Friday 11 January 2008

Into the Faded Air


Happy New Year! Our first premiere in 2008 is Helen Grime's Into the Faded Air. It's first performance is in Krakow on Sunday, and it is then toured on our Britten Sinfonia at Lunch circuit: Cambridge on Tuesday 15, London on Wednesday 16, Norwich on Thursday 17, and Birmingham on Friday 18.

This project showcases the cream of Britten Sinfonia’s superb string section and gives us the chance to revel in the rich texture of the string sextet, with paired violas and cellos deepening the sonority. Bach’s astounding Ricercare is the composer’s masterful response to the challenge set by King Frederick II of Prussia to write a six-part fugue out of a long and complex musical figure written by the king himself. Brahms’ first sextet shows the composer’s mastery of the form, with writing that is at times dense and lush, at other times taut and biting. Helen's piece is for the same forces, providing a contemporary take on a classic chamber line-up.

Catch up on our busy Creative Learning programme here.

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