,
expressing the intimacy of his birth. Platinum
Consort and director Scott Inglis-Kidger are
joined by a stellar cast of soloists from within
the choir and by the world-renowned OAE.
Hall One 7.30pm
£39.50 £49.50 | Savers £9.50
LISTInGS
SUnday 8 december
book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
December 2013
CARLOS ACOSTA © JOSE GOITIA/DPA/CORBIS | KAN © ALLAN MACDONALD | ROSEMARY JOSHUA© RUTH CRAFER | MERCURY, NORMA WATERSON AND ELIZA CARTHY © SUPPLIED PHOTO
LISTInGS
54 LISTInGS
FRIDAY 20 DECEMBER
CHRISTMAS AT KINGS PLACE
A Ceremony of Carols
Britten A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28
Jonathan Rathbone The Oxen; Silent Night
Jonathan Dove Three Kings
Away in a Manger; In dulce jubilo
Sir John Tavener The Lamb
Andrew Gant Still, Still, Still
+ Traditional & contemporary carols
Barts Chamber Choir
Ivor Setterfield conductor
Chris Lee piano
CLASSICAL
Get into the festive spirit with this
wonderful evening of seasonal
favourites performed by Barts Chamber
Choir and Ivor Setterfield. As well as
Britten’s magnificent A Ceremony of
Carols, the programme also includes
some of the best carols with audience
participation and jazz improvisation by
pianist Chris Lee.
Hall One 7.30pm
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
THE BASE
Welcome to Bat Country
James Allsopp reeds
Kit Downes keyboards
Ruth Goller bass guitar
Alex Bonney trumpet, electronics
Tim Giles drums, electronics
Book tickets now:
THIS WEEK'S FOCUS
NEW YEAR AT KINGS PLACE
TUESDAY 31 DECEMBER
31 DECEMBER – 4 JANUARY
The Golden Age of Steam’s music is a
kaleidoscope of sounds veering between
delicate ambient, stomping punk
freak-outs and intricately woven
counterpoint. For their forthcoming album
Welcome to Bat Country they have
augmented the original trio ‘to bring in
more sounds, taking the music in all sorts
of crazy new directions – more colours,
heavier grooves, a new-found love of all
things ambient and psychedelic!’
CLASSICAL
As well as featuring two much-loved pieces
from the soprano repertoire, Bach’s
Wedding Cantata and the lament from
Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, this programme
explores the diverse roles of the Baroque
trumpet, from the splendour of the French
overture style, through the relative intimacy
of Biber’s Sonata à 6 to the virtuosic peaks
of the Second Brandenburg Concerto. This
programme is repeated in the afternoon
of New Year’s Day.
Hall Two 8pm
SUNDAY 22 DECEMBER
CHRISTMAS AT KINGS PLACE
SATURDAY 21 DECEMBER
BACH UNWRAPPED
Bach: Mass in B Minor
JS Bach Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
Malin Christensson soprano
Jennifer Johnston mezzo-soprano
William Towers countertenor
Andrew Kennedy tenor
Benedict Nelson bass
The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge
Aurora Orchestra | Nicholas Collon
CLASSICAL
Acknowledged as one of the greatest
achievements not only of sacred choral
music but of European culture as a whole,
the Mass in B Minor gets its Kings Place
debut. The Aurora Orchestra, under the
baton of Nicholas Collon, are joined by
a world-class line-up of soloists and
one of the UK’s finest mixed-voice
chamber choirs.
Handel’s Messiah
Alice Privett soprano
Roderick Morris countertenor
Christopher Turner tenor
Božidar Smiljanić bass
Hall One 6pm
£29.50 £39.50 | Savers £9.50
OSJ Voices
Jeremy Jackman chorus master
Orchestra of St John’s
John Lubbock conductor
Ruby Hughes
CLASSICAL
A firm favourite on the Kings Place calendar
– the best-loved oratorio of them all,
performed by the Orchestra of St John’s
and four talented young soloists. Be sure
to book early.
Hall One 7.30pm
£29.50 £39.50 | Savers £9.50
WELCOME IN THE NEW YEAR WITH RUBY
HUGHES IN PURCELL & BACH, WHILE AURORA
ORCHESTRA TAKE AN AMERICAN ROAD TRIP
The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under the
direction of dynamic violinist Matthew Truscott toasts 2014
with a sparkling programme on New Year’s Eve and New
Year’s Day featuring music by Biber, Purcell, Telemann and
Bach. Also this week, Aurora Orchestra and special guest
Dawn Landes with music by Copland, John Adams and Ives.
Hall One 7.30pm
£49.50 £59.50 | Savers £9.50
Christopher Turner
AURORA AT KINGS PLACE
Aurora Orchestra:
Road Trip
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Matthew Truscott director, violin
Ruby Hughes soprano
David Blackadder trumpet
Rachel Beckett recorder
‘There’s no denying the oddly evocative
– and evocatively odd – atmosphere that
hangs over the whole session: a skewed,
David Lynch-style vision of reality gone
wrong… Who knew nightmares could be
so much fun?’ BBC Music Magazine
Nicholas Collon
Telemann Ouverture and Air (Allegro)
from Ouverture-Suite, TWV 55.D1
JS Bach Cantata ‘Weichet nur, betrübte
Schatten’ (Wedding Cantata), BWV 202
Biber Sonata à 6 in C
for trumpet and strings
Muffat Sonata No. 2 in G minor
Armonico tributo (1682)
Purcell Dido’s Lament and closing
ritornello from Dido and Aeneas
JS Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 2
in F, BWV 1047
JAZZ
See Classical Highlights p9
JANUARY
WEDNESDAY 1 JANUARY
Orchestra of the
Age of Enlightenment
New Year Concert
Brass, Bohemia and love’s lament
CLASSICAL
A second chance to see the New Year
Concert, also performed in the evening
of New Year’s Eve. See above for the
programme details.
Hall One 3pm
£29.50 £39.50 | Savers £9.50
LISTINGS 57
SATURDAY 4 JANUARY
Orchestra of the
Age of Enlightenment
New Year Concert
Brass, Bohemia and love’s lament
January 2014
Programme to include:
Copland Appalachian Spring (1944)
Ives Orchestral Set No. 1 Three Places
in New England (1903–29) (extract)
John Adams Chamber Symphony (1992)
+ new folk and pop arrangements TBA
Aurora Orchestra | Nicholas Collon
Special guest Dawn Landes
CLASSICAL
We hit the road with the Kings Place
Resident Orchestra for the opening
concert in our 2014 series. For this
journey-themed programme, Aurora
presents an all-American collection of
orchestral repertoire – including works
by Aaron Copland, Charles Ives and
John Adams – alongside folk and pop
arrangements from some very special
guest artists. A typically inventive and
inspiring concert from the UK’s most
dynamic ensemble.
MAKE IT
YOUR PLACE
KINGS PLACE AUDITORIA
NOW AVAILABLE
FOR ARTISTIC HIRE
‘There seems to be no end to what this
young ensemble is willing, hungry and
able to do.’ Hilary Finch, The Times
Hall One 7.30pm
£19.50 £24.50 | Savers £9.50
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL
020 7520 1461
SUNDAY 5 JANUARY
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Emperor Quartet
& Sarah Beth Briggs
(piano)
Britten String Quartet No. 3, Op. 94
Haydn String Quartet in G, Op. 76 No. 1
Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34
CLASSICAL
The prize-winning Emperor Quartet
perform Britten’s last quartet, composed
in 1975, alongside one of Haydn’s most
popular quartets from the Op. 76 set.
They are joined by the wonderful British
pianist Sarah Beth Briggs for Brahms’s
epic F minor Piano Quintet.
'COMBINED WITH HIGH QUALITY LIGHTING AND STAGING,
AMPLE BACK STAGE AREA AND A VIBRANT FRONT OF HOUSE,
KINGS PLACE RANKS AMONGST THE MOST OUTSTANDING
CONCERT EXPERIENCES HERE AND ABROAD.'
HARRY CHRISTOPHERS CBE, ENGLISH CONDUCTOR, THE SIXTEEN
Hall One 6.30pm
artistic.hires@kingsplace.co.uk
LISTINGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
January 2014
NICHOLAS COLLON © RUTH CRAFER | RUBY HUGHES © ALEJANDRA HERNANDEZ | CHRISTOPHER TURNER © SUPPLIED PHOTO
LISTINGS
56 LISTINGS
Book tickets now:
THIS WEEK'S FOCUS
GWILYM SIMCOCK & FRIENDS
THIS WEEK'S FOCUS
WEEK 1
Johannes Berauer
THURSDAY 9 JANUARY
GWILYM SIMCOCK
& FRIENDS
Johannes Berauer’s
Vienna Chamber Diaries
feat. Gwilym Simcock
Album Launch
Johannes Berauer composer
Klaus Gesing soprano saxophone,
bass clarinet
Gwilym Simcock piano
Florian Eggner cello
Thomas Frey flute, piccolo flute, alto flute
Christian Bakanic accordion
JAZZ
Jeremy Paxman
Gwilym Simcock
GWILYM SIMCOCK WELCOMES A HOST
OF KINDRED SPIRITS FROM THE EUROPEAN
JAZZ SCENE TO KINGS PLACE
Impossible Gentleman and pianist extraordinaire
Gwilym Simcock has invited artists who share his ease in
the classical and jazz worlds, such as Austrian Johannes
Berauer, with whom he’ll perform The Vienna Chamber
Diaries, and Céline Bonacina, who’ll launch new works
from her album alongside Simcock’s own, Instrumation.
See Impossible Gentleman feature on pp40–42
The UK launch of a new album from
Johannes Berauer – one of Austria’s most
versatile and prolific young composers.
The evening features a remarkable line-up,
including jazz greats Gwilym Simcock and
Klaus Gesing. Successful as both a classical
and jazz musician, Berauer blends subtle
chamber music with high-energy improv,
groove and intricate polyphony – each
piece calling for different instrumentation.
He merges two different soundworlds in
perfect harmony. The music has been
written over the course of a year, and
reflects very personal thoughts. Like diary
entries, the compositions in The Vienna
Chamber Diaries describe experiences
that the listener shares.
Céline Bonacina Trio
Céline Bonacina saxophones
Michel Benita double bass
JAZZ
SATURDAY 11 JANUARY
KINGS PLACE ARTISTIC HIRE
Old Wise Tales
MUSICAL THEATRE
£19.50 £24.50 | Savers £9.50
The London premiere of a new musical
theatre concert work and a journey into the
wonderful world of Jewish folk literature.
Featuring two West-End performers, a
chorus of young singers (aged 8 to 18), a
duodectet of future West-End singers and
three exceptional musicians, Old Wise
Tales combines the power of music and
literature to tell ‘old’ stories in ‘new’ ways!
With original music by Mendel Ben Yechel,
Old Wise Tales is recommended for
anyone aged between 9 and 99. Old Wise
Tales... not just little fairytales!
GWILYM SIMCOCK
& FRIENDS
Gwilym Simcock
+ Céline Bonacina Trio
Double Album Launch
Céline Bonacina Trio various pieces
from her new album
Gwilym Simcock pieces from his new
album Instrumation, incl. ‘Simple Tales’
Goldfield Ensemble (Kate Romano
clarinet, Nicola Goldscheider violin,
Bridget Carey viola, Toby Turton cello,
Rob Godman sound projection)
The second and last day of a mini-festival
curated by Gwilym Simcock. This concert
launchs Gwilym’s new orchestral album
Instrumation, featuring a major new work
for orchestra alongside quintet pieces.
The concert also showcases saxophonist
Céline Bonacina, Gwilym’s collaborator on
‘Le Shuttle’, an initiative that brings
together British and French players.
‘A formidable musician as well as a
formidable pianist, with a feeling for the
way harmony can create architecture as
well as momentary colours – a rare gift’
The Telegraph
Hall One 7.30pm
FRIDAY 10 JANUARY
CONTEMPORARY
Gwilym Simcock Quintet
Thomas Gould violin
Gabriella Swallow cello
Yuri Goloubev double bass
Martin France drums
Online Rates £14.50 £19.50 £24.50
£29.50 | Savers £9.50
Hall One 8pm
£19.50 £24.50 | Savers £9.50
OUT HEAR
ANARCHY
IN THE ORGANISM
Anarchy in the Organism (2012) (Simeon
Nelson lead artist, Rob Godman music,
Nick Rothwell video software, electroacoustic sound, live sound & image)
Siorram (1992) (James Dillon solo viola)
Lexicon (2012) (Andrew Lewis sound
and video)
Crossing Over (1978) (James Dillon
solo clarinet)
Halcyon (2011) (Dai Fujikura clarinet
and string trio)
Céline Bonacina
Hall One 7.30pm
SUNDAY 12 JANUARY
curated by Kate Romano
15 – 18 JANUARY
9 – 10 JANUARY
A multi-media performance exploring our
relationship with complexity. Using music
and light, simple concepts are translated
into highly intricate works and multi-faceted
issues are articulated with clarity and
empathy. Lexicon explores the challenges
and creative potential of dyslexia through
a poem written by a 12-year-old boy.
Andrew Lewis’s Anarchy in the Organism
engages patients and public with the
science of cancer and its social, cultural
and ethical impact through visual and
musical algorithms. Dai Fujikura and James
Dillon explore deceptively simple ideas in
explorative music, combining complexity
with an evocative, immediate appeal. The
ANARCHY event is a study in live music and
light which illuminates these contradictions.
Brodsky Quartet
Hall Two 4pm
Online Rates £9.50
THE BRODSKY QUARTET LAUNCH CHAMBER
CLASSICS UNWRAPPED, FEATURING THE TOP
50 CHAMBER WORKS AS VOTED BY YOU
Our resident quartet, the Brodsky, launch a brand-new
Unwrapped series for 2014, in association with BBC Music
Magazine, based on the Top 50 chamber works as chosen
by you, the audience. Also this week, the Dante Quartet
and Nicholas Daniel and the Haffner Wind Ensemble
perform more chamber classics for the series.
See Chamber Classics Unwrapped feature p36
LISTINGS 59
January 2014
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Wihan Quartet
LCMS International Quartet Series – 4
Mozart String Quartet No. 14 in G, K387
Mendelssohn String Quartet No. 6
in F minor, Op. 80
Schubert String Quartet No. 14
in D minor, D810 Death and the Maiden
CLASSICAL
The celebrated Czech quartet perform the
first of the six quartets Mozart dedicated to
his friend and master of the medium,
Haydn, published in 1785; Mendelssohn’s
passionate final quartet, written in the last
year of his life; and Schubert’s late great
masterpiece composed in the mid-1820s.
Hall One 6.30pm
MONDAY 13 JANUARY
WORDS ON MONDAY
The Shelf-Help Sessions:
12 Reasons to Feel Better
Jeanette Winterson & Stephen Grosz
SPOKEN WORD
Award-winning Jeanette Winterson, author
of Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, in
conversation with Stephen Grosz,
psychoanalyst and author of The Examined
Life. Funny, acute, fierce and celebratory,
Winterson’s Why Be Happy When You
Could Be Normal tells how the painful past
she thought she had left behind returned
to haunt her, and sent her on a journey
into madness and out again in search of
her real mother. Grosz has spent the last
25 years uncovering the hidden feelings
behind our most baffling behaviour. His
Sunday Times bestseller The Examined Life
distils over 50,000 hours of consultations
into pure psychological insight.
Hall Two 7pm
Online Rates £9.50
WEDNESDAY 15 JANUARY
CHAMBER CLASSICS
UNWRAPPED
Brodsky Quartet
Beethoven: String Quartet No. 15
& Bartók: String Quartet No. 4
Purcell Fantasia
Henning Kraggerud Preghiera (2012)
Bartók String Quartet No. 4, Sz. 91
(Voted No. 27)
Beethoven String Quartet No. 15
in A minor, Op. 132 (Voted No. 12)
Brodsky Quartet
Daniel Rowland violin
Ian Belton violin
Paul Cassidy viola
Jacqueline Thomas cello
CLASSICAL
The newest Unwrapped series opens with
a performance by the Brodskys, quartet-inresidence at Kings Place. Their programme
pairs one of Beethoven’s mighty ‘late’
quartets with Bartók’s Fourth, admired for
its ingenious construction and tight, formal
symmetry. Paul Cassidy: ‘To accompany
these pieces, we’ve chosen two works
LISTINGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
January 2014
GWILYM SIMCOCK © RON BEENEN | JOHANNES BERAUER © MATERIAL RECORDS | CÉLINE BONACINA © THIERRY DOCMAC | BRODSKY QUARTET © ERIC RICHMOND
LISTINGS
58 LISTINGS
written three centuries apart, yet both
reflecting religious, ancient and folk
elements. Purcell’s Fantasia is a rare treat
for us: quartets truly began with Haydn
and the Classical era, so we don’t often
get the chance to revel in the pure
soundworld of the Baroque. Kraggerud’s
Preghiera (‘Prayer’), written for our
40th-anniversary Wheel of 4Tunes series,
is a beautifully atmospheric modal hymn
peppered with improvisatory flourishes.’
a rising star, and his big band line-up
includes many of the UK’s finest jazz and
session musicians. Their debut album,
Between Shadows, with its enticingly
subtle palette, plaintive Kenny Wheeleresque chords and Gil Evans textures, was
released to critical acclaim in 2013.
Nicholas Daniel
& Haffner Wind Ensemble
SATURDAY 18 JANUARY
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
CHAMBER CLASSICS
UNWRAPPED
FRIDAY 17 JANUARY
CHAMBER CLASSICS
UNWRAPPED
Dante Quartet with
Benjamin Frith (piano)
Elgar: Piano Quintet
Turina La oración del torero
(‘The Bullfighter’s Prayer’)
for string quartet, Op. 34
Falla Suite populaire espagnole
for cello and piano (arr. from
7 Canciones populares españolas)
Poulenc Sonata for violin & piano, Op. 119
(in memory of Federico García Lorca)
Elgar Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 84
(Voted No. 38)
Dante Quartet
Krysia Osostowicz violin
Giles Francis violin
Rachel Roberts viola
Richard Jenkinson cello
with Benjamin Frith piano
CLASSICAL
‘Ghostly stuff’, wrote Elgar of the first
movement of his glorious piano quintet.
In amongst the generous Elgarian warmth
lurks a sinuous, Spanish-sounding melody
evoking the twisted shapes of strange trees
near Elgar’s house. The legend goes that
these were the petrified remains of a group
of medieval Spanish monks who had
practised satanic rites. The Dante Quartet
and Benjamin Frith expand on this Spanish
theme, opening with evocative pieces by
Andalusian composers Turina and Falla,
both close friends of the great poet
Federico García Lorca, murdered during
the Spanish Civil War. Poulenc’s plangent
sonata is dedicated to Lorca’s memory.
THIS WEEK'S FOCUS
CURATED BY SWINGLE SINGERS & IKON ARTS MANAGEMENT
23 – 25 JANUARY
‘Obvious potential… razor-sharp young
big band’ The Guardian
Charles Owen
& Katya Apekisheva
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Nicholas Daniel &
Haffner Wind Ensemble
Charles Owen & Katya
Apekisheva Piano Duo
Nielsen: Wind Quintet
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies Sea Eagle
for solo horn (1982)
Thea Musgrave Impromptu No. 1
for flute and oboe (1967)
Arnold Divertimento for flute, oboe
& clarinet, Op. 37
Bridge Divertimenti for wind quintet, H189
John Harbison Quintet for Winds (1979)
Martin Butler Down-hollow winds (1993)
for wind quintet
Nielsen Wind Quintet, Op. 43
(Voted No. 50)
Haffner Wind Ensemble
Nicholas Daniel oboe
Joy Farrall clarinet
Emer McDonough flute
Sarah Burnett bassoon
Stephen Bell horn
CLASSICAL
This stylish musical conversation was
affectionately written for five players known
to Nielsen, and their characters are
enshrined in the score. Like all his music
the Quintet embodies sprung rhythms,
clear, cool colours and a heightened,
suspended sense of harmony that zings
like frost in the air. The pearlescent voices
ripple through the spacious scoring – in
dialogue, talking all together, or alone.
A piece that encapsulates many facets
of his art in miniature, it was performed
at his funeral in 1931.
Hall One 7.30pm
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
with Pedro Segundo
& George England | percussion
Fitzwilliam Quartet
SUNDAY 19 JANUARY
OUT HEAR
Fitzwilliam Quartet:
Absolutely!
Album Launch
CONTEMPORARY
A concert that fuses jazz, classical, folk,
and electronic music, featuring original
compositions by Uwe Steinmetz, Liz
Johnson and John Ramsay. This event is
built around three current Fitzwilliam
Quartet recording projects, headed by the
launch of a new disc of works by Steinmetz
himself for string quartet, jazz violin, and
soprano saxophone – the main work
providing the title of both the event
and the CD. The concert starts with
the First Quartet by eminent geologist
John Ramsay CBE, and is completed by
a piece for solo violin and live electronics
by Liz Johnson, whose complete works
for string quartet will be recorded by the
Fitzwilliam next year.
Hall Two 4pm
THE BASE
Reuben Fowler Big Band
Hall One 7.30pm
JAZZ
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
23-year-old jazz trumpeter and composer
Reuben Fowler is a recent conservatoire
graduate, and the second winner of the
Kenny Wheeler Award. Fowler himself is
Dante offer: 17 Jan & 16 Oct 2014
20% off if you book both concerts.
LISTINGS 61
January 2014
Hall Two 8pm
Hall One 7.30pm
Brodsky offer: 15 Jan, 19 Mar & 11 Dec 2014
20% off if you book any 2 concerts.
30% off if you book all 3 concerts.
Book tickets now:
LISTINGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
January 2014
Reuben Fowler
Debussy En blanc et noir
for two pianos, L134
Rachmaninov Suite No. 2
for two pianos, Op. 17
Bartók Sonata for two pianos
and percussion, Sz. 110
CLASSICAL
Composed in 1937, Bartók’s Sonata for
two pianos and percussion is one of the
dramatic masterpieces of the 20th-century
piano repertoire. In this concert it is
performed by two of the outstanding
pianists of our time and two exceptional
percussionists, and contrasted with other
remarkable 20th-centuryworks for two
pianos: Debussy’s En blanc et noir from
1915, and Rachmaninov’s Second Suite,
composed in Italy in 1901.
Hall One 6.30pm
MONDAY 20 JANUARY
WORDS ON MONDAY
Grammar
with David Marsh
SPOKEN WORD
David Marsh, author of the recently
published grammar book For Who the Bell
Tolls, celebrates language and explains
the rules of grammar in a witty and
entertaining way. He takes a progressive,
creative approach to learning grammar
– illustrating key points through pop and
rap songs, and believing, unlike to many,
that text speak is not in fact ruining the
English language.
Hall Two 7pm
Online Rates £9.50
NICHOLAS DANIEL & HAFFNER ENSEMBLE © HARRY RANKIN | FITZWILLIAM QUARTET © BENJAMIN HARTE | REUBEN FOWLER © DAVE STAPLETON | CHARLES OWEN & KATYA APEKISHEVA © JACK LIEBECK THE SWINGLE SINGERS © MAMUN HUMAYUN | THE HOUSE JACKS & THE SONGMEN © SUPPLIED PHOTOS
LISTINGS
60 LISTINGS
The House Jacks
THURSDAY 23 JANUARY
LONDON A CAPPELLA
FESTIVAL 2014
The House Jacks
CONTEMPORARY
Swingle
Swingle Singers
Singers
An ‘original rock band without
instruments’, this is the all-American
House Jacks’ London debut. Achieving
fame in the blockbuster movie Pitch
Perfect, on the NBC hit television
show The Sing-Off and on radio stations
and stages around the world, The House
Jacks’ name is synonymous with
spontaneous improvisation, electrifying
entertainment and extraordinary
vocal antics. They’ve played everywhere
from Carnegie Hall to CNN, and
performed with the likes of Ray Charles,
James Brown, Train, The Temptations and
The Four Tops. Catching The House Jacks
live in concert is definitely an opportunity
not to be missed.
‘I loved it! I loved it! I loved it!’ Ray Charles
‘Man! They can really sing!’ The Temptations
Hall Two 7.30pm (60 mins; standing)
9pm (repeat performance)
SWINGLE SINGERS, THE REAL GROUP, THE
HOUSE JACKS, BACKSTEP AND THE SONGMEN...
IT'S THE LONDON A CAPPELLA FESTIVAL!
Online Rates (per performance)
£16.50 £18.50 | Savers £9.50
FREE FOYER PERFORMANCES
Thursday 23 January – evening
Friday 24 January – evening
Saturday 25 January – all day
Come and hear some of the
best beatbox, gospel, barbershop,
choral and jazz talent from the UK
and beyond.
FRIDAY 24 JANUARY
LONDON A CAPPELLA
FESTIVAL 2014
The Songmen
CONTEMPORARY
Award-winning a cappella ensemble The
Songmen bring a fresh approach to
all-male a cappella. With an enviable
reputation as one of the UK’s finest and
most versatile groups in the genre, they
add their own special touch to the worlds
of classical, sacred and popular music,
balancing their love for the old
Renaissance masters with a passion for
exciting contemporary composers.
‘Crisp, tight, cool arrangements’
John Rutter CBE
Hall Two 6.30pm (60 mins)
Celebrating its fifth year, the London A Cappella Festival
has become a much-anticipated fixture at Kings Place,
a global showcase of vibrant talent and vocal invention.
Come and bask in the superbly honed skills of the Swedish
Real Group, be entertained by The House Jacks, a rock band
with no instruments, and discover cutting-edge Backstep.
See Contemporary Highlights pp 14–15
The Songmen
LISTINGS
World Champion
Beatboxer Bellatrix
LONDON A CAPPELLA
FESTIVAL 2014
The Real Group
with support act Vive
LONDON A CAPPELLA
FESTIVAL 2014
LONDON A CAPPELLA
FESTIVAL 2014
Backstep
Time Ensemble
Beatboxer Bellatrix & 8 Voices
with special guests The Swingle Singers
Just William
CONTEMPORARY
WORLD CONTEMPORARY
Martin Jarvis & Richard Sisson
Eight of London’s most exciting vocalists
from the worlds of jazz, folk, opera, soul
and electronica join World Champion
Female Beatboxer Bellatrix in the
ground-breaking new project Backstep.
Uniting artists from a wide range of
musical backgrounds, Backstep creates
cutting-edge and exhilarating
performance experiences in nightclubs,
festivals and concert halls, collaborating
with artists and composers of all
disciplines, including electronic musicians,
DJs and rap artists.
The truly unique Time Ensemble is a ‘world
choir’ performing contemporary choral
works and re-workings of traditional folk
songs. With members originating from
across Europe, Canada, Japan, Malaysia,
Mexico, South Africa, the USA, Venezuela
and Uruguay, they draw on their combined
knowledge of diverse musical styles and
languages to create a sublime multinational
soundworld. Prepare for goosebumps!
Part of ‘Word/Play’
devised by Lucy Parham
Hall Two 10pm (60 mins)
CONTEMPORARY
After their sell-out performance at the
London A Cappella Festival in 2011,
we are thrilled to welcome back The Real
Group to help us celebrate the festival’s
fifth birthday. Undoubtedly one of the
leading forces in the world of vocal music
today, The Real Group’s give performances
that display an unbeatable combination
of vocal artistry and perfection, insatiable
humour and a unique personal touch.
This Swedish vocal super-group are
famed for superlative creativity as they
delight audiences with jazz originals and
reworkings of popular favourites.
‘At the core of this quintet’s repertoire are
the standards on which every jazz artist,
foreign or domestic, eventually must
prove his mettle.’ Chicago Tribune
Hall One 8pm
£34.50 £44.50 | Savers £9.50
The Real Group
Book tickets now:
Workshop II: Pitch Perfect Unpicked
with Deke Sharon and Nick Girard
Blockbuster hit Pitch Perfect’s Music
Director Deke Sharon and fellow House
Jack Nick Girard will draw upon two
decades of performing, recording,
arranging and teaching. Whether you
are an amateur singer, an experienced
improviser or a shower-singing guru,
you will be challenged to see just what
you can achieve with your voice.
Hall Two 11.30am (60 min)
Workshop IV: Pass me the Jazz
with The Real Group
Join members of The Real Group as they
explain and demonstrate the ingredients
of their inimitable trademark sound.
This is an unparalleled opportunity
to sing with members of this vocal
super-group as they explore creativity,
intonation, blend, pulse and rhythm.
Hall Two 3.45pm (60 min)
Online Rates £9.50
Workshop III: The Craft
with Bob Chilcott
Join internationally acclaimed composer
and conductor Bob Chilcott as he delves
into two gems from his ever popular
collection of choral works with Oxford
University Press. Crafting your vocal skills
under Chilcott’s expert direction, you’ll be
part of the festival’s first ever scratch choir!
Scores will be provided. Sponsored by
Oxford University Press
‘A contemporary hero of British choral
music’ The Observer
Workshop V: Dominic Peckham’s
Total Vocal
Dominic Peckham is one of the UK’s
finest young conductors and an
ambassador of choral music. Join him
as he ‘lays it bare’ – getting to grips with
exactly what it takes to be part of an a
cappella group. Explore various technical
aspects involved as you put together your
a cappella team, the ingredients to
enhancing your individual instrument
and taking your performance standards
to a new level.
In association with London A Cappella
International Summer School
INTERACT
Hall Two 1pm (60 min)
St Pancras Room 4.45pm (60 min)
Enthusiastic singers and choirs of all ages
and abilities are invited to join international
industry experts and performers in a series
of workshops focusing on various aspects
of singing and vocal performance. Early
booking is a must to avoid disappointment!
Online Rates £9.50
Online Rates £9.50
Online Rates £9.50
Bob Chilcott
SATURDAY 25 JANUARY
LONDON A CAPPELLA
FESTIVAL 2014
All Things Vocal:
Workshops
Please note that all workshops are
standing events with limited seating.
Workshop I: Brazilian Rhythms
& Body Percussion with Carlos Bauzys
Blow away those winter cobwebs as
celebrated musical director and
conductor Carlos Bauzys joins us from
São Paulo, Brazil, to bring you an
invigorating workshop exploring the
vibrant rhythms of South America and
introducing Brazilian Body Percussion.
Hall Two 10am (60 mins)
Online Rates £9.50
SLIXS
SUNDAY 26 JANUARY
COFFEE CONCERTS
CLASSICAL SPOKEN WORD
LONDON A CAPPELLA
FESTIVAL 2014
The adventures of Richmal Crompton’s
irrepressible and ageless schoolboy
William Brown, told here by Martin Jarvis,
have been delighting both young and
old for decades. Perpetually scruffy, mudstained and mischievous, William is a
lovable scamp whose pranks usually
end in disaster – for his harassed elders
at least. With friends Ginger, Douglas and
Henry and the angelic thorn-in-his-side,
lisping Violet Elizabeth Bott, William has
rightly joined the literary immortals.
Jarvis is joined by pianist Richard Sisson
(formerly of Kit and the Widow).
SLIXS
Hall One 11.30am
Hall One 2.30pm
£18.50 £21.50 | Savers £9.50
with support act PENNY ARCADE
CONTEMPORARY
Fusing world-class vocals with a powerful
concoction of jazz, pop and funk, sixstrong German group SLIXS have rocked
audiences at concerts and festivals across
the world as they effortlessly imitate an
astonishing variety of sounds and noises.
Packed concert halls and numerous
awards attest to SLIXS’s spirit of innovation
and daring forays into new artistic ventures.
Martin Jarvis
Hall One 6pm
Online Rates £19.50 £24.50 £29.50
£39.50 | Savers £9.50
LONDON A CAPPELLA
FESTIVAL 2014
The Swingle Singers
CONTEMPORARY
Festival favourites The Swingle Singers
need no introduction. This worldrenowned group seamlessly embrace
five decades of Swingle history whilst
continuing to push the boundaries of
the a cappella soundworld. Five decades
on from their pioneering Grammy-winning
debut album Jazz Sébastien Bach, today’s
Swingle Singers are an international
a cappella phenomenon, delivering folk
ballads, funk jams and fugues with equal
precision and passion.
‘A riveting, sometimes comical and most
musical of evenings’ London Jazz Review
Hall One 8.30pm
£34.50 £44.50 | Savers £9.50
Silje Aker Johnsen
OUT HEAR
nu:nord
featuring Tre Voci Cello Ensemble
& Silje Aker Johnsen
Silje Aker Johnsen soprano
Tre Voci (Torun Stavseng, Gregor
Riddell & Colin Alexander cello)
Rob Lewis electronics
CONTEMPORARY
A collaboration with nu:nord, an artistic
cooperation and community-building
project between emerging new-music
creators from Canada, Norway and the UK.
This performance features nu:nord resident
LISTINGS 63
January 2014
singer Silje Aker Johnsen and cello
ensemble Tre Voci (Norwegian cellist Torun
Stavseng and British cellists/composers
Gregor Riddell and Colin Alexander). They
present contemporary works for cello
ensemble and soprano, with electronics.
The programme includes two premieres
by Jonathan Cole and Taylor Brook.
a forest in her native Australia. Expect
Germaine Greer to bring the same
passion with which she defended feminist
issues to the essential challenge faced by
our planet’s biodiversity.
Hall One 7pm
Online Rates £9.50
Hall Two 4pm
Online Rates £9.50
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
CHAMBER CLASSICS
UNWRAPPED
Tippett Quartet
& Stephanie Gonley
(violin)
in F, Op. 135 (Voted No. 26)
A Panufnik String Quartet No. 3
Wycinanki (1990)
Herrmann (arr. Birchall) Psycho Suite
Mozart String Quintet in G minor, K516
Tippett Quartet
John Mills violin
Jeremy Isaac violin
Lydia Lowndes-Northcott viola
Bozidar Vukotic cello
with Stephanie Gonley violin
CLASSICAL
The first of the LCMS concerts in the
Chamber Classics Unwrapped series
features the excellent Tippett Quartet.
In this inspiring programme, they will
perform Mozart’s sublime G minor String
Quintet, Beethoven’s last quartet, the
suite from Bernard Herrman’s famous
film score for Hitchcock’s Psycho, and
to mark the centenary of the Polish
composer Andrzej Panufnik, the last of
his three quartets, composed in 1990
and subtitled Messages.
WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY
KINGS PLACE ARTISTIC HIRE
Mark Swartzentruber
plays Scarlatti, Beethoven & Chopin
In aid of Camden Psychotherapy Unit
D Scarlatti Sonata in C, K513
Sonata in A minor, K54
Sonata in G minor, K426
Sonata in G, K427
Beethoven Piano Sonata in D minor,
Op. 31 No. 2 Tempest
Chopin Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23
Ballade No. 2 in F, Op. 38
Ballade No. 3 in A flat, Op. 47
Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52
Mark Swartzentruber piano
CLASSICAL
Chopin’s four Ballades represent a pinnacle
of solo piano writing. Their combination of
emotional range, nobility of spirit and
dramatic musical narrative remains
unsurpassed. The programme opens with
four sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti,
exemplifying his boundless creative
imagination and lively spirit, and continues
with the turbulent atmosphere of
Beethoven’s Tempest Sonata. Mark
Swartzentruber’s recordings on Sony and
Solo have all earned excellent reviews in
the international music press and confirm
his reputation as an artist of the highest
calibre. His London appearances have
included the Wigmore Hall and QEH. He
has also broadcast on BBC R3 and R4.
Hall One 7.30pm
£27.50 £34.50 | Savers £9.50
Hall One 6.30pm
£19.50 £24.50 | Savers £9.50
MONDAY 27 JANUARY
WORDS ON MONDAY
Germaine Greer
The Rainforest Years
SPOKEN WORD
The author of The Female Eunuch tells us
how she embraced the fight to bring back
Germaine Greer
LISTINGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
January 2014
BELLATRIX © TOM GRIFFITHS | THE REAL GROUP © MATS BAêCKER | BOB CHILCOTT © JOHN BELLARS | MARTIN JARVIS © SVEN ARNSTEIN | GERMAINE GREER © JONATHAN RING | TIME ENSEMBLE, SLIXS & SILJE AKER JOHNSEN © SUPPLIED PHOTOS
62 LISTINGS
Book tickets now:
this week's focus
chamber classics unwrapped
week 2 + endymion at 35
5 – 8 FEBruary
Friday 31 January
FOLK uniOn
Jim Causley with
Lukas drinkwater
The Poetry of Charles Causley
FOLK
Five times BBC Radio 2 Folk Award
nominee Jim Causley has recorded an
album of the poems of his distant relative
Charles Causley to commemorate the
10th anniversary of the death of this
celebrated Cornish poet. The Cyprus Well
album was recorded live in Causley’s
house in Launceston, Cornwall and
many of the tracks feature Causley’s
own piano. Jim aims to bring wider
attention to Causley’s poems and
raise awareness of the Charles Causley
Trust and their mission to preserve
Causley’s house as a writers’ retreat.
Jim is renowned for his warm stage
presence and his rich singing voice has
been likened to the fruitiest of ciders! He
is joined on stage by talented guitarist
Lukas Drinkwater.
Hall Two 8pm
FEBruary
SaTurday 1 FEBruary
THE BaSE
and absorbing soundscapes. Horns and
drums and nothing more makes up the
funk/jazz powerhouse that is Dakhla.
But actually it is more than that; talent,
instinct and creativity add to these
basic elements to make this a real force to
be reckoned with.’ Sound On Sound
Hall Two 8pm
Sunday 2 FEBruary
CHaMBErSTudiO
ChamberStudio
Junior Masterclass
inTEraCT
An opportunity for pre-formed school-age
chamber groups to receive open
masterclass sessions with ChamberStudio
professors. The day finishes with
a concert in Hall Two given by all four of
the groups, to which observers are also
welcome. The Junior Masterclass Days
offer talented young musicians fresh ideas
and specialist training and an opportunity
to perform in a major concert venue.
Masterclass Sessions: Function Rooms
1–2.15pm; 2.15–3.30pm;
4–5.15pm & 5.15–6.30pm
Public Performance – Hall Two 7pm
Tickets £50 per participating player
Customers need to apply to info@
chamberstudio.org with a short biography
of the group, and pay ChamberStudio directly.
A limited amount of FREE tickets for the concert
at 7pm (excl. the masterclass sessions) are
available by calling the Box Office.
dakhla
Matt Brown drums
Charlotte Ostafew baritone saxophone
Sophie Stockham alto saxophone
Pete Judge trumpet
OuT HEar
We Spoke: Song
Juliet Fraser soprano
rico Gubler saxophones
Kerry yong piano/keyboards
Serge Vuille drums/percussion
Matthew Shlomowitz, Bernhard Lang
& antoine Joly composition
COnTEMPOrary
We Spoke: Song brings together three
instrumentalists and renowned soprano
Juliet Fraser to form a new music band
that explores the cultural heritage of song.
We begin with medley (!) of Swiss song,
loving and critical in equal measure.
Next, the latest volume of Shlomowitz’s
Popular Contexts, also a premiere,
which patterns and transforms everyday
instructions such as Ikea instructions or
fitness directions. And after the break, a
work from Lang’s celebrated DW series
that explores repetition and its effects on
perception in the form of five songs with
lyrics by artists such as Bob Dylan and
prog-rocker Peter Hammill...
Hall Two 4pm
Online rates £9.50
LOndOn CHaMBEr
MuSiC SEriES
London Soloists
Ensemble
London Soloists Ensemble
Dakhla
The Schubert Ensemble
Schubert: Trout Quintet
Fauré: Piano Quartet no. 1
Stephen Stirling
THurSday 6 FEBruary
Hall One 6.30pm
Endymion
CLaSSiCaL
Brahms: Horn Trio
Schubert’s Trout Quintet is one of the bestloved works in the piano and strings
repertoire, sparkling from beginning to end
and offering a constant flow of wonderful
melodies. Although it is not the first work
to be written for this unusual quintet with
double bass, Schubert employs the five
instruments with breath taking originality,
using the depth of the bass to release the
piano into its highest registers. Mozart’s
G minor Piano Quartet was also
groundbreaking in its time as the first
piece of chamber music for piano quartet
in which a real dialogue takes place
between all four instruments. The late
Romantic passion and shimmering
virtuosity of Fauré’s C minor Piano Quartet
is in complete contrast to the Classical
Mozart and the early Romantic Schubert; it
displays Fauré’s extraordinary imagination
for instrumental colour.
Beethoven violin Sonata No. 10
in G, Op. 96
Ligeti Trio for horn, violin & piano
Hommage à Brahms (1982)
Brahms Trio in E flat for horn, violin
& piano, Op. 40 (Voted no. 43)
Hall One 7.30pm
Hall One 7.30pm
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
MOnday 3 FEBruary
WOrdS On MOnday
Bedsit disco Queen:
Tracey Thorn
SPOKEn WOrd
Tracey Thorn looks back on the
defiant, energetic atmosphere of late
1970s suburban post-punk, when she
co-founded the Marine Girls, whose
two albums became cult classics, and
then, at university, met Ben Watt and
formed Everything But The Girl. From
consciously indie beginnings in the
early 1980s, the duo was drawn into the
world of international pop had hits and
flops, toured venues large and small,
sold nine million records worldwide
befriended Morrissey and Jeff Buckley, and
collaborated with artists and producers
as varied as Paul Weller, Tommy LiPuma,
Todd Terry and Massive Attack.
Hall Two 7pm
Online rates £9.50
Mozart Trio in E flat for clarinet, viola
& piano, K498 Kegelstatt
Walton Piano Quartet in D minor
alwyn Conversations for violin, clarinet
& piano (1950)
Brahms Piano Quartet No. 3
in C minor, Op. 60
The wonderful performers of the London
Soloists Ensemble – Lorraine McAslan
(violin), John Lenehan (piano), Anthony
Pike (clarinet), Sarah-Jane Bradley (viola)
and Karine Georgian (cello) – make their
debut as this ensemble in the LCMS series.
CHaMBEr CLaSSiCS
unWraPPEd
Simon Blendis violin
douglas Paterson viola
Jane Salmon cello
Peter Buckoke double bass
William Howard piano
Their concert features Mozart, Alwyn,
Walton’s wonderful youthful piano quartet
and Brahms’s passionate and stormy
C minor Piano Quartet, completed in 1875.
CLaSSiCaL
JaZZ
‘Dakhla is a unique horns-and-drums
quartet playing original tunes that blend
evocative harmonies, intricate rhythms
Juliet Fraser
WEdnESday 5 FEBruary
Mozart Piano Quartet No. 1
in G minor, K478
Fauré Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor,
Op. 15 (Voted no. 50)
Schubert Piano Quintet in A,
D667 The Trout (Voted no. 3)
Tracey Thorn
JULIET FRASER © DAvID JENSEN | | MEMBERS OF ENDYMION © EAMONN MCCABE | THE SCHUBERT ENSEMBLE © JOHN CLARK | JIM CAUSLEY, DAKHLA, LONDON SOLOISTS ENSEMBLE, TRACEY THORN & STEPHEN STIRLING © SUPPLIED PHOTOS
Jim Causley
LiSTinGS 65
January 2014
LiSTinGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
January 2014
LiSTinGS
64 LiSTinGS
Kyrsia Osostowicz, Mark van de Wiel
and Michael Dussek (members of Endymion)
Schubert Ensemble offer: 5 Feb & 15 Oct 2014
chamber classics unwrapped continues
with a trio of concerts from endymion
in brahms, ligeti, debussy & ravel
Endymion boasts some of the most versatile and
adventurous soloists in the capital, and in the first of three
concerts they combine Brahms and Ligeti for the famous
horn trios, following this with two delectable programmes
featuring flute and clarinet. The Schubert Ensemble start
the week with the delightful Trout Quintet.
See feature on Chamber Classics p36
CHaMBEr CLaSSiCS
unWraPPEd
EndyMiOn aT 35
Krysia Osostowicz violin
Stephen Stirling horn
Michael dussek piano
CLaSSiCaL
It was only to be expected that Brahms’s
Horn Trio would make it into the Top 50
chamber classics, given the heartfelt
simplicity of its themes, and the freedom
with which (for the first time) Brahms
moves away from traditional forms in his
chamber music. Ligeti’s Trio is a homage
in name only – Brahms couldn’t be
further from the Caribbean dance rhythms
that put this piece in the initial Top 200.
Endymion offer: 6 Feb & 7 Feb 2014
SATURDAY 8 FEBRUARY
CHAMBER CLASSICS
UNWRAPPED
ENDYMION AT 35
ENDYMION AT 35
Debussy: Sonata for flute, viola & harp
Beethoven Serenade in D for flute, violin
& viola, Op. 25
Debussy Syrinx for solo flute, L129
Saint-Saëns Fantaisie in A for violin
& harp, Op. 124
Martinů Three Madrigals for violin
& viola, H313 Duo No. 1
Ravel (arr. Skaila Kanga) Sonatine
for flute, viola & harp
Debussy Sonata for flute, viola
& harp, L137 (Voted N0. 44)
CLASSICAL
The second concert in Endymion’s 35thanniversary celebrations... Debussy’s
Sonata for flute, violin and harp ends with
a resoluto Finale, but opens with a Pastorale
that puts you in mind of the orchestral
classic Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune.
His Syrinx evokes a similar feeling, and is
named after the lost love of the woodland
god Pan. Beethoven’s delightful Serenade
and Martinů ’s captivating Madrigals show
off the violin, viola and flute in a variety of
contrasting ways.
Endymion
plays Brahms
Brahms Clarinet Sonata No. 1
in F minor, Op. 120 No. 1
Clarinet Sonata No.2 in E flat, Op. 120 No. 2
Intermezzo in E flat minor, Op. 118 No. 6
Clarinet Trio in A minor, Op. 114
Mark van de Wiel clarinet
Jane Salmon cello
Michael Dussek piano
CLASSICAL
All of Brahms’s chamber works that
include the clarinet were written very late
in life. The two clarinet sonatas were the
last chamber pieces he composed, and
they express the emotion of a lifetime.
The passionate F minor Sonata is followed
by the joyful exuberance of the Second,
in E flat. By contrast, the tension at the
beginning of his Clarinet Trio is almost
tangible, returning in the finale after two
much more relaxed, calming movements.
Brahms’s clarinet conveys every mood –
from a song of sadness to a dance for life.
Endymion offer: 6 Feb & 7 Feb 2014
JAZZ
Two-time BBC R2 Folk Award winner Chris
Wood’s love of small things has made him
one of England’s most vivid and arresting
song writers. With gentle intelligence
he weaves tradition in with his own
contemporary parables. Joan Armatrading
presented him with the 2011 Folk Singer of
the Year award before inviting him as special
guest onto her 2012 tour. They played 51
cities and Wood found himself collecting
the poetry of recession as he eavesdropped
on conversations in pound shops, tea
rooms, army recruiting centres and hotel
saunas. His response is None The Wiser,
his fourth solo album. From Alzheimer’s to
Blake, Wood lovingly takes the pulse of his
homeland in arguably his best album yet.
‘The title track alone is a masterpiece’
5* The Independent
Tim Richards’ six-piece HEXTET sold out
their Kings Place gig in October 2012, so
book early for their return match – another
set of hard bop and contemporary originals.
The line-up includes ex-Ronnie Scott
trumpeter Dick Pearce and US3/Incognito
saxman Ed Jones, with new face Ralph Wild
on vibes. The first set features a special
solo piano performance of Duke Ellington
COFFEE CONCERTS
The Romantic Music
of Chopin
Part of ‘Keyboard Conversations®
with Jeffrey Siegel (piano)’
Programme to include:
Chopin Fantaisie-Impromptu
in C sharp minor, Op. posth. 66
Jeffrey Siegel piano
CLASSICAL
Tim Richards’ HEXTET
FOLK
Hall Two 8pm
SUNDAY 9 FEBRUARY
Hall One 11.30am
None The Wiser
Chris Wood
£24.50 | Savers £9.50
THE BASE
‘GéNIA manages to find a platform
for contemporary compositions whilst
giving historic pieces a fresh airing’
Financial Times
THIS WEEK'S FOCUS
AMERICANA
Hall Two 4pm
CURATED BY THE AMERICANA MUSIC ASSOCIATION UK
Hall Two 8pm
Hall One 7.30pm
Tim Richards piano
Dick Pearce trumpet
Ed Jones tenor sax
Ralph Wild vibes
Dominic Howles bass
Jeff Lardner drums
FOLK UNION
‘A highly distinctive solo voice, blues
and gospel tinged, but with a percussive
drive betraying his roots in hard bop’
The Independent
A chance to sit back and enjoy some of
this much-loved composer’s most famous
masterpieces: the Fantaisie-Impromptu
(why did Chopin not wish to publish this
beautiful composition?), heroic polonaises,
vivacious waltzes, and soulful mazurkas.
Hall One 7.30pm
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
and Thelonious Monk material, alongside
Tim’s own compositions.
OUT HEAR
GéNIA
& Max de Wardener
Described by The Times as ‘an outstanding
musician’, Piano-Yoga® founder pianist
GéNIA returns to Kings Place with an
eclectic mix of contemporary piano music.
The programme includes Karen Tanaka’s
vibrant Techno Etudes, Sofia Gubaidulina’s
Sonata, and the hypnotic minimalism of
ECM’s Nik Bärtsch alongside new works
by GéNIA and the British composer Max
de Wardener.
SPOKEN WORD
Brahms Two Songs for voice, viola
& piano, Op. 91
Strauss 3 Lieder for mezzo-soprano,
viola & piano, Op. 31
Vaughan Williams Romance
for viola and piano
Bridge Three Songs for voice, viola
& piano, H76
Schumann, Debussy & Fauré Songs
for voice and piano (selection)
Fuchs Fantasie Etude No. 9
for unaccompanied viola
Loeffler 4 Poèmes for voice, viola
& piano, Op. 5
Clare Presland mezzo soprano
Eniko Magyar viola
Vicky Yannoula piano
The haunting vocal qualities of the
viola lie at the centre of this concert.
Brahms’s evocative Op. 91 songs are
perhaps the most famous example of this
phenomenon, with the viola
effectively as second singer, supported
and coloured with highly expressive piano
writing. They are complemented here
with songs for the same forces by Strauss,
Bridge and Loeffler, with other Romantic
lieder, and with music by Vaughan
Williams and the remarkable American
composer Lillian Fuchs.
Hall One 6.30pm
GéNIA
Dylan Thomas:
In My Craft
Poet in the City celebrates the centenary of
Wales’s greatest poet. A stellar line-up of
speakers (former Welsh Laureate Gwyneth
Lewis, acclaimed poet and broadcaster
Owen Sheers and distinguished Thomas
biographer Andrew Lycett) explore the
fascinating story of a giant of modern
literature. Follow Thomas from Swansea
to London and New York in this
biographical and poetic introduction.
Classics like Do not go gentle into that
good night and Under Milk Wood sit
alongside fresh revivals of less familiar
but equally compelling works as we
celebrate the myriad voices of this great
modern poet.
Clare Presland,
Eniko Magyar
& Vicky Yannoula
CLASSICAL
Tim Richards
WORDS ON MONDAY
LONDON CHAMBER
MUSIC SERIES
Hall One 7pm
Online Rates £9.50
Ian Bostridge
WEDNESDAY 12 FEBRUARY
FRETWORK AT KINGS PLACE
Laura Cantrell
‘Lachrimae’: Fretwork
with Ian Bostridge
& Elizabeth Kenny
Dowland’s Lachrimae and other songs
NASHVILLE-BORN COUNTRY STAR LAURA
CANTRELL KICKS OFF A THREE-DAY
CELEBRATION OF AMERICANA MUSIC
Some of the very best Americana comes to Kings Place
this winter, courtesy of The Americana Music Association
UK, featuring top artists from North America together with
a selection of the finest UK-based bands. The stellar line-up
includes Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo, Austin Lucas,
Hatful of Rain, Police Dog Hogan and many more...
See www.kingsplace.co.uk/Americana
LISTINGS 67
February 2014
MONDAY 10 FEBRUARY
13 – 15 FEBRUARY
CONTEMPORARY
Chris Wood
Book tickets now:
Dowland Lachrimae
Songs for lute and voice, including:
‘Flow my teares’, ‘Can she excuse
my wrongs?’, ‘In darkness let me dwell’,
& ‘Shall I strive with words’
Fretwork: Liam Byrne, Asako Morikawa,
Reiko Ichise, Richard Tunnicliffe,
Richard Boothby viols
Ian Bostridge tenor
Elizabeth Kenny lute
CLASSICAL
John Dowland was the finest lutenist of his
age and one of England’s greatest
composers. He was born 450 years ago
in 1563. In 1604, he published the
extraordinary collection of music for viols
and lute called Lachrimae. Before a series
of wonderfully lively galliards, many
drawn from his songs, Dowland presents
a transcendental journey based on his
most famous song, Flow my teares. The
falling fourth emblem is subjected to
intense scrutiny and transformation,
with a sequence that maps a voyage
from despair to hope, from falling to
rising, from minor to major.
Hall One 7.30pm
£19.50 £24.50 | Savers £9.50
THURSDAY 13 FEBRUARY
AMERICANA
Laura Cantrell
+ Sturgill Simpson
Presented by The Americana
Music Association UK
FOLK
Laura Cantrell is a Nashville-born country
music artist based in New York City with
a long appreciation of the UK country
audience. Her new release No Way There
From Here, her first album of original
material in eight years features 11 new
original songs. In her 10-year recording
career, Cantrell has released the acclaimed
albums Not The Tremblin’ Kind, When The
Roses Bloom Again, Humming By The
Flowered Vine and Kitty Wells Dresses:
Songs of the Queen of Country Music. She
has toured extensively in the UK, Europe
and Ireland, and was a favourite of John
Peel, who called her 2000 album Not The
Tremblin’ Kind ‘my favourite record of the
last 10 years, possibly my life’. Cantrell
recorded several Peel sessions for the BBC
from 2000 to 2004 and appeared on the
first Peel Day programme commemorating
the first anniversary of Peel’s death.
Support comes from the Kentuckian
Sturgill Simpson whose authenticity
stands out like an island of hope in a sea
of tacky. His album High Top Mountain
evokes the sound of timeless country in
its many guises and brings back the lyrical
forthrightness and depth that permeated
the music Simpson absorbed during his
Kentucky childhood.
Hall One 8pm
Sturgill Simpson
LISTINGS
FRIDAY 7 FEBRUARY
Endymion
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
February 2014
TIM RICHARDS © PETER MARES | IAN BOSTRIDGE © BENJAMIN EALOVEGA | STURGILL SIMPSON © MELISSA MADISON | CHRIS WOOD, GÉNIA & LAURA CANTRELL © SUPPLIED PHOTOS
LISTINGS
66 LISTINGS
Friday 14 February
aMeriCaNa
Police dog Hogan
+ The Vagaband
Presented by The americana
Music association uK
FOLK
Police Dog Hogan are a high-energy and
eclectic seven-piece, combining fiddle,
banjo, mandolin, drums and guitars with
knockout four-part harmonies in an
exuberant fusing of country, pop, folk,
and rocking urban bluegrass. The Sunday
Times has described them as ‘excellent’,
The Telegraph named them one of its
‘favourite new bands’ and veteran DJ
Johnnie Walker praises their gigs as ‘just a
really good, fun time’. Hailing from
Norwich, The Vagaband will provide
support, playing original song-based
roots music – a soulful mix of Americana,
blues, jazz and rock. American magazine
The Alternate Root have just recognised
The Vagaband in the Top 20 roots bands
in Europe. A band to watch out for!
St Pancras Room 5.30pm
Online rates £9.50
Emily Barker
aMeriCaNa
emily barker
& The red Clay Halo
Hall Two 8pm (standing)
+ austin Lucas + Hatful of rain
Presented by The americana
Music association uK
FOLK
The Vagaband
SaTurday 15 February
aMeriCaNa
Woody Guthrie:
Hard Times and
Hard Travellin’
A triple bill that promises to be a truly
spectacular evening, celebrating Americana
music. Born into a folk and bluegrass
lineage, Austin Lucas has recently released
his fifth solo LP (but first for New West
Records) with long-time friends Glossary
as his backing band. A record as diverse as
his musical background, the critically
acclaimed album Stay Reckless fuses
elements of alt-country, classic rock,
folk, punk, indie rock and bluegrass into
a unique brand of Americana.
Hatful of Rain
Hatful of Rain are a British acoustic roots
band, steeped in the fiddle tunes and oldtime ballads of the Appalachian mountains.
Based around the captivating songs
and voice of singer Chloe Overton, this
band bring together instrumental
virtuosity, soaring harmonies and intense
performances. If you like Gillian Welch,
Crooked Still and the soundtrack from
O Brother, Where Art Thou – this is for you.
deep, soulful modal and spiritual jazz,
drawing on the legacy of Alice Coltrane
and influenced by Halsall’s love of Eastern
music and the more contemporary sounds
of The Cinematic Orchestra.
The headliner of the night is Emily Barker –
the BAFTA award-winning songwriter and
performer of the theme to BBC’s Wallander
starring Kenneth Branagh. TV addicts may
also recognise Emily and her band, The Red
Clay Halo, for their atmospheric theme to
another BBC series, The Shadow Line. The
band’s new album, Dear River, was
recorded by Calum Malcolm and has been
released on Linn Records to critical acclaim.
Lyrically, the album explores the meaning
of home and its related tangents of exile,
displacement, and family, blending Emily’s
own story into the wider joys and sorrows
gleaned from her rigorous researches into
others’ experiences of travel and emigration.
‘Heartfelt songwriting... bridging the gap
between folk, country and Fleetwood
Mac’ The Times
‘Emily Barker has a gift for great melodies’
The Guardian.
GoGo Penguin
& Mammal Hands
Hall One 8pm
THe baSe
Matthew Halsall &
The Gondwana Orchestra
Matthew Halsall trumpet
Lisa Mallett flute
Keiko Kitamura koto
rachael Gladwin harp
Taz Modi piano
Phil France double bass
Luke Flowers drums
Chris Cruiks percussion
MuLTiMedia SHOW
Austin Lucas
Manchester-based trumpeter, composer,
arranger and band-leader Matthew
Halsall’s unique sound was brilliantly
described as ‘rain-streaked spiritual jazz
from Manchester’ by the Independent On
Sunday and tonight’s very special show
features the debut of his latest project, The
Gondwana Orchestra. They will be playing
19 – 21 February
GoGo Penguin
Mammal Hands
Nick Smart keyboards
Jesse barrett drums and percussion
Jordan Smart saxophones
JaZZ
Hotly tipped as the rising stars of uK Jazz
by The Times, the brilliant Manchesterbased piano trio GoGo Penguin launch
their second album tonight, v.2.0 on
Matthew Halsall’s Gondwana record label.
They draw on a heady brew of influences
from Aphex Twin to Brian Eno, Debussy to
Shostakovich and Massive Attack to e.s.t.
and their groove-heavy lyricism makes
them an exhilarating live act.
Support comes from Mammal Hands, a
trio of like-minded musicians. Drawing on
influences from Steve Reich, Aphex Twin
and DJ Krush to elements of North Indian
and African music, their debut album will
be released on Gondwana in Spring 2014.
Hall Two 9.15pm
Matthew Halsall
LONdON CHaMber
MuSiC SerieS
COFFee CONCerTS
raphael Wallfisch
& John york
The dark Pastoral
devised by dr Kate Kennedy
of Cambridge university
CLaSSiCaL SPOKeN WOrd
THe baSe
GoGo Penguin
Chris illingworth piano
Nick blacka bass
rob Turner drums
SuNday 16 February
The Dark Pastoral celebrates the variety of
composers’ and poets’ responses to the
First World War. We know about Wilfred
Owen, but what of the women’s poetry,
or the private soldiers’? What did
composers write to mourn, celebrate
or to forget the tragedy of 1914–18?
This programme draws on a wealth of
words and music, from the well known
to the unpublished, including poetry
by Charlotte Mew and Edward Thomas,
and songs by composers such as
Ivor Gurney and William Denis Browne.
Hall One 11.30am
Online rates £14.50 (incl. cup of coffee/
OuT Hear
Mechanical air:
a Hyper~Graphic Score
Conceived and graphically
composed by Michael Mayhew
a Live art collaboration between
Michael Mayhew and Gavin Osborn
CONTeMPOrary
Navarra Quartet
AWARD-WINNINg NAVARRA QUARTET
jOIN CHAMBER CLASSICS UNWRAPPED
FOR MOZART, BEETHOVEN AND BORODIN
Borodin’s mellifluously lyrical quartet is the centrepiece of
the Navarra Quartet’s programme for Chamber Classics
Unwrapped. Meanwhile, the London Sinfonietta perform
Messiaen’s uniquely moving Quartet for the End of Time,
and Adrian Brendel and Alexander Madžar play Ravel’s
Piano Trio, saturated in the colours of his Basque home.
See feature on Navarra Quartet on pp32–34
LiSTiNGS 69
February 2014
alex Jennings actor
andrew Kennedy tenor
iain burnside piano
Hall Two 7pm
JaZZ
Multi-media show by Will Kaufman
A live programme that sets the songs of
Woody Guthrie in the context of the
American 1930s – the Dust Bowl, the
Depression, the New Deal and the state of
popular music itself. In the presentation,
THIS WEEK'S FOCUS
WEEK 3
NAVARRA QuARTET © SuSSIE AHLBuRG | MECHANICAL AIR © MICHAEL MAYHEW | THE VAGABAND © SuPPLIED PHOTO
LiSTiNGS
Police Dog Hogan
Will Kaufman (singer/guitarist, Professor
of American Literature and Culture, and
author of the book Woody Guthrie,
American Radical) brings such hardhitting Guthrie songs as ‘Vigilante Man’,
‘Pretty Boy Floyd’ and ‘I Ain’t Got No Home’
into conversation with other relevant
songs – from Joe Hill’s ‘The Preacher and
the Slave’ to ‘Brother, Can You Spare a
Dime?’. These renditions, buttressed by
detailed historical commentary, exemplify
the blending of music and radical politics
that marks Guthrie’s most powerful and
evocative work.
‘No one can understand the American
people without listening to Woody
Guthrie. Will Kaufman’s doing important
work here.’ Tom Paxton
book tickets now:
Knowing our lives have been consumed
by mechanical air – an automated soundtrack, the white noise of technology –
performance artist Michael Mayhew and
avant-garde experimental flautist Gavin
Osborn go in search of a sense of awe: air
conditioning, escalators, computer fans,
cars, jets ripping blue skies with trails of
white. By experiencing awe,
can we let go of ourselves, transcend
separations and experience the
interconnectedness of our planet itself?
Can we ever get civilisation right? Mayhew
and Osborn present a most radical
gesture by employing combinations of
flute, digital sound, visual art, film, spoken
word and movement.
Schumann Three Romances, Op. 94
bridge Sonata in D minor
for cello and piano (1917)
Clarke Rhapsody
brahms Sonata for cello and piano
in F, Op. 99
raphael Wallfisch cello
John york piano
CLaSSiCaL
A welcome return by this famous cello and
piano duo. They perform German Romantic
works by Schumann and Brahms, and
music by two English composers with
strong American associations: Frank
Bridge, whose support from the famous
American patron Elizabeth Sprague
Coolidge made his music international,
and Rebecca Clarke, who settled in the uS
during the Second World War, and died in
New York at the age of 93 in 1979.
Hall One 6.30pm
MONday 17 February
WOrdS ON MONday
Connecting
Conversations
SPOKeN WOrd
A psychoanalyst puts a guest from the
arts world on the figurative couch. Guests
soon to be announced on our website.
Hall One 7pm
Online rates £9.50
Hall Two 4pm
Online rates £9.50
CHaMberSTudiO MaSTerCLaSSeS
Mechanical Air
by Michael Mayhew
LiSTiNGS
book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
February 2014
POLICE DOG HOGAN © RICHARD SHASHAMANE | EMILY BARKER © VIKRAM KuSHWAH | AuSTIN LuCAS © PAuL MOORE | HATFuL OF RAIN © BOB RuSSELL PHOTOGRAPHY | GOGO PENGuIN © ARLEN CONNELLY | MATTHEW HALSALL © SIMON HuNT
68 LiSTiNGS
CHAMBER CLASSICS
UNWRAPPED
Adrian Brendel,
Andrej Bielow
& Aleksander Madžar
Ravel: Piano Trio
Haydn Piano Trio in D, Hob. XV:24
Ravel Trio for violin, cello & piano (1914)
(Voted No. 33)
Sir Harrison Birtwistle Bogenstrich
Variationen for cello & piano (2009)
Beethoven Piano Trio in E flat,
Op. 70 No. 2
Andrej Bielow violin
Adrian Brendel cello
Aleksander Madžar piano
CLASSICAL
This programme features three popular
piano trios by Haydn, Beethoven and Ravel,
the latter of which has made it to our
Chamber Classics Unwrapped Top 50 list.
Finished in 1914, Ravel’s Piano Trio is hailed
as a technical masterpiece, requiring a high
level of virtuosity for all instruments.
References to Ravel’s Basque heritage are
visible, especially in the plaintive first
movement based on the zortziko, a Basque
dance with an intricate rhythm. Birtwistle’s
Bogenstrich Variationen completes the
programme as cellist Adrian Brendel, who
delivered its first performance back in 2007,
revisits the work for its Kings Place premiere.
Hall One 7.30pm
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
THURSDAY 20 FEBRUARY
CHAMBER CLASSICS
UNWRAPPED
Navarra Quartet
Borodin: String Quartet No. 2
Mozart String Quartet No. 6 in B flat, K159
Borodin String Quartet No. 2 in D (1881)
(Voted No. 21)
in E flat, Op. 74
Navarra Quartet
Magnus Johnston violin
Marije Johnston violin
Simone van der Giessen viola
Brian O’Kane cello
CLASSICAL
The dynamic Navarra Quartet, our cover
artists for this season’s issue, present a
programme that opens with Mozart’s
highly original youthful quartet with a fiery
Allegro middle movement in G minor.
Beethoven’s E flat major Quartet was
nicknamed Harp by its publishers,
referring to the characteristic pizzicato
sections in the opening movement.
Flanked by these two works is Borodin’s
chamber masterpiece, the Second String
Quartet, in which the chemist-composer
found the ideal balance between
fastidious craftsmanship and exultant
spontaneity. The work is also known for
the voluptuous aria of its third-movement
Notturno, which was co-opted for the
1953 Broadway hit Kismet.
Book tickets now:
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
THIS WEEK'S FOCUS
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
Robert Harris
on the Dreyfus Affair
SPOKEN WORD
22 FEBRUARY – 2 MARCH
FRIDAY 21 FEBRUARY
CHAMBER CLASSICS
UNWRAPPED
London Sinfonietta
Messiaen:
Quartet for the End of Time
London Sinfonietta
CLASSICAL
London Sinfonietta offer: 21 Feb, 18 Sep 2014.
Gary Shteyngart
SPOKEN WORD
Gary Shteyngart’s uniquely hilarious
voice has earned him comparisons with
Philip Roth and a place among Granta’s
Best Young American novelists. To his
work he now adds a memoir, Little Failure,
to be launched in the UK at Jewish
Book Week. It’s the story of his family’s
1979 escape from the USSR and of his
transformation from asthmatic Moscow
toddler to 40-something Manhattanite
with a receding hairline.
jewishbookweek.com/signup
Messiaen La Colombe, Plainte calme
(Nos 1 & 7 from 8 Preludes for piano
(1928–29)
Theme and variations for violin
& piano (1932)
Quartet for the End of Time (1940–41)
(Voted No. 11)
£27.50 £34.50 | Savers £9.50
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
The full schedule for Jewish
Book Week will be unveiled in
just a few weeks, with tickets
available for booking from
early December. These are the
first highlights. Full details will
be announced on the Kings
Place and JBW websites and in
the dedicated JBW brochure
available to subscribers.
The events and their details
presented here are subject to
change. To sign up for more
news and a print copy of the
final programme, please visit
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
Hall One 7.30pm
Gary Shteyngart
ON SALE
4 DECEMBER
Hall One 7.30pm
Messiaen was captured by the German
army in June 1940 and wrote his apocalyptic
vision for the forces available at Stalag 8A
in Görlitz: clarinet, violin and a cello missing
a string. Eventually, a piano was found. The
quartet was premiered at the camp,
outdoors and in the rain, on 15 Jan 1941. The
musicians had decrepit instruments and
an audience of about 400 prisoners and
guards. Messiaen later recalled, ‘Never was
I listened to with such rapt attention and
comprehension’. He explores the Book of
Revelation – which inspired the piece – in
hypnotic melodies (the clarinet’s longbreathed Abyss of the birds, and the cello
and violin’s immense Praises to Christ)
and the dynamically rhythmic Dance of
fury for the whole ensemble. Freezing and
starving, Messiaen dreamed of rainbows –
and a violin ascending to celestial heights,
where ‘All is love’. London Sinfonietta’s
exclusive programme also features
youthful works by the composer for piano
solo and violin-piano duo.
LISTINGS 71
February 2014
Julie Burchill
JULIE BURCHILL AT JEWISH BOOK WEEK
TELLS OF FALLING IN LOVE. PLUS JOCELYN
POOK'S SONG CYCLE FOR TEREZÍN
JBW 2014 is all about life and its choices: how should
a person be? With whom do we affiliate? What makes
us conform, or rebel? London’s richest annual banquet of
writers and ideas blazes into Kings Place once again with
questions and answers for the ways we live now. Join us to
hear more than 120 speakers in 66 events over nine days.
See Drawing Life, feature pp46–48
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
Julie Burchill on her
Love Affair with the Jews
In conversation with Tanya Gold
William Klein
Hat & Five Roses,
Barbara Mullen,
Paris, 1956
22 FEBRUARY – 2 MARCH
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
David Grossman
In conversation with Ian McEwan
SPOKEN WORD
The renowned Israeli author is back at
Jewish Book Week to discuss his latest
work, Falling Out of Time, an exploration
of parental bereavement, with Ian
McEwan. Employing a new, genre-defying
language, Grossman raises questions
about the nature of grief and mourning
and demonstrates, once again, his rare
gift of storytelling, a realm where loss
is not merely an absence but a life force
of its own.
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
Drawing Life
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
William Klein
In conversation with Alan Yentob
SPOKEN WORD
David Grossman
SPOKEN WORD
At 14 Julie Burchill fell in love. Not with
a boy, but ‘with a whole race of people
– the Jews’. The journalist and novelist
has been learning Hebrew and even
chose Hatikvah, the Israeli national
anthem, as her single record choice
for Desert Island Discs. Unchosen, which
will be published next spring through
crowdfunding, is all about this love affair.
In a special pre-publication event the
inveterate nonconformist shares with
Tanya Gold why she’s such a fan.
The influential photographer, painter
and filmmaker discusses his career
and life with Alan Yentob. Klein (American,
born 1928), the subject of a retrospective
at Tate Modern in 2012, is known for
his evocative street photography,
pioneering fashion photography and
experimental filmmaking.
Preview performance and discussion
An Officer and a Spy is Robert Harris’s
compelling recreation of the Dreyfus
Affair, a scandal that became the most
famous miscarriage of justice in history.
Compelling, too, are the echoes for
our modern world: an intelligence
agency gone rogue, justice corrupted
in the name of national security,
a newspaper witch-hunt of a persecuted
minority, and the old-age instinct of
those in power to cover up their crimes.
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
Claudia Roden
on the Food of Italy
SPOKEN WORD FOOD & DRINK
Tuscany has never been closer to
King’s Cross. Claudia Roden, a sell-out
speaker at the festival with Food of
Spain in 2012, returns to talk about an
important update of her classic Food
of Italy, 25 years after it was first
published. The history of Italian-Jewish
cooking will be a highlight of Roden’s
presentation of this appetising culinary
tour of Italy.
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
Otto Dov Kulka
in conversation with Simon Schama
SPOKEN WORD
Otto Dov Kulka’s Landscapes of the
Metropolis of Death is a memoir of
astounding literary and emotional power
which explores the indelible marks of
a childhood in Auschwitz. A historian
by profession, Kulka has studied Nazism
with a discipline requiring the greatest
dispassion. As an author, he tackled
his haunting memories and thoughts,
attempting to understand his past –
and our history. Kulka comes from
Jerusalem to discuss his memoir with
historian Simon Schama.
SPOKEN WORD MUSIC
Inspired by a collection of poems and
drawings by children imprisoned in
Terezín, Drawing Life is a powerful new
musical work commissioned by the Jewish
Music Institute to mark 70 years since the
Nazis liquidated the camp. In this preview
for Jewish Book Week the work will be
performed with live music and video
before contemporary classical composer
Jocelyn Pook is joined by performers and a
camp survivor for a discussion.
Otto Dov Kulka
LISTINGS
WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
February 2014
‘HAT AND FIVE ROSES, BARBARA MULLEN, PARIS, 1956’ © WILLIAM KLEIN / COURTESY HACKELBURY FINE ART | OTTO DOV KULKA © ATTA AWISAT | JULIE BRUCHILL, GARY SHTEYNGART & DAVID GROSSMAN © SUPPLIE PHOTO
LISTINGS
70 LISTINGS
LISTINGS
Ruby Wax
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
Ruby Wax
on Mindfulness
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
Douglas Hurd
and Edward Young
on Benjamin Disraeli
The Leonard
Bernstein Letters
SPOKEN WORD
The American superstar composer and
conductor was also an enthusiastic letter
writer. Nigel Simeone presents his
collection of The Leonard Bernstein Letters,
many published for the first time, which
attest to the breadth of Bernstein’s musical
interests, his love of Israel, a country he
first visited in 1948, and his turbulent
sexuality. Correspondence with, among
others, Aaron Copland, Stephen Sondheim
and Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis reveals
much about this complex man and those
close to him.
In Disraeli or, The Two Lives former foreign
secretary Lord Hurd and Edward Young tell
the story of Benjamin Disraeli, a bankrupt
Jewish school-dropout and trashy novelist
who reached the top of the Victorian
Conservative Party. Separating the man
from the many myths that followed him,
they bring alive the true genius and wit of
Disraeli, twice prime minister and arguably
the most gifted parliamentarian of the
19th century.
SPOKEN WORD
The comedian and ‘poster girl for mental
illness’ launches the paperback of Sane
New World, a manual for living with less
everyday frenzy. In an upfront and
compassionate style, Wax uses her
experience of depression and study of
neuroscience to explore how the mind
works. Everyone can rewire their thinking,
she says, using mindfulness techniques
among others, to find calm in a crazy world.
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
Alain de Botton
on News
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
Unscrolled
SPOKEN WORD
American cultural activist Roger Bennett
asked 54 writers and artists to wrestle with
the Torah. The result: 54 mini works of art
responding to the cycle of Torah portions
traditionally read over the course of a
year. Bennett joins us with some of the
contributors from the US and Britain to
showcase Unscrolled, a re-imagining and
eclectic celebration of the Jewish Bible.
SPOKEN WORD
The News: A User’s Manual looks at the
peculiar place that ‘the news’ occupies in
our lives. De Botton notes that we invest it
with an authority which used to be the
preserve of religion. But what does it do for
us? Mixing current affairs with philosophy,
de Botton offers a guide to the precautions
we should take before venturing anywhere
near the news and the ‘noise’ it generates.
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
Noreena Hertz and
Daniel Finkelstein
on Decisions
Shavit asks difficult questions: Why and
how did Israel come to be? Can it survive?
This is a portrait of a small, vibrant country
living on the edge, whose identity and
presence play a crucial role in today’s
global political landscape.
Chaired by Anne Sebba
SPOKEN WORD
It was only at his great-uncle’s funeral
that Thomas Harding learned of his
German relative’s extraordinary past.
Hanns Alexander, an officer in the British
army, was the man who tracked down
and helped bring to justice the
Commandant of Auschwitz. Harding tells
for the first time the story of the capture
of Rudolf Höss at the end of World War II
by the German-born Jew. Hanns and
Rudolf is an astonishing tale of parallel
and intersecting lives.
FOLK UNION
Duncan Chisholm
FOLK
Josh Cohen
on Privacy
SPOKEN WORD
Social networking, reality TV and superinjunctions present new fronts in a war
over privacy. Literature professor and
psychoanalyst Josh Cohen critiques the
intrusiveness of contemporary culture
which deems everything we do public
property. Drawing on characters from John
Milton to Katie Price and Snoopy, The
Private Life: Why We Remain in the Dark
asks, if everything we do can be
so public, how come we are so helplessly
in the dark?
Economist Noreena Hertz and Daniel
Finkelstein of The Times explore how we
make decisions. Are emails destroying
your ability to think? How do you know
which information sources are credible?
Whose advice should you trust? In a risky
and information-overloaded world Hertz,
an academic and broadcaster, offers Eyes
Wide Open, a guide to smarter decisions.
Online Rates £12.50 | Savers 9.50
Noreena Hertz
SPOKEN WORD
For 10 years Geordie Greig was among a
small group of friends who regularly met
Lucian Freud for breakfast at Clarke’s
restaurant in Kensington. Over tea, Freud
would recount stories of his past and
discuss art. Greig presents Breakfast with
Lucian, an intimate portrait of the artist,
partly based on conversations with Freud
and his circle, and also drawing on
interviews with those who knew him.
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
Ari Shavit on the Triumph
and Tragedy of Israel
SPOKEN WORD
Ari Shavit’s My Promised Land: The
Triumph and Tragedy of Israel is an
authoritative examination of Israel by
one of the most influential columnists
writing about the Middle East today.
Fiddler on the Roof
SPOKEN WORD
We celebrate a half-century since
the opening of Fiddler on the Roof on
Broadway, looking at the life of the
musical on stage and screen and Sholem
Aleichem’s Yiddish stories that inspired
it. What is it about Fiddler’s winning
combination of family, tradition and song
that has had such a hold on the Jewish
cultural imagination ever since?
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
JQ Wingate Prize
for Jewish Literature
SPOKEN WORD
Enjoy a glass of wine and a lively
discussion about the difficulties – and joys
– of judging a completely disparate group
of fiction and non-fiction books submitted
for the prestigious £4,000 JQ Wingate
Prize. Past recipients include Amos Oz,
WG Sebald, Howard Jacobson, Zadie Smith
and Shalom Auslander. The 2014 winner
will be announced at the end of the event.
MARCH
WORDS ON MONDAY
Photovision:
Nick Danziger
SPOKEN WORD
An illustrated talk by award-winning
photographer Nick Danziger. His book
The British (2001) was selected by The
Sunday Times as one of its Photography
Books of the Year. He has since travelled
the world taking photographs and
making documentary films, and has
become one of the world’s most renowned
photo-journalists. Nick has spent much
of the last 25 years photographing both
heads of state and the world’s most
dispossessed and disadvantaged.
TUESDAY 4 MARCH
Will Dutta: Parergon Live
SCHOENBERG:
MASTER AND PUPIL
CONTEMPORARY
Pierrot lunaire
The latest high-energy solo show from
Will Dutta is a journey through hypercolourful collaborative work with
electronic legends Plaid, Max de Wardener
and others alongside the original artists
in sound Satie, Debussy and Messiaen,
uniquely realised in audio-visual format
with stunning visuals from Damian Hale,
Xavier Perkins, Quayola and Dan Tombs.
Schoenberg’s daughter, Nuria Schoenberg-Nono, is special
guest at this centenary celebration, featuring the groundbreaking Pierrot lunaire, sung by the superb Jane Manning,
and works by Nono and Zemlinsky. Alberto Portugheis and
Charles Owen play the Chamber Symphony, while The
Amaya Trio present the intensely romantic Verklärte Nacht.
See www.kingsplace.co.uk/schoenberg
MONDAY 3 MARCH
Online Rates £9.50
OUT HEAR
JANE MANNING JOINS AN EXPLORATION OF
SCHOENBERG'S MUSIC TO MARK THE 100TH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE COMPOSER’S BIRTH
Hall Two 4pm
Hall One 7pm
SUNDAY 2 MARCH
Jane Manning
Revitalising the traditional piano recital
format, this show is often shaped without
breaks into a single DJ set experience,
re-contextualising the piano repertoire
within club and remix culture. Parergon
Live is indicative of the emerging practice
of non-definability.
Online Rates £9.50
Duncan Chisholm is regarded as one of
the finest fiddle players of his generation,
and his music requires no introduction
to carry you on its journey. Conjuring both
outer and inner landscapes in their
myriad weathers and seasons, Duncan’s
unique and inspired trilogy of fiddle music
recordings that are his representation of
the majestic and stunning glens of
Strathglass in the Scottish Highlands have
catapulted him into the mainstream folk
scene. Nominated for the BBC R2 Folk
Musician of the Year in 2013 and with
recent works included in Songlines
Top 10 Best Albums, he appears here as
part of a much anticipated UK tour.
Hall Two 8pm
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
FRIDAY 28 FEBRUARY
Duncan Chisholm fiddle
Matheu Watson guitar
Jarlath Henderson Uilleann pipes
4 – 5 MARCH
LISTINGS 73
February 2014
SPOKEN WORD
Geordie Greig
on Lucian Freud
Thomas Harding
THIS WEEK'S FOCUS
SCHOENBERG: MASTER AND PUPIL
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
Thomas Harding
on the Jew who
captured Rudolf Höss
Alain de Botton
SPOKEN WORD
Book tickets now:
Zemlinsky Three pieces for cello
and piano (1891)
Dallapiccola Ciaccona, Intermezzo
e Adagio for solo cello (1945)
Nono ...Sofferte onde serene… (1976)
for piano and tape
Schoenberg Pierrot lunaire, Op. 21
Jane Manning soprano, reciter
Susanne Stanzeleit violin, viola
Rohan de Saram cello
Susan Milan flute, piccolo
David Campbell clarinet
Julian Jacobson piano
Giora Bernstein conductor
Alberto Portugheis piano
+ special guest
Nuria Schoenberg-Nono commentator
CLASSICAL
Will Dutta
Schoenberg’s daughter, Nuria, widow of
Luigi Nono, makes a rare guest appearance
at this special concert in honour of the
composer’s centenary. His seminal work,
Pierrot lunaire, forms the centre piece of a
programme exploring the musical world
LISTINGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
February 2014
RUBY WAX © CATHERINE ASHMORE | ALAIN DE BOTTOM © VICENT STARR | WILL DUTTA © HOWARD MELNYCZUK | THOMAS HARDING & NOREENA HERTZ | JANE MANNING © MALCOLM CROWTHERS
72 LISTINGS
Hall One 7.30pm
£19.50 £24.50 | Savers £9.50
Schoenberg offer: 4 & 5 March 2014.
WedneSday 5 MaRch
SchOenbeRg:
MaSteR and PuPil
transfigured night
Zemlinsky Songs from Op. 22
and Op. 27 collections
Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4
(version for piano trio)
gerhard Dances from
Don Quixote for solo piano (1947)
Schoenberg Chamber Symphony No. 1,
Op. 9 (arr. for two pianos)
Marie Jaermann soprano
charles Owen piano
alberto Portugheis piano
the amaya Piano
lea tuuri violin
batia Murvitz piano
lauri Rantamoijanen cello
+ special guest
nuria Schoenberg-nono commentator
claSSical
A rare opportunity to hear Schoenberg’s
best-loved work, the absorbing and
passionate Transfigured Night, in the
version for piano trio, together with the
two-piano arrangement of his wonderfully
concise and cogent Chamber Symphony.
The Catalan composer Roberto Gerhard,
a disciple of Schoenberg, wrought his own
highly individual style and is represented
in his delightful Dances from Don Quixote
for solo piano, while soprano Marie
Jaermann will present a string of
Zemlinsky’s sensuous songs, so evocative
of turn-of-the-century Vienna.
Hall One 7.30pm
£19.50 £24.50 | Savers £9.50
Schoenberg offer: 4 & 5 March 2014.
of Music and Drama, Royal Welsh College
of Music and Drama, Royal Conservatoire
of Scotland and Trinity Laban Conservatoire.
Zoë Martlew and Laura Moody
St Pancras Room 10.30am–11.40am
Ivan Hussey and Matthew Barley
St Pancras Room 12 noon–1pm
Ernst Reijseger
St Pancras Room 2pm–2.50pm
Ewan McLennan
FRiday 7 MaRch
FOlK uniOn
ewan Mclennan
FOlK
Ewan McLennan burst onto the UK folk
scene with his debut album Rags & Robes,
which won him the BBC Folk Awards
Horizon Award in 2011. Whether singing
haunting traditional Scottish ballads or
weaving powerful stories into his own
songs, Ewan’s unique, moving and earthy
voice is always compelling. His guitar
playing is outstanding and forms an
essential part of his music. He released his
much anticipated second album, The Last
Bird to Sing, to critical acclaim, and is now
established as a prominent artist in the
new generation of folk musicians.
‘A gorgeous, lilting voice. So moving.’ MOJO
Hall Two 8pm
Sunday 9 MaRch
beyOnd cellO
beyond cello:
Workshops
ernst Reijseger, Matthew barley, Zoë
Martlew, laura Moody & ivan hussey
cOnteMPORaRy inteRact
‘Beyond Cello’ is a provocative and radical
vision of cello playing celebrating the
diverse talents in the world of ‘alternative
cello’. This event brings together the
compelling artistry of Ernst Reijseger, not
often heard on these shores, and the
fascinating artistic explorations of our own
Matthew Barley and a group of guest
cellists. There will be demonstrations of
the very latest in cello/electronics
technology. As a principal focus of Beyond
Cello Week (10–16 March), the senior and
junior divisions of the UK music colleges
will be invited to take part, including the
Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of
Music, Royal Northern College of Music,
Birmingham Conservatoire, Guildhall School
Online Rates £11.50 combined ticket
to attend all three workshops
opened up a world of possibilities for the
cello. His renditions capture the moment
and tell a story, delighting audiences with
the unexpected and the unforeseen.
THiS WEEk'S FOCUS
air SESSiONS
Beyond Cello Q&A – Hall Two 2.50pm
Performance – Hall Two 4pm
CUraTED By air arTiST agENCy
Online Rates £9.50 (without drink)
£12.50 (incl. a glass of house wine)
13 –15 MaRch
cOnteMPORaRy
WORdS On MOnday
A dazzling array of the UK’s most
adventurous, innovative and provocative
cellists take to the stage for a once-only
genre-busting everything-is-possible
cabaret. Definitely not to be missed.
Please note that drinks will be available
throughout the show.
clive Stafford Smith:
Reprieve
SPOKen WORd
Hall One 8pm
In 1986, Kris Maharaj, a British
businessman living in Miami, was
arrested for the brutal murder of his exbusiness associates Derrick and Duane
Moo Young. His lawyer did not present
a strong alibi; Kris was found guilty and
sentenced to death in the electric chair.
He immediately began the process of
appeal. But it wasn’t until a young lawyer
working for nothing, Clive Stafford Smith,
took on his case that strong evidence
began to emerge that the State of Florida
had got the wrong man. So far, so good –
except that, as Clive Stafford Smith argues
so compellingly in his Orwell Prizenominated book, the American justice
system is actually designed to ignore
innocence. 27 years later, Maharaj is still
in jail. Step by step, from the botched trial
to the ludicrous logic of the appeal courts,
Stafford Smith untangles the Maharaj
case for us and the system that makes
disasters like this inevitable.
£19.50 £24.50 | Savers £9.50
combined ticket offer: £19.50
(grants access to 4pm and 7pm concerts
+ 1 glass of house wine or soft drink)
Call Box Office to book tickets with drink
beyOnd cellO
beyOnd cellO
cabaret
Free Foyer Performance
Oliver coates, ivan hussey (celloman)
Peter gregson, Zoë Martlew, laura
Moody, barney Morse-brown
& ayanna Witter-Johnson cellos
cOnteMPORaRy
Concert Level Foyer 1pm
FRee
Clive Stafford Smith
MOnday 10 MaRch
Hall Two 7pm
Out heaR
beyOnd cellO
Online Rates £9.50 (without drink)
£12.50 (incl. a glass of house wine)
Matthew barley (cello)
& Julian Joseph (piano)
+ ernst Reijseger (cello)
cOnteMPORaRy
Longstanding partnership Matthew Barley
and Julian Joseph take to the stage to
perform new and old Brazilian classics.
Some of the most beautiful and touching
tunes ever written by Carlos Antonio
Jobim, Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque
and Danilo Caymmi in sumptuous and
skilful cello and piano arrangements.
Ernst Reijseger is an iconoclast who has
forged his personal blend of traditional
and improvisatory techniques, world
musics and new music, and in so doing has
combined ticket offer: £19.50
(grants access to 4pm and 7pm concerts
+ 1 glass of house wine or soft drink)
Call Box Office to book tickets with drink
chaMbeRStudiO MaSteRclaSSeS
lOndOn chaMbeR
MuSic SeRieS
tamsin Waley-cohen
(violin) & huw Watkins
(piano)
beethoven Sonata for piano and violin
in D, Op. 12 No. 1
elgar Violin Sonata in E minor, Op. 82
debussy Sonata for violin and piano in D
Sibelius Five Pieces, Op. 81
claSSical
A concert given by the celebrated violinpiano duo, whose recent release An
American in Paris has been enthusiastically
received by the critics. They couple
Beethoven’s First Sonata, written in the
late 1790s, with the beautiful Debussy
and Elgar Sonatas and Sibelius’s Op. 81
pieces – all completed within a year of
each other at the end of WWI
Matthew Barley
& Julian Joseph
liStingS 75
March 2014
Anthony Strong released his debut album
in April 2013 (Stepping Out, Naïve).
He has since been featured on the front
page of France’s biggest daily newspaper,
Le Figaro, performed live on nationwide
German TV twice and was described by
the British press as ‘a major talent hotly
tipped to take his place in the retrocontemporary jazz pantheon alongside
Jamie Cullum and Michael Bublé.’
‘First class!’ Die Welt
Award-winning rising star Julia Biel will
deliver a special, intimate performance
with her unique voice that comes over
like that of the lovechild of Nina Simone
and Thom Yorke – with dashes of Billie
Holiday and Björk thrown in. This
performance will see Biel accompanying
herself on electric guitar/keys, backed by
Idris Rahman on bass and Saleem Raman
on drums, and armed with a full bag of
self-penned songs.
‘Soul-baring songs of great beauty from
the best British vocalist to emerge in an
age’ The Independent
cellophony
London-based cello octet Cellophony have
carved a reputation as accomplished
exponents of not only the standard cello
ensemble repertoire, but also a diverse
array of commissioned arrangements and
adaptations. Here is a special appearance
by this eclectic eight-cello group.
book tickets now:
Hall One 6.30pm
Magnus Öström
air SESSiONS FEaTUrE a STELLar LiNE-UP
THaT iNCLUDES magNUS öSTröm, TrOyka,
mariUS NESET, JULia BiEL & aNTHONy STrONg
Swedish drummer Magnus Öström, long associated with
the legendary Esbjörn Svensson Trio, brings his tight-knit
new band to Hall One on Friday night to showcase their new
album Searching For Jupiter. Saturday brings the superb
Marius Neset in a series of duets, performing with Michael
Wollny, Daniel Herskedahl, Tamar Halperin and Öström.
See Jazz Highlights p21
Julia Biel
Hall Two 7pm
Online Rates £9.50
thuRSday 13 MaRch
aiR SeSSiOnS
Voices:
Julia biel
+ anthony Strong band
JaZZ
The first in the AIRsessions features two
soulful jazz vocalists. Hailed as ‘England’s
new jazz superstar’, singer-pianist
Anthony Strong
liStingS
from which Schoenberg emerged –
in Zemlinksy’s highly expressive Three
Pieces – and his influence on the next
generation – in works by Dallapiccola and
Nono. A host of distinguished musicians
are joined by soprano Jane Manning,
whose performance of Pierrot Lunaire
(which she sings for the 100th time
this evening) has been described more
than once as definitive: ‘Her voice
encompassing with complete sureness
of touch an extraordinary variety of colour
and histrionic effect, from the mockportentous to the eerily whimpering...’
Sunday Times
book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
March 2014
EWAN MCLENNAN © LOUIS DE CARLO | MATTHEW BARLEY & JULIAN JOSEPH © NICK WHITE | CLIVE STAFFORD SMITH © IAN ROBINS | MAGNUS ÖSTRÖM, JULAI BIEL & ANTHONY STRONG © SUPPLIED PHOTOS
liStingS
74 liStingS
Magnus Öström Band
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
FOLK UNION
15 NOV – 24 JAN
Tony McManus
KINGS PLACE GALLERY
FOLK
AIR SESSIONS
Visions
Magnus Öström + Troyka
JAZZ
The second of the AIRsessions, subtitled
‘Visions’, will be opened by the explosive
jazz-rock trio and multi-textured band
Troyka fronted by Mercury Music Prize
nominee and BBC Award Winner Kit
Downes on organ, Chris Montagues on
guitars and loops and Joshua Blackmore
on drums. Troyka have been dubbed by
Time Out magazine as one of London’s
‘Top 10 Live Acts’ and exhibit a unique
style that is progressive, rhythmically
surprising, melodically unpredictable
and fresh.
‘The virtuosity and power of the
jamming makes your hair stand on end!’
The Guardian
The second half welcomes Swedish
drummer Magnus Öström, formerly of
e.s.t. fame – the legendary Swedish trio
of the 90s who performed for nearly two
decades until the tragic loss of pianist
Esbjörn Svensson. Having taken some
decisive steps forward, Öström now
has a strong and tight band together
with Andreas Hourdakis (guitar),
Thobias Gabrielsson (double bass)
and Daniel Karlsson (piano). Öström’s
programme will include tracks from his
second solo album as a bandleader,
Searching For Jupiter (ACT), which has
been celebrated by audiences and
critics alike.
‘The quartet very much pick up where
e.s.t.’s now legendary collaboration
with Pat Metheny left off with compelling
results’ Jazzwise
Ørnulf Opdahl
Paintings and Prints
ART
Tony McManus
Hall Two 8pm
SATURDAY 15 MARCH
Duets
Marius Neset
Marius Neset saxophones
Michael Wollny piano
Daniel Herskedal tuba
Tamar Halperin piano
Magnus Öström drums
Hall One 8pm
JAZZ
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
In the final concert of the AIRsessions
Germany´s leading pianist Michael Wollny
and harpsichordist Tamar Halperin go on
a journey of discovery to new worlds of
sound, somewhere between minimal
music, electronic music and modal jazz
(Wunderkammer XXL, ACT). Norwegian
saxophonist Marius Neset and tuba
maestro Daniel Herskedal return with a
sequel to their highly successful concert at
Kings Place from September 2012 (Neck of
the Woods, Edition). So far, so predictable!
But will Marius Neset duet with Michael
Wollny? Tamar Halparin with Daniel
Herskedal? And what is Magnus Öström’s
role in all of this? This is where and when
the true spirit of the AIRsessions will get
revealed.
Daniel
Herskedal
Hall One 8pm
Troyka
£24.50 £29.50 | Savers £9.50
Ørnulf Opdahl
Deer Hunters I
9 JAN – 15 FEB
PANGOLIN LONDON
Pangolin London
Showcase
ART
‘McManus has shown that traditional
Celtic music can form the basis for an
original and masterful solo-guitar style
that transcends genre’ Acoustic Guitar
AIR SESSIONS
Born in 1944, the Norwegian Ørnulf
Opdahl is one of the most important
painters working in Scandinavia today.
Strongly influenced by the sublime sense
of place so evident in the magnificent
coastal landscape of his native West
Norway, his powerfully scaled, lyrically
charged work draws upon and develops
stimulating currents from both his own
Norwegian landscape tradition and the
philosophical or spiritual concerns of
much post-1945 abstract art.
Michael Wollny
& Tamar Halperin
MARIUS NESET © TIM ICKESON / EDITION RECORDS | DANIEL HERSKEDAL © KNUT BRY | MICHAEL WOLLNY & TAMAR HALPERIN © JÖRG GROSSE-GELDERMANN | MAGNUS ÖSTRÖM BAND, TROYKA & TONY MCMANUS © SUPPLIED PHOTOS
ART LISTINGS © ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF PANGOLIN LONDON & KINGS PLACE GALLERY; PANGOLIN LONON PHOTOS BY STEVE RUSSELL
FRIDAY 14 MARCH
To find a unique voice on an instrument as
ubiquitous as the acoustic guitar is quite
an achievement: to do so in a centuries-old
idiom where the instrument has no real
history is truly remarkable. Scots born and
now Canada based, Tony McManus is
recognised throughout the world as the
leading guitarist in the Celtic tradition. His
emotional connection to his music lifts his
playing beyond virtuosity and his engaging
personality on stage has taken him to five
continents. His music was recently
recognised with a Gold Medal, voted by
the readers of Acoustic Guitar Magazine.
The 2009 recording The Maker’s Mark
won universal acclaim but his new album
Mysterious Boundaries takes a different
path altogether, exploring the music
of Bach, Couperin, Monteverdi, Satie
and Granados.
December 2013 – March 2014
Briony Marshall, Carbon Pair, Pewter
Pangolin Christmas Show
13 DEC – 23 DEC
PANGOLIN LONDON
Christmas Show
ART
This festive exhibition showcases a host
of Pangolin London artists with an eclectic
and vibrant collection of sculpture and
works on paper. Offering modern and
contemporary works at affordable prices,
this is the perfect opportunity to pick up
that extra-special gift in time for
Christmas. Price range: £60 – £10,000.
A group exhibition showing the very best
of Pangolin London artists. This dramatic
show will feature a variety of large-scale
pieces including works by the gallery’s
staple artists Kenneth Armitage, Ralph
Brown, Jon Buck, Ann Christopher,
Geoffrey Clarke, Terence Coventry
and Merete Rasmussen among others,
demonstrating the variety and quality
of work produced by the artists the
gallery represents.
hard-earned studies she creates while in
the landscape, placing a board on the
ground to make either a drawing or a
watercolour. During these intensive,
painfully uncomfortable sessions,
throughout which she kneels on the
ground, the landscape becomes inscape.
‘I’m so terribly inside the experience that I
can’t see what I’ve done until much later
on.’ These sketches later become the
inspiration for oil paintings made in the
studio. In contrast to this her self-portrait
works are critical examinations, and
reaffirmations of self. Encompassing
strength, humanity and wit, they are
statements as much about the human
condition as about her own. Jones
studied at Camberwell School of Art,
then at the Royal College of Art, where
she won a Rome scholarship in 1982.
Born in London, she now lives in Ludlow,
and is much inspired by the landscape
area bordering Wales, Herefordshire
and Shropshire.
William Tucker, Horse V, Bronze
Pangolin London Showcase
31 JAN – 21 MAR
KINGS PLACE GALLERY
Lucy Jones
JANUARY
Looking Out, Looking In
PANGOLIN LONDON
ART
Lucy Jones is renowned for both her
imposing, challenging self-portraits,
and her expressionistic landscapes.
Her landscape paintings evolve from
ART
In conjunction with the Pangolin London
Showcase exhibition, the gallery will
relaunch its renowned Sculpture Trail at
Kings Place this January. Fast developing
a reputation as London’s best sculpture
trail, the relaunch will introduce new
large-scale sculptures by a host of
Pangolin London artists, both within the
building and canalside at Kings Place.
ART LISTINGS 77
OPENING HOURS
PANGOLIN LONDON
Mon–Sat: 10am–6pm
Closed Sundays, Christmas, Bank
Holidays and between exhibitions
FREE admission | 020 7520 1480
www.pangolinlondon.com
KINGS PLACE GALLERY
Gallery Level exhibitions
Open daily from 9am to 8pm
Enclosed Gallery and Bookshop
Tue to Fri: 10am–6pm
Sat and Sun 12pm–6pm
Closed Mondays, Christmas, Bank
Holidays and between exhibitions.
FREE admission | 020 7520 1485
www.kingsplacegallery.co.uk
Jon Buck, In Man’s Nature, Bronze
human anatomy. Pangolin London will
host a memorial exhibition to celebrate
the life and work of this highly regarded
artist, demonstrating the immense talent
he possessed for creating figurative works
and the legacy he will leave behind as one
of the country’s most ground breaking
sculptors. The exhibition will feature
numerous early works, including a version
of Brown’s renowned Meat Porters
sculpture which, commissioned for Harlow
New Town, Essex, in the late 1950s,
propelled him to national prominence.
21 FEB – 29 MAR
PANGOLIN LONDON
Ralph Brown
Memorial Exhibition
ART
Lucy Jones, Serenity, 2010
Oil on canvas, 127 x 168cm
Renowned sculptor and Royal Academician
Ralph Brown passed away in April 2013 at
the age of 85. In a career that lasted over
60 years, Brown stood out as a master of
Ralph Brown
Meat Porters, Bronze
LISTINGS
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
March 2014
LISTINGS
76 LISTINGS
JANUARY
Book tickets now:
1 DEC 2013 – 15 MAR 2014
BACH UNWRAPPED WEEK 13
01 Sun
Limehouse Room
10am & 2pm
Piano-Yoga® Certificate Courses with GéNIA – 4
01 Sun
Function Rooms
2.30pm & 4.30pm
ChamberStudio – ChamberStudio Masterclasses
01 Sun
Hall Two
4pm
Out Hear – Miniaturised Concertos
CALENDAR 79
01 Wed
Hall One
3pm
New Year at Kings Place – OAE New Year Concert: Brass, Bohemia and love’s lament
04 Sat
Hall One
7.30pm
Aurora at Kings Place – Aurora Orchestra | Nicholas Collon: Road Trip
05 Sun
Function Rooms
2.30pm & 4.30pm
05 Sun
Hall One
6.30pm
London Chamber Music Series – Emperor Quartet & Sarah Beth Briggs (piano)
Classical
Classical
Interact Classical
Classical
GWILYM SIMCOCK & FRIENDS
09 Thu
Pangolin London
FIRST DAY
Exhibition – Pangolin London Showcase
09 Thu
Hall One
7.30pm
G Simcock & Friends – J Berauer’s Vienna Chamber Diaries feat. G Simcock – Album Launch
Jazz
Art
Jazz
10 Fri
Hall One
7.30pm
G Simcock & Friends – Gwilym Simcock + Céline Bonacina Trio – Double Album Launch
11 Sat
Hall One
7.30pm
Artistic Hire – Old Wise Tales
Musical Theatre
12 Sun
Function Rooms
2.30pm & 4.30pm
Interact
12 Sun
Hall Two
4pm
Out Hear – Anarchy In the Organism
Interact Classical
12 Sun
Hall One
6.30pm
London Chamber Music Series – LCMS Int’l Quartet Series: Wihan Quartet (Czech Rep.)
Contemporary
Interact Classical
Contemporary
Classical
CHAMBER CLASSICS UNWRAPPED WEEK 1
01 Sun
Hall One
6.30pm
London Chamber Music Series – Maggini Quartet
Classical
13 Mon
Hall Two
7pm
Words on Monday – The Shelf-Help Sessions: 12 Reasons to Feel Better
02 Mon
Hall One
7pm
Words on Monday – Literary Death Match
Spoken Word
15 Wed
Hall One
7.30pm
Chamber Classics Unwrapped – Brodsky Quartet: Beethoven Qt No. 15 & Bartók Qt No. 4
Classical
02 Mon
Hall Two
7.30pm
Words on Monday – Edna O’Brien
Spoken Word
17 Fri
Hall One
7.30pm
Chamber Classics Unwrapped – Dante Quartet with Benjamin Frith (piano): Elgar Piano Qnt
Classical
03 Tue
Hall Two
8pm
Off With Their Heads! – Storytellers’ Club: Crumby Christmas with Sarah Bennetto & Guests
18 Sat
Hall One
7.30pm
Chamber Classics Unwrapped – Nicholas Daniel & Haffner Wind Ensemble: Nielsen Wind Qnt Classical
Comedy
Spoken Word
05 Thu
Hall One
7.30pm
Bach Unwrapped – Daniel-Ben Pienaar: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I
Classical
18 Sat
Hall Two
8pm
The Base – Reuben Fowler Big Band
06 Fri
Hall One
7.30pm
Bach Unwrapped – Daniel-Ben Pienaar: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II
Classical
19 Sun
Hall Two
4pm
Out Hear – Fitzwilliam Quartet: Absolutely! – Album Launch
06 Fri
Hall Two
8pm
Folk Union – Blair Dunlop
Folk
19 Sun
Function Rooms
2.30 & 4.30pm
07 Sat
Hall One
7.30pm
Bach Unwrapped – Christoph Richter: Bach Cello Suites & Sonatas – 3
Classical
19 Sun
Hall One
6.30pm
London Chamber Music Series – Charles Owen & Katya Apekisheva Piano Duo + Guests
07 Sat
Hall Two
8pm
The Base – Nikki Iles – 50th-Birthday Celebration with Norma Winstone & The Printmakers
08 Sun
Hall One
11.30am
Coffee Concerts – Celebrity Carnival – Lucy Parham & Friends
08 Sun
Function Rooms
2.30pm & 4.30pm
08 Sun
Hall One
4pm
Out Hear – Lazy Modem 2 featuring Howlround
08 Sun
St Pancras Room
5pm
Pre-Concert Talk – with Professor William Drabkin
08 Sun
Hall One
6.30pm
London Chamber Music Series – Allegri Quartet with Martin Outram (viola)
08 Sun
Hall Two
8pm
Jazz
Interact Classical
20 Mon
Hall Two
7pm
Words On Monday – Grammar with David Marsh
Interact Classical
23 Thu
Hall Two
7.30pm
London A Cappella Festival 2014 – The House Jacks
Contemporary
Contemporary
23 Thu
Hall Two
9pm
London A Cappella Festival 2014 – The House Jacks (repeat performance)
Contemporary
Classical
24 Sat
Kings Place Gallery LAST DAY
Exhibition – Ørnulf Opdahl: Paintings and Prints
Classical
24 Fri
Hall Two
6.30pm
London A Cappella Festival 2014 – The Songmen
Contemporary
Classical Tango
24 Fri
Hall One
8pm
London A Cappella Festival 2014 – The Real Group + support act: Vive
Contemporary
24 Fri
Hall Two
10pm
London A Cappella Festival 2014 – Backstep: Beatboxer & 8 Voices
Contemporary
Spoken Word
25 Sat
Hall Two
10am
London A Cappella Festival 2014 – All Things Vocal: Workshop I – Brazilian Rhythms
Interact
Folk
25 Sat
Hall Two
11.30am
London A Cappella Festival 2014 – All Things Vocal: Workshop II – Pitch Perfect Unpicked
Interact
Comedy
25 Sat
Hall Two
1pm
London A Cappella Festival 2014 – All Things Vocal: Workshop III – The Craft with Bob Chilcott
Interact
Art
25 Sat
Hall One
2.30pm
London A Cappella Festival 2014 – Time Ensemble + sp. guests: Swingle Singers World Contemporary
CUSTOM-MADE WINTER
Spoken Word
Art
09 Mon
Hall One
7pm
Words on Monday – Carlos Acosta: Pig’s Foot
12 Thu
Hall One
8pm
Custom-Made Winter – The Albion Xmas Show – 15th-Anniversary Tour
12 Thu
Hall Two
8pm
Off With Their Heads! – Impropera’s (Not So) Bleak Midwinter
13 Fri
Pangolin London
FIRST DAY
Exhibition – Pangolin London Christmas Show
13 Fri
Hall One
7.30pm
Custom-Made Winter – Norma Waterson & Eliza Carthy with The Gift Band
Folk
25 Sat
Hall Two
3.45m
London A Cappella Festival 2014 – All Things Vocal: Workshop IV – Pass me the Jazz
13 Fri
Hall Two
10pm
Folk Union | Custom-Made Winter – KAN
Folk
25 Sat
St Pancras Room
4.45pm
London A Cappella Festival 2014 – All Things Vocal: Workshop V – Dominic Peckham
14 Sat
Hall One
7.30pm
Custom-Made Winter – Bella Hardy: Bright Morning Star
Folk
25 Sat
Hall One
6pm
London A Cappella Festival 2014 – SLIXS + support act: PENNY ARCADE
14 Sat
Hall Two
8pm
The Base – Mercury
15 Sun
Function Rooms
2.30pm & 4.30pm
15 Sun
Hall Two
4pm
Out Hear – FOUND: Sarah Sarhandi & Guests
15 Sun
Hall One
6.30pm
CHRISTMAS AT KINGS PLACE – BACH UNWRAPPED WEEK 14
Jazz
25 Sat
Hall One
8.30pm
London A Cappella Festival 2014 – The Swingle Singers
Interact Classical
26 Sun
Hall One
11.30am
Coffee Concerts – Just William with Martin Jarvis & Richard Sisson
Contemporary
26 Sun
Function Rooms
2.30 & 4.30pm
London Chamber Music Series – Sir R Norrington & Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra Classical
26 Sun
Hall Two
4pm
Out Hear – nu:nord featuring Tre Voci Cello Ensemble & Silje Aker Johnsen
26 Sun
Hall One
6.30pm
London Chamber Music Series – Tippett Quartet & Stephanie Gonley (violin)
Spoken Word
27 Mon
Hall One
7pm
Words On Monday – Germaine Greer: The Rainforest Years
7pm
Hall One
7pm
Words on Monday – Rock’n’Roll Politics 2 with Steve Richards & Guests
18 Wed
Hall One
7.30pm
Bach Unwrapped – Rachel Podger & Marcin Świa˛tkiewicz: Violin Sonatas and Partitas – 3
Classical
29 Wed
Hall One
19 Thu
Hall One
7.30pm
Bach Unwrapped – Christmas Oratorio – OAE & Platinum Consort
Classical
31 Sat
Kings Place Gallery FIRST DAY
Exhibition – Lucy Jones: Looking Out, Looking In
20 Fri
Hall One
7.30pm
Christmas at Kings Place – A Ceremony of Carols: Ivor Setterfield & Barts Chamber Choir
Classical
31 Fri
Hall Two
Folk Union – Jim Causley with Lukas Drinkwater: The Poetry of Charles Causley
21 Sat
Hall One
7.30pm
Bach Unwrapped – Mass in B Minor – The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge & Aurora Orch.
Classical
01 Sat
Hall Two
8pm
The Base – Dakhla
21 Sat
Hall Two
8pm
The Base – The Golden Age of Steam: Welcome to Bat Country
02 Sun
Function Rooms
1pm–6.30pm
ChamberStudio – Junior Masterclasses
02 Sun
Hall Two
7pm
ChamberStudio – Junior Masterclasses Public Performance
02 Sun
Hall Two
4pm
Out Hear – We Spoke: Song
02 Sun
Hall One
6.30pm
London Chamber Music Series – London Soloists Ensemble
03 Mon
Hall One
7pm
Words On Monday – Bedsit Disco Queen: Tracey Thorn
Hall One
7.30pm
Christmas at Kings Place – Handel’s Messiah
23 Mon
Pangolin London
LAST DAY
Exhibition – Pangolin London Christmas Show
31 Tue
Hall One
6pm
New Year at Kings Place – OAE New Year Concert: Brass, Bohemia and love’s lament
Jazz
Classical
Art
Classical
FEBRUARY
16 Mon
22 Sun
Classical
Classical Spoken Word
Artistic Hire – Ann Liebeck with Omar Puente’s Tango Quartet: Violetta’s Last Tango
Jazz
Contemporary
8pm
Artistic Hire – Mark Swartzentruber plays Scarlatti, Beethoven & Chopin
Interact
Interact
Contemporary
Contemporary
Interact Classical
Contemporary
Classical
Spoken Word
Classical
Art
Folk
Jazz
Interact
Interact
Contemporary
Classical
Spoken Word
CALENDAR
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
CALENDAR
DECEMBER
CALENDAR
78 CALENDAR
05 Wed
Hall One
7.30pm
Chamber Classics Unwrapped – The Schubert Ensemble: Schubert Trout Qnt & Fauré Piano Qt Classical
06 Thu
Hall One
7.30pm
Chamber Classics Unwrapped – Endymion: Brahms Horn Trio
Classical
07 Fri
Hall One
7.30pm
Chamber Classics Unwrapped – Endymion: Debussy Sonata for flute, viola & harp
Classical
07 Fri
Hall Two
8pm
Folk Union – Chris Wood: None The Wiser
08 Sat
Hall One
7.30pm
Endymion at 35 – Endymion plays Brahms
08 Sat
Hall Two
8pm
The Base – Tim Richards’ HEXTET
09 Sun
Hall One
11.30am
Coffee Concerts – Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel: The Romantic Music of Chopin Classical
09 Sun
Function Rooms
2.30pm & 4.30pm
09 Sun
Hall Two
4pm
Out Hear – GéNIA & Max de Wardener
09 Sun
Hall One
6.30pm
Book tickets now:
CALENDAR 81
SCHOENBERG: MASTER AND PUPIL
28 Fri
Hall Two
8pm
Folk Union – Duncan Chisholm
02Sun
Hall Two
4pm
Out Hear – Will Dutta: Parergon Live
03 Mon
Hall One
7pm
Words On Monday – Photovision: Nick Danziger
Spoken Word
04 Tue
Hall One
7.30pm
Schoenberg: Master and Pupil – Pierrot lunaire
Classical
05 Wed
Hall One
7.30pm
Schoenberg: Master and Pupil – Transfigured Night
Classical
07 Fri
Hall Two
8pm
Folk Union – Ewan McLennan
09 Sun
St Pancras Room
10.30am
Beyond Cello – Zoë Martlew and Laura Moody Workshop
Interact Classical
09 Sun
St Pancras Room
12pm
Beyond Cello – Ivan Hussey and Matthew Barley Workshop
Contemporary
Contemporary
09 Sun
Concert Level Foyer 1pm
FREE Beyond Cello – Cellophony
Contemporary
09 Sun
St Pancras Room
2pm
Beyond Cello – Ernst Reijseger Workshop
09 Sun
Function Rooms
2.30pm & 4.30pm
Folk
Classical
Jazz
London Chamber Music Series – Clare Presland, Eniko Magyar & Vicky Yannoula
Classical
AMERICANA
10 Mon
Hall One
7pm
Words On Monday – Dylan Thomas: In My Craft
12 Wed
Hall One
7.30pm
Fretwork At Kings Place – Ian Bostridge & Fretwork perform Dowland Songs & ‘Lachrimae’
Spoken Word
13 Thu
Hall One
8pm
14 Fri
Hall Two
15 Sat
15 Sat
Folk
Contemporary
Folk
Contemporary
Contemporary
Interact Classical
09 Sun
Hall Two
2.50pm
Beyond Cello – Artists Q&A
Contemporary
Classical
09 Sun
Hall Two
4pm
Out Hear | Beyond Cello – Matthew Barley & Julian Joseph + Ernst Reijseger
Contemporary
Americana – Laura Cantrell + support from Sturgill Simpson
Folk
09 Sun
Hall One
6.30pm
London Chamber Music Series – Tamsin Waley-Cohen & Huw Watkins
8pm
Americana – Police Dog Hogan + support from The Vagaband
Folk
09 Sun
Hall Two
7pm
Beyond Cello – Cabaret
Pangolin London
LAST DAY
Exhibition – Pangolin London Showcase
St Pancras Room
5.30pm
Americana – Woody Guthrie: Hard Times and Hard Travellin’
10 Mon
Hall Two
7pm
Words on Monday – Clive Stafford Smith: Reprieve
15 Sat
Hall One
7.30pm
Americana – Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo + support from Austin Lucas and Hatful of Rain
Folk
13 Thu
Hall One
8pm
Air Sessions – Voices: Julia Biel + Anthony Strong Band (support)
15 Sat
Hall Two
7pm
The Base – Matthew Halsall & The Gondwana Orchestra
Jazz
14 Fri
Hall One
8pm
Air Sessions – Visions: Magnus Öström Band + Troyka (support)
Jazz
15 Sat
Hall Two
9.15pm
The Base – GoGo Penguin & Mammal Hands
Jazz
14 Fri
Hall Two
8pm
Folk Union – Tony McManus
Folk
15 Sat
Hall One
8pm
Air Sessions – Duets: M Neset, M Wollny, D Herskedal, T Halperin & M Öström
Jazz
Art
Multimedia Folk
16 Sun
Hall One
11.30am
Coffee Concerts – The Dark Pastoral with A Jennings, A Kennedy & I Burnside
16 Sun
Hall Two
4pm
Out Hear – Mechanical Air: A Hyper~Graphic Score
16 Sun
Hall One
6.30pm
AIR SESSIONS
Contemporary
London Chamber Music Series – Raphael Wallfisch & John York Cello-Piano Duo
Classical
17 Mon
Hall One
7pm
Words On Monday – Connecting Conversations
19 Wed
Hall One
7.30pm
Chamber Classics Unwrapped – A Brendel, A Bielow & A Madžar: Ravel Piano Trio
Classical
20 Thu
Hall One
7.30pm
Chamber Classics Unwrapped – Navarra Quartet: Borodin String Quartet No. 2
Classical
21 Fri
Kings Place Gallery FIRST DAY
Exhibition – Ralph Brown: Memorial Exhibition
21 Fri
Hall One
Chamber Classics Unwrapped – London Sinfonietta: Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time
7.30pm
Spoken Word
Art
Classical
JEWISH BOOK WEEK
Sat 22 Feb – Sun 2 Mar (On Sale 4 Dec)
Jewish Book Week – David Grossman in conversation with Ian McEwan
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – William Klein in conversation with Alan Yentob
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – Gary Shteyngart
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – Julie Burchill on her Love Affair with the Jews
Jewish Book Week – Drawing Life – Preview performance and discussion
Jewish Book Week – Robert Harris on the Dreyfus Affair
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – Claudia Roden on the Food of Italy
Food & Drink Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – Otto Dov Kulka in conversation with Simon Schama
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – Ruby Wax on Mindfulness
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – Alain de Botton on News
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – Douglas Hurd and Edward Young on Benjamin Disraeli
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – Unscrolled
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – Thomas Harding on the Jew who captured Rudolf Höss
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – The Leonard Bernstein Letters
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – Noreena Hertz and Daniel Finkelstein on Decisions
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – Geordie Greig on Lucian Freud
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – Ari Shavit on the Triumph and Tragedy of Israel
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – Josh Cohen on Privacy
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – Fiddler on the Roof
Spoken Word
Jewish Book Week – JQ Wingate Prize for Jewish Literature
Spoken Word
Spoken Word
Music Spoken Word
Classical
Contemporary
GIFT VOUCHERS
GIVE THE GIFT OF MUSIC THIS CHRISTMAS
With hundreds of events to choose from – classical, contemporary, jazz, folk,
comedy and spoken word – this is the perfect gift for any arts lover. Your voucher
will be delivered in a special presentation wallet, ready to be given as a gift.
Call the Box Office now on 020 7520 1490 for more information.
Please visit kingsplace.co.uk/giftvouchers for delivery details
and our full list of Terms and Conditions.
Spoken Word
Jazz
CALENDAR
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020 7520 1490
MARCH
FEBRUARY
CALENDAR
80 CALENDAR
82 CONTEMPORARY
Book tickets now:
020 7520 1490
Q&A GÉNIA
Russian virtuoso pianist & composer GéNIA is also the creator of Piano-Yoga®. She performs
at Out Hear in February, and teaches a four-week Piano-Yoga® course this autum and winter
APRIL–JULY 2011
Classical
Nico Muhly / Aurora Orchestra
Mozart Unwrapped
Shostakovich & Schnittke
John Woolrich
Financial Times
‘Magnificent’
Wall Street Journal
DJANGO BATES | FIDDLES ON FIRE | GOODBYE STALIN!
Contemporary
London Sinfonietta with
Matthew Bourne / Nils Økland
Folk
Fiddles on Fire
Arctic Circle
Emily Barker
Photo Tom Bland
Jazz
Orphy Robinson
Dennis Rollins
World
Darbar
Songlines Encounters
90 York Way, London N1 9AG | Box Office: 020 7520 1490
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM JULY 2011
AURORA ORCHESTRA
WITH MAXIM RYSANOV
THE SIXTEEN
NATALIE CLEIN
GOULD PIANO TRIO
ORION QUARTET
The Sixteen SCHUBERT ENSEMBLE
Imogen Cooper
PHILIP DUKES
Mozart Unwrapped
KATYA APEKISHEVA
Jazz
CHARLES OWEN
Robert Glasper
MIKHAIL RUDY
Classic Songbooks:
Joni Mitchell, IVO VARBANOV
Bob Dylan and more
Johann SebaStian baCh © THE TULLY POTTER COLLECTION
Classical
brahms Unwrapped
elgar Up Close
nights with the brodsky
Jazz
Spoken Word
Folk
duotone
maia
London Sinfonietta, Orchestra of St John’s,
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment,
Oxford Philomusica, Royal Academy of Music
YOUR FREE COPY
Baroque Orchestra, Choir of King’s College,
Cambridge, New College Choir, La Nuova
Musica, Platinum Consort, The Sixteen,
Swingle Singers, Apollo’s Fire, Chris Garrick
Quartet, Florilegium, Fretwork, Gwilym
Simcock Quartet, Keller Quartet, Onyx Brass,
Respectable Groove, Wallfisch Band, Sophie
Bevan, Robin Blaze, Allan Clayton, Iestyn
Davies, Rosemary Joshua, Carolyn Sampson,
Andrew Tortise, Elin Manahan Thomas, Sally
Bruce-Payne, James Oxley, Jimmy Holliday,
WWW.KINGSPLACE.CO.UK
Katya Apekisheva, Avi Avital, Alasdair
Beatson, Bine Katrine Bryndorf, Terence
Charlston, Christoph Denoth, Kenneth
Hamilton, Pekka Kuusisto, Robert D. Levin,
Charles Owen, Daniel-Ben Pienaar, Rachel
Podger, Christoph Richter, Maxim Rysanov,
Ivor Setterfield, Jeffrey Siegel, Dmitry
Sitkovetsky, Miki Skuta, Ashley Solomon,
Penelope Spencer, Marcin Swiatkiewicz,
Wolfgang Zerer, Family Concerts, Study Days,
and more
ONLINE SAVERS £9.50
Songlines: R.U.T.A.
Madagascar All Stars
Jazz
Girls in Airports
Dave Stapleton
YOUR FREE COPY
music+art+restaurants
WHAT’S ON JANUARY–MARCH 2013
Classical
Fretwork
Schubert Ensemble
Britten Centenary
Aurora Orchestra
Wagner 200
Contemporary
Travel Festival
with Michael Palin
Jazz
Jewish Book Week:
Amos Oz & Fania Oz-Salzberger
Pat Barker
Jazz
Bobby Watson
Hans Koller
Aurora Orchestra, Academy of Ancient
Music, Academy of St Martin in the Fields,
London Sinfonietta, Orchestra of St John’s,
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment,
Oxford Philomusica, Royal Academy of Music
Baroque Orchestra, Choir of King’s College,
Cambridge, New College Choir, La Nuova
Musica, The Sixteen, The Swingle Singers,
Chris Garrick Quartet, Florilegium, Fretwork,
Gwilym Simcock Quartet, Keller Quartet,
Onyx Brass, Respectable Groove, Wallfisch
Band, Sophie Bevan, Robin Blaze, Allan
Clayton, Iestyn Davies, Rosemary Joshua,
Carolyn Sampson, Andrew Tortise, Elin
Manahan Thomas, Sally Bruce-Payne, James
CAROLYN SAMPSON
STARS IN BACH UNWRAPPED
YOUR FREE COPY
Spoken Word
Spoken Word
SLEEPERS
AWAKE!
WHAT’S ON APRIL – JUNE 2013
Classical
Oxley, Jimmy Holliday, Katya Apekisheva,
Avi Avital, Alasdair Beatson, Bine Katrine
Bryndorf, Terence Charlston, Christoph
Denoth, Kenneth Hamilton, Pekka Kuusisto,
Robert D. Levin, Charles Owen, DanielBen Pienaar, Rachel Podger, Christoph
Richter, Maxim Rysanov, Ivor Setterfield,
Jeffrey Siegel, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Miki
Skuta, Ashley Solomon, Penelope Spencer,
Marcin Swiatkiewicz, Wolfgang Zerer, Family
Concerts, Study Days, and more
| TRAVEL
| JOHN| JEWISH
| AURORA
CAROLYN
SAMPSON
– BACH
UNWRAPPED
BOOK
WEEK | ORCHESTRA
BIRTWISTLES IN RESIDENCE
MANU
DELAGO
FESTIVAL
METCALFE
biosphere, deaf Center
Cage rattling with the wire
World
The Epstein
A Cappella Festival
Lore Lixenberg
Gravenhurst, Teitur
Contemporary
notes & letters:
Aurora Orchestra, Academy of Ancient
amit Chaudhuri
Music, Academy of St Martin in the Fields,
BRAHMS UNWRAPPED ILLUSTRATION © GEMMA LATIMER www.gemmalatimer.com
BRAHMS UNWRAPPED ILLUSTRATION © GEMMA LATIMER www.gemmalatimer.com
BRAHMS SILHOUTTE BY OTTO BOEHLER © THE TULLY POTTER COLLECTION
three men go
wild in albion
Classical
Brahms Unwrapped
Sibelius: Inner Voices
Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo
Music for a Monarch
Folk
Tim Minchin
Lady Garden
YOUR FREE COPY
WELCOmE tO
LAU-LAND...
marcus roberts
1982 trio
AND MANY MORE...
Comedy
APRIL – JUNE 2013 2013
JANUARY–MARCH
WHAT’S ON SEPTEMBER–DECEMBER 2012
Francesco Tristano
Percussions Claviers de Lyon
Jay Phelps, Soweto Kinch
and Alex Wilson
SAVER SEATS £9.50 ONLINE
CAROLYN SAMPSON – BACH UNWRAPPED | JEWISH BOOK WEEK | BIRTWISTLES IN RESIDENCE
For details of GéNIA’s PianoYoga®
Certificate Courses (Sundays
once-monthly) please visit
www. piano-yoga.com or
www.kingsplace.co.uk/piano-yoga
JANUARY–MARCH 2013
aurora orchestra, academy of ancient music,
academy of St martin in the Fields, london
Sinfonietta, orchestra of St John’s, orchestra of
the age of enlightenment, oxford Philomusica,
royal academy of music baroque orchestra,
Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, new College
Choir, la nuova musica, Platinum Consort, the
Sixteen, Swingle Singers, apollo’s Fire, Chris
garrick Quartet, Florilegium, Fretwork, gwilym
Simcock Quartet, Keller Quartet, onyx brass,
respectable groove, wallfisch band, Sophie
bevan, robin blaze, allan Clayton, iestyn
davies, rosemary Joshua, Carolyn Sampson,
andrew tortise, elin manahan thomas, Sally
bruce-Payne, James oxley, Jimmy holliday,
Katya apekisheva, avi avital, alasdair beatson,
bine Katrine bryndorf, terence Charlston,
Christoph denoth, Kenneth hamilton, Pekka
Kuusisto, robert d. levin, Charles owen,
daniel-ben Pienaar, rachel Podger, Christoph
richter, maxim rysanov, ivor Setterfield,
Jeffrey Siegel, dmitry Sitkovetsky, miki Skuta,
ashley Solomon, Penelope Spencer, marcin
Swiatkiewicz, wolfgang Zerer, Family Concerts,
Study days, and more
Contemporary
SCHUBERT ENSEMBLE
PHILIP DUKES
Brahms Unwrapped
Dante Quartet: Britten
KATYA APEKISHEVA
New Zealand in London
KENNETH HAMILTON
CHARLES OWEN
Contemporary
A Cappella Festival
MIKHAIL RUDY
Manu Delago
JEFFREY SIEGEL
Jazz
IVO VARBANOV
Classical
BRODSKY’S SHOSTAKOVICH | SIBELIUS: INNER VOICES | SONGLINES
AND MANY MORE...
Contemporary
The Labèque sisters
LIFEM: Mari Boine
YOUR FREE COPY
WITH THE COMPLETE
SHOSTAKOVICH CYCLE
THE SIXTEEN
Spoken Word
NATALIE CLEIN
SIMON SCHAMA – JEWISH BOOK WEEK | BRAHMS UNWRAPPED | NEW ZEALAND IN LONDON
AND MANY MORE...
THE BRODSKYS
ARE BACK!
Jewish Book Week:
PIANO TRIO
Henry GoodmanGOULD
on Ulysses
Umberto Eco ORION STRING QUARTET
Jonathan Safran
Foer SUSAN TOMES
WITH
Classical
WHAT’S ON APRIL–JUNE 2012
STARTING JANUARY 2012
Notes & Letters:
Will Self
Jonathan Coe
Philip Ball
Marina Warner
2012
WHAT’S ON JANUARY–MARCH 2012
BANQUET
OFOF BOOKS
ACADEMY
ST MARTIN
THE FIELDS AT
SIMONINSCHAMA
ORCHESTRA
JEWISHAURORA
BOOK
WEEK
WITH
MAXIM RYSANOV
Spoken Word
CONCERTS
AT
KINGS
PLACE
DURING
APRIL–JUNE 2012
WHAT’S ON SEPTEMBER–DECEMBER 2011
JANUARY 2012,
SWEETSTARTING
SORROW
PERFORMERS
INCLUDE:
CLAUDIA
AURORA,
ACADEMY
ST MARTIN
NEW FACE
OFOFFADO
IN THE FIELDS
STARTING JANUARY 2012,
PERFORMERS INCLUDE:
ACADEMY OF ST MARTIN
IN THE FIELDS
AURORA ORCHESTRA
WITH MAXIM RYSANOV
THE SIXTEEN
NATALIE CLEIN
GOULD PIANO TRIO
ORION QUARTET
SCHUBERT ENSEMBLE
PHILIP DUKES
KATYA APEKISHEVA
CHARLES OWEN
MIKHAIL RUDY
IVO VARBANOV
JANUARY–MARCH 2012
What would your 12-year-old
self think of you now? She
would laugh! She’d be happy
that I managed to pursue several
different things, to retain that
childhood sense of play, I think.
I’m very privileged to have had the
opportunity to live a creative life.
lAu | MARCuS ROBERTS | ElgAR
You are also playing Sofia
Gubaidulina’s Sonata and
works by Karen Tanaka: tell
us about them. Gubaidulina’s
Piano Sonata was introduced
to me by pianist Andrew Ball,
when I was asked to design a
contemporary programme for a
Park Lane Group concert. He was
so generous and came along
with a huge pile of scores, saying
‘this one is a bit mad’. Instantly,
I wanted to play it! It’s an early
piece (1965) when Gubaidulina
was wild and carefree, using the
DJANGO BATES
PLAYS TRIBUTE TO
CHARLIE PARKER
‘Very 21st century’
SEPTEMBER–DECEMBER 2012
How has yoga informed your
music-making beyond its
physical enabling? Yoga is
so much more than a physical
discipline, it’s a whole philosophy.
The physical side is just one ‘limb’
of eight. The way yoga exercises
can help to clarify the mind
has helped my music-making
profoundly. When I go to the piano
after yoga, I would say the quality
of my practice is improved by
40%: my whole body is connected.
I so often see piano students
suffering anxieties which can be
quite simply alleviated through
yoga exercises. When I have a
lot of concerts, yoga focuses and
channels my energies.
DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR
You’ve been working in the
studio with Nik Bärtsch this
summert… Nik’s motto is ‘ecstasy
through asceticism’ and I’ve been
very challenged by his music for
me. He creates these incredibly
complex rhythms which you then
have to sustain for a long time.
Once you are in the middle of that
texture, it’s like waving a magic
wand over the audience, putting
them into a trance.
CLAUDIA AURORA – LIFEM | NOTES & LETTERS | SONGBOOKS
Who were your musical heroes
growing up? I listened to a lot of
the great recordings of Vladimir
Horowitz, and I just thought all
grown-ups played like that! My
great-grandmother also played
so beautifully, with musicians
like David Oistrakh. I listened to
recordings, too, of Emil Gilels and
the operas of Verdi, Bellini and
Donizetti as my father, though a
mathematician, had a consuming
love for Italian opera. When I was
young, though, I didn’t think of
becoming a musician. I danced
and acted too, and my ambition
was to look after animals.
SUBSCRIBE
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SEPTEMBER–DECEMBER 2011
What attracted you to the piano
as a child? My first teacher was
my great-grandmother, the pianist
Regina Horowitz, sister of Vladimir
Horowitz. She gave me an upright
piano when I was just four. I don’t
think I’d be a pianist if it wasn’t for
her; she made it so fun. Even when
I was tiny I’d play the right hand
part of Liszt’s Etudes with her…
Max de Wardener is a
composer whose music is
clearly important to you…
Max has been writing for me for a
long time, and this will be our third
concert at Kings Place. I love the
way he works with rhythms and
sounds: he thinks about the piano
from a very percussive, conceptual
point of view, but he also writes
lovely melodies, developed
in intricate ways. He’s open to
feedback, and I learn a lot from
performing his music so it’s a very
creative exercise.
inside of the piano – it often
doesn’t sound anything like a
piano. It’s so dynamic: I recorded
it for my album Unveiled (Black
Box). Karen Tanaka’s pieces are
very different: she’s a wonderful
composer and a very quiet
person, who I’ve met several
times. Her pieces are both
minimalist and highly virtuosic.
You can hear my performance of
her Techno Etude on YouTube.
Django Bates
Kenny Wheeler
Folk
Larkin Poe
World
Songlines Encounters
Contemporary
John Metcalfe’s Monomedia:
Will Gregory, Thomas Dolby
MANU DELAGO
THE HANG PLAYER
COOKS UP A STORM
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COVERx.indd 1
Out Hear:
GéNIA plays
Max de Wardener,
Karen Tanaka,
Sofia Gubaidulina
9 February
GÉNIA © SUPPLIED PHOTO
You’ll be performing your
own music in this Out Hear
event: when did you realise
you wanted to compose? I was
working with a lot of composers
and improvising. One heard me
and suggested I should be writing
it down. I feel life in London is very
full, so last year I took myself off
to Paris to create a studio album.
Some of the pieces have already
been played in Caffè Nero shops
this summer, some I will play
at my concert for Out Hear and
others will appear when the whole
album Thoughts of Today, Dreams
of Tomorrow is complete.
&
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07/02/2013 17:15
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C HAMBE R
T O P
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C L A S S ICS
C H A M B E R
Academy of
St Martin in the
Fields Chamber
Ensemble
Aurora
Orchestra
London
Sinfonietta
Orchestra
of the Age of
Enlightenment
Royal Academy
of Music
Aronowitz
Ensemble
Haffner Wind
Ensemble
W O R K S
Endymion
New London
Chamber
Ensemble
Schubert
Ensemble
Brodsky Quartet
Carducci Quartet
Dante Quartet
Escher Quartet
Fitzwilliam
Quartet
Kuss Quartet
Maggini Quartet
Meta4
Quatuor
Mosaïques
A S
UN WR A PPED
V O T E D
Navarra Quartet
Sacconi Quartet
Signum Quartet
Tippett Quartet
Gould Piano Trio
Lendvai Trio
Phoenix
Piano Trio
Sir James Galway
Michael Collins
Sonia
Wieder-Atherton
Imogen Cooper
Andrej Bielow
James Ehnes
Stephanie
Gonley
B Y
Y O U
Thomas Gould
Katharine
Gowers
Jack Liebeck
Priya Mitchell
Alfred Brendel
Bjørg Lewis
Katya Apekisheva
Andrew
Armstrong
Alasdair Beatson
Simon
Crawford-Phillips
Julius Drake
Aleksander
Madžar
Charles Owen
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