Tour No. 1
May 2003
Birmingham Ccontemporary Music Group
Conductor: Susanna Malkki
Param Vir’s ‘The Theatre of Magical Beings’ was the focus point of this BCMG tour. The 29 min work features fantastical musical images of mythical beasts: Garuda, half man half bird; Uroborus, a serpent devouring its own tail; Simurgh, the immortal bird that nests in the branches of the Tree of Knowledge; and a fabulous six-tusked white elephant who foretold the Birth of the Buddha.
David Sawer Tiroirs
Param Vir The Theatre of Magical Beings (World premiere- BCMG Sound Investment commission 2003)
Toru Takemitsu Rain Coming
Magnus Lindberg Jubilees (UK premiere)
Igor Stravinsky Dumbarton Oaks
6 May 2003, Birmingham, CBSO Centre
7 May 2003, Manchester, RNCM Concert Hall
8 May 2003, Durham, Gala Theatre
9 May 2003, York, Jack Lyons Concert Hall
10 May 2003, Shropshire, Christchurch Bayston Hill
11 May 2003, Oxford, St Edward’s School
Tour No. 2
November 2003
Almeida Opera
BCMG
Conductor: Alexander Briger
Soloist: Nicole Tibbels, soprano
This Almeida Opera tour featured Simon Holt’s newly composed ‘Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?’, an intriguing music theatre work about the true story of how, in 1943, a group of teenage boys discovered the decaying body of 35-year old woman stuffed down inside an old wych elm.
Programme 1:
György Kurtag Scenes from a Novel*
INTERVAL
Per Nørgard Achilles and the Tortoise (solo piano)
Simon Holt Who Put Bella in the Wych elm?
Programme 2:
Per Nørgard Achilles and the Tortoise (solo piano)
Simon Holt Who Put Bella in the Wych elm?
INTERVAL
Salvatore Sciarrino Infinito Nero
18 Nov 2003, Brighton, The Corn Exchange, Performance – Prog 1
21 Nov 2003, Manchester, RNCM Theatre, Performance – Prog 1
23 Nov 2003, Durham, Gala Theatre, Performance – Prog 2
25 Nov 2003, Huddersfield, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Performance – Prog 2
28 Nov 2003, Birmingham, CBSO Centre, Performance – Prog 2
Tour No. 3
April/May 2004
London Sinfonietta & The Kamkars
This tour presented a double bill: the London Sinfonietta played folk-song inspired music by Berio (Folksongs, Naturale), while The Kamkars, one of the leading Persian (Kurdish) groups, performed folk music of their cultural tradition. A roadshow toured the respective tour venues four weeks before the tour itself. It included excerpts from Berio’s last recorded interview and from another documentary on the composer, together with introductions to the music by soprano Linda Hirst and Fariborz Kiannejad, a musician and expert on Persian music.
Luciano Berio Folk Songs
The Kamkars
INTERVAL
Luciano Berio Naturale
The Kamkars
25 April 2004, London, Queen Elizabeth Hall
26 April 2004, Oxford, Jacqueline du Pré Building
28 April 2004, York University, Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall
29 April 2004, Manchester, Royal Northern College of Music
30 April 2004, Birmingham, Barber Institute
1 May 2004, Nottingham, Lakeside Arts Centre
Tour No. 4
April/May 2005
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
Storyteller: Vayu Naidu
Tabla: Sarvar Sabri
The programme of this BCMG tour featured a collaboration between the BCMG musicians, Indian story-teller Vayu Naidu, composer Judith Weir and tabla player Sarvar Sabri. During a longer-than-usual creation and rehearsal period Judith and Vayu worked on their ideas together, with input from BCMG players. This resulted in two new pieces, re-telling the Greek and Tamil myths of Psyche and Manimekalai respectively. The programme also included a new commission from Howard Skempton, inspired by a set of exquisite drawings by the artist Ben Hartley.
Stravinsky Epitaphium
Stravinsky Three Pieces for String Quartet
Howard Skempton Ben Somewhen
Weir/Naidu Manimekalai
Howard Skempton Clarinet Quintet D
Weir/Naidu Psyche
29 April 2005, Birmingham, CBSO Centre, Birmingham
6 May 2005, York, Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall
12 May 2005, Dartington (Totnes), The Great Hall
14 May 2005, Manchester, RNCM
15 May 2005, Ledbury, Herefordshire
22 May 2005, Harlescott, Shrewsbury, Shrops
29 May 2005, Gateshead, The Sage Gateshead
Tour No. 5
November 2005
Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart
On their very first UK tour, this highly acclaimed and long established ensemble Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart (New Vocal Soloists) a selection of international work with elements of music theatre. Berio's 1970's masterpiece ‘A-Ronne’ was the focal point of the programme, painting a succession of theatrical sound pictures, including love scenes, heartfelt confessions and a full-on battle. The programme also included Georges Aperghis' virtuosic and witty ‘Petrrohl’, Salvatore Sciarrino's sensual and suggestive ‘L'Alibi della parola’ and Lucia Ronchetti's ‘Anatra al sal’, a 21st century comic madrigal on the art of cooking a duck.
Main programme
Georges Aperghis Petrrohl
Salvatore Sciarrino L'Alibi della parola
Lucia Ronchetti Anatra al sal
Luciano Berio A-Ronne - a documentary
Huddersfield programme
Lucia Ronchetti Anatra al sal
Georg Friedrich Haas, New work for six voices
Fredrik Zeller Lautverschiebung
Tiziano Manca, Narcisse
Jennifer Walshe He wants his cowboys to sound like how he thinks cowboys should sound
17 November 2005, Brighton, Corn Exchange, Brighton Dome
18 November 2005, Manchester, Royal Northern College of Music
19 November 2005, Nottingham, Lakeside Arts Centre
20 November 2005, Birmingham, CBSO Centre
22 November 2005, Huddersfield, Town Hall, as part of Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
23 November 2005, York, Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall