1Book tickets 020 7520 1490 TITLE

WHAT’S ON SEP – NOV 2015

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jazz

Nik Bärtsch Andy Sheppard

FaMILY

OperaUpClose Aurora Concerts

conteMporarY

Wim Mertens RM Hubbert

words

London Lit Weekend Edmund de Waal

Harry at Homewith The Sixteen,

our new Artistic Associate

2 Sep — Nov 2015TITLE

Tickets from £6.50 online kingsplace.co.uk/festival

90 York Way London N1 9AG 020 7520 1490

This year we’re teaming up with a delightful array of musicians, friends and long-term partners to present our most celebratory festival to date.

CLASSICAL • CONTEMPORARY • JAZZ • FOLK WORLD • SPOKEN WORD • COMEDY • FAMILYFOOD & DRINK • BOAT TRIPS • FREE EVENTS

KINgS PLACE FESTIVAL FRI 11 – SUN 13 SEP

A YEAR’S WORTH OF CONCERTS

IN JUST 3 DAYS!

3

Harry christophers and the sixteen have been performing at Kings place since 2009, so I couldn’t be more delighted that they become artistic associate at the venue from this season. Book now for their choral pilgrimage visit in october with Flight of angels, a sumptuous programme of music from sixteenth-century seville. Look out, too, for London Lit weekend which promises provocation, intellectual stimulation and laughs, featuring, among others, jonathan coe, dj taylor and Melvyn Bragg, and a look back at the 1980s.

exciting streams in contemporary Minimalism are on the agenda for our London jazz Festival collaboration, this year featuring a residency by the one-of-a-kind pianist-composer nik Bärtsch, and at the incomparable London International Festival of exploratory Music (LIFeM), which boasts rare visits from Belgian legend wim Mertens and iconoclasts Bruno sanfillipo and Greg Haines.

autumn brings a new array of events for young people and families, too, from a brand-new partnership with operaUpclose, who present Ulla’s odyssey, to the Guardian’s Big draw event and vibrant children’s concerts from aurora, cellophony and the Leonore trio. Last but not least, don’t miss the Local/rM Hubbert’s one-day bonanza of outsider/alt musical talent, which follows our packed season-launching Festival in september.

enjoy!

peter milliCan Ceo

welcome to our autumn season at Kings place

Contributors

Jonathan lennie writes on Michael Nyman, whose rarely-heard chamber music will be performed this season. Jonathan is a classical music journalist, events editor for Sinfini website and chief opera critic for Time Out Magazine.

edmund de waal obe The ceramic artist and writer curates an event with Poet in the City and Aurora Orchestra on the poetry of Paul Celan (12 Nov). His new book The White Road will be published this autumn. He has an ongoing relationship with Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Novelist and critic dJ taylor comes to our London Lit Weekend to talk about the Thatcherite novel. His books include A Vain Conceit: British Fiction in the 1980s, seminal biographies of George Orwell and Thackeray, and, most recently, Wrote for Luck.

tom kerstens, leading guitarist and founder of the G Plus Ensemble and the International Guitar Foundation, is our Kings Place Local in this issue. He’ll be at Kings Place in July for the IGF’s Guitar Summit summer school and in October for the London Guitar Festival.

resident orchestra: aurora orchestra

artistic associates: London sinfonietta, orchestra of the age of enlightenment, the sixteen

artist in residence: Brodsky Quartet

4 Sep — Nov 2015CONTENTS

22 Ludwig in London A feast of Beethoven, including a cello sonata cycle 27 still pointsThree Minimalist Oratorios

20 classical Listings

contents

conteMporarY

08 Ulla’s odysseyOperaUpClose present their brand- new opera inspired by Homer’s epic

33 Maximising Mertens LIFEM returns, featuring Wim Mertens (above), Greg Haines and others

34 rM Hubbert & Friends The incomparable ‘Hubby’ curates an outsider/alt mini-fest

35 contemporary Listings

FoLK

38 deacon Blue and Beyond Ricky Ross (above) celebrates 30 years of soulful songwriting

39 Folk Listings

jazz

40 Forces of natureAaron Parks and his Trio span the generations

64 Q&a Nik Bärtsch, in residence for the EFG London Jazz Festival

41 jazz Listings

cLassIcaL

06 Harry at Home Harry Christophers (above) and The Sixteen, our Artistic Associate, on their new relationship with Kings Place

13 rich, rebellious & rejected A portrait of Michael Nyman by Jonathan Lennie

16 Kings place LocalTom Kerstens of IGF

19 Bartók Blazing The Chilingirian Quartet begin a new cycle

5

worLd

43 equality on the equator Priti Paintal and the Equator Festival return to showcase women from musical cultures all over the world

44 world Listings

Book tickets 020 7520 1490 CONTENTS

art

51 revelations – sacred art, sacred Music The icons (above) of Greg Tricker and the music of composer John Tavener at Piano Nobile

52 art Listings

words

11 Mrs thatcher and the writers DJ Taylor (above) on the Iron Lady as a literary subject

45 a whiter shadeEdmund de Waal, Poet in the City and Aurora Orchestra have dreamt up an evening of music inspired by the poetry of Paul Celan.

46 words Listings

FaMILY

08 Ulla’s odyssey (see Contemporary) 49 Magical Musical Mystery toursCaptivating events for toddlers, primary age and teens at Kings Place this season

50 Family Listings

REGULAR 1 Welcome2 Contents4 In the house8 Features

20 Listings54 Calendar61 Ticket info63 Talkback64 Q&A

6 Sep — Nov 2015FAMILY6

this season in the House …

a showcase of adventurous musical repertoire, specially devised for families, who can immerse themselves in a magical world of language, sounds, discovery and play.

7FAMILYBook tickets kingsplace.co.uk

… aurora orchestra

Far, Far away

n oV 2 0 1 5

Sep — Nov 2015

foCus on

the sixteen

8 kINGS pLACE pARTNERS

when

performing at kings place since 2009. Artistic Associate from September 2015.

who are they

An internationally-renowned ensemble comprising choir and period instrument orchestra conducted by their founder Harry Christophers.

highlights to date

Easter Refl ections (2009)

Brahms Requiem (2012),

Lutheran Masses and Motets in Bach Unwrapped (2013),

Choral pilgrimage with Josquin, Lassus, Victoria and James MacMillan (2013)

plainsong in Minimalism Unwrapped (2015)

Coming up

Choral pilgrimage: Flight of AngelsBaroque Unwrapped: A Golden Age

do you remember your very first performanCe at kings plaCe?

My fi rst offi cial meeting came in 2009 when Peter Millican asked if I would consider doing a series of concerts on an Easter theme. I remember him saying, ‘Bear in mind we are a concert hall not a church,’ which was a challenge, but having that blank sheet of paper really made me think about how to present sacred music in a secular space. I remember going into Hall One and having a good feeling about it: the stage is wide, the sight lines are excellent, and I sensed it would be good for spoken word too. So we asked Michael Pennington to read poems by John Donne alongside the Agnus Dei from Byrd’s Four-part Mass. With just four solo singers, I felt we were really recreating a performance of the sort that took

place in private Catholic homes at that time. We also spread the seven cantatas of Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri across three nights; it felt intense, immediate and very personal.

kings plaCe is an unlikely venue for a Choral group with your repertoire

You could say that, but we’ve found that a great deal of our repertoire benefi ts from the detail, precision, warmth and balance provided by Hall One. Not only can the singers hear each other perfectly on stage, but everyone in the hall can hear them too, no matter where they are sitting. We can’t take every single Choral Pilgrimage programme here – some music may need the 3–4 seconds’ tail of a cathedral acoustic – but Kings Place does offer our audiences a different musical dimension. And there’s no doubt that some of our listeners prefer the comfortable seats and the interval bar to a draughty ecclesiastical building!

what are some of the highlights of your time at kings plaCe to date?

Everything has worked here so well: we brought a big version of our choir to sing the Brahms Requiem for Brahms Unwrapped in 2012, which was wonderful, and the hall is an absolute gift to Baroque music: it was fantastic to have the opportunity to perform the Lutheran Masses and motets for Bach Unwrapped in 2013, they worked brilliantly for reduced forces.

what opportunities does kings plaCe offer you?

I think they are two-fold. Firstly, we can focus on chamber-scale performances, one to a part, with every detail being heard. Secondly, we are able to create new and innovative programmes for the venue that we simply would not be asked to do elsewhere. Our Minimalism Unwrapped programmes are good examples: at fi rst it was rather daunting – but then lovely to see how

the sixteen have been performing at Kings place since it opened, taking part in the major Unwrapped series and including the venue in their national choral pilgrimages. this autumn their programme Flight of angels marks the beginning of their time as artistic associate at Kings place. Harry christophers discusses an enriching partnership.

9Book tickets 020 7520 1490 kINGS pLACE pARTNERS

much people enjoyed our Plainsong/Spirituality concert this January, which showed the way composers like Léonin and Pérotin used plainsong, composers who then influenced people like Steve Reich. Our Holy Minimalism programme (10 December) will focus on contemporary echoes of such early works in pieces by Howard Skempton, Morten Lauridsen and Arvo Pärt.

Can you share any plans with us?

We’re delighted with our Baroque Unwrapped programmes for 2016, both of which are interesting projects. We’ll be bringing a gorgeous ‘Golden Age’ programme of Lotti, Rebelo and Melgas, plus the fabulous Scarlatti Stabat Mater. We’ll also be performing Handel’s Acis and Galatea which will be a great treat. People forget that it was conceived originally for a private mansion, not a big hall: there are just five singers and ten instrumentalists. We are thinking about adding projections of some art works of the time to this concert: Peter always reminds us that the technology is there to be used!

how do you see the relationship developing?

I’m delighted that our association is being formalised. Looking ahead, we’d love to explore more Classical and Romantic repertoire at Kings Place, knowing how well the Brahms worked. We have some great soloists who would shine in that later repertoire. It’s the perfect venue for mixing old and new: the pairing between MacMillan and Palestrina worked so well, I’m thinking of other pairings now like Monteverdi and Henze, Victoria and Poulenc, Byrd and Pärt. Bach cantatas and Handel’s chamber oratorios would work, too. We’d also like to find a way of linking up our choral training programme Genesis Sixteen with Kings Place.

last words?

We’ve had some great experiences here and the organisation seems to have got everything right. With the surrounding area evolving so rapidly, things can only develop and grow now.

‘Our repertoire benefits from the detail, precision, warmth and balance of Hall One’

thu 8 oCt 2015Choral pilgrimage 2015: Flight of Angels Hall One, 7.30pm

thu 10 deC 2015Spirituality & Holy MinimalismHall One, 7.30pm

sat 7 may 2016Handel: Acis and GalateaHall One, 7.30pm

fri 16 sep 2016Gems of the Italian and portuguese BaroqueHall One, 7.30pm

10 Sep — Nov 2015OpERAUpCLOSE10

11Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk OpERAUpCLOSE

This October and November Hall Two will be transformed into a vast ocean upon which sails young Ulla in a rickety boat with her cat Binnacle, attempting to circumnavigate the world single-handed.

You’ll hear the wind and waves, you may even taste the salt-spray, but you can leave your seaboots at home: this will be an opera up-close and personal, alive with the sense of ingenious play that belongs to the best theatre, as director Valentina Ceschi explains: ‘The cast will be on stage from beginning to end, creating the wind, the waves, the boat; all the stagecraft will be dynamic so you’ll be able to see the mechanics of theatre; they are going to be constantly engaged, as well as singing – a chorus of bodies! I want the audience to be exhilarated by the craft of these actor-singers.’Will today’s kids, who can access any filmic fantasy and plunge into virtual reality at the touch of a screen, respond to such make-believe? ‘I’m not sure today’s young people have more access to theatre, actually,’ says Robin Norton-Hale, Artistic Director of OperaUpClose. ‘On film anything’s possible: you can blow up a house or conjure a dinosaur, or even feel you’re running through a jungle: we’ve almost

reached the end of that kind of realism. The thrill of theatre is grappling with the fact it’s NOT real, but someone is trying to convince you it is. Kids understand that pact instinctively, it’s the ultimate act of play.’

The fact that Ulla (played by Sarah Minns, Musetta in their recent production of La Bohème) will be singing in an operatic voice is just a part of that make-believe, according to Norton-Hale: ‘Children have no preconceptions about opera. They don’t think opera is elitist or expensive, they just accept it. We’ve had kids come to our shows like Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love or Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and sit there with their mouths open, absolutely gripped from beginning to end. They’re also much more open to contemporary music, and don’t come along burdened by expectations and prejudices.’

Ulla’s Odyssey, by New Zealand composer Anthony Young and Canadian librettist Leanna Brodie, won OperaUpClose’s third Flourish competition, set up to encourage new chamber-style opera that could be performed by just seven cast members (in any combination of singers and instrumentalists).

operaUpclose, famous for putting on visceral opera in pub theatres, is bringing its first family opera to

Kings place this season. Helen wallace met up with creative masterminds robin norton-Hale

and Valentina ceschi to find out more.

U l l a ’s o d y s s e y

12 Sep — Nov 2015

Robin Norton-Hale

OpERAUpCLOSE

This is the first ‘family’ opera that has risen to the top, but that wasn’t its unique selling point for Norton-Hale: ‘It really stood out because it was an original, modern story, even though it was inspired by Homer’s Odyssey. Here’s a 16-year-old girl who is trying to be the youngest person to sail single-handed round the world, inspired by real-life teenagers who have done that. There’s an environmental twist and a nasty customs official so it feels contemporary. It’s rhythmically interesting, and has unusual soundscapes. We liked the fact that Anthony used the five singers in all sorts of different ways, which makes it a great introduction to opera, and there are monsters and animals making strange noises too.’

In every scene Ulla encounters a different obstacle, which she has to get round using her own courage and cunning, including Sylla, a mutant sea-monster; a one-eyed robotic customs official, Cy-Ops; and Sirens tempting her to give up. ‘We hope Ulla will be someone the young audience would like to be, someone really cool. It’s an anti-princess role, she’s in dungarees, she’s cunning and brave. Sarah is very convincing and natural. She trained as a dancer so she’s very versatile.’

Ceschi is working with the designer Faye Bradley to create a look to appeal to all ages: ‘It’s going to be very graphic, very dynamic, with larger-than-life costumes, an almost Japanese manga feel, the opposite of twee or nostalgic. We always try to tell a story as honestly and entertainingly as possible, regardless of the audience’. She’s keen to get away from the idea of ‘kids theatre’ as cute with silly voices: ‘We’ve said this is for sevens and up, but it’s actually a universal story for everyone.’

When I speak to them, they are still working out musical details and whether another instrumentalist will be joining pianist and music director Alex Beetschen, who has so memorably provided orchestral depth and colour to productions like La traviata and The Marriage of Figaro. There’s talk of added percussion too. ‘It may only be an hour long,’ says Ceschi, ‘but by the end you will feel as if you’ve been on an epic journey.’

sun 11 oCt Ulla’s Odyssey Hall Two, 4pm

sun 18 oCt, 15 & 22 nov Ulla’s Odyssey Hall Two, 4pm All performances run in conjunction with a family day: workshops at the House of Illustration and lunch at kings place – see Family Listings.

sun 22 novOperaUpClose give a showcase for the five finalists of this year’s Flourish Competition Hall Two, 7pm

‘We’ve almost reached the end of realism. The thrill of theatre is grappling with the fact it’s NOT real’

Valentina Ceschi

‘Ulla is an anti-princess role. She’s cunning and brave and cool’

13Book tickets 020 7520 1490

How many creative writing students, sitting down to begin work on their first novel, would think of making David Cameron one of the characters? Not many, you suspect, as Mr Cameron, for all his electoral popularity, has never seemed an obvious subject for fiction. Thirty years ago, on the other hand, it was all very different. These were the days when writers thought to be sympathetic to Mrs Thatcher dined with her at 10 Downing Street, when the fictional creation known as ‘Thatcher man’ began to barnstorm his way onto the nation’s bookshelves, and the Prime Minister appeared in Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses under the lightly disguised pseudonym of ‘Mrs Torture’.

LONdON LIT WEEkENd

Mrs thatcher & the writers

to Larkin she was a ‘superb creature’, to rushdie ‘Mrs torture’. no leader since the war has exerted

such a hold on the British literary imagination as Mrs thatcher. dj taylor, who comes to the London

Lit weekend, has the Iron Lady in his sights.

14 Sep — Nov 2015LONdON LIT WEEkENd

The tradition continues, and for the last three decades Mrs Thatcher has been making personal appearances in fiction – heading the government that presides over the dystopian landscape of Ian McEwan’s The Child in Time (1987), narrating part of Philip Hensher’s Kitchen Venom (1997), turning up at a Notting Hill dinner party in Alan Hollinghurst’s Man Booker-winning The Line of Beauty (2005), moving into the sights of a sniper’s rifle in Hilary Mantel’s highly controversial short story ‘The Assassination of Mrs Thatcher’ (2014). Two years after her death and a quarter of a century after her fall from power, the continuing hold she exerts on the creative imagination is unmatched by any politician in British history.

Part of this fascination is down to the sheer forcefulness of her physical presence. Mantel, who first came across her as an 18-year-old student when the then Secretary of State for Education visited her college hall of residence, remembered ‘a space opening around her as people stood back to look because she was a phenomenon … It seemed to me extraordinary that at this time in my life this creature had breezed through’ (the event is re-cast in her 1995 novel, An Experiment in Love). The middle-aged to elderly well-wishers who dined with her simply found her attractive. ‘Physically desirable was the universal answer among all those questioned,’ Anthony Powell maintained, after interrogating his fellow-guests.

Far more, though, is the result of what she represented. If the 1960s and 1970s had allowed a fair degree of political consensus, the 1980s, with their assaults on organised labour and their privatisation of public utilities, were a deeply divided decade in which, for the first time in nearly half a century, writers were encouraged to line up

sun 4 oCtdJ Taylor, Jonathan Coe and Ferdinand MountHall Two, 3.30pm

london lit weekendsat 3 – sun 4 oCtco-curated by kings place and the Times Literary SupplementSee listings for further details

on either side of the ideological divide: an age in which, on the right, Philip Larkin could be found admiring ‘a superb creature – right and beautiful’, while, on the left, anti-Thatcherites such as Rushdie and Ian McEwan assembled to discuss her iniquities at meetings of the ‘June 20’ group at Lady Antonia Fraser and Harold Pinter’s house in Campden Hill Square.

What might be called the literary consequences of Mrs Thatcher were three-fold. On the one hand, as McEwan puts it, she ‘made politics matter, both for those who loved her and those who opposed her’. On the other, she sent a procession of male heroes created in her image – opportunistic, nest-feathering suburbanites – rampaging through the late 1980s English novel. Simultaneously, she left behind a suspicion that these early accounts of her progress were at best provisional, that only distance could take the measure of the woman, and that the defining fictional treatment of her has yet to emerge. Mantel, for example, has confessed that she ‘haunts my imagination’ and won’t rule out writing about her in the future.

Fresh from hosting a Radio Four documentary on Mrs Thatcher’s effect on recent British literature, I shall be joined at the Kings Place London Lit Weekend by two writers with a keen interest in her both as a political phenomenon and a source of creative inspiration – the novelist, historian and former TLS editor Ferdinand Mount, who in the early 1980s was head of the Downing Street Policy Unit, and Jonathan Coe, whose novels include The Rotters’ Club, Expo 58 and the swingeing Eighties satire What A Carve Up (1994). What is the Thatcher novel? Will it go on being written? Will writers ever be so directly involved in politics again? These are all questions that seem quite as fascinating here in 2015 as they were in the era of the Miners’ Strike and the Poll Tax riots.

‘She sent a procession of male heroes – opportunistic, nest-feathering suburbanites – rampaging through the late 1980s English novel’

Jonathan Coe

dJ Taylor

15Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk kINGS pLACE LOCAL

music, theatre, dance. I’m also an avid reader and love snuffling in bookshops. Wine and cooking are hobbies, and where I live is a veritable heaven for restaurants and delis.

what would feature on a ‘tom kerstens story’ map of london?

Firstly, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where I studied, and all the wonderful places I have been fortunate enough to have played like Kings Place Hall One and Hall Two, Wigmore Hall, St John’s Smith Square, Royal Festival Hall, Purcell Room but also smaller more out-of-the-way venues like Conway Hall, Lauderdale House, Burgh House … and, of course, my favourite theatres, bars and restaurants!

what’s most struCk you about Changes in the last deCade?

I’ve been in London over 20 years

and in that time the city has been transformed. In my early days it was even difficult to get a proper coffee, now London is the most diverse and exciting capital in Europe … Things I like most are the beautiful skyscrapers and the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras, which connects us with my other favourite city, Paris, in a mere couple of hours.

if you Could Capture it in musiCal sound, what would be the aural atmosphere of this area?

For me it must be the invigorating sound of (post-) Minimalist composers like John Metcalfe, Joby Talbot, Max Richter, Graham Fitkin and others … the kind of music my G Plus Ensemble plays, for instance on our album Utopia; this kind of new music fits this dynamic new area perfectly.

kings place Local

photography by ben blossom

tom Kerstens

dutch guitarist tom Kerstens is founder and director of the G plus ensemble, and of the International Guitar Foundation, which brings its Guitar summit to Kings place in july and the London International Guitar Festival in october. He’s also a local…

where’s home for you?

I was born in Holland, but north London is definitely my home now; it's such an exciting city these days, and great for all kinds of music.

as a guitarist what do you value in an environment?

I am a culture vulture so I need easy access to arts venues of all kinds:

16 Sep — Nov 2015kINGS pLACE LOCAL

Listen.Play.Create. Of great importance to IGF’s mission are our new music commissions, our young artist platforms, international artist debuts and audience development work. Kings Place, with its diversity of spaces, and unbeatable position at the heart of Europe’s biggest transport hub is an ideal ‘Home for the Guitar!’

tell us about your next festival …

First up is the Guitar Summit, 23–26 July, a great new event in its second year. It’s a summer school and festival where some of the world’s greatest guitarists will gather in the heart of London. David Russell, Xuefei Yang, Juan Martín, Antonio Forcione, Nigel Price, Dario Cortese and Will McNicol will take part in the four-day event, offering concerts, masterclasses and workshops.

Second up is London Guitar Festival, 21 Oct – 1 Nov, which includes an amazingly rich mix of concerts, workshops and the final of the prestigious London International Guitar Competition. We present really fantastic new artists like the amazing young Spaniard Mabel Millán and flamenco sensation Carlos Piñana, Our Young Artist Platform presents two stars of the future: Andrey Lebedev and Mircea Gogoncea, and there’ll be shows from established stars like Juan Martín & Chaparro de Málaga, and the Vida Guitar Quartet and my own G Plus ensemble playing new music by John Metcalfe and Anna Meredith.

And don’t miss the great workshops in a multitude of styles, free events and panel discussions, a real celebration of the guitar in all its facets.

what’s your favourite haunt in the viCinity these days?

Well, Kings Place of course!

favourite eatery or drinking plaCe?

Green & Fortune’s restaurant & bar at Kings Place are excellent, and I take lots of artists and sponsors there. Other favourites are St John and SOS in Smithfield, Moro in Exmouth market, Club Gascon and Bleeding Heart restaurants, the (18th- century) Jerusalem Tavern and the beautifully restored Fox and Anchor in Charterhouse Street.

seCret baCkwater?

Comptoir Gascon, tucked away in a corner of Smithfield, is an offshoot of Michelin-starred Club Gascon with the same excellent food but much more affordable prices, great for an intimate lunch.

your london guitar festival has been at kings plaCe sinCe it opened. any partiCularly speCial memories?

There are many, it has been such an exciting ride! The special piece for choir and electric guitar by Gabriel Jackson commissioned for the opening of Hall One by Kings Place itself, IGF and The Sixteen, and performed by us at the opening festival was an occasion I will always fondly remember. Also, bringing Ana Vidović over after she won IGF’s very first international competition 20 years ago, the numerous appearances of the fantastic David Russell and the many debuts of great, mostly young, international artists in every style …

what’s igf all about and why is kings plaCe a good venue for it?

The guitar is truly the instrument for everybody. Kings Place is ideal for our unique mix of concerts, workshops and new work, summed up by our motto

‘In my early days it was even difficult to get a proper coffee in London!’

thu 23 — sun 26 JulGuitar Summit

wed 21 oCt — sun 1 novLondon Guitar FestivalSee listings for further details

Tom kerstens on the roof of kings place(previous page & above)

17Book tickets 020 7520 1490 MINIMALISM UNWRAppEd

He’s the man who invented the term Minimalism to describe a musical style. He feels he's been punished by the establishment for his popular success.

this autum you can hear his neglected body of chamber music at Kings place. jonathan Lennie on the paradox that is Michael nyman.

rich, rebellious and rejected?

18 Sep — Nov 2015MINIMALISM UNWRAppEd

When composer Michael Nyman stepped up to the piano at Tate Modern in 2007 to join a performance of the 18- hour-long Vexations by Erik Satie, he was taking his rightful place in the extended Minimalist tradition. Written by Satie in 1893, the ultra-minimal solo work had been resurrected by John Cage and was finally drawing a crowd over a century later. Like Satie, Nyman has remained an outsider; unlike Satie, however, he has had a phenomenally successful career. He is the doyen of the British Minimalist school and his success has been achieved through decades of hard work in compensation for, as he believes, his being shunned by the British music establishment. If true, it’s odd, for Nyman is no composer manqué. Following school in Essex he studied at London’s Royal Academy of Music and then at King’s College, London. Working life began as a musicologist and gonzo music journalist – he was a member of The Portsmouth Sinfonia (officially the world’s worst orchestra) and Cornelius Cardew’s Scratch Orchestra. In fact, it was with reference to Cardew that Nyman is credited with being the first to use the term ‘Minimalism’ in the context of music (in a 1968 article for The Spectator).

He finally found his composing voice a decade later when arranging a passage from a Mozart opera that had impressed him as a child. With In Re Don Giovanni (1977) came the essence of the Nyman musical brand, and he set about refining an idiosyncratic sound-world based on quirky repeating Baroque canons, particularly influenced by Henry Purcell. ‘I like composers who live at a transitional crossroads,’ he says, ‘and Purcell is halfway between a harmonic process that is becoming formulated and then standardised in Bach and Handel, but still has a lot of earlier 17th-century English harmonic radicalism.’

‘I like composers who live at a transitional crossroads’

Almost uniquely for a classical composer, Nyman is adept at self-promotion. His image, for example, is definitive. The clean-shaven, large round-framed spectacles look is instantly recognisable. Even his apparently difficult temperament disguises a mischievous quality – one that seems to exalt in teasing the media, as witness his recent declaration that his new home in Mexico City is safer than his previous one in Islington, where he lived for 20 years; or that he has ideas to complete 19 symphonies.

But it is with film that the 71-year-old composer is most closely associated, beginning with his 1980s collaborations with eccentric film-maker Peter Greenaway, lending sassy Minimalist soundtracks in his modern Baroque style to quirky movies such as The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982). Then there is his most successful work, the music for Jane Campion’s The Piano (1993). The director is said to have commissioned him with the instruction, ‘I don’t want any of

that usual Nyman shit.’ He obliged with an unusually cursive and lyrical score. It was a new direction which, an unashamed recycler, Nyman has exploited. However, the extraordinary popularity of this music hasn’t been entirely beneficial – it has made him internationally famous and still generates enough in royalties to allow him to compose as he pleases. But, he laments, ‘It’s closed as many doors as it’s opened.’

That new lyricism is most impressively heard again in Nyman’s exquisite Eight Lust Songs. The lyrics, however, setting Italian Renaissance poetry by Pietro Aretino, are so sexually explicit that the programme booklets were deemed obscene and withdrawn from a 2008, London performance (another profile-raising news story).

It’s clear that Nyman feels unjustly punished for his success, believing himself the victim of ‘a petty conspiracy’. It’s curious, for instance, that he’s never been featured in the 37-year history of TV’s South Bank Show, and that his score to The Piano wasn't even nominated for an Oscar (on the basis that it was based on Scottish folk music so couldn’t be original); when the NMC record label gathered 95 British composers to write and record its Songbook in 2009,

19Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk MINIMALISM UNWRAppEd

he was not invited to contribute; and he had to wait until 2009 for his first BBC Proms commission. Then there’s opera. Despite having written three, he has been ignored by both the Royal Opera House and English National Opera. Most recently, at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012, which featured every pop musician with a tenuous connection to East London, one of the country’s most commercially successful composers who was actually born there was absent.

But Nyman is stoical and remains emotionally inscrutable. His Jewish East End upbringing appears to have nurtured an irrepressible urge to succeed and no sense of entitlement. Rather than wait around to be noticed, in 1976 he formed the Michael Nyman Band – initially with Baroque instruments such as the reedy shawm sitting alongside traditional classical ones. Over the years modern instruments, like the bass saxophone, have replaced the period ones. He even has his own record label, which releases the band’s recordings, an ensemble that is still touring today with Nyman directing from the piano – now a grandparent, he is still keeping it real in the 1960s spirit that first inspired him.

The success of Nyman’s film scores has eclipsed much of his other work, particularly his chamber music. His underrated five string quartets and four piano trios (with curious programmatic titles) will finally get the platform they deserve this autumn in Kings Place’s Minimalism Unwrapped, both genres displaying his trademark buoyant rhythms and passages of great beauty.

Nyman’s strength is that he doesn’t see himself as defending any sort of tradition – he’s game to work with Australian didgeridoo players, Indian sitar players and pop stars, as he is to write a symphony. A recent project has been touring alone, with just a piano to accompany his diverse short films. From bullfights to strolls along an endless boardwalk, these home movies are at once scenes from his experience and a metaphor for his career, and can be seen in September at Kings Place accompanied by the Fidelio Trio.

thu 24 sepFidelio Trio plays Nyman piano Trios 1992–2010, 7.30pm

sat 26 sepThe Smith Quartet plays NymanThe Complete String Quartets – 1, 5pmThe Complete String Quatets – 2, 7.30pm

sun 27 sepCHROMA EnsembleIncludes CHROMA commission by Michael Nyman (world premiere)

‘The success of Nyman’s film scores has eclipsed much of his other work, particularly his beautiful chamber music’

20 Sep — Nov 2015TITLE

BRAND NEW DINING & EVENT SPACEKings Place’s newest event space, The Gallery Room, is perfect for corporate dining as well as boardroom meetings and small conferences. Get the full Kings Place experience and enquire about our fantastic VIP concert and dining packages.

Contact the Kings Place Events team on 020 7014 2838 or events@kingsplaceevents.co.uk | www.kingsplaceevents.co.uk

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Sadly, he adds, not much has changed: ‘It can still be hard to programme Bartók; it’s absurd, of course, these are masterworks, and so varied: they take us from the extraordinary, intense early quartets to the pivotal Third, Fourth and Fifth to the Sixth, which belongs to another world.’

The three composers work well together, notes Chilingirian, ‘because they are so well contrasted. Mozart brings distilled lyricism beside the tightly knit brilliance of Beethoven’s Op. 18 quartets, while Bartók adds that 20th-century Hungarian spice. Nowadays I might start the programmes with the Bartók, his work has such immediacy, but for this project we are sticking with the original order, beginning with Mozart and ending with Beethoven.’

Chilingirian himself learnt a lot about Bartók’s style from the legendary

Hungarian Quartet and from hearing Joseph Szigeti play. ‘Bartók has a very particular language, similar to the way Hungarian is spoken, which needs to be articulated. Too many players try to smooth things out of Bartók these days: it’s vital to get the accents and the rhythms precise. Players need to think about the very beginnings and the very ends of notes. You don’t have to live in Budapest to understand the style, but you do need to use your ears!’

In his idiosyncratic English, Bartók often used the term ‘provoking’ to describe his music, and described his Second Quartet as ‘too unaccustomed for the public of the day’. Happily the quartet has grown accustomed to its listeners, who, in their turn, have developed a taste for these ever-fresh masterpieces. sun 8 novChilingirian Quartet Mozart, Bartók & Beethoven Series: Concert I, Hall One, 6.30pmLondon Chamber Music SeriesSeries continues to Apr 2017kingsplace.co.uk/MBB

21Book tickets 020 7520 1490

Bartók: contrast and context

to mark the 70th anniversary of Bartók’s death, the chilingirian Quartet will reconstruct the very first UK cycle of his six quartets. Levon chilingirian explains all to Helen wallace.

It would be fascinating to know the audience’s response to that fi rst-ever UK cycle of Bartók’s six quartets London in 1949, ‘Yes, the real listeners, not the critics’, chuckles violinist Levon Chilingirian. The composer had died only four years before, and his music (described as ‘Chinese music’ by one London critic in the 1940s) was still widely considered outlandish.

In November, the Chilingirian Quartet will launch their reconstruction of the cycle, which was presented by none other than the London Chamber Music Society’s fi rst incarnation, the South Place Sunday Concerts. Each concert places Bartók between one of Mozart’s great quartets and one of Beethoven’s Op. 18. The programmes were originally taken on by fi ve distinguished quartets, many of them Jewish émigré musicians: the Hurwitz, the Amadeus, the Aeolian, the Blech and the Martin.

‘These were the quartets I grew up with,’ says Levon. ‘They did so much to enrich British musical life. I remember hearing the Amadeus playing Bartók’s Fifth Quartet wonderfully at the Dartington Festival, but Norbert Brainin said they were rarely asked to play it.’

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‘Too many players try to smooth out Bartók these days: it’s vital to get the accents and the rhythms precise’

Levon Chilingirian

22 Sep — Nov 2015CLASSICAL

project is just the ticket for a family outing. Cellophony will take you through the classic story with an entertaining exploration of Richard Birchall’s original music. The event will include the chance for the audience (children of all ages and grown-ups!) to learn a new song and perform it with the ensemble.

CellophonyVisions: Alice in Wonderland and The Four SeasonsHall Two 7.30pmOnline Rates £17.50 | Savers £9.50

Cellophony cello octet celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice in Wonderland in a new musical version written specially for them by Richard Birchall, and narrated by one of the UK’s best-loved actors, Simon Callow. Followed by Cellophony’s own version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, with renowned violinist Roberto González-Monjas.

SUN 20 SEp

Christoph RichterThe Complete Beethoven Cello SonatasPre-concert Talk: St Pancras Room 4.30pm Performance: Hall One 5.30pm, two intervals Online Rates £16.50 – £34.50 | Savers £9.50

Beethoven Sonatas for piano and celloNo. 1 in F & No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5No. 3 in A, Op. 69 No. 4 in C & No. 5 in D, Op. 102Christoph Richter celloNicola Eimer pianoThe fi ve cello sonatas show Beethoven at his best: several were written while he struggled with ill-health, but they radiate courage, power and passion. ‘These pieces play a central role in my repertoire, and I am looking forward to presenting them in a single concert,’ says cellist Christoph Richter, who also performed the complete Bach cello suites and sonatas in Bach Unwrapped.

MON 21 SEp

Fauré’s Verlaine SettingsHall One 7pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50

Find out how composer Gabriel Fauré’s obsession with the poetry of fellow Frenchman Paul Verlaine (1844–1896), led to some of the world’s most beautiful songs. Marking the publication of Vol. 3 of Fauré’s complete songs, the event is introduced by the pianist/musicologist Roy Howat, with a recital by the performers from the Royal Academy.

THU 24 SEp MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

Fidelio Trio plays Nymanpiano Trios 1992–2010Hall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Michael Nyman Początek (2010)The Photography of Chance (2004)Yellow Beach (2002)Time Will Pronounce (1992)Composer Michael Nyman is also a celebrated photographer and has recently been making fi lms with a hand-held camera as he travels the world, footage described as ‘visual

THU 10 SEp

Rite, Sacrifi ce & WarRautio piano Trio plays Stravinsky, Weill & ShostakovichHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.5 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Stravinsky The Rite of SpringWeill Suite from The Threepenny OperaShostakovich Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67The dynamic Rautio Trio premiere their own arrangements of some of the most shocking works of the 20th century. In 1913, The Rite of Spring unleashed a violent destruction on the old order of music; Weill’s Threepenny Opera recalls the heady decadence of pre-Nazi Germany, while Shostakovich plunges us into the darkness of Stalin’s USSR.

WEd 16 SEp

Virginia BlackBach, Scarlatti, Rameau & MozartHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £26.50 | Savers £9.50

Bach Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826Mozart Piano Sonata in F, K332Scarlatti Keyboard Sonatas –in A, K114; in D minor, K213; in D, K401; in D, K492Rameau Cinq Pièces from Suite in DScarlatti Keyboard Sonatas –in E, K206; in B minor, K87; in G, K427Mozart Piano Sonata in A minor, K310After a dazzling career specialising in the virtuoso repertoire for the harpsichord, Virginia Black has turned full circle and returned to her roots as a pianist. Her recordings of the Bach Partitas and Scarlatti Sonatas delighted the critics and this concert celebrates her passion for these great composers, as well as for the keyboard works of Rameau and Mozart.

SAT 19 SEp

CellophonyAlice in Wonderland Family ConcertHall Two 3.30pm | Online Rates £4

This informal introduction to Cellophony cello octet and their Alice in Wonderland

24 – 27 SEp

MInIMaLIsM UnwrappedFocus on Michael nyman

Known the world over for his numerous fi lm scores, minimalist composer Michael Nyman is equally prolifi c in the fi elds of opera and chamber music, and this weekend focuses on his output for the latter. Nyman’s long-time musical partnerships with the Fidelio Trio and Smith Quartet have yielded a series of critically-acclaimed piano trios and string quartets, here presented in three concerts – followed by the premiere of a newly-commissioned Nyman work by CHROMA. Meanwhile, composer Graham Fitkin presents his new work, Lost, and a Study Day with Howard Skempton explores how the American and British minimalist music scenes refl ected and enriched each other.

kingsplace.co.uk/minimalism

23Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk cLassIcaL

diaries of his inquisitive mind’. This performance of Nyman’s work by his long-time collaborators the Fidelio Trio will be complemented by an exclusive screening of some of his short fi lms.

FRI 25 SEp MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

FitkinWallLost Hall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Graham Fitkin Lost (London premiere)Using the extraordinary combination of two harps, Moog, red box and autoharp, FitkinWall – harpist Ruth Wall and pianist-composer Graham Fitkin –perform their new work Lost. Based on music originally written for aerial theatre company Ockham’s Razor, this expanded concert version has been prepared by Fitkin for this evening’s performance.

SAT 26 SEp MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

Study dayTransatlantic Encounters with Howard Skempton & GuestsSt Pancras Room 10.30amOnline Rates £39.50 (incl. coffee/tea)

Howard Skempton with Christopher Hobbs, Colin Matthews, Sarah Walker

Just as Minimalism was emerging on America’s West Coast, experimental British musicians were exploring curiously similar territory. This day offers a rare chance to meet two of those composers, Christopher Hobbs and Howard Skempton, who will explain how the two cultures refl ected and enriched each other. With contributions from Radio 3 broadcaster and pianist Sarah Walker and composer Colin Matthews.

MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

The Smith Quartet plays NymanThe Complete String Quartets IHall One 5pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50 Multi-event offer (£6.50) available

Michael Nyman String Quartet No. 4 (1995)In Re Don Giovanni (1991)

The Smith Quartet have worked with Michael Nyman for many years – in fact they premiered his second and subsequent three quartets. Who better, then, to examine Nyman’s full quartet cycle in the Minimalism Unwrapped series? In one evening they will showcase Nyman’s unique brand of vibrant, jubilant minimalism mixed with poignant, affecting lyricism.

MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

The Smith Quartet plays NymanThe Compl ete String Quartets IIHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Michael Nyman String Quartet No. 1 (1985)String Quartet No. 2 (1988)String Quartet No. 3 (1990)String Quartet No. 5 Let’s not make a song and dance out of it (2011)Michael Nyman is credited with inventing the term ‘minimalism’ and may be the British composer most associated with it. He has written in every genre, from fi lm soundtracks such as The Piano and The Draughtsman’s Contract to operas. Tonight The Smith Quartet, who

commissioned his Fifth Quartet, demonstrate the colour and range of his chamber music.

SUN 27 SEp MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

CHROMA EnsembleMinimalist Masterworks with accordionHall Two 4pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50

Michael Nyman CHROMA commission (world premiere)Gavin Bryars Epilogue from Wonderlawn (1994)kilar Orawa (1986)plus works by Nyman, Philip Glass and Joby TalbotNot many chamber ensembles can boast an accordionist, but CHROMA’s Ian Watson is on a mission to demonstrate what an amazing, surprising and versatile instrument the modern accordion is. He curates this programme from an accordionist’s point of view, adding Christian Forshaw on saxophone/clarinet, Elena Hull on bass and Steve Gibson on percussion, bringing a fresh performance perspective to minimalist masterworks.

The Smith Quartet (26 Sep)

Sep — Nov 2015CLASSICAL2424 Sep — Nov 2015

Beethoven is in the air this season with a feast of imaginative programmes that mix sonatas, new works and chamber masterpieces. Krysia Osostowicz and Daniel Tong continue their radical exploration of Beethoven’s violin sonatas, in a series also featuring new companion works, ‘Beethoven Plus’, while the Leonore Trio perform a family Beethoven concert, the Ghost and the composer’s fi nal, intriguing piano trio, Op. 70 No. 2.

A rare treat will be Christoph Richter’s traversal of all fi ve cello sonatas with pianist Nicola Eimer on Sunday 20 September. In some ways, the fi ve sonatas tell a complete story of Beethoven’s composing life, as the distinguished German cellist explains: ‘The sonatas occur in Beethoven’s three important creative periods. The fi rst two, Op. 5, are the fi rst real duo sonatas for piano and cello in the history of the repertoire, shot through with wit and passion. More than ten years later he wrote the glorious Sonata in A major, Op. 69, with its expansive opening, dynamic, syncopated scherzo, heavenly slow movement and a fi nale of ecstatic velocity.' Seven years later, at the beginning of the ‘late’ period just after the Piano Sonata, Op. 101, came the two great Op. 102 Sonatas. The fi rst of these, called a ‘free’ sonata, is a radical experiment in condensed form,

with just two movements, the shortest and the most playful, in its cat-and-mouse fi nale. Finally comes the D major, ‘the only sonata with a slow movement’ observes Richter, ‘and a magnifi cent fugal fi nale that wrestles with sforzati and sharp dissonance, prefi guring his last compositions. As for every cellist these pieces play a central role in my repertoire, and I’m looking forward to presenting them in one single concert at Kings Place.’ Look out for Richter again on 15 October when he joins Krysia Osostowicz and Daniel Tong for Beethoven’s fi rst, sunny E fl at major piano trio, Op. 1 No. 1.

24 Sep — Nov 2015

Ludwig in London

sun 20 sepChristoph Richter:The Complete Cello Sonatas Hall One, 5.30pm

thu 15, fri 16 & sat 17 oCtBeethoven plus with krysia Osostowicz & daniel Tong with Christoph Richter & dante QuartetHall One, 7.30pm

thu 1 oCtLeonore TrioThe Complete piano TriosConcert III Hall One, 7.30pm

wed 11 novLeonore TrioThe Complete piano TriosConcert IVHall One, 7.30pm

sat 3 oCtLeonore Triodiscovering BeethovenHall Two, 11am

Imaginative Beethoven programmes abound this autumn, including a rare opportunity to hear the complete

cello sonatas in one evening.

Christoph Richter

25cLassIcaLBook tickets 020 7520 1490

WEd 30 SEp

Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber EnsembleRossini, Mozart & SchubertHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £11.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Rossini String Sonata No. 1 in GMozart Horn Quintet in E fl at, K407Schubert Octet in F, D803ASMF opens its 2015/16 season with Schubert’s perennial favourite, the Octet, taking centre stage. A nod to Beethoven’s celebrated E fl at Septet, Schubert’s Octet enjoys enduring popularity for its beautiful melodies, Lieder-like qualities and joyful fi nale. Allied with Rossini’s playful String Sonata and Mozart’s genial Horn Quintet, it makes for an evening of chamber music at its fi nest.

THU 1 OCT BeetHoVen pIano trIos

Leonore piano TrioThe Complete Beethoven Trios IIIHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Beethoven Piano Trio in G, Op. 1 No. 2 Huw Watkins Piano Trio (2009)Beethoven Allegretto in B fl at, WoO 39 Beethoven Piano Trio in E fl at, Op. 70 No. 2The third programme of the series ends with the companion to the Ghost Trio

– Op. 70, No. 2. Although less often played than its famous sibling, this trio is one of Beethoven’s most remarkable utterances. The fi rst movement looks forward to his later style, while the serene third movement must have had a considerable impact on the younger Schubert. Huw Watkins’ Piano Trio combines jagged and edgy rhythms with moments of sublime lyricism.

SAT 3 OCT BeetHoVen pIano trIos

discovering BeethovenFamily Concert with Leonore piano TrioHall Two 11am (approx. 60 min)Online Rates £7.50 adults | £5.50 children

‘Discovering Beethoven’ is a fun exploration of Beethoven for all ages, and the concert also includes a specially commissioned piece for Piano Trio and Narrator.

London LIt weeKend

Lucy parhamwith Henry Goodman& Juliet StevensonOdyssey of Love – Liszt and his WomenHall One 8pmOnline Rates £16.50 – £34.50 | Savers £9.50

Pianist Lucy Parham focuses on the romantic life of Franz Liszt with Henry Goodman and Juliet Stevenson narrating. Like Mozart, Liszt was a child prodigy, whose three main loves in life were music, women and religion. Parham, an award-winning pianist and broadcaster, accompanies the tales of cigar-smoking muses and mistresses with his dramatic and intimate compositions.

SUN 4 OCT Ldn cHaMBer MUsIc serIes

Wihan String Quartet30th-Anniversary ConcertHall One 6.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50LCMS Friends discount applies

Mozart String Quartet in G, K387 Schubert String Quartet in A minor, D804 RosamundeBeethoven String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132

The famous Czech Wihan Quartet celebrates its 30th anniversary and opens the new LCMS season in a concert of great Viennese classics. Mozart’s K387 Quartet, sometimes called the ‘Spring’, was composed in Vienna in 1782. Schubert’s beautiful ‘Rosamunde’ Quartet was written there 40 years later, and premiered by the Schuppanzigh Quartet in 1824. At the end of the following year, in November 1825, the Schuppanzigh Quartet was to premiere Beethoven’s late great masterpiece, his Op.132.

THU 8 OCT

The Sixteen: Choral pilgrimage 2015Flight of AngelsHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £24.50 – £44.50 | Savers £9.50

Works by Francisco Guerrero incl. Duo seraphim, Laudate Dominum and Maria Magdalene – and by Alonso Loboincl. Libera me, Credo Romano, Ave Regina coelorum, Versa est in luctum and Ave Maria

For their annual choral pilgrimage, leading British vocal ensemble The Sixteen, under their founder Harry Christophers, takes a trip back to 16th-century Seville, one of the biggest, richest and most cosmopolitan cities on earth. It was during this Spanish ‘golden age’, where arts and culture fl ourished, that Francisco Guerrero (1528–1599) and Alonso Lobo (1555–1617) made their mark.

1 & 3 OCT, 11 NOV

tHe coMpLete pIano trIos oF BeetHoVen

The Leonore Trio’s series of the complete original works for piano trio by Beethoven continues with three more concerts, including a family-friendly programme. The famous Ghost Trio is on the bill alongside lesser-known gems; also featured are two trios by contemporary British composers David Matthews and Huw Watkins.

kingsplace.co.uk/leonoretrio

Lucy parham (3 Oct)

26 Sep — Nov 2015

composer Ben Dwyer, inspired by Britten’s famous Nocturnal after John Dowland for solo guitar.

OperaUpClose: Ulla’s OdysseyHall Two 4pm (11 Oct), 2pm (18 Oct, 15 Nov, 22 Nov) Online Rates £19.50 Adult, £12 Under-14 £36 Family of 3 (1 adult), £54 Family of 4 (2 adults)£35 Opera Champion | Savers £9.50Big Day Out Tickets (incl. entrance to a two-hour workshop at the House of Illustration, access to their current exhibition, a lunch voucher and a ticket for Ulla’s Odyssey)£34.50 Adult | £24 Under-14

Olivier Award-winning OperaUpClose make their début at Kings Place with the world premiere of a fun, feisty, family-friendly show, Ulla’s Odyssey. 16-year-old Ulla wants to be the youngest person to sail the world single-handed but there are obstacles on her journey, including mythical creatures. Inspired by Homer, the story is told with the help of live music and puppetry.As part of this year’s Family Arts Festival, OperaUpClose have teamed up with the House of Illustration to create special Ulla-inspired illustration workshops for all the family. The workshops are with professional illustrators. You and your child can create your own heroines and heroes, or you could design your own opera set! Workshops take place before the performance of Ulla’s Odyssey and with enough time in between for lunch.

SUN 11 OCT Great pIano worKs

Martino Tirimo’s SchubertThe Great piano Works IVHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £24.50 | Savers £9.50

Schubert 3 Klavierstücke, D946Schubert Sonata in C, D840 ReliquieSchubert Sonata in A, D959Celebrated Schubertian pianist Martino Tirimo continues his Schubert series – his fi rst in London for 18 years – with three more masterpieces. D946, written in the composer’s fi nal year, is full of infectious vitality and deeply profound melodies. The Reliquie Sonata is a piece of pure Schubertian quality, while the highly poetic D959, his penultimate sonata, is also one of his greatest.

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Fidelio TrioHall One 6.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50LCMS Friends discount appliesPre-concert talk 5.10pm, St Pancras Room

Beethoven Piano Trio in D, Op. 70 No. 1 Ghost Benjamin dwyer Nocturnal, after Benjamin Britten (world premiere)Ravel Piano Trio in A minor (1914)The celebrated Fidelio Trio perform Beethoven’s hugely popular Ghost Trio and Ravel’s remarkably imaginative and colourful trio, premiered a century ago in Paris. They also give the premiere of Nocturnal by contemporary Irish

CLASSICAL

MON 12 OCT

Twenty ContemplationsHall One 7pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50

Award-winning pianist Cordelia Williams plays Olivier Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, accompanied by projections of paintings by Sophie Hacker and poems read by the distinguished poet Michael Symmons Roberts. Both poems and paintings were inspired by Messiaen’s music and specially commissioned for this event, presented by the Rimbaud and Verlaine Foundation.

THU 15 OCT BeetHoVen pLUs!

Beethoven in E fl atHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Beethoven Piano Trio in E fl at, Op. 1 No. 1Beethoven Violin Sonata in E fl at, Op. 12 No. 3Elspeth Brooke SwoopBeethoven String Quartet in E fl at, Op. 127krysia Osostowicz violindaniel Tong pianoChristoph Richter cellodante Quartet

This recital celebrates Beethoven’s music in the key of E fl at, from the exuberant First Piano Trio and the virtuosic Violin Sonata, Op. 12 No. 3 – with a companion piece by Elspeth Brooke – to the majestic late string

15–17 OCT

BeetHoVen pLUs!The Beethoven cycle with a difference continues … Violinist Krysia Osostowicz and pianist Daniel Tong perform a further fi ve newly commissioned pieces for each of Beethoven’s sonatas for violin and piano, joined by distinguished guests Christoph Richter and the Dante Quartet.

kingsplace.co.uk/beethovenplus

Fidelio Trio (11 Oct)

27Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk cLassIcaL

cello sonata of 1915 and Prokofi ev’s late work in the genre, composed for the great virtuoso Rostropovich in 1949.

OperaUpClose: Ulla’s OdysseyHall Two 2pm Online Rates £19.50 Adult, £12 Under-14 £35 Opera Champion | Savers £9.50Family and Big Day Out Tickets available

Olivier Award-winning OperaUpClose make their second appearance at Kings Place, with the fun, feisty, family-friendly Ulla’s Odyssey. For details, see listing for Sunday 11 October.

WEd 21 OCT London GUItar FestIVaL

Juan Martín & Chaparro de MálagaHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Celebrated Andalucian fl amenco guitarist Juan Martín is joined by Chaparro de Málaga, who has accompanied some of the greatest fl amenco singers in the business. Martín has recorded 18 albums, the most recent of which, La Guitarra – Mi Vida, is a collaboration with Chaparro, so this concert is a chance to hear two superb fl amenco artists on one platform.

quartet, Op. 127. The guest artists are well-known at Kings Place: cellist Christoph Richter and the Dante Quartet, led by Krysia Osostowicz.

FRI 16 OCT BeetHoVen pLUs!

Three Opus 30sHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Beethoven Violin Sonata in G, Op. 30 No. 3Jeremy Thurlow Mehlschöberlkurt Schwertsik Unterwegs nach Heiligenstadt (On the Way to Heiligenstadt)Beethoven Violin Sonata in A, Op. 30 No. 1philip Venables Beethoven Op. 30/2, Bars 107–112Beethoven Violin Sonata in C minor, Op. 30 No. 2krysia Osostowicz violindaniel Tong pianoThese three sonatas, composed in the same year, are utterly different: the fi rst is warm and lyrical, the second – in Beethoven’s favourite key of C minor – is dark and dramatic, while the third is sparkling and carefree. Their new companion pieces provide even more contrast, ranging from comedy and quasi-improvisation, to a touching homage to Beethoven by Austrian composer Kurt Schwertsik, founder of the Third Viennese School.

SAT 17 OCT BeetHoVen pLUs!

The ArchdukeHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Beethoven String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95 Seriosodavid Matthews SonatinaBeethoven Violin Sonata in G, Op. 96Beethoven Piano Trio in B fl at, Op. 97 Archduke

krysia Osostowicz violindaniel Tong pianoChristoph Richter cellodante Quartet

Three consecutive masterpieces in a single recital: Beethoven was writing the

terse and turbulent Quartetto Serioso at the same time as his monumental Archduke Trio, with all its lyrical warmth. The following year he produced his fi nal violin sonata, Op. 96, a work of profound lyricism. David Matthews’s response is a Sonatina that refl ects the structure of Beethoven’s sonata in miniature.

SUN 18 OCT Ldn cHaMBer MUsIc serIes

Wallfi sch-York duoCello SonatasHall One 6.30pm Online Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50LCMS Friends discount applies

Saint-Saëns Sonata No. 1 for cello and piano in C minor, Op. 32Brahms (arr. klengel) Sonata for cello and piano in D, Op. 78debussy Sonata for cello and piano in D minor, L135 (1915)prokofi ev Sonata for cello and piano in C, Op. 119Raphael Wallfi sch celloJohn York piano

Two extraordinary soloists come together for a selection of beautiful cello sonatas: from the 19th-century, Saint-Saëns’s First Sonata from 1872 and Brahms’s famous G major Violin Sonata,composed in the same decade, and immediately transcribed for cello. Then two 20th-century masterworks: Debussy’s magical

krysia Osostowicz & daniel Tong (15–17 Oct)

28 Sep — Nov 2015CLASSICAL

a work inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s heart-breaking tale and Bach’s St Matthew Passion. In Josh Armstrong’s staging of Lang’s work, the tragic story of the little match girl is brought to life by vocal ensemble and percussion.

FRI 23 OCT MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

The Choir of king’s College, Cambridgepärt: St John passionHall One 7.30pm | 70 mins with no intervalOnline Rates £24.50 – £49.50 | Savers £9.50

Arvo pärt St John Passion (1982)Edward Grint baritone (Jesus)Andrew Staples tenor (Pilate)Choir of king’s College, CambridgeEndymionStephen Cleobury conductorWritten in 1982, Pärt’s St John Passion is now regarded as one of the choral icons of the 20th-century, and the culmination of the composer’s tintinnabuli (bell-like) style infl uenced by medieval chants. Pärt’s use of the human voice is so hauntingly mystical, it is hard not to be moved by it. Performed by the legendary Choir of King’s College, this event is simply unmissable.

SAT 24 OCT MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

Gavin Bryars Ensemble & Addison Chamber ChoirCadman Requiem + other worksPre-concert talk: St Pancras Room 6.30pm Performance: Hall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Gavin Bryars Lauda (con sordino) (2002)Lauda 40 ‘Madonna Santa Maria’ (2011)Lauda 44 for choir and ensemble (world premiere)It Never Rains (2010)Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet (1972)Lauda: The Flower of Friendship (2009)Cadman Requiem (1989)Addison Chamber Choirdavid Wordsworth conductorGavin Bryars double basswith the Gavin Bryars Ensemble

This all-Bryars programme features a special version for choir and ensemble of

THU 22 OCT MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

david Lang’s The Little Match Girl passionpresented by CrypticHall One 8pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £34.50 | Savers £9.50

JS Bach Jesu, meine Freude (Motet No. 3 in E minor, BWV 227)david Lang The Little Match Girl Passion for four voices (SATB) each playing simple percussion (2008)Josh Armstrong director and designerNicola Corbishley, Lucy Goddard, Anna Crookes, Chris Watson & James Holliday singersInnovative multi-media producers Cryptic present David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Little Match Girl Passion,

the moving Cadman Requiem, which was written in memory of his friend and sound engineer Bill Cadman who was killed in the 1988 Lockerbie air crash. There’s also a classic of Minimalism, the plaintive refrain Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet, and solo songs performed by Bryars’s daughter Orlanda.

SUN 25 OCT coFFee concerts

penelope ThwaitesA poet at WarHall One 11.30amOnline Rates £14.50 (incl. coffee or tea)Savers £9.50 (without drink)

Pianist Penelope Thwaites marks the centenary of her father Michael with a concert of his poetry, interspersed with evocative works by Chopin, Bach, Schumann and more. Winner of King’s medal for poetry, Thwaites served in the British Navy in World War Two; The Jervis Bay is his stirring account of the sea battle that saved one of the vital convoys in the North Atlantic. Penelope is delighted to be joined by the renowned actor, Timothy West, and the well-known baritone, Stephen Varcoe.

MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

Mikhail karikis & Juice Vocal Ensemble102 Years Out of SynchHall Two 4pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50

programme to include:Video interview with La Monte YoungScelsi Sauh I & II for two female voices (1973)Mikhail karikis 102 Years out of Synch+ an Indian Raga and works by Meredith Monk, Claudia Molitor + moreShining a different light onto Minimalism, partly by visiting music the American ‘fathers’ of the movement listened and played, and by showcasing more recent works, this event gives a brief glimpse into the movement’s connections with Indian music and presents feminist perspectives on Minimalism. Performers include composer Claudia Molitor, audio-visual artist Mikhail Karikis and the versatile Juice Vocal Ensemble.

22 – 25 OCT

MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

The year-long series continues with another set of inspiring programmes: Hans Christian Andersen meets Bach in David Lang’s award-winning The Little Match Girl; the brilliant King’s College Choir sings a 20th-century choral icon, Arvo Pärt’s St John Passion; celebrated composer Gavin Bryars and his band join forces with the Addison Chamber Choir to present an all-Bryars programme; fi nally, the avant-garde composer-performer Mikhail Karikis explores feminist perspectives on Minimalism.

kingsplace.co.uk/minimalism

Mikhail karikis (25 Oct)

29Book tickets 020 7520 1490 cLassIcaL

still points in a turning world

Stillness, suffering and the fragility of life: three themes shared by three masterly contemporary oratorios to be performed on consecutive nights this October. First up is American composer david Lang’s Little Match Girl Passion, a mesmerising setting of Hans Christian Andersen’s tragic tale of the poor girl who freezes to death, into which he weaves texts and chorales from Bach’s St Matthew Passion. Lang told me it was the balance of opposites that attracted him to the story, rather than its plot: the girl’s sweetness set against her father’s cruelty, the memory of her grandmother’s warm love against the fatal cold night. His music, with its spare, chiming patina, mirrors these tensions, with consoling harmonic resolution set against keening dissonances, stuttering repeated words brilliantly conveying the encroaching freeze. Award-winning company Cryptic bring a unique staging of the work, prefaced by Bach’s poignant Jesu, meine Freude.

Behind Gavin Bryars’s Cadman Requiem lies a story of personal loss: his friend the sound engineer Bill Cadman

was killed in the Lockerbie air disaster in 1988. In this tribute, he draws on traditional requiem texts and the Creation Hymn by the 7th-century Northumbrian bard Caedmon (his friend’s namesake) to offer up hope. It’s scored for the unusual combination of two violas, cello and double bass, with four male voices, giving it a distinctive, mournful dark beauty.

Perhaps best known of the three, thanks to its wide dissemination on the ECM recording, is Arvo pärt’s St John Passion, which King’s College Choir will present on 23 October. Rather than a linear unfolding, we are presented with a suspended still point in time in which to focus on the ancient mysteries of Christ’s death via hypnotic musical tintinnabulations. Expect an overwhelmingly haunting experience. Baritone Edward Grint and tenor Andrew Staples join the choir and Endymion under Stephen Cleobury, who has said of the work, ‘After you’ve conquered the technical diffi culties, this piece emerges like a burnished gem, a miniature masterpiece.’

this season sees a striking line-up of contemporary oratorios in Minimalism Unwrapped, from america, the UK and estonia.

30 Sep — Nov 2015CLASSICAL

such as Vaughan Williams, Elgar and Gershwin, the Vida Quartet can make four guitars sound like an entire orchestra. In this concert these exceptional musicians will also play original pieces written for them by Stephen Dodgson and Timothy Bowers.

THU 29 OCT London GUItar FestIVaL

Mabel Millán + Carlos piñana TrioHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Extraordinary young Spanish guitarist Mabel Millán shows off the skill and technique that have won her over 30 competitions and awards; the 21-year-old is making her UK debut at Kings Place. For the second half of this glittering double bill, guitarist Carlos Piñana, from one of Spain’s most famous fl amenco families, is joined by percussionist Miguel Angel Orengo and Flamenco dancer Maise Márquez.

FRI 30 OCT London GUItar FestIVaL

MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

Tom kerstens’ G plus EnsembleIgniteHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

John Metcalfe Three Pieces for two guitars, string quartet & percussion (2008/09)Fairlight Hills for two guitars, string quartet & percussion (2012)

SUN 25 OCT Ldn cHaMBer MUsIc serIes

park Lane Group Young Artists ConcertHall One 6.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50LCMS Friends discount applies

Glazunov Rêverie orientale for clarinet and string quartet, Op.14 No. 2Mozart Quintet for horn and strings in E fl at, K407Schubert Octet in F, D803The fi rst concert in an exciting new collaboration between the LCMS and the distinguished Park Lane Group, founded in1956 to promote young artists at the beginning of their professional careers. It’s a chance to hear rising stars in masterpieces such as Schubert’s Octet, Mozart’s Quintet for horn and strings and a rarity by the Russian Romantic Glazunov.

WEd 28 OCT London GUItar FestIVaL

Vida Guitar QuartetHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

With their groundbreaking arrangements of much-loved works by composers

21 OCT – 1 NOV

London GUItar FestIVaL 2015

Celebrating its twelfth year, the London Guitar Festival kicks off with the legendary fl amenco guitarist Juan Martín (see p25)introducing his new musical duo with Chaparro de Málaga. The impressive line-up also includes the exceptional Vida Guitar Quartet, and a double bill featuring the UK debut of young Spanish guitarist Mabel Millán and the glittering Carlos Piñana Trio. The last night is dedicated to the fi nal of the London International Guitar Competition, featuring a new work commissioned from Howard Skempton.

kingsplace.co.uk/lgf

Gabriel Jackson Fantasy with Anniversary Chorale for solo guitar (2013)Laurence Crane Prelude for solo guitar (2006) Michael parsons Theme and Variation (2006)Max Richter Take these broken wings for two guitars, string quartet &percussion (2008)+ work by Joby Talbot

London Guitar Festival’s Artistic Director Tom Kerstens is one of the world’s leading performers and advocates of new guitar music. He has commissioned works from composers such as Graham Fitkin, Terry Riley and Kevin Volans, and his G Plus Ensemble is dedicated to new music. Their fi rst CD, Utopia, was a critical success and this concert presents their latest album, Ignite.

SAT 31 OCT aUrora at KInGs pLace

Aurora Family ConcertHubbub – A Musical AdventureHall Two 10.30am, 12 noon£7.50 adult | £5.50 child45 mins with no interval.  Suitable for children 4+ and their families.

Out of the darkness: light,Out of the silence: sound,From whisper to rustle to racket to dinJoin the Hubbub – where magic is found!

Come along on a musical journey with fi ve friends, in their quest to fi nd the mysterious blue beetle and the lost voice. With original music from award-

Vida Guitar Quartet (28 Oct)

31Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk cLassIcaL

London GUItar FestIVaL

panel discussionHall Two 4.30–6pmFREE, but a ticket is required. Contact the Box Offi ce to book your ticket.

The guitar is the most commonly played instrument among young people in the UK, according to a recent ABRSM report. Join us for a lively debate chaired by Thérése Wassily-Saba about the place of the guitar in music education, with a panel of leading education specialists and teachers, including composer Professor Stephen Goss!

London GUItar FestIVaL

London International Guitar Competition 2015 FinalHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £9.50

This is a new classical guitar competition open to all guitarists up to the age of 30. It aims to encourage excellence in the performance of the classical guitar, with a special accent on new music for guitar. The semi-fi nalists and fi nalists will play a piece specially commissioned by the IGF for the competition: this year’s composition is by Howard Skempton.

SUN 1 NOV London GUItar FestIVaL

Guitar WorkshopsFunction Rooms 10–11.30am (Blues with Gianluca Corona)10am–1pm (Classical with Gary Ryan)Online Rates: £19.50 (per workshop)

One of Britain’s foremost blues teachers, Gianluca Corona teaches at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP) in London, is a regular contributor to Guitar Techniques magazine and holds masterclasses all over the UK for various schools and organisations. Ideal for anyone wanting to play blues guitar, but not suitable for absolute beginners.Renowned for his entertaining and varied recital programmes, which feature many of his own original compositions, Gary Ryan has established a highly varied freelance career as a performer, composer and teacher and is currently

winning composer Paul Rissmann, and directed by Martin Berry, this groundbreaking new show from MishMash Productions in association with Nottingham Lakeside Arts Centre and Aurora Orchestra is sure to captivate children and adults alike.

London GUItar FestIVaL

presentation and Workshop by Trinity College of MusicHall Two 9.30–11amFREE, but a ticket is required. Contact the Box Offi ce to book your ticket.

Providing motivation and a framework for learning and improving, exams are an essential development tool for all musicians. Trinity College, a leader of guitar teaching and assessment, has just launched a new series of repertoire books. The syllabus compilation team gives an overview of the new syllabus followed by a workshop for teachers and guitarists.

London GUItar FestIVaL

Young Artist platformINSpIRE-IGNITE-INVENT: New music and new playersHall One 12–1pmOnline Rates £4.50

IGF’s Young Artist Platform offers opportunities for young guitarists earlyin their careers: two of the brightest stars are showcased at the London Guitar Festival. Andrey Lebedev was handpicked by Julian Bream to be supported by his Trust, and in 2014 gave the world premiere of a work by Birtwistle. Mircea Gogoncea, from Romania, has already appeared on radio and TV as well as giving concerts worldwide.

London GUItar FestIVaL

ASpIRE StageUk Conservatoires present …Hall Two 2.30–4pmOnline Rates £4.50

Students from the four leading London conservatoires will present chamber music with guitars.

Assistant Head of Strings at the Royal College of Music in London.

Ldn cHaMBer MUsIc serIes

Afi ara String Quartet with James Campbell (clarinet)Hall One 6.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50LCMS Friends discount applies

Mendelssohn String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13peter Fribbins Quintet for clarinet and strings (2002)Mozart Quintet for clarinet and strings in A, K581A rare opportunity to hear Canada’s fi nest string quartet, on tour with the famous Canadian clarinettist James Campbell. The Afi ara Quartet performs Mendelssohn’s youthful quartet from the 1820s, and Mozart’s sublime Clarinet Quintet, one of the most expressive and best loved of clarinet works. To complement these, there’s the passionate and melodic Clarinet Quintet by Peter Fribbins.

5–8 NOV

MInIMaLIsM UnwrappedLIFeM 2015 (London International Festival of exploratory Music)

Minimalism. Ambient. Modern Classical. Post-Classical. Experimental. Soundtrack. Piano. With boundary-expanding music explorations guaranteed, LIFEM is one of the most inspiring festivals of the moment. This year’s event kicks off with the much-anticipated return of acclaimed Flemish composer and pianist Wim Mertens, whose last UK appearance was a sell-out show fi ve years ago at Kings Place. Bruno Sanfi lippo, Sylvain Chauveau and Greg Haines complete the international line-up. (p33, 36 & 37).

kingsplace.co.uk/lifem

32 Sep — Nov 2015CLASSICAL

Ldn cHaMBer MUsIc serIes

Chilingirian QuartetMozart-Bartók-Beethoven Series Hall One 6.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50LCMS Friends discount appliesPre-concert talk: 5.15pm, St Pancras RoomThe talk is FREE, but a ticket is required. Contact the Box Offi ce to reserve your seat.

Mozart String Quartet in D K575Bartók String Quartet No. 1, Sz. 40 Beethoven String Quartet in A, Op. 18 No. 5The fi rst in an historic series given by the Chilingirian Quartet, commemorating the 70th anniversary of Bartók’s death by reconstructing the fi rst complete cycle of his quartets in the UK. Each of the six quartets is framed by one from another groundbreaking series, Beethoven’s six Op. 18 quartets, and one of Mozart’s mature quartets. The Hurwitz Quartet originally gave this concert in October 1949. Before the performance, Professor Amanda Bayley, distinguished Bartók scholar and author of the Cambridge Companion to Bartók, discusses the composer’s First String Quartet.

WEd 11 NOV tHe BeetHoVen pIano trIos

Leonore piano TrioThe Complete Beethoven Trios IVHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Beethoven Piano Trio in B fl at, Op. 11david Matthews Piano Trio No. 3, Op. 97Beethoven Variations in E fl at, Op. 44Beethoven Piano Trio in D, Op. 70 No. 1 Ghost

The fi nal concert of the Leonore Trio’s Beethoven cycle opens with one of his wittiest creations, the B fl at Trio, which is followed by David Matthews’ beautiful Third Trio. Next, the variations on Weigl’s aria Pria ch’io l’impegno, ‘Before I work, I must eat’ – only Beethoven could juxtapose the sublime and the absurd in such a perfect manner! – before one of his best-loved trios, the Ghost.

SUN 8 NOV aUrora at KInGs pLace

Aurora OrchestraFar, Far Away: The House of Secret Sounds Early Years’ ShowHall Two 10.15am, 11am, 11.45amOnline Rates £5.50 child, £7.50 adult, £17.50 family of 4, £20.50 family of 5 Lasts 30 mins | Suitable for children aged 0–4

See 7 November for details.

coFFee concerts

keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey SiegelChopin and Grieg:A Musical FriendshipHall One 11.30am Online Rates £14.50 (incl. tea or coffee)Savers £9.50

Celebrate the sixth anniversary of Keyboard Conversations at Kings Place with music by Chopin and Grieg. Although these two popular composers did not know one another personally, there is a defi nite musical kinship – both wrote gorgeous melodies, tunes that enchant the ear and touch the heart, and both were proudly nationalistic. Programme includes zesty Norwegian Dances, heroic Polonaises, dreamy Nocturnes and stirring Ballades. With a commentary introducing each piece, and a fast-paced Q & A to fi nish, you’ll get much more than music.

SAT 7 NOV aUrora at KInGs pLace

Aurora OrchestraFar, Far Away: The House of Secret Sounds Early Years’ ShowHall Two 10.15am, 11am, 11.45amOnline Rates £5.50 child, £7.50 adult£17.50 family of 4, £20.50 family of 5Lasts 30 mins | Suitable for children aged 0–4

Explore the magical music of Benjamin Britten in an adventure that takes you through the House of Secret Sounds. Waltz with silver spoons, spy the hall of mirrors and meet a bubbling bathtub, all brought to life with brand-new chamber arrangements of Britten’s music. There’s a specially commissioned story from writer Kate Wakeling and a host of playful opportunities to take part in the music, led by animateur Jessie Maryon Davies.

aUrora at KInGs pLace

Aurora OrchestraFar, Far Away: The House of Secret SoundsFamily ShowHall Two 2.30pm Online Rates £5.50 child, £7.50 adult, £17.50 family of 4, £20.50 family of 5Lasts 45 mins | Suitable for children aged 5+ and younger siblings welcome.

See above for details.

Aurora Orchestra (7–8 Nov)

33cLassIcaLBook tickets 020 7520 1490

THU 26 NOV MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

piano Circus with Juice Vocal EnsembleHall One 8pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

patrick Brennan New work for six pianos and female voicesLouis Andriessen De Staat for female vocal quartet and large ensemble (1972–76) (world premiere of new transcription by Piano Circus for six pianos and voices)Graham Fitkin Log, Line, Loud for six pianos (1989–91)Piano Circus and Juice Vocal Ensemble give the fi rst performance of Andriessen’s De Staat in an arrangement for six keyboards and voices: text from Plato’s Republic is declaimed over music of sustained violence and intensity. Graham Fitkin’s Log, Line, Loud mixes Minimalist techniques into a whirl of jazz-fusion harmonies to create euphoric walls of sound. And Patrick Brennan synthesises spectral and folk music with Minimalist structures.

MON 16 NOV

Silenced Voices debate & ConcertHall Two 7pmOnline Rates £12.50 | Savers £9.50

Schreker Der Wind (1909)Tansman Musique à six (excerpts) Ullmann Liederbuch des Hafi s, Op. 30Schoenberg Ode To Napoleon Op. 41Assaf Levitin baritoneEnsemble Voix ÉtoufféesAmaury du Closel conductorAt a time when freedom of artistic expression is still widely threatened, the Forum for European Philosophy presents a concert for ‘Silenced Voices’ –composers such as Shreker, Tansman, Ullmann and Schoenberg who were victims of state terror and persecution. The evening opens with a debate between philosophers Robert Eaglestone and Andrew Bowie and musicologist Erik Levi.

SUN 22 NOV Ldn cHaMBer MUsIc serIes

Fine Arts QuartetWith Frederick LipsHall One 6.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50LCMS Friends discount applies

Haydn String Quartet in D, Op. 71 No. 2Efrem podgaits Quintet for strings and accordion (2002)Schubert String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D810 Death and the Maiden

An opportunity to hear one of America’s best-loved quartets perform Schubert’s great Death and the Maiden Quartet from the 1820s and Haydn. In between, accordion virtuoso Friedrich Lips joins them for a quintet by Russian composer Efrem Podgaits, written in 2002 – a surprising and magical combination of instruments.

OperaUpClose: Ulla’s OdysseyHall Two 2pm Online Rates: £19.50 Adult, £12 Under-14£35 Opera Champion | Savers £9.50Family and Big Day Out tickets available.

See listing for Sunday 11 October.

THU 12 NOV

Celan: Sounds and VisionsAurora Orchestra and poet in the City present …Hall One 8pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50

Webern Three Little Pieces for cello and piano, Op. 11Berg Piano Sonata, Op. 1Harrison Birtwistle ‘Todesfuge’ from Pulse Shadows (1996)Martin Suckling New workA lively evening of poetry, music and art, in celebration of the poet Paul Celan. Award-winning artist and author Edmund de Waal reveals the infl uence of Celan on his own work, and launches a brand-new commission from composer Martin Suckling, performed by Aurora.

SUN 15 NOV

OperaUpClose: Ulla’s OdysseyHall Two 2pm Online Rates £19.50 Adult, £12 Under-14£35 Opera Champion | Savers £9.50Family and Big Day Out Tickets available

Olivier Award-winning OperaUpClose return to Kings Place with the fun, feisty, family-friendly Ulla’s Odyssey. See listing for Sunday 11 October.

Ldn cHaMBer MUsIc serIes

Rosamunde piano Trio with paul Silverthorne (viola)Hall One 6.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50 LCMS Friends discount applies

Chausson Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 3Mozart Piano Trio in E, K542 Brahms Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25International soloists Martino Tirimo (piano), Ben Sayevich (violin) and Daniel Veis (cello) come together to perform Mozart’s beautiful E major trio, composed in 1788, and a trio by French Romantic composer Ernest Chausson. Paul Silverthorne – principal viola in the LSO and London Sinfonietta – joins them for Brahms’s powerful First Piano Quartet.

26–29 NOV

MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

The brilliant Piano Circus teams up with Juice Vocal Ensemble to launch another set of concerts which explore the inspiring and idiosyncratic repertoire of the Minimalism school. The principal players of Aurora Orchestra present a selection of masterpieces by John Adams, John Tavener and Arvo Pärt and the latter’s best known instrumentatl works are performed by two acclaimed ensembles, Endymion and EXAUDI. Also featuring is a programme of Minimalist electronic works by Raymond Scott, Brian Eno and Leon Michener, presented by NONCLASSICAL (p37).

kingsplace.co.uk/minimalism

34 Sep — Nov 2015CLASSICAL

MON 30 NOV

Russian Connections – Joy and James LisneyHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £12.50 – £24.50 | Savers £9.50

Stravinsky (arr. with piatigorsky) Suite italienne for cello and pianoBritten Cello Suite No. 3, Op. 87Tchaikovsky Valse sentimentale from Six Pieces, Op. 51Tchaikovsky (arr. piatigorsky) None But the Lonely HeartRachmaninov Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 19Joy Lisney celloJames Lisney pianoThe wealth – and infl uence – of the Russian cello tradition is explored by exciting rising star Joy Lisney and her distinguished father James. Stravinsky’s Pulcinella-inspired showpiece Suite italienne and Rachmaninov’s ravishingly lyrical sonata frame salon pieces by Tchaikovsky and Britten’s mystical solo suite, written for Rostropovich and drawing upon Russian folk song and the Kontakion.

SAT 28 NOV MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

Endymion & EXAUdIpärt: Music for MeditationHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Arvo pärt Fratres for string quartet(1977/89)Ein Wallfahrtslied (Pilgrim’s Song) for tenor and string quartet(1984; rev. 1996)Summa for string quartet (1977/1991)Stabat Mater for soprano, alto, tenor & string trio (1985)EXAUdIEndymion

Arvo Pärt’s Minimalism is rooted in a religious mysticism, with infl uences of Eastern Orthodox chant. It differs then from the pulsing, fast-paced American minimalism of Glass, Reich and Adams; instead, it presents an opportunity for refl ection, meditation and even prayer. Endymion and EXAUDI’s concert features two of Pärt’s best-known instrumental works, Fratres and Summa, as well as the beautiful Stabat Mater.Sun 29 Nov: NONCLASSICAL See Contemporary listings p.37.

SUN 29 NOV Ldn cHaMBer MUsIc serIes

Cambridge University Chamber Orchestradirected by Howard ShelleyHall One 6.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50 LCMS Friends discount applies

Mozart Symphony No. 35 in D, K385 HaffnerBeethoven Piano Concerto No. 2 in B fl at, Op. 19Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 in A, Op. 90 Italian

This talented young orchestra’s last appearance in 2012 was a resounding success. For this concert, award-winning pianist Howard Shelley directs them in three giants of the classical repertoire, Mozart’s popular Haffner Symphony, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Mendelssohn’s wonderfully exuberant Fourth Symphony, composed following his tour of Italy in 1830.

FRI 27 NOV MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

Aurora OrchestraVisions – Tavener, pärt & AdamsHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £34.50 | Savers £9.50

Tavener The Protecting Veil for solo cello and strings (1988)John Adams Shaker Loops for string orchestra (1978)Arvo pärt Spiegel im Spiegel for violin and piano (1978)Leonard Elschenbroich celloThomas Gould violinJohn Reid pianoAurora OrchestraNicholas Collon conductorAurora glimpses visions through three great works of the Minimalist canon, each inspired by the search for the divine. Tavener’s The Protecting Veil is a powerfully affecting work that stands as one of the most cherished pieces of late 20th-century music. Adams’s Shaker Loops plays with patterns using fragments from his string quartet Wavemaker, while Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel offers a stiller, simpler language of rapture.

Thomas Gould (27 Nov)

4 OCT Wihan Quartet 11 OCT Fidelio Trio 18 OCT R Wall� sch & J York 25 OCT PLG Young Artists Concert 1 NOV A� ara Quartet 8 NOV Chilingirian Quartet 15 NOV Rosamunde Trio 22 NOV Fine Arts Quartet 29 NOV Cambridge Uni. Ch. Orch.

SUNDAYS, 6.30 PM | HALL ONE

The LCMS promotes weekly Sunday concerts in Hall One. It's been resident at Kings Place since the venue opened in 2008, and can trace its origins to Victorian Sunday-evening concerts in London in the 1870s.

The 2015–16 LCMS season will start on Sunday 4 October with Wihan Quartet.

35Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk

LIFeM, London International Festival of exploratory Music, has a Minimalist theme

this year, featuring key figures in the contemporary scene, including the

one-of-a-kind wim Mertens

Sound inventor, chronicler of an era, elusive cultural guru with the voice of a child? There’s just no one quite like Belgian artist Wim Mertens. As a radio producer he was one of the fi rst in Europe to work with Glass, Reich and Riley, and he wrote the seminal reference work, American Minimal Music. But he’s also a composer and performer, a multi-instrumentalist and a singer, with a distinctive, high falsetto voice, whose albums range from collections of tiny pop songs and beguiling acoustic guitar meditations to fi lm soundtracks (he wrote the score for Peter Greenaway’s Belly of an Architect) and long-form cycles with huge ensembles. Ryuichi Sakamoto was at his fi rst concert: enough said.

His albums Struggle for Pleasure and Maximising the Audience have global cult status, but remain uncategorisable. Perhaps it’s down to his unconventional view of the relationship between voice and instruments: he’s never seen the latter in an accompanying role. ‘I’ve never wanted to “place” my voice,’ he said in a recent interview. ‘My voice should have a risky, unstable quality: for me the voice is the stranger in our midst. In concert I never know when I will sing, it should be the disturbing element.’

He has contributed a peculiarly Romantic and very personal voice to the Minimalist scene, while being a cultural fi gure of considerable infl uence, receiving many civic and national commissions. ‘I can only compose in a horizontal way, it’s a non-authoritarian way of creating, a line followed, moving away from vertical, masculine structure to a feminine way.’

Like other contributors to LIFEM this year, including Greg Haines with his mesmerising music meditations, the subversive Sylvain Chauveau and pianist-composer Bruno Sanfi lippo, he’s found inspiration in contemporary pop throughout his career. ‘Every new generation fi nds its singers, its voices, who represent their own eras – we see this so interestingly in popular music. It has to be a non-academic way of singing, the voice is not an instrument, it’s an expressive force. That’s why I’m against the classically trained voice because that remains trapped in time.’

‘The voice should be the stranger, the disturbing element, it’s not an instrument, it’s an expressive force’

Don’t miss this rare chance to hear Mertens and his ensemble as they present their latest album, Charaktersketch: just one event in a glittering line-up for those seeking the outer reaches of Minimalism and electronica today.

Maximising Mertens

lifem 2015, 5–8 nov 2015

thu 5 novWim MertensHall One, 7.30pm

fri 6 novSylvain ChauveauHall One, 7.30pm

sat 7 novBruno Sanfi lippoHall One, 7.30pm

sun 8 novGreg HainesHall One, 7.30pm

See listings for full details

conteMporarY

36 Sep — Nov 2015TITLE36 Sep — Nov 2015CONTEMpORARY

have thrown me and blood I have spilled’ was nominated for Best Scottish Album last year.

Another artist much admired by Hubbert is the pop-noir Polish collagist, Ela Orleans, whose latest project Lost resembles a short histoire de l’amour, complete with instrumental soundscapes between her narrative lyrics.Don’t miss Hubbert himself in Hall Two on Friday night. His 2013 album Breaks Bone (the name of his dog) has been described as ‘the sound of a man swimming the seas of despair with guitar as his lifejacket, melody his buoy.’

fri 18 sepRM Hubbert & FriendsSee listings for full details

If you’ve never seen RM Hubbert play the guitar, you should. The Glaswegian Big Man, ex-El Hombre Trajeado frontman, hefty forearms twined with roses, weaves a mind-bogglingly intricate skein of song. He’s a musician of acerbic wit, captivating stories and utter self-suffi ciency, having taught himself an own-brand form of fl amenco guitar while in mourning for his parents: his old friend Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand put it best: ‘He always held [the guitar] more like a shovel than an instrument, disguising what his fi ngers were really up to. God knows how long he spent learning that technique. Only Hubby plays guitar like that, communicating things that could never be talked about.’

The prospect of RM Hubbert/The Local curating a multi-platform night of music with friends is enticing: they don’t come much better connected. In the early 1990s he was gigging at the Kazoo Club, with the likes of Kapranos, and Aidan Moffat of Arab Strap and Stevie Jones, who played with Hubbert in El Hombre Trajeado, and a host of other Glaswegian musical luminaries. There’ll be a festival buzz in Hall One and Hall Two on Friday night with no fewer than fi ve interlocking acts, including Grumbling Fur (‘mind-expanding psychedelia and pure, life-affi rming pop’), English fi nger-style guitarist James Blackshaw, and Kathryn Jones, whose starkly cinematic album ‘bones you

outsiders Lost & Found

RM Hubbert

‘Only Hubby plays guitar like that, communicating things that could never be talked about’

37Book tickets 020 7520 1490

SAT 26 SEp

John Metcalfe LiveHall Two 8pmOnline Rates £12.50 | Savers £9.50

John Metcalfe viola, violin, guitar, piano & electronics – joined by: daisy palmer drums (Rae Morris, Birdy), Ali Friend bass (Red Snapper, Imagined Village)Tom Cawley piano(Curios, Peter Gabriel), Louisa Fuller violin (Max Richter Ensemble), Will Schofi eld cello (Emperor Quartet) Rosie doonan vocals (Birdy, Peter Gabriel)Backed by a line-up of musicians from the worlds of post-classical, electronica, pop and jazz, the multi-talented John Metcalfe presents his new album, The Appearance of Colour, described as ‘music of big contrasts but sonically unifi ed … to create an intense emotional arc’. Metcalfe is a composer, producer, classical violist and guitarist, and these pieces contain moments of affecting solo piano, elements of drum and bass, and of chamber music.‘Staggeringly beautiful’ BBC 6 Music

FRI 18 SEp

RM Hubbert & FriendsEla Orleans + Grumbling Fur + James Blackshaw & RM Hubbert + kathryn JosephHall One & Hall Two 7.30pmEvening Pass £24.50

James Blackshaw 7.30–8.00pm (Hall One)kathryn Joseph 8.10–8.40pm (Hall Two)Grumbling Fur 8.50–9.20pm (Hall One)RM Hubbert 9.30–10.10pm (Hall Two)Ela Orleans 10.20–11.00pm (Hall One) Tickets that cover only Hall One or Hall Two shows are also available for £14.50 and £12.50 respectively. The concert bar will be open all night, and in between the acts, The Quietus DJs will be providing music in the Concert Level Foyer on –2.

RM Hubbert and The Local present a night of shows featuring the fi nest in alt/outsider music, from the mind-expanding psychedelia and pure, life-affi rming pop music of the Grumbling Furs to the melancholy harmonies of Glasgow singer/sound artist Ela Orleans. Hubbert brings his own post-punk Flamenco to the festival, and picks some of his favourite artists: James Blackshaw, whose dexterity on a 12-string guitar has earnt him comparisons with Bert Jansch, and Kathryn Joseph, whose other-worldly voice evokes a stark, cinematic journey through the Scottish landscape. Her bones you have thrown me and blood I’ve spilled has just won Scottish Album of the Year.

FRI 25 SEp MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

FitkinWallLost Hall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Graham Fitkin Lost (London premiere)Using the extraordinary combination of two harps, Moog, red box and autoharp, FitkinWall – harpist Ruth Wall and pianist-composer Graham Fitkin –perform their new work Lost. Based on music originally written for aerial theatre company Ockham’s Razor, this expanded concert version has been prepared by Fitkin for this evening’s performance.

SUN 27 SEp MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

CHROMA EnsembleMinimalist Masterworks with accordionHall Two 4pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50

Michael Nyman CHROMA commission (world premiere)Gavin Bryars Epilogue from Wonderlawn (1994)Wojciech kilar Orawa (1986)+ works by Nyman, Philip Glass & Joby TalbotNot many chamber ensembles can boast an accordionist, but CHROMA’s Ian Watson is on a mission to demonstrate what an amazing, surprising and versatile instrument the modern accordion is. He curates this programme from an accordionist’s point of view, adding Christian Forshaw on saxophone/clarinet, Elena Hull on bass and Steve Gibson on percussion, bringing a fresh performance perspective to Minimalist masterworks.See also Classical listings (p21), for moreMinimalism Unwrapped concerts.

SUN 11 & 18 OCT

OperaUpClose: Ulla’s OdysseyHall Two 4pm (11 Oct), 2pm (18 Oct, 15 Nov & 22 Nov) Online Rates £19.50 Adult, £12 Under-14 £36 Family of 3 (1 adult), £54 Family 4 (2 adults) £35 Opera Champion | Savers £9.50Big Day Out Tickets (incl. entrance to a two-hour workshop at the House of Illustration, access to their current exhibition, a lunch voucher and a ticket for Ulla’s Odyssey)£34.50 Adult | £24 Under-14

Olivier Award-winning OperaUpClose make their début at Kings Place with the world premiere of a fun, feisty, family-friendly show, Ulla’s Odyssey. 16-year-old Ulla wants to be the youngest person to sail the world single-handed but there are obstacles on her journey, including mythical creatures. Inspired by Homer, the story is told with the help of live music and puppetry.

FitkinWall (25 Sep)

conteMporarY

38 Sep — Nov 2015

appeals to music afi cionados and mainstream listeners alike. He writes in many genres, from short, accessible songs to complex cycles, from piano solos to works for chamber music ensembles and symphony orchestras. His new studio album, Charaktersketch, was released in April 2015.

FRI 6 NOV LIFeM 2015

MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

Sylvain ChauveauHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £12.50 – £24.50 | Savers £9.50

You’ll fi nd Sylvain Chauveau’s minimal compositions for acoustic instruments, electronics and vocals on labels such as FatCat. He also runs Onement, whose aim is to release one-copy vinyl records, and I Will Play This Song Once Again Records, where musicians have to re-record their songs for each buyer. His work You Will Leave No Mark on the Winter Snow lasts seven years, including long silences.

SUN 25 OCT MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

Mikhail karikis & Juice Vocal Ensemble102 Years Out of SynchHall Two 4pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50

programme to include:Video interview with La Monte YoungScelsi Sauh I & II for two femalevoices (1973)Mikhail karikis 102 Years out of Synch+ an Indian Raga and works by Meredith Monk, Claudia Molitor and other contemporary composersThe evening will shine a different light onto Minimalism: revisiting the music that American ‘fathers’ of the movement listened to; showcasing more recent works; giving a brief glimpse into the movement’s connections with Indian music and presenting feminist perspectives on Minimalism. Performers include composer Claudia Molitor, audio-visual artist Mikhail Karikis and the versatile Juice Vocal Ensemble.

MON 26 OCT

pictures of Life ConcertA musical pageant for our timesHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £19.50 – £39.50 | Savers £9.50

Music and Lyrics by Lionel Oscar SegalOverture: The BeginningAct One: Pictures of LifeAct Two: Save Our WorldAct Three: Tomorrow’s Child

The Ascolta ChoirRodney Clarke baritoneEloise Irving sopranoRichard Wiegold bass pictures of Life Orchestra and Barbershop Quartetpeter Broadbent conductorPictures of Life is a unique and exhilarating choral work for all ages by acclaimed composer Lionel Oscar Segal, celebrating our wonderful but threatened world, and the power of the human spirit to bring about positive change. The concert supports 21st Century Tiger, a wild tiger conservation initiative run by the Zoological Society of London and Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation.

SUN 1 NOV

Ultimate Genesis Los EndosHall Two 7.30pmOnline Rates £22

‘We want to create for you the majestic sound, the fabulous musicianship, the exciting theatre of a Genesis gig from the classic era of Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett’, declare Los Endos. In Ultimate Genesis, a tribute to the classic Seventies prog rock band, they play hits from the early days to the era when Phil Collins took ce ntre stage.

THU 5 NOV LIFeM 2015

MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

Wim MertensHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Wim Mertens is a Flemish Minimalist classical composer whose style employs mesmerising techniques with a sense of the romantic that

5–8 NOV

MInIMaLIsM UnwrappedLIFeM 2015 (London International Festival of exploratory Music)

Minimalism. Ambient. Modern Classical. Post-Classical. Experimental. Soundtrack. Piano. With boundary-expanding music explorations guaranteed, LIFEM is one of the most challenging festivals of the moment. This year’s event kicks off with the much-anticipated return of acclaimed Flemish composer and pianist Wim Mertens, whose last UK appearance was a sell-out show fi ve years ago at Kings Place. Bruno Sanfi lippo, Sylvain Chauveau and Greg Haines complete the line-up.www.kingsplace.co.uk/lifem2015

Sylvain Chauveau (6 Nov)

CONTEMpORARY

39Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk

SUN 22 NOV

OperaUpClose: 2015 Flourish Final ShowcaseHall Two 7pm Online Rates £9.50

A public performance of extracts from the fi ve fi nalists in OperaUpClose’s new opera-writing competition, Flourish. Now in its fourth year, Flourish provides a platform for emerging and established composers and librettists, and to raise awareness of the wealth of contemporary opera being written today. At the fi rst stage of the competition, the judges will be unaware of the identities of librettists or composers. The fi ve short-listed operas will then have extracts performed at this event, to members of the public and a panel of industry judges, who select the winning opera on the night. It will then be professionally produced by OperaUpClose in Autumn 2016, giving its creators a year to develop the piece into a full-length production. Last year’s winner, Ulla’s Odyssey is staged at Kings Place this season (see pp 8–10 & 24), followed by a UK tour in 2016.See listing for Sunday 11 October.

SUN 29 NOV MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

NonclassicalThe Rise of the MachinesHall Two 4pmOnline Rates £14.50 Savers £9.50

programme to include:Music by Raymond Scott and Brian Eno, Leon Michener’s klavikon project + Nonclassical DJs playing minimal electronic works during the interval and after the concertklavikon (Leon Michener) prepared pianoNonclassical Synth EnsembleNonclassical dJs

Nonclassical bring their alternative mid-week session, where contemporary classical meets underground club culture, to Kings Place. Nonclassical Synth Ensemble explore the minimal electronic works of Raymond Scott, a pioneering and prolifi c composer and engineer, and perform a live synthesiser arrangement of Brian Eno’s classical music from the 1970s. Also performing is Klavikon, aka pianist Leon Michener’s, with his unique system of amplifi ed prepared piano.

conteMporarY

SAT 7 NOV LIFeM 2015

MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

Bruno Sanfi lippoHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £12.50 – £24.50 Savers £9.50

Classically trained artist Bruno Sanfi lippo alternates between the exploration of Minimalist piano concepts, and contemporary hybrids of acoustic and electronic music. Sanfi lippo has made soundtracks for feature fi lms, appeared in concert and at multimedia events, performing improvisations on solo piano, or with strings, electronics/laptop. He has collaborated on numerous projects with such noted artists as Mathias Grassow, Max Corbacho, Marsen Jules and Alio Die.

SUN 8 NOV LIFeM 2015

MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

Greg HainesHall Two 7.30pmOnline Rates £12.50 Savers £9.50

British-born and Berlin-based composer Greg Haines has carved out an intensely beautiful corner in the musical world. He has surprised music lovers around the globe with his overtly personal approach to creating and performing patient, contemplative music, the style of which has been compared to Arvo Pärt, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Deathprod, Gavin Bryars and many more in the area of contemporary classical and electro-acoustic music.

SUN 15 & 22 NOV

OperaUpClose: Ulla’s OdysseyHall Two 2pm Online Rates £19.50 Adult, £12 Under-14 £35 Opera Champion* | Savers £9.50Family and Big Day Out tickets available.

Olivier Award-winning OperaUpClose return to Kings Place with the fun, feisty, family-friendly Ulla’s Odyssey. See listing for Sunday 11 October.

John Metcalfe (26 Nov)

Greg Haines (8 Nov)

40 Sep — Nov 2015TITLE40 Sep — Nov 2015FOLk

Kings place features on ricky ross’s intimate UK tour, which will see him performing songs from his 30-year career.

Those of us of a certain age can remember with teenage intensity the time Deacon Blue’s gutsy debut Raintown topped the charts. That was 1987. Then there was the fast-driving glitter of ‘Real Gone Kid’ from the fi zzingly feel-good When the World Knows Your Name.

It hardly seems possible that Scotsman Ricky Ross has been song-writing for 30 years. Last year came A New House, fi red by the same high-octane energy and touching, evocative lyrics. Perhaps one of the secrets of Deacon Blue’s longevity, aside from a string of great songs, has been the vocal combination of Ross and his wife, Lorraine McIntosh: he’s sincere, gutsy, articulate; she’s wild, soulful, fl aming,

enlarging the whole emotional compass of each song (beautifully caught in their duo album The Great Lakes).

After 12 Top 40 singles and two No. 1 albums the group split up for fi ve years, during which time Ross built up his solo career and worked with artists like Nanci Griffi th, James Blunt and Jamie Cullum. Their reunion was sealed with Walking Back Home (1999) and a decade of live shows. A New House is a richly poetic album about renewal and memory. Its songs display DB’s inimitable blend of folk ballad and guitar-jangling pop song, eloquent protest and pure poetry; there’s even a rock-serenade to the Scottish-born Californian conservationist John Muir. ‘I’ve been thinking a lot about nature –

its pervasiveness, relentlessness and energy,’ said Ross in a recent interview for The Herald. You could apply those same words to his music, which has acquired a more penetrating, bass pungency, a result of working with producer Paul Savage at Chem19 studios. Check out the sweetly yearning ‘I wish I was a girl like you’ for a taste of Ross’s current form, and catch the intimate side of the band on their poignant cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Forever Young’ in a BBC Radio 2 studio on YouTube: it’s time for the next generation to discover such timeless talent.

wed 18 nov The Lyric Book Live Tour: Ricky RossHall One, 8pm

‘Ross is sincere, gutsy, articulate, againstLorraine’s wild soulfulness’

deacon Blue and Beyond

41Book tickets 020 7520 1490 FoLK

THU 24 SEp aLBUM LaUncH

Jim CausleyForgotten kingdomHall Two 8pmOnline Rates £12.50 | Savers £9.50

Singer/accordionist Causley is passionate about traditional song, particularly that of his native Devon. Nominated for BBC R2 Folk Awards, he has recorded with Waterson:Carthy and toured extensively. Forgotten Kingdom is Jim’s fi rst album of self-penned material: expect re-workings of traditional tales and new songs from the West Country.

FRI 25 SEp

kris drever & Ian CarrHall Two 8pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50

Kris Drever (Lau) and Ian Carr are two of the fi nest acoustic guitarists in the world. Touring as a duo for the fi rst time, they have collaborated in line-ups including Kate Rusby and Eddi Reader. Hear live material from Carr’s acclaimed 2015 album Who He? (Reveal Records) alongside much-loved tunes by Drever.

THU 1 OCT

The Furrow Collective Hall Two 8pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50

Rachel Newton, Lucy Farrell, Emily portman & Alasdair Roberts voices, guitar, harp, viola, concertina, saw & banjoFour award-winning musicians form this talented collective, which takes the audience into the dark and quirky world of traditional balladry. Each singer delivers little-known gems, with an eclectic backing including harp, banjo, or musical saw. Storytelling takes centre-stage as they capture the raw edges and fl eeting magic of ballads with their bold delivery.

FRI 2 OCT

The Watershed Band phillip Henry & Hannah MartinHall Two 8pmOnline Rates £12.50 | Savers £9.50

Winners of the 2014 BBC R2 Folk Award for Best Duo, Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin have chosen an extended line-up for their new album, Watershed, which they play live. With Mat t Downer (bass) and James Taylor (percussion, vibraphone), it’s a collaboration that takes the duo’s soulful sound and rhythmic drive to the next level.

FRI 23 OCT

Breaking Trad + Seven GlensHall Two 8pmOnline Rates £13.50 – £15.50 | Savers £9.50

Powerhouse tra ditional Irish band, Breaking Trad, features multi award-winning musicians; Dónal Murphy (accordion), Niall Murphy (fi ddle) and multi-instrumentalist, Mike Galvin. Band members have toured with Cara Dillon, De Dannan and Michael Flatley. Tonight they will be joined by ‘bodhrán king’, Gino Lupari (Four Men and a Dog) and supported by young Kerry band, Seven Glens.

FRI 30 OCT

Coope Boyes & SimpsonIn Flanders FieldsHall Two 8pmOnline Rates £13.50 | Savers £9.50

The more we learn about war, the more important it becomes to sing about peace. In Flanders Fields is the culmination of this a cappella trio’s involvement in Peace Concerts Passchendaele and work with novelist Michael Morpurgo on Private Peaceful. Their heartfelt songs, written in response to stories of World War One, are the result of research and personal history.

THU 5 NOV

April Verch BandHall Two 8pmOnline Rates £12.50 | Savers £9.50

April Verch has built her reputation as an exuberant stepdancer, fi ddle master and silver-voiced singer. On this new release, Verch and her fellow trio members (guitarist Hayes Griffi n and

banjo/bassist Cody Walters) hark back to vaudeville and beyond, highlighting the simple pleasures of upright bass, guitar, clawhammer banjo, mandolin, voices, fi ddle and stepping in intimate conversation.

FRI 6 NOV

Mairearad and AnnaHall Two 8pmOnline Rates £12.50 | Savers £9.50

Two of Scotland’s most revered multi-instrumentalists, Mairearad Green (accordion and bagpipes) and Anna Massie (guitar, banjo, fi ddle) revel in an intuitive approach to each other’s musical ideas and interpretations, and an ‘almost telepathic communication’ on stage (Hi-Arts). Their album The Doubling has at its heart their live sets, intricately arranged and enhancing their ‘must-see’ reputation.

WEd 18 NOV

Ricky RossThe Lyric Book Live – Uk TourHall One 8pmOnline Rates £29.50 | Savers £9.50

The songwriting talents of Deacon Blue founder Ricky Ross are showcased in an unforgettable evening, in which he performs songs spanning his 30 years with and without the band. It’s 28 years since DB released their debut album, Raintown, following it with a string of best-sellers: re-formed, they produced brave new album A New House in 2014.

FRI 20 NOV

LynchedHall Two 8pmOnline Rates £12.50 | Savers £9.50

Lynched are a four-piece traditional folk group from Dublin who combine distinctive four-part vocal harmonies with arrangements of Uilleann pipes, Russian accordion, concertina, fi ddle and guitar. Their repertoire spans humorous Dublin music-hall ditties and street-songs, classic ballads from the Traveller tradition, classic Irish and American dance tunes, and their own original material.

42 Sep — Nov 2015JAZZ

Forces of nature

The musical infl uence of nature is something that Brooklyn-based jazz pianist Aaron Parks, 31, has felt from an early age. ‘As a child, whenever there was a thunderstorm I would rush over and start trying to copy the sounds that the storm was making on the piano,’ he says. ‘I’d play thunder in the low register with lightning and all sorts of fl ashes above.’ Fast-forward to adulthood and the title of his landmark 2013 solo album, Arborescence, recorded on the ECM label, alludes to a sense of natural growth as the pieces evolve with a life of their own.

This autumn, Parks is bringing his Trio – which has been together for around two and a half years – to Kings Place as part of a UK tour. It features Parks on piano, alongside New York bassist Ben Street and one of jazz’s own forces of nature, the legendary drummer Billy Hart. Now 74, Hart has played with a pantheon of jazz greats, including Herbie Hancock, Wes Montgomery and Joe Zawinul, as well as soul legends like Otis Redding. But it’s perhaps his association with Miles Davis, featuring on seminal recordings like Tutu, that will set jazz pulses racing.

So, are there any recollections of those years? ‘You defi nitely hear some stories from Billy after a gig,’ admits Parks. ‘And probably some of them shouldn’t be printed,’ he laughs. ‘Billy Hart is a master drummer and such a youthful and energetic guy, he’s right there in the moment. I’ve loved his drumming for a long time: it’s powerfully expressive and he plays tunes as if he’s discovering them for the fi rst time.’

Although based in New York, playing at clubs like Smalls and Mezzrow, Parks enjoys the contrast of Europe’s jazz scene. He has toured regularly with various bands, notably James Farm (with saxophonist Joshua Redman). He recently took part in a two-month residency in Copenhagen. ‘I love a lot of that scene: some pockets tend towards the avant-garde and are always looking for new means of expression.’ He has also made a discovery. ‘Everybody who is doing these things also likes straight-ahead swinging music. They realise it’s not old, it’s just part of the same [musical] tree.’

‘Billy Hart is a master drummer and, at 74, such a youthful, energetic guy’

And it’s this open-minded awareness of musical roots that runs through his own work with the Trio. ‘I foresee it being an acoustic piano trio but that could change,’ he says. ‘I might be playing bebop tunes, or Ornette Coleman, or a song that Sinatra sang. And I defi nitely have a soft spot for lyrical songs from the American Songbooks. But, who knows, there might even be a cover of ‘Surf’s Up’ by the Beach Boys.’ With some of the repertoire still unwritten, the element of surprise will be well worth the wait.

wed 7 oCtAaron parks TrioHall Two, 8pm

Young american pianist aaron parks has put together a trio that spans the jazz

generations, as neil McKim discovered.

Aaron parks

43Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk

seismic shifts through the medium of electric trumpet. As part of Match&Fuse, they team up with the Belgian LABtrio, mixing jazz, improvisation and electronic music. Each will perform a set of their original music, followed by the ‘fused’ ensemble of all seven musicians on stage.

SAT 14 NOV eFG London jazz FestIVaL

Stéphane kereckiNouvelle Vague Hall Two 2pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50

This much-admired French bassist/composer brings to the Festival the project that won him a prestigious ADAMI Award: Nouvelle Vague. Inspired by French New Wave cinema, and accompanied by stunning visual images, the music features the freewheeling piano solos of John Taylor, one of Europe’s fi nest.

eFG London jazz FestIVaL

Jazz for ToddlersSt Pancras Room 2pm | Lasts approx. 50'Online Rates £4.50 children; £6.50 adults

Enjoy music and moves in a jazz groove in this workshop with clarinettist Arun Ghosh. Fun for the little ones and accompanying big ones, with ideas to take away and try at home. Suitable for children aged 2 to 5 and their parents/carers.

43jazz

WEd 7 OCT

Aaron parks TrioHall Two 8pmOnline Rates £12.50 | Savers £9.50

Dynamic and original young US jazz pianist Aaron Parks brings his multi-generational line-up to Kings Place, matching talent and experience in equal measure. He’s joined by two ECM label-mates: the redoubtable Ben Street, everyone’s choice of bassist (Paul Motian, Clark Terry, Danilo Pérez), and drummer Billy Hart, who’s worked with such greats as Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock.

FRI 16 OCT aLBUM LaUncH

paul Booth patchwork projectfeaturing Jacqui dankworthHall Two 8pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50

Saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Paul Booth presents music from his new album, Patchwork Project. Taking infl uences from multiple genres including Jazz, Brazilian, Afro-Peruvian, Indian, Reggae and Celtic, Booth has found a unique way of seamlessly blending these styles. The evening will feature his regular band members Giorgio Serci (guitars), Davide Mantovani (bass), Satin Singh (percussion) and Andrew Bain (drums) along with the Covent Garden Consort string quartet, trumpet virtuoso Ryan Quigley, double bassist Michael Janisch, and celebrated jazz vocalist Jacqui Dankworth.

FRI 13 NOV eFG London jazz FestIVaL

MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

Nik Bärtsch plays Nik BärtschHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

With his zen-funk quartet Ronin and the musical ritual group Mobile, Swiss pianist, composer and producer Nik Bärtsch has created a highly individual form that fuses jazz, funk and minimal music. He returns for a special residency for the EFG London Jazz Festival, which will include collaborations with British artists, workshops and discussion.

eFG London jazz FestIVaL

Laura Jurd – dINOSAUR + LABtrio Hall Two 8pmOnline Rates £12.50 | Savers £9.50

Formerly known as the Laura Jurd Quartet, DINOSAUR is ready to create

13–21 NOV

eFG London jazz FestIVaL

One of the UK’s landmark musical celebrations, the EFG London Jazz Festival has long been acclaimed for delivering a mixture of world-class artists and emerging stars. This year’s residency goes to Swiss pianist-composer Nik Bärtsch who returns with his quartet Ronin and the extended line-up of his group, Mobile. The eminent British saxophonist Andy Sheppard and his quartet present their new ECM album whilst the Nordic contingency comes in the form of young Norwegian tubaist Daniel Herskedal and his compatriot master-bassist Arild Andersen. Also featured are trumpeter Laura Jurd and her quartet teaming up with the Belgian LABtrio, French bassist Stéphane Kerecki and the talented Albanian vocalist Elina Duni. A real treat for all.

kingsplace.co.uk/ljf

Jacqui dankworth (16 Oct)

Nik Bärtsch (13 & 14 Nov)

44 Sep — Nov 2015JAZZ

SAT 21 NOV eFG London jazz FestIVaL

Arild AndersenHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

Master bassist Arild Andersen brings a brand-new group of exciting soloists from the Norwegian scene to play the music of the legendary Charles Mingus. Andersen is celebrating not only his 70th birthday, but a seminal concert given by Mingus in Oslo in 1964, a performance that resonated deeply as the young Andersen was beginning his own journey to become a giant of European jazz. The music of a jazz icon, revisited with vigour and energy by a powerhouse sextet.

eFG London jazz FestIVaL

Elina duni dallëndysheHall Two 9.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50

An exceptional musical storyteller returns to the Festival, with the haunting, intense music from her second ECM album. Once again exploring the traditional music of her native Albania, Duni probes themes of love and exile with her long-established band in an organic fusion of modal jazz and folk music. They’re joined by her ECM label-mate, pianist Colin Vallon.

THU 19 NOV eFG London jazz FestIVaL

david Virelles QuartetHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

An intriguing new talent on the international jazz scene, pianist David Virelles made a spellbinding statement with his debut recording for ECM, Mboko. In this concert, hear how he transforms Afro-Cuban sacred and ritual themes in a musical impulse that is simultaneously ancient and modern, communal and personal and meditative and propulsive.

FRI 20 NOV eFG London jazz FestIVaL

Andy SheppardSurrounded by SeaHall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

The elegantly poised textures of saxophonist Andy Sheppard’s new quartet – given a haunting, other-worldly presence by the electronic soundscapes of guitarist Eivind Aarset – mark a striking new direction for this most lyrically gifted of improvisers. With Michel Benita on bass and Sebastian Rochford on drums, the quartet’s new ECM album, Surrounded by Sea, is ‘a career-defi ning moment for Sheppard.’

eFG London jazz FestIVaL

MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

Nik Bärtsch’s Mobile Extended Hall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 – £29.50 | Savers £9.50

This is the UK debut of Mobile Extended, Bärtsch’s new group which includes an acoustic string quintet, and combines ingredients of funk, new classical music and Japanese ritual music. The original Mobile’s debut CD,Ritual Groove Music, distils the musical concept of a composer, performer and creative animateur who is emerging as a major force in contemporary European music.

eFG London jazz FestIVaL

daniel HerskedalHall Two 7.30pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50

Cast aside all preconceptions of what the tuba should sound like and check out Daniel Herskedal. The Norwegian virtuoso is one of the most remarkable instrumentalists to emerge in recent years – and a talented composer too. He brings a terrifi c new band to the Festival, performing the music from his new Edition CD.‘Nothing short of a miracle’ Jazzenzo

Andy Sheppard (20 Nov)

daniel Herskedal (14 Nov)

45Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk cLassIcaL 45Book tickets 020 7520 1490

The Equator Festival, launched in 2007, brings together women artists from all over the world across a huge range of genres. Composer-performer Priti Paintal, who has pioneered cross-cultural creativity with her own ensemble, ShivaNova, aims to re-balance our male-dominated view of different music traditions:

‘This series is about profi ling women’s music from different cultures and countries and putting it in a contemporary context. It was a natural progression from our GOGO (Girls Only Global Orchestra) project set up in 2000 where we brought together girls from a variety of backgrounds and traditions to create and perform music.’

‘Every year we aim to throw the spotlight on a different set of countries – so this time it is Turkey, Bulgaria, India and Argentina, plus a whole host of women composers from the UK. Also this year we are featuring dance – in many cultures music and dance are intricately bound together.

‘I’m delighted to be presenting Hannah Marcinowicz – her saxophone playing is exquisite! And the singer Olcay Bayir, whose voice transports you to the sunny south Mediterranean with her Anatolian love songs. Look out, too, for the ever-popular London Bulgarian Choir, the London Tango Trio and the performance of Indian Kuchipudi from Shallu Jindal. Kuchipudi is a dance form that is still relatively unknown in the UK, so not to be missed.’

An important part of this Equator Festival will be theBritish Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors(BASCA) event, involving a debate about the role andprofi le of women composers and a showcase of newmusic by six female composers. This is followed in the

evening by a concert of ShivaNova-commissioned works by women for saxophone, Indian and western fl utes and Indian percussion: ‘We have a record of commissioning women composers living here and giving young women musicians a platform for performances.’

sat 17 oCt & sat 24 oCtEquator Festival: Women of the World See listings for full details

equality on the equator

priti paintal, driving force behind the world music ensemble shivanova and director of

the equator Festival, reveals her choice of women of the world.

Shallu Jindal

worLd

46 Sep — Nov 2015WORLd

SAT 24 OCT eQUator FestIVaL

woMen oF tHe worLd

BASCA Concertwith female composers & panel discussionHall Two 2.30pmOnline Rates £16.50 | Savers £9.50

The British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) stages a showcase for six of its fi nest representatives from the world of jazz, world and classical music, following what’s sure to be a lively debate around the role and profi le of female composers. BASCA is the voice for contemporary music writers today, with 2,000 members across the UK.

eQUator FestIVaLwoMen oF tHe worLd

ShivaNova feat. Sound and Music’s Young Women Composers and Shallu JindalHall Two 6pmOnline Rates £18.50 | Savers £9.50

ShivaNova – the cross-cultural ensemble – in partnership with Sound and Music’s Summer School asked a range of women composers to write short pieces for Jean Toussaint (saxophonist), Alex Housego (Indian and Western fl utes) and Indian percussion: this concert will feature world premieres from these bright young stars. Also appearing is Shallu Jindal, bringing dance from the graceful, dramatic Kuchipudi tradition.

eQUator FestIVaLwoMen oF tHe worLd

London Tango Triowith danceHall Two 9.30pmOnline Rates £16.50 | Savers £9.50

The all-woman trio, led by violinist Caroline Pearsall from the London Tango Orchestra, explores the many moods of tango, from the nostalgic 1920s through to today’s gritty, urban stories. Featuring Eve Cupial on bandoneon and Debora Russ (voice), the programme includes Piazzolla, Gardel favourites like ‘Por una cabeza’ and tangos fused with Balkan and contemporary classical infl uences.

perform a spine-tingling repertoire of folk songs, from pastoral tales to stories of love and revenge, in traditional and contemporary arrangements. Sung in a complex and unique vocal style, featuring dissonant harmonies, compelling rhythms and exuberant trills and hiccups, this choir’s heartfelt performances can move audiences to tears.

eQUator FestIVaLwoMen oF tHe worLd

Olcay BayirHall Two 9.30pmOnline Rates £16.50 | Savers £9.50

Inspired by the meeting of Asian and Mediterranean musical traditions, the songs of Olcay Bayir are steeped in stories of love and mystery from her native Anatolia. A composer and songwriter, Olcay is a classically trained soprano with a unique, velvety voice. On her stunning debut album, Neva/Harmony, her Western training collides perfectly with her rich musical heritage.

SAT 17 OCT eQUator FestIVaL

woMen oF tHe worLd

Screen and SaxHall Two 5pmOnline Rates £16.50 | Savers £9.50

A chance to hear great screen soundtracks interpreted by superb young saxophonist Hannah Marcinowicz. She gives the world premiere of a commission by Emmy-winning and BAFTA-nominated Spooks composer, Jennie Muskett, and plays music from the riveting BBC series Wolf Hall, specially arranged for her by its composer – legendary fi lm & television writer Debbie Wiseman – as well as pieces by Rachmaninov and Bach.

eQUator FestIVaLwoMen oF tHe worLd

London Bulgarian ChoirHall Two 7pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50

The award-winning London Bulgarian Choir, led by Dessislava Stefanova,

Olcay Bayir (17 Oct)

47Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk

For Edmund de Waal, artist and best-selling writer, this Paul Celan poetry event on with Aurora Orchestra is a ‘wonderful collision’ of music, words, history and performance. ‘I cannot think of a better way of experiencing the work of Paul Celan than interweaving music with readings of his poems in German and English,’ he says. The programme includes music Celan loved (Berg’s First Piano Sonata), Webern’s aphoristic Three Little Pieces for cello and piano, which radically rethink form, as he did, and Birtwistle’s quartet inspired by Celan’s most famous poem of the Holocaust, Death Fugue. ‘It will be wonderful to have the translator and academic Karen Leeder there. Celan was a translator, a poet of non-fi xity and strangeness. Hearing his words through other voices is essential.’

The Romanian-Jewish Celan, who wrote in German, has always been of central importance to de Waal, partly because his poetry expresses so powerfully the Jewish wartime experience in Europe, subject of de Waal’s own family memoir, The Hare with Amber Eyes, but also ‘on a visceral level. It’s to do with his utterance, his way of using words, of breaking them apart, of forming new ones. The silences and pauses in his poetry have helped me in my own making, he’s been a fi erce interlocutor in my artistic life. I’m always moved by his Meridian prose piece, “Poetry is perhaps this: an Atemwende, a turning of our breath … Perhaps, along with the I, estranged and freed here, in this manner, some other thing is also set free?”

Then there’s the subject of de Waal’s new book, to be launched this autumn. The White Road is an exploration of man’s obsession with the meaning of white, told through a history of porcelain. ‘Within Celan’s poetry there is a return to white, his poems become briefer, more fragmentary, the quantity of white surrounding them becomes ever more signifi cant. In his fi nal collection Schneepart – Snow Part – everything turns white.’

For this concert, for the fi rst time in his life, de Waal has commissioned a piece of music. ‘I love working with Aurora, they’re so good at pulling people into an artistic conversation.’ They introduced him to composer Martin Suckling: ‘We had a lot in common. He was interested in the ideas of light and refraction as experienced through music. I’ve commissioned a piece and given him complete freedom.’

The Poet in the City evening is part of a festival, On White, accompanying the launch of de Waal’s new book, with events across London. ‘The irony is,’ he says from his studio, ‘that all this time I’ve been dreaming of white I’ve been making a piece called Black Milk (inspired by Death Fugue), creating dense dark pots with enormous quantities of metal oxides and glazes!’

thu 12 nov Celan: Sounds and VisionsHall One, 8pm

a whiter shadeedmund de waal joins musicians from aurora orchestra for a unique

poet in the city event centred on the poetry of paul celan.

words

48 Sep — Nov 2015SpOkEN WORd

MON 21 SEp

Fauré’s Verlaine SettingsHall One 7pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50

Find out how composer Gabriel Fauré’s obsession with the poetry of fellow Frenchman Paul Verlaine (1844–1896) led to some of the world’s most beautiful songs. Marking the publication of Vol. 3 of Fauré’s complete songs, the event is introduced by the pianist-musicologist Roy Howat, with performances by leading singers and musicians from the Royal Academy of Music.

WEd 23 SEp

The Rise of the RobotsTechnology and the threat of mass unemploymentHall Two 7pmOnline Rates £9.50

The robots are coming … and they are taking our jobs. In the most important technological shift since the industrial revolution, artifi cial intelligence is well on its way to making many jobs obsolete. Software entrepreneur Martin Ford, author of The Rise of the Robots, explores this new technology and invites us all to face its implications.

MON 28 SEp

My Life in Science: an evening with Richard dawkinsHall One 7pmOnline Rates £12.50 | Savers £9.50

Richard Dawkins is a pioneering scientist and public thinker whose views provoke strong feelings – both of admiration and condemnation. He was born into a family of naturalists, but what other infl uences have shaped his life and intellectual development? Find out in a fascinating evening during which he will discuss his memoir Brief Candle in the Dark. 

SAT 3 OCT London LIt weeKend

Trollope at 200Hall One 2pmOnline Rates £9.50 | £25 Day Pass

Born 200 years ago, Anthony Trollope is still widely considered to be one of the great Victorian novelists. But with 47 novels to his name, was he guilty of

churning out his Barsetshire and Palliser series? If so, does it really matter? Writer and biographer Jonathan Keates, Helen Small, John Sutherland and Simon Grennan explore these and other questions.

London LIt weeKend

How to Write about ArtHall Two 2pmOnline Rates £9.50 | £25 Day Pass

How does one capture the essence of a painting or sculpture in words? Are the two art forms compatible? A discussion with Julian Bell (painter and art historian), Catherine Lampert (art historian and curator), Keith Miller (art critic and historian) and Tom Phillips (artist, and author of A Humument, a ‘novel’ that combines both writing and art).

London LIt weeKend

Inequality TodayHall One 3.30pmOnline Rates £9.50 | £25 Day Pass

Inequality is the buzzword of our times: a phenomenon that appears to be escalating. But why? Is it endemic to capitalism? Is it a catchall term? Writer and political commentator Ferdinand Mount, historian Selina Todd and political economist Will Hutton pick apart the concept of inequality, in an hour of penetrating analysis, anecdote and argument.

London LIt weeKend

Literature on the BoxMelvyn BraggHall One 5pmOnline Rates £9.50 | £25 Day Pass

Shows such as Monitor and the legendary South Bank Show once brought great writers and books into millions of home. But, adaptations aside, literature has become less and less visible. Why is critical discussion of new books deemed unworthy of the programmers’ – and our – attention? The South Bank Show’s Melvyn Bragg discusses the problem with Alex Clark.

SAT 3 OCT & SUN 4 OCT

London LIt weeKend 2015

In association with the times Literary supplement

The London Lit Weekend, organised in association with the TLS, is a small eclectic festival of talks, discussions and ideas, perfect for exercising your brain on an autumn weekend. Why should we still read Trollope 200 years on? How can we write about art? Why is there not more literature on the TV? Who are the best essay writers, the most overrated authors? Why are we fascinated by animals? How did writers respond to Thatcher? How much more inequality can we live with? Why do the French delude themselves about their past? These are just some of the questions the best thinkers and speakers in the fi eld will be discussing over the weekend. Do join them!

Richard dawkins (28 Sep)

49Book tickets 020 7520 1490

London LIt weeKend

The Hunters and the HuntedAnimals in LiteratureHall Two 5pmOnline Rates: £9.50 | £25 Day Pass

‘Civilisation is a defence erected by humanity not against bestiality, but against itself.’ wrote John Gray. This is a discussion about our relationship with animals, the symbolic space they occupy, our own hypocrisies and needs, and why we keep turning to them. Philosopher Mark Rowlands wrote about his relationship with a wolf (The Philosopher and the Wolf) and Max Porter has given a voice to Ted Hughes’ famous Crow, making him antagonist, trickster, healer and babysitter (Grief is the Thing with Feathers).

London LIt weeKend

Notting Hill Editions Essay prizeHall Two 6.30pmOnline Rates £9.50 | £25 Day Pass

Novelist and critic Adam Mars-Jones and philosopher Professor Raymond Tallis announce the winner and fi ve runners-up of the £20,000 Notting Hill Editions Essay Prize. The prize-giving ceremony is followed by a conversation with the winner about the art of the essay and the role it plays today in our literary, philosophical and political cultures.

London LIt weeKend

Odyssey of Love – Liszt and his WomenHall One 8pmOnline Rates £16.50 – £34.50 | Savers £9.50

words

London LIt weeKend

Mrs Thatcher and the WritersHall Two 3.30pmOnline Rates £9.50 | £25 Day Pass

Writer and former TLS editor Ferdinand Mount, once head of Margaret Thatcher’s policy unit, novelist Jonathan Coe and writer DJ Taylor discuss Mrs Thatcher’s polarising effect on the world of books and whether, 25 years after her political fall, anyone has managed to pin down the phenomenon known as ‘Thatcherism’ in print.

London LIt weeKend

Why Translate?St Pancras Room 3.30pmOnline Rates £9.50 | £25 Day Pass

A distinguished group of translators ponder big questions such as: what drives literary translators to bring foreign work to English readers? What sort of relationship is created between author and translator? With Ann Goldstein (editor at the New Yorker, translator from Italian), Margaret Jull Costa (Portuguese and Spanish fi ction and poetry) and Boris Dralyuk (Russian lecturer and translator).

London LIt weeKend

The City – Imagining and Realising LondonHall Two 5pmOnline Rates £9.50 | £25 Day Pass

Writers from Ben Jonson and Charles Dickens to Monica Ali have mined the city for its wealth of people, languages, stories and cultures. Our panel discusses how London appears in literature – historically, architecturally and imagined – to insiders and outsiders. Panelists include writer David Collard, historian Jerry White and author Gillian Tindall.

London LIt weeKend

AgincourtSix Centuries OnSt Pancras Room 5pmOnline Rates £9.50 | £25 Day Pass

October marks the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt. But what does

Acclaimed pianist Lucy Parham focuses on the romantic life of Franz Liszt with celebrated actors Henry Goodman and Juliet Stevenson narrating.See Classical listings p23.

SUN 4 OCT London LIt weeKend

Making Sense of the pastSt Pancras Room 12 noonOnline Rates £6.50 | £25 Day Pass

Tatiana Salem Levy talks to Deborah Baum about her novel The House in Smyrna (winner of the English PEN Award) in which a woman from Rio de Janeiro goes on a journey to the place where her grandfather came from. But the key he gives her may unlock unexpected doors. With an epic sweep of time and place – traversing Brazil, Turkeyand Portugal – this is a moving portrait of a young woman fi nding her way back into life. Sponsored by Jewish Book Week.

London LIt weeKend

Why the Classics Still Matter TodayHall One 2pmOnline Rates £9.50 | £25 Day Pass

Two of the most eminent and exciting classicists in the UK, Edith Hall and Tom Holland share their passion for the ancient world with us and tell us why they think studying the Greeks and the Romans as well as other antique cultures is more than relevant today. Peter Stothard, classicist and editor of the TLS, will be chairing the session.

London LIt weeKend

How the French Face their past – Myths and RealitiesHall Two 2pmOnline Rates £9.50 | £25 Day Pass

From Napoleon to De Gaulle, the Revolution to the Resistance, the panel looks at some of France’s most important historical fi gures and periods and discusses the reality behind the myths. Speakers include Oxford professors Robert Gildea and Sudhir Hazareesingh, writer Jonathan Fenby and Professor Cécile Laborde, Director of UCL’s Religion and Political Theory Centre.

Melvyn Bragg (3 Oct)

50 Sep — Nov 2015SpOkEN WORd

this former staple of the British school curriculum mean to us today? Historians Anne Curry, David Horspool and Jonathan Sumption discuss Henry V’s famous victory – and its enduring impact on this country’s relationship with France.

London LIt weeKend

Overrated AuthorsHall Two 6.30pmOnline Rates £9.50 | £25 Day Pass

In 1977, the TLS ran a ‘reputations revisited’ feature looking at the most underrated and overrated novelists of the previous 75 years. EM Forster was given a drubbing by those critics in 1977, but what would be their verdict in 2015? Writers Jonathan Keates, Claire Lowdon and DJ Taylor nominate novelists with the most undeserved reputations.

FRI 9 OCT

pop-up poetry with Jonathan EdwardsConcert Level Foyer (–2) 6.30pmFree

Warming up for the ‘Laugh for Leukemia’ gig in Hall Two, poet and wordsmith Jonathan Edwards presents a showcase of poetry to make you laugh out loud. Reading from his award winning collection, My Family and Other Superheroes, expect comedic verse about Evel Knievel, Sophia Loren and a recalcitrant hippo. Among other things …

FRI 9 OCT coMedY at KInGs pLace

Laugh for Leukaemia 2015Hall One 7.30pmOnline Rates £18.50

Now in its fourth year, Laugh for Leukaemia is back with another sure-to-be-stellar secret line-up. Previous years have seen Peep Show star Isy Suttie, impressionist Alistair McGowan, sketch group Sheeps alongside comedy favourites such as Daniel Kitson, The Inbetweeners, Tim Key, Sarah Millican, Simon Amstell and even a little bit of magic from Brendan Patricks.

MON 19 OCT

I’m Black So You don’t Have to BeHall Two 7pmOnline Rates £9.50

‘It was the ambition of every black man to be white,’ wrote the Jamaican author Vivian Durham in the 1940s. In this evening of readings, music and discussion, singer Pauline Black, poet Hannah Lowe and biographer of Marcus Garvey Colin Grant investigate how things have changed, and whether it is possible or desirable to ‘think black’.

MON 2 NOV MInIMaLIsM Unwrapped

Rose Tremain The Art of the Short StoryHall Two 7pmOnline Rates £9.50

As part of our Minimalism series, hear writer Rose Tremain talk to Alex Clark about the art of the short story. Tremain herself manages to conjure up complete worlds depicting characters’ emotions and desires, in just a few pages. Her collections include The Darkness of Wallis Simpson (2005) and The American Lover (2014).

MON 9 NOV

Rebus Returns …Ian Rankin on his new novel‘Even dogs in the Wild’Hall One 7pmOnline Rates £9.50

Mark Lawson fi nds out why best-selling author Ian Rankin has summoned one of his most popular characters, Inspector Rebus, out of retirement in his latest novel. Rankin is also the author of the Detective Malcolm Fox novels, as well as a string of standalone thrillers. His books have been translated into 36 languages.

THU 12 NOV

Celan: Sounds and Visionspoet in the City and Aurora Orchestra with Edmund de WaalHall One 8pmOnline Rates £14.50 | Savers £9.50*

A lively evening of poetry, music and art, in celebration of the poet Paul Celan. Award-winning artist and author Edmund de Waal reveals the infl uence of Celan on his own work, and launches a brand-new commission from composer Martin Suckling, performed by Aurora.See Classical listings p15.

MON 16 NOV poet In tHe cItY

Ted Hughes The Art of Translationfeaturing david ConstantineHall One 7pmOnline Rates £11.50 | Savers £9.50*

Poet in the City marks the 50th year of Modern Poetry in Translation with an event that explores the life and work of its co-founder, Ted Hughes. Over the years, MPT has brought poetry out from behind the Iron Curtain into a wider circulation and introduced an English speaking readership to some of the best poetry from around the world.

Silenced Voicesdebate & ConcertHall Two 7pmOnline Rates £12.50 | Savers £9.50

At a time when freedom of artistic expression is still widely threatened, the Forum for European Philosophy presents a concert for ‘silenced voices’ – composers such as Schreker, Tansman, Ullmann and Schoenberg who were victims of state terror and persecution. The evening opens with a debate between philosophers Andrew Bowie and Robert Eaglestone and musicologist Erik Levi.See Classical listings p31.

MON 30 NOV

Rock’n’ Roll politicsHall Two 7pmOnline Rates £9.50

It’s been a dramatic year in politics: the Conservatives are still in power while Labour and the LibDems get new leaders. How to make sense of it all? And how to have some laughs as we make sense of it all? Join Steve Richards to fi nd out.

51Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk cLassIcaL

Babies and toddlers can spend half an hour immersed in the music of Benjamin Britten in Aurora’s House of Secret Sounds, waltzing with silver spoons, and meeting the bubbling bathtub. And there’s a chance for slightly older children to experience the same brilliant music in the family show in the afternoon (7/8 November).

On the last Saturday of half-term, children of 4+ can join actress Josie Rattigan and Aurora’s instrumentalists on the trail of the mysterious blue beetle in an enchanting staging by MishMash Productions (31 October). For the same age-group, there’s a chance to follow Lewis Carroll’s white rabbit down the hole into Wonderland in the company of London’s fi nest young cellists, Cellophony. This enterprising ensemble have commissioned a new musical setting of the story by Richard Birchall (19 Sep 3.30pm).

For those with children in Key-Stage 2/3, don’t miss Cellophony’s evening concert (Visions, 19 Sep 7.30pm), which combines Alice in Wonderland (read by the loveable Simon Callow) with a performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons for solo violin and cello orchestra (yes, it works!). For this age-group, too, try the Leonore Trio’s Discovering Beethoven (3 Oct, 11am). This charismatic group will give young people a whistle-stop tour of some of Beethoven’s most exciting music, and have commissioned a new work for piano trio and narrator.

Last, but not least, is Ulla’s Odyssey, a gripping new opera for the whole family, showing on four Sundays in October and November. Come and enjoy Sunday lunch and be bewitched by an hour-long, intimate opera-staging in Hall Two.

51Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk FaMILY

Musical Mystery tours

reCommendations for young people, gCse/a level musiC students

fri 25 sep Graham Fitkin ‘Lost’Hall One, 7.30pm

sat 26 sep Transatlantic Encounters, Study daySt pancras Room, 10.30am – 5pm

thu 22 oCtThe Little Match Girl passion (Classical) Hall One, 8pm

thu 26 novpiano Circus and Juice Vocal EnsembleHall One, 8pm

fri 27 novAurora: Visions: Tavener, pärt & AdamsHall One, 7.30pm

sun 29 novNon-Classical: The Rise of MachinesHall Two, 4pm

Cambridge University Orchestra with Howard ShelleyHall One, 7.30pm

For full details see Family listings

From a brand-new setting of alice in wonderland to a zesty introduction to Beethoven and aurora’s Musical Hubbub, there’s an event to capture the

imagination of children from 6-months to teenage this autumn.

‘Babies and toddlers can spend half an hour immersed in the music of Benjamin Britten’

52 Sep — Nov 2015FAMILY

SAT 19 SEp

CellophonyAlice in Wonderland Family ConcertHall Two 3.30pm | Online Rates £4

This informal introduction to Cellophony cello octet and their Alice in Wonderland project is just the ticket for a family outing. Cellophony will take you through the classic story with an entertaining exploration of Richard Birchall’s original music. The event will include the chance for the audience (children of all ages and grown-ups!) to learn a new song and perform it with the ensemble.

CellophonyVisions – Alice in Wonderland and The Four SeasonsHall Two 7.30pmOnline Rates £17.50 | Savers £9.50

Cellophony cello octet celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice in Wonderland in a new musical version written specially for them by Richard Birchall, and narrated by one of the UK’s best-loved actors, Simon Callow. Followed by Cellophony’s own version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, with renowned violinist Roberto González Monjas.

SAT 3 OCT

discovering Beethoven Family Concert with Leonore TrioHall Two 11amOnline Rates £7.50 adults | £5.50 children

‘Discovering Beethoven’ is a fun exploration of Beethoven for all ages, and the concert also includes a specially commissioned piece for piano trio and narrator. The event is part of The Complete Beethoven Piano Trios series performed by the Leonore Trio.

SUN 11 & 18 OCT

OperaUpClose: Ulla’s OdysseyHall Two 4pm (11 Oct), 2pm (18 Oct)Online Rates £19.50 Adult, £12 Under-14 £36 Family of 3 (1 adult), £54 Family of 4 (2 adults) | £35 Opera Champion

Savers £9.50 | Big Day Out Tickets £34.50 Adult, £24 Under-14 (incl. entrance to a two-hour workshop at the House of Illustration, access to their current exhibition, a lunch voucher and a ticket for Ulla’s Odyssey)

Olivier Award-winning OperaUpClose make their début at Kings Place with the world premiere of a fun, feisty, family-friendly show, Ulla’s Odyssey. 16-year-old Ulla wants to be the youngest person to sail the world single-handed but there are obstacles on her journey, including mythical creatures. Inspired by Homer, the story is told with the help of live music and puppetry.

SAT 31 OCT aUrora at KInGs pLace

Hubbub A Musical AdventureHall Two 9am, 10.15am, 11.30am,12.45pm£7.50 adult | £5.50 child | Approximately 45 mins long with no interval. Suitable for children 4+ and their families.

Out of the darkness: light,Out of the silence: sound,From whisper to rustle to racket to dinJoin the Hubbub – where magic is found!

Come along on a musical journey with fi ve friends, in their quest to fi nd the mysterious blue beetle and the lost voice. With original music from award-winning composer Paul Rissmann, and directed by Martin Berry, this new show from MishMash Productions in association with Nottingham Lakeside Arts and Aurora Orchestra is sure to captivate children and adults alike.

FRI 6 NOV aUrora at KInGs pLace

Aurora: Far, Far AwayThe House of Secret SoundskS2 Schools’ ShowHall One 10.30am, 11.45amOnline Rates £3.50 | Not open to public(bookable via the Box Offi ce only)

Explore the magical music of Benjamin Britten in an adventure that takes you through the House of Secret Sounds.See Sat 7 & Sun 8 Nov for details.

SAT 14 NOV eFG London jazz FestIVaL

Jazz for ToddlersSt Pancras Room 2pm | Lasts approx. 50 minsOnline Rates £4.50 children; £6.50 adults

Enjoy music and moves in a jazz groove in this workshop with clarinettist Arun Ghosh. Fun for the little ones and accompanying big ones, with ideas to take away and try at home. Suitable for children aged 2–5 and their parents/carers.

7 & 8 NOV aUrora at KInGs pLace

Aurora: Far, Far AwayThe House of Secret Sounds Early years’ showHall Two 10.15am, 11am, 11.45amOnline Rates £5.50 child. £7.50 adult, £17.50 family of 4, £20.50 family of 5Lasts 30 mins | Suitable for children aged 0–4

Explore the magical music of Britten in an adventure through the House of Secret Sounds. Waltz with silver spoons, spy the hall of mirrors and meet a bubbling bathtub, all brought to life with brand-new chamber arrangements of Britten’s music. There is a specially commissioned story from writer Kate Wakeling and a host of playful opportunities to take part in the music, led by animateur Jessie Maryon Davies.

SAT 7 NOV aUrora at KInGs pLace

Aurora: Far, Far AwayThe House of Secret Sounds Family showHall Two 2.30pmOnline Rates £5.50 child. £7.50 adult, £17.50 family of 4, £20.50 family of 5

See previous listing for details. This performance is suitable for children of fi ve and upwards, but younger siblings are also welcome.

15 & 22 NOV

OperaUpClose: Ulla’s OdysseyHall Two 2pm

Olivier Award winning OperaUpClose return to Kings Place, with fun, feisty, family-friendly Ulla’s Odyssey, a grown-up opera suitable for children too.See Sun 11 & 18 Oct for details.

53Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk cLassIcaL

19 oCt – 18 deC 2015 Greg Tricker: RevelationSacred Art, Sacred MusicFor further information please visit piano-nobile.com

‘For Tricker, fi gures like Anne Frank embody the essence of the eternal feminine’

Piano Nobile's collection of paintings, sculpture and stained glass by contemporary artist Greg Tricker, Revelation – Sacred Art, Sacred Music – explores moments of divine manifestation and the power of visionary illuminations. Tricker creates cyclical series based on inspirational fi gures, such as Mary, Mother of God, St Francis of Assisi, Kaspar Hauser, Joan of Arc and Anne Frank. As he draws us into intimate contemplation, these iconic images become beacons of light and hope.

Tricker’s profound and sincere style of work is deeply entwined with the sacred artistic tradition, for which the artist has gained international recognition. Recent series of work have been exhibited at Westminster Cathedral, Gloucester Cathedral, Peterborough Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral and, most recently, Rheims Cathedral, in 2013.

Revelation – Sacred Art, Sacred Music runs in conjunction with a series of performances of John Tavener’s compositions as part of Kings Place’s Minimalism Unwrapped musical programme (see Classical/Contemporary listings). Like Tricker, Tavener turned to sacred iconic imagery, believing that when an iconic image is seen with the ‘eye of the heart’ rather than the intellect, it can speak to something deep within us. His intention, and his achievement, was to recreate an icon through sound, and through time.

Tricker and Tavener have both been repeatedly drawn to the presence of the eternal feminine. For Tavener, the Mother of God, the inspiration for such masterpieces as The Protecting Veil, was the ultimate representation of the eternal feminine: nurturing, gentle, noble, generous and divinely beautiful. In Tricker’s work, the eternal feminine is revealed through a legacy of reverent and spiritual women; Mary, Bernadette of Lourdes, St Bride, Joan of Arc and Anne Frank embody for Tricker her pure essence. It is through these devout fi gures that Tricker sounds a visionary trumpet-call in a world in turmoil, his works are icons of light speaking of the innate dignity within each one of us.

53Book tickets 020 7520 1490

the eye of the Heart

ART

Greg tricker ’s art, like composer john tavener ’s music, is concerned with sacred icons. In a new exhibition, revelation – sacred art, sacred Music, there will be a chance to see his

pictures in conjunction with tavener ’s music.

Greg Tricker, Maria and Child, 2010Stained and etchedantique glass139.7 × 63.5 cm/55 × 25 in

54 Sep — Nov 2015

Tricker’s profound and sincere style of work is deeply entwined with the sacred artistic tradition, for which the artist has gained international recognition.

FRI 23 OCT – SAT 28 NOV

Clarke Chadwickpangolin London

Clarke Chadwick compares two of the most important British sculptors of the 20th century. Lynn Chadwick is present in every major collection of post-war art and Geoffrey Clarke’s fearless experimentation with new materials saw him create works that epitomise the vibrancy of post-war British art. This exciting exhibition provides a unique opportunity to view the creative output of these two pioneers of sculpture side by side.

pangolin London is affl iated to the renowned sculpture foundry Pangolin Editions and is one of the few London galleries dedicated to exhibitions of modern and contemporary sculpture.

piano Nobile | kings place is the concept space of Piano Nobile Gallery, focusing on modern and contemporary British and international art, including photography. Exhibitions are developed in conjunction with the innovative and extensive programming of the Kings Place Music Foundation.

piano nobile kings plaCeOpening Hours: Mon–Sun, 9am–8pmGallery staff present by appointment.The Gallery Level is often used for private event bookings during the week which might limit access. If you would like a personal viewing of the current exhibition please contact the gallery to ensure a member of staff is available. 0207 229 1099 | piano-nobile.com

pangolin londonOpening Hours: Mon–Sat, 10am–6pmClosed Sundays, Bank Holidays and between exhibitions.0207 520 1480 | pangolinlondon.com

ART

FRI 10 JUL – FRI 9 OCT

Ruth Borchard Self-portrait prize 2015piano Nobile

The biennial Ruth Borchard Prize exhibition, run by Piano Nobile and the Ruth Borchard Collection, returns to Kings Place for the third time in the summer of 2015. Showcasing 100 self-portraits by new and established artists, the exhibition celebrates contemporary British and Irish self-portraiture. The winner will receive £10,000 and several works will be purchased for the Ruth Borchard Collection. Highlights from the exhibition will travel to Pallant House Gallery, Chichester from 31 October 2015.

WEd 9 SEp – SAT 17 OCT

Carl plackman: Obscure Territories pangolin London

Godfather of British conceptual sculpture, Carl Plackman’s artistic oeuvre encompassed sculpture, drawings and installation. One of the most challenging and innovative sculptors of his day, creating complex works, he confronted and questioned ideas of what sculpture could be. He was a generous and infl uential teacher: many of his students have since become major names in British contemporary art, including Tony Cragg, Damien Hirst, Liam Gillick and Alison Wilding.

MON 19 OCT – FRI 18 dEC

Greg Tricker: RevelationSacred Art, Sacred Musicpiano Nobile

Running in conjunction with a series of performances of John Tavener’s compositions as part of the Minimalism Unwrapped music programme, Greg Tricker: Revelation – Sacred Art, Sacred Music presents a collection of paintings, sculpture and stained glass exploring the power of visionary illuminations by contemporary artist Greg Tricker.

Geoffrey Clarke, Man, 1954,

iron, unique

passionate about music and the arts

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calendarSEp – OCT – NOV

The Watershed Band (2 Oct) is an excitingnew project from award-winning duo

philip Henry and Hannah Martin (p39)

57Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk

Self-portrait prize

Simon Callow

Christoph Richter

Jim Causley

The Smith Quartet

John Metcalfe

MINIMALISM UNWRAppEd

ART ongoing Piano Nobile Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize 2015 (until 9 Oct)

ART Wed 09 Sep Pangolin London Carl Plackman: Obscure Territories (until 17 Oct)

CLASSICAL Thu 10 Sep Hall One, 7.30 pm Rite, Sacrifi ce & War – Rautio Piano Trio playsStravinsky, Weill & Shostakovich

FESTIVAL Fri 11 – Sun13 Sep

Kings Place Kings Place Festival 201580 + eclectic events over three days

CLASSICAL Wed 16 Sep Hall One, 7.30 pm Virginia Black: Bach, Scarlatti, Rameau & Mozart

CONTEMpORARY Fri 18 Sep Halls One & Two, 7.30 pm

RM Hubbert & Friends: Ela Orleans + Grumbling Fur+ James Blackshaw + Kathryn Joseph

FAMILY CLASSICAL

Sat 19 Sep Hall Two, 3.30 pm Cellophony: Alice in WonderlandFamily Concert

CLASSICAL Hall Two, 7.30 pm Cellophony: Alice in Wonderland and The Four Seasons, featuring Simon Callow

CLASSICAL Sun 20 Sep Hall One, 5.30 pm C. Richter: The Complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas

CLASSICAL WORdS

Mon 21 Sep Hall One, 7 pm Rimbaud and Verlaine Foundation: Fauré’s Verlaine Settings

WORdS Wed 23 Sep Hall Two, 7 pm The Rise of the Robots: Technology and the threat of mass unemployment

CLASSICAL Thu 24 Sep Hall One, 7.30 pm MINIMALISM UNWRAppEdFidelio Trio plays Nyman: Piano Trios 1992–2010

FOLk Hall Two, 8 pm Jim Causley: ‘Forgotten Kingdom’ Album Launch

CONTEMpORARY Fri 25 Sep Hall One, 7.30 pm MINIMALISM UNWRAppEdFitkinWall: Lost

FOLk Hall Two, 8 pm Kris Drever & Ian Carr

STUdY dAY Sat 26 Sep St Pancras Room, 10.30 am

MINIMALISM UNWRAppEd‘Transatlantic Encounters’ with Howard Skempton, Christopher Hobbs & Guests

CLASSICAL Hall One, 5 pm & 7.30pm

MINIMALISM UNWRAppEdThe Smith Quartet plays Nyman:The Complete String Quartets I & II

CONTEMpORARY Hall Two, 8 pm John Metcalfe Live – Album Launch

CONTEMpORARY Sun 27 Sep Hall Two, 4 pm MINIMALISM UNWRAppEdCHROMA: Minimalism Masterworks with accordion

WORdS Mon 28 Sep Hall One, 7 pm My Life in Science: an evening with Richard Dawkins

CLASSICAL Wed 30 Sep Hall One, 7.30 pm Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble: Rossini, Mozart & Schubert

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CLASSICAL Thu 01 Oct Hall One, 7.30 pm LEONORE TRIOThe Complete Beethoven Piano Trios III

FOLk Hall Two, 8 pm The Furrow Collective

FOLk Fri 02 Oct Hall Two, 8 pm The Watershed Band – Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin

FAMILY CLASSICAL

Sat 03 Oct Hall Two, 11 am LEONORE TRIODiscovering Beethoven Family Concert

WORdS Hall One, 2 pm LONdON LIT WEEkENdTrollope at 200

WORdS Hall Two, 2 pm LONdON LIT WEEkENdHow to Write About Art

WORdS Hall One, 3.30 pm LONdON LIT WEEkENdInequality Today

WORdS Hall One, 5 pm LONdON LIT WEEkENdLiterature on the Box with Melvyn Bragg

WORdS Hall Two, 5 pm LONdON LIT WEEkENdThe Hunters and The Hunted – Animals in Literature

WORdS Hall Two, 6.30 pm LONdON LIT WEEkENdNotting Hill Editions Essay Prize

CLASSICAL WORdS

Hall One, 8 pm LONdON LIT WEEkENdOdyssey of Love – Liszt and his WomenLucy Parham with Henry Goodman & Juliet Stevenson

WORdS Sun 04 Oct St Pancras Room, 12 noon

LONdON LIT WEEkENdMaking Sense of the Past

WORdS Hall One, 2 pm LONdON LIT WEEkENdWhy the Classics Still Matter Today

WORdS Hall Two, 2 pm LONdON LIT WEEkENdHow the French Face Their Past – Myths and Realities

WORdS Hall Two, 3.30 pm LONdON LIT WEEkENdMrs Thatcher and the Writers

WORdS St Pancras Room, 3.30 pm

LONdON LIT WEEkENdWhy Translate?

WORdS Hall Two, 5 pm LONdON LIT WEEkENdThe City – Imagining and Realising London

WORdS St Pancras Room, 5 pm

LONdON LIT WEEkENdAgincourt, Six Centuries On

WORdS Hall Two, 6.30 pm LONdON LIT WEEkENdOverrated Authors

CLASSICAL Hall One, 6.30 pm LONdON CHAMBER MUSIC SERIESWihan Quartet: Mozart, Schubert & Beethoven

JAZZ Wed 07 Oct Hall Two, 8 pm Aaron Parks Trio

CLASSICAL Thu 08 Oct Hall One, 7.30 pm HARRY CHRISTOpHERS & THE SIXTEENChoral Pilgrimage 2015: Flight of Angels

ART Fri 09 Oct Piano Nobile Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize 2015 (Last Day)

The Furrow Collective

The Watershed Band

Melvyn Bragg

Juliet Stevenson

Aaron parks

Harry Christophers

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Ulla’s Odyssey

k Osostowicz + d Tong

Raphael Wallfi sch

Greg Tricker

Martín & de Málaga

The Little Match Girl

WORdS Foyer (–2 ), 6.30 pm Pop-Up Poetry with Jonathan Edwards

COMEdY Hall One, 7.30 pm Laugh for Leukaemia

CLASSICAL Sat 10 Oct Hall One, 7.30 pm MARTINO TIRIMO’S SCHUBERTThe Great Piano Works IV

CONTEMpORARY Sun 11 Oct Hall Two, 4 pm OpERAUpCLOSEUlla’s Odyssey

CLASSICAL Hall One, 6.30 pm LONdON CHAMBER MUSIC SERIESFidelio Trio: Beethoven, Ravel & Benjamin Dwyer

BEETHOVEN pLUS! – k. OSOSTOWICZ & d. TONG | EQUATOR FESTIVAL: WOMEN OF THE WORLd

CLASSICAL WORdS

Mon 12 Oct Hall One, 7 pm Rimbaud and Verlaine Foundation: Twenty Contemplations

CLASSICAL Thu 15 Oct Hall One, 7.30 pm BEETHOVEN pLUS!K Osostowicz, D Tong & Guests: Beethoven in E fl at

CLASSICAL Fri 16 Oct Hall One, 7.30 pm BEETHOVEN pLUS!K Osostowicz, D Tong: Three Opus 30s

JAZZ Hall Two, 8 pm Paul Booth: Patchwork Project feat. Jacqui Dankworth

ART Sat 17 Oct Pangolin London Carl Plackman: Obscure Territories (Last Day)

WORLd CONTEMpORARY

Hall Two, 5 pm EQUATOR FESTIVALScreen and Sax: Hannah Marcinowicz feat. Debbie Wiseman and ‘Spooks’ composer Jennie Muskett

WORLd Hall Two, 7 pm EQUATOR FESTIVALLondon Bulgarian Choir

CLASSICAL Hall One, 7.30 pm BEETHOVEN pLUS!K Osostowicz, D Tong & Guests: The Archduke

WORLd Hall Two, 9.30 pm EQUATOR FESTIVALOlcay Bayir

CONTEMpORARY Sun 18 Oct Hall Two, 2 pm OpERAUpCLOSEUlla’s Odyssey

CLASSICAL Hall One, 6.30 pm LONdON CHAMBER MUSIC SERIESRaphael Wallfi sch & John York: Brahms, Saint-Saëns, Debussy & Prokofi ev

MINIMALISM UNWRAppEd | LONdON GUITAR FESTIVAL | EQUATOR FESTIVAL: WOMEN OF THE WORLd

ART Mon 19 Oct Piano Nobile Greg Tricker – RevelationSacred Art, Sacred Music (until 18 Dec)

WORdS Hall Two, 7 pm I’m Black So You Don’t Have To Be

WORLd Wed 21 Oct Hall One, 7.30 pm LONdON GUITAR FESTIVALJuan Martín & Chaparro de Málaga

CLASSICAL Thu 22 Oct Hall One, 8 pm MINIMALISM UNWRAppEdDavid Lang’s The Little Match Girl Passion

ART Fri 23 Oct Pangolin London Clarke Chadwick (until 28 Nov)

CLASSICAL Hall One, 7.30 pm MINIMALISM UNWRAppEdChoir of King’s College, CambridgeArvo Pärt: St John Passion

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Afi ara Quartet

Gavin Bryars

penelope Thwaites

Mabel Millán

Coope Boyes & Simpson

Hubbub

FOLk Fri 23 Oct Hall Two, 8 pm Breaking Trad + Seven Glens

WORLd JAZZCLASSICAL WORdS

Sat 24 Oct Hall Two, 2.30 pm EQUATOR FESTIVALBASCA: Women Composers – Concert & Discussion

WORLd Hall Two, 6 pm EQUATOR FESTIVALShivaNova feat. Sound and Music’s Young Women Composers + Shallu Jindal (dance)

CLASSICAL WORdS

St Pancras Room, 6.30 pm

MINIMALISM UNWRAppEdPre-concert Talk with Gavin Bryars

CLASSICAL Hall One, 7.30 pm MINIMALISM UNWRAppEdGavin Bryars Ensemble & Addison Chamber Choir: Cadman Requiem and other works

WORLd Hall Two, 9.30 pm EQUATOR FESTIVALLondon Tango Trio (with dance)

CLASSICAL WORdS

Sun 25 Oct Hall One, 11.30 am COFFEE CONCERTSPenelope Thwaites: A Poet at War

CONTEMpORARY Hall Two, 4 pm MINIMALISM UNWRAppEdMikhail Karikis & Juice Vocal Ensemble: 102 Years out of Synch

CLASSICAL Hall One, 6.30 pm LONdON CHAMBER MUSIC SERIESPark Lane Group Young Artists Concert

CONTEMpORARY Mon 26 Oct Hall One, 7.30 pm Pictures of Life: A musical pageant for our times

CLASSICAL Wed 28 Oct Hall One, 7.30 pm LONdON GUITAR FESTIVALVida Guitar Quartet

CLASSICAL Thu 29 Oct Hall One, 7.30 pm LONdON GUITAR FESTIVALMabel Millán + Carlos Piñana Trio

CONTEMpORARY Fri 30 Oct Hall One, 7.30 pm MINIMALISM UNWRAppEd | LONdON GUITAR FEST.Tom Kerstens’ G Plus Ensemble

FOLk Hall Two, 8 pm Coope Boyes & Simpson: In Flanders Fields

CLASSICAL Sat 31 Oct St Pancras Room, 9.30 am

LONdON GUITAR FESTIVALPresentation & Workshop by Trinity College of Music

CLASSICAL FAMILY

Hall Two, 10.30 am& 12 noon

AURORA ORCHESTRA FAMILY CONCERTSHubbub – A Musical Adventure

CLASSICAL Hall One, 12 noon LONdON GUITAR FESTIVALYoung Artist Platform: A Lebedev & M Gogoncea

CLASSICAL Hall Two, 2.30 pm LONdON GUITAR FESTIVALASPIRE Stage – UK Conservatoires present …

CLASSICAL Hall Two, 4.30 pm LONdON GUITAR FESTIVALPanel Discussion: The Guitar in Education

CLASSICAL Hall One, 7.30 pm LONdON GUITAR FESTIVALLondon International Guitar Competition 2015 Final

WORkSHOp Sun 01 Nov Function Rooms, 10 am

LONdON GUITAR FESTIVALBlues Workshop with Gianluca CoronaClassical Workshop with Gary Ryan

61Book tickets kingsplace.co.uk caLendar

Sylvain Chauveau

Mairearad and Anna

Bruno Sanfi lippo

Greg Haines

Ian Rankin

Edmund de Waal

CLASSICAL Hall One, 6.30 pm LONdON CHAMBER MUSIC SERIESAfi ara String Quartet with James Campbell:Mozart, Mendelssohn & Peter Fribbins

CONTEMpORARY Hall Two, 7.30 pm Ultimate Genesis – Los Endos

LONdON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF EXpLORATORY MUSIC (LIFEM) 2015

WORdS Mon 02 Nov Hall Two, 7 pm Rose Tremain: The Art of the Short Story

CONTEMpORARY Thu 05 Nov Hall One, 7.30 pm LIFEM 2015Wim Mertens

FOLk Hall Two, 8 pm April Verch Band

CONTEMpORARY Hall One, 7.30 pm LIFEM 2015Sylvain Chauveau

FOLk Hall Two, 8 pm Mairearad and Anna

FAMILY Sat 07 Nov Hall Two, 10.15 am,11 am & 11.45 am

AURORA ORCHESTRA: FAR, FAR AWAY …The House of Secret Sounds (Early Years’ Show)

FAMILY Hall Two, 2.30 pm AURORA ORCHESTRA: FAR, FAR AWAY …The House of Secret Sounds (Family Show)

CONTEMpORARY Hall One, 7.30 pm LIFEM 2015Bruno Sanfi lippo

FAMILY Sun 08 Nov Hall Two, 10.15 am,11 am & 11.45 am

AURORA ORCHESTRA: FAR, FAR AWAY …The House of Secret Sounds (Early Years’ Show)

CLASSICAL Hall One, 11.30 am COFFEE CONCERTSKeyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel:Chopin and Grieg – A Musical Friendship

CLASSICAL Hall One, 6.30 pm LONdON CHAMBER MUSIC SERIESChilingirian Qt: Mozart, Bartók & Beethoven

CONTEMpORARY Hall Two, 7.30 pm LIFEM 2015Greg Haines

EFG LONdON JAZZ FESTIVAL – kINGS pLACE RESIdENCY

WORdS Mon 09 Nov Hall One, 7 pm Rebus returns … Ian Rankin on his new novel ‘Even Dogs in the Wild’

CLASSICAL Wed 11 Nov Hall One, 7.30 pm LEONORE TRIOThe Complete Beethoven Piano Trios IV

CLASSICAL WORdS

Thu 12 Nov Hall One, 8 pm Celan: Sounds and Visions – feat. Edmund de WaalPoet in the City & Aurora Orchestra present …

JAZZ Fri 13 Nov Hall One, 7.30 pm EFG LONdON JAZZ FESTIVAL | MIN. UNWRAppEdNik Bärtsch plays Nik Bärtsch

JAZZ Hall Two, 8 pm EFG LONdON JAZZ FESTIVALMatch&Fuse presents …Laura Jurd – DINOSAUR + LABtrio

JAZZ Sat 14 Nov Hall Two, 2 pm EFG LONdON JAZZ FESTIVALStéphane Kerecki – Nouvelle Vague

FAMILY JAZZ

St Pancras Room, 2 pm

EFG LONdON JAZZ FESTIVALJazz for Toddlers

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Ricky Ross

david Virelles

Arild Andersen

Friedrich Lips

Juice Vocal Ensemble

JAZZ Sat 14 Nov Hall One, 7.30 pm EFG LONdON JAZZ FESTIVAL | MIN. UNWRAppEdNik Bärtsch’s Mobile Extended

JAZZ Hall Two, 7.30 pm EFG LONdON JAZZ FESTIVALDaniel Herskedal

CONTEMpORARY Sun 15 Nov Hall Two, 2 pm OpERAUpCLOSEUlla’s Odyssey

CLASSICAL Hall One, 6.30 pm LONdON CHAMBER MUSIC SERIESRosamunde Trio with Paul Silverthorne: Chausson, Mozart & Brahms

WORdS Mon 16 Nov Hall One, 7 pm Ted Hughes: The Art of Translation

WORdS Hall Two, 7 pm Debate & Concert: Silenced Voices

FOLk Wed 18 Nov Hall One, 8 pm Ricky Ross: The Lyric Book Live – UK Tour 2015

JAZZ Thu 19 Nov Hall One, 7.30 pm EFG LONdON JAZZ FESTIVALDavid Virelles Quartet

JAZZ Fri 20 Nov Hall One, 7.30 pm EFG LONdON JAZZ FESTIVALAndy Sheppard: Surrounded by Sea

FOLk Hall Two, 8 pm Lynched

JAZZ Sat 21 Nov Hall One, 7.30 pm EFG LONdON JAZZ FESTIVALArild Andersen

JAZZ Hall Two, 9.30 pm EFG LONdON JAZZ FESTIVALElina Duni

CONTEMpORARY Sun 22 Nov Hall Two, 2 pm OpERAUpCLOSEUlla’s Odyssey

CLASSICAL Hall One, 6.30 pm LONdON CHAMBER MUSIC SERIESFine Arts Quartet with Friedrich Lips:Haydn, Schubert & Efrem Podgaits

CONTEMpORARY Hall Two, 7 pm OpERAUpCLOSE2015 Flourish Final Showcase

MINIMALISM UNWRAppEd

CLASSICAL CONTEMpORARY

Thu 26 Nov Hall One, 8 pm MINIMALISM UNWRAppEdPiano Circus with Juice Vocal Ensemble

CLASSICAL Fri 27 Nov Hall One, 7.30 pm MINIMALISM UNWRAppEdAurora Orchestra – Visions: Tavener, Pärt & Adams

ART Sat 28 Nov Pangolin London Clarke Chadwick (Last Day)

CLASSICAL Hall One, 7.30 pm MINIMALISM UNWRAppEdEndymion & EXAUDI: Arvo Pärt – Music for Meditation

CLASSICAL CONTEMpORARY

Sun 29 Nov Hall Two, 4 pm MINIMALISM UNWRAppEdNonclassical: The Rise of the Machines

CLASSICAL Hall One, 6.30 pm LONdON CHAMBER MUSIC SERIESCambridge University Chamber Orchestra:Mozart, Beethoven & Mendelssohn

WORdS Mon 30 Nov Hall Two, 7 pm Rock’n’Roll Politics with Steve Richards

CLASSICAL Hall One, 7.30 pm Russian Connections – Joy and James Lisney

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63Book tickets 020 7520 1490 TICkET BOOkING & VENUE INFORMATION

venues

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.

hall two

All seating is general admission. Some events may be standing only.

st panCras room

All seating is general admission. Some events may be standing only.

booking

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.

group bookings

Buy six or more tickets per event, and save 20%. Group discounts are available through the Box Offi ce only and are not bookable online. May not be applicable for some events and subject to availability.

online

Secure online booking 24 hrs kingsplace.co.uk

kings plaCe box offiCe

+44 (0)20 7520 1490

box offiCe opening hours

Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri & Sat 12–8pm; Tue 10–5pm; Sun 12–7pm (closed Bank Holidays). Box Offi ce Opening Hours are subject to change.

kings plaCe90 york way londonn1 9ag

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 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 are accessible to those with Guide & Hearing Dogs. For any access booking enquiries please email access@kingsplace.co.uk

arriving late

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 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.

Journey

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.

publiC transport

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)20 7222 1234.

Car

The building is outside the Congestion Charge Zone. The nearest car park is at St Pancras Station on Pancras Road, open 24 hours, 7 days including Bank Holidays.

bike

There is a Barclays Bike Hire Docking Station on Crinan Street. For its latest status and cycling routes please visit: tfl .gov.uk/roadusers/cycling or call: +44 (0)20 7222 1234.

64 Sep — Nov 2015TICkET BOOkING & VENUE INFORMATION

EdITORIAL TEAM

publisher Kings Place Music Foundation

Contact +44 (0) 20 7520 1440mag@kingsplace.co.ukwww.kingsplace.co.uk

Editor-in-Chief Helen Wallace

Art direction Julie Hill

Editorial Emrah TokalaçMichael GreenAmy Sibley-AllenHannah CookeAlice Clark (online)

proofreader Susannah Howe

printer Indigo Press

programmingPeter Millican(Director of Programmes) Amy Sibley-Allen (Head of Programme; Jazz, Contemporary and Learning & Participation)Hannah Cooke (Classical)Michael Green(Folk & Americana)Geraldine D’Amico (Spoken Word)Zoë Jeyes (Comedy)Rachel Jackson (Programme Coordinator)

With thanks to the team at Kings Place Music Foundation

© kings place 2015. 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.

food & drink

rotunda bar & restaurant

is the perfect place to dine and enjoy a drink. With our waterside setting, and a range of dining options including a full à la carte menu, pre-performance menu, light post-performance supper, as well as smaller nibbles, bar food and a great range of beers and wine, there is something to suit everybody. 020 7014 2840. For a quick bite, the

green & fortune Cafe

is ideal, serving a selection of daily hot specials, soups and hot carvery rolls alongside freshly made salads, sandwiches and cakes. 020 7014 2850. Prior to the performance, you may place your interval order at the ConCert bar, situated adjacent to the concert halls.

Central Saint MartinsRegent’s Canal

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St Pancras International Thameslink

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King’s Cross RdGray’s Inn Rd

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Wharf Rd

Granary Sq 90 York Way London N1 9AG

Stable St

IMAGE CREdITSH. Christophers © Marco Borggreve | p. 1 P. Millican © Nick White; J. Lennie (supplied); E. de Waal © Ben McKee; DJ Taylor © Katie Vandyck; T. Kerstens © Ben Blossom | p.2 H. Christophers © Marco Borggreve; Little Match Girl © Tommy Ga-Ken Wan; W. Mertens © Alex Vanhee; R. Ross © Simon Murphy | p.3 S. Jindal (supplied); DJ Taylor © Katie Vandyck; Ulla’s Odyssey (supplied); Painting: Greg Tricker (supplied) | p.4–5 Aurora: Far, Far Away (supplied) | p.6 The Sixteen © Arnaud Stephenson p.7 H. Christophers © Marco Borggreve | p.8 Ulla’s Odyssey (supplied) p.10 R. Norton-Hale (supplied); V. Ceschi (supplied) | p.11 Illustration: The Iron Lady © Kevin KAL Kallaugher kaltoons.com | p.12 DJ Taylor © Katie Vandyck; J. Coe (supplied) | p.13–14 T. Kerstens © Ben Blossom | p.15 M. Nyman © Sheila Rock p.16–17 M. Nyman © Francesco Guidicine | p.19 L. Chilingirian (supplied) | p.21 The Smith Qt © H. Glendinning | p.22 C. Richter (supplied) | p.23 L. Parnham © Sven Arnstein | p.24 Fidelio Trio © Hugo Glendinning | p.25 K. Osostowicz & D. Tong © Sara Lipowitz | p.26 M. Karikis © Daniel Bosworth | p.27 Little Match Girl © Tommy Ga-Ken Wan | p.28 Vida Qt © Felicity Ingram | p.30 Aurora: Far, Far Away (supplied) | p.32 T. Gould © Aga Tomaszek | p.33 W. Mertens © Alex Vanhee | p.34 RM Hubbert (supplied) | p.35 FitkinWall (supplied) | p.36 S. Chauveau © Jérémie Kerling p.37 G. Haines © Markus Werner | p.38 R. Ross © Simon Murphy p.40 A. Parks (supplied) | p.41 J. Dankworth © John Kentish; N. Bärtsch © Marc Wetli | p.42 D. Herskedal © Knut Bry; A. Sheppard © Sara Da Costa | p.43 S. Jindal (supplied) p.44 O. Bayir (supplied) p.45 E. de Waal © Ben McKee | p.46 R. Dawkins © Sutton-Hibbert / Rex | p.47 M. Bragg © ITV | p.49 Aurora: Far, Far Away (supplied) | p.51 Painting: Greg Tricker (supplied) | p.52 Sculpture: Geoffrey Clarke, Man © Steve Russell | p.53 Detail: Hall One © Nick White | p.54 P. Henry & H. Martin (supplied) | p.55 Painting: Thomas Newbolt Self-Portrait; S. Callow © P. Keightley/Lebrecht; C. Richter (supplied); J. Causley © Brad Waters; The Smith Qt © Hugo Glendinning; J. Metcalfe © Tom Oldham | p.56 The Furrow Collective © Chris Saunders; The Watershed Band (supplied); M. Bragg © ITV; J. Stevenson © Ben Ealovega; A. Parks (supplied); H. Christophers © Marco Borggreve | p.57 Ulla’s Odyssey (supplied); K. Osostowicz & D. Tong © Sara Lipowitz; R. Wallfisch (supplied); Painting: Greg Tricker, ‘Horsemen of the Apocalypse’; J. Martin & Chaparro (supplied); Little Match Girl © Tommy Ga-Ken Wan | p.58 G. Bryars © Gautier Deblonde; P. Thwaites © Clive Barda; Juice Vocal Ensemble © Dannie Price; Coope, Boyes & Simpson (supplied); Hubbub (supplied); Afiara Qt © D. Ehrenworth | p.59 S. Chauveau © Jérémie Kerling; Mairead and Anna (supplied); B. Sanfilippo © Manuel Munoz Gomez; G. Haines © Thomas Hack; I. Rankin (supplied); E. de Waal © Ben McKee | p.60 Mobile Extended © Martin Möll; R. Ross (supplied); D. Virelles © John Rogers/ECM Records; A. Andersen © Peter Heller; F. Lips (supplied); L. Elschenbroich © Felix Broede | p.61 Hall One & Hall Two © Nick White | p.64 N. Bärtsch © Martin Möll

65TALkBACkBook tickets kingsplace.co.uk

talkbackjump onto twitter and #telluswhatyouthink, tagging @Kingsplace.

we love to hear from you and really value your opinions.

asha phillips

@asha_phillipsMAY 29

La vie est belle. Fab concert #@Feinstein Ensemble Vivaldi & Bach @KingsPlace. Superb togetherness, sensitive violin and amazing flute.

kings plaCe Choir

@KingsPlaceChoirMAY 28

We were lucky enough to rehearse in Hall Two this evening and were blocked in by morris dancers … only @KingsPlace

wheelZ wheeler

@WheelzwheelerJUN 5

Great performance and cracking night, Kicking things off @KingsPlace @GiselaJoao and @Monsieur Doumani #Sefest15

annie Cogdell

@AnnymatedJUN 5

Beautiful #Songlines Encounters concert @kingsplace tonight. Scottish fiddle playing followed by sublime Iranian songs.

Carolyn mCglone

@Carolyn_McGloneJUN 2

I've just booked tickets to see @judyblume at @KingsPlace – I may not be able to concentrate for the next month I'm so excited!

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66 Sep — Nov 2015Q&A

how do you desCribe your musiC, and what formation will you be bringing to kings plaCe?

Because of its general direction, and how it flows, I call it Ritual Groove Music. It has a lot to do with ritualistic musical strategies, and also because groove is very important.

For Kings Place we want to introduce the acoustic formation Mobile (pronounced the Italian way), which will bring out a new CD on ECM in the early part of 2016. It’s perfect for the hall: it’s a chamber music hall, and this is an acoustic project. We will also be doing some through-composed chamber pieces on the Friday.

this band takes you baCk to the origins of your whole ConCept, right?

Yes, when I was in my 20s, I became very selective with the playing opportunities I took up, because I was interested in developing something really of my own, a ritual music group. It started off with events at a disused brewery in Zurich. We did 36-hour concerts, more like installations, from Friday evening until Sunday morning, with lighting and sound. We worked with video artists too. And that is how these patterned works, the complex dramaturgies of overlapping rhythms and working modularly, how all that really got started. In fact it was with this acoustic group that Manfred Eicher

of ECM first heard us in the Wasserkirche in Zurich.

then after that Came ronin?

After a time, I wanted to have a band that was more flexible, that could play in clubs and festivals, and that is how Ronin was born. It is an amplified jazz, funk, new music band. Zen funk is a good term: it’s a paradox and it sounds percussive … I knew that Ronin had to play a lot: we perform in the club Exil in Zurich every Monday, we are coming up for our 555th performance in July! We’ve toured almost every country in Europe, North America, Southern Africa, China, Japan, and Tehran – a particularly intense experience.

the name ronin Comes from Japanese warriors. you are involved in martial arts: does this feed baCk into the musiC?

I do the modern Japanese martial art Aikido. I train in a Dojo (school) in Zurich and do seminars. When working with musicians, I include presence training and group training. It informs musical awareness, the capacity to listen and to react immediately, the connection with colleagues and with the audience – and all of those have a lot to do with the techniques of training in martial arts. Also, in Japanese martial arts, it’s about long-term

nik BärtshPianist

development. Ten years? A black belt? That’s just a serious beginner!

that long-term approaCh is important to you. your last ronin reCord was in 2012 …

I wanted to take my time, not do something just so there could be a new record out. It had to be something where the players could be ready, where the music is ready …

so mobile both takes you forwards to new, more Confident expression, but also brings you baCk to re-visit your past?

That’s it. The fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto once said, ‘I learned to accept my own style.’ I like that phrase. When you work so long, you can really deepen what you do. ‘Spiral development’ describes the way you go forwards, it contains the idea of developing that you find in the Western avant-garde, but at the same time you are always going back to the beginning. Somehow you go forward to the roots …

fri 13 novLondon Jazz Festival: Nik Bärtsch plays Nik BärtschHall One, 7.30pm

sat 14 novNik Bärtsch: Mobile ExtendedHall One, 7.30pm

nik Bärtsch is a swiss jazz pianist, composer and producer His band ronin has made four albums for ecM and toured world-wide. He’ll perform twice at Kings place in november as part of the London jazz Festival and Minimalism Unwrapped. sebastian scotney interviewed him.

‘Aikido informs my musical awareness, the capacity to listen and to react immediately’

67Book tickets 020 7520 1490 TITLE

from plainsong to arvo pärt, steve reich to scanner

90 York Way, London N1 9AG | King’s Cross | online savers £9.50 | kingsplace.co.uk/minimalismIn C, Terry Riley (bar#3) © Moira Gil

Aurora Orchestra · Nik Bärtsch · Gavin Bryars Howard Skempton · Wim Mertens · Bruno Sanfilippo · Sylvain Chauveau · Greg Haines Thomas Gould · Leonard Elschenbroich Mikhail Karikis · Fretwork · The Sixteen · Juice Chroma · Fidelio Trio · The Smith Quartet

unwrapping continues throughout autumn 2015

68 Sep — Nov 2015TITLE

orchestra of the age of enlightenment aurora orchestra oxford baroque dunedin consort concerto italiano geneva camerata avison ensemble the choir of king’s college, cambridge the sixteen rachel podger hugo ticciati daria van den bercken mahan esfahani david hansen emma kirkby

+ many more

over 50 concerts, study days and talks exploring a unique period of burgeoning creativity and fresh stylistic encounters …

At Kings Place throughout 2016

Gold, baroque pearl and diamond pendant, 17th c © Sotheby’s London

Tickets from £9.50 online kingsplace.co.uk/baroque

90 York Way London N1 9AG 020 7520 1490