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British trumpeter Simon Desbruslais (Meet the Artist, 5 September 2012) will premiere ‘Shakespeare Scenes’, a new work by Robert Saxton at a concert given by the Orchestra of the Swan on Friday 24 May in Straford-upon-Avon.

Robert Saxton was given early composition advice and encouragement by Benjamin Britten, which is well documented in John Bridcut’s book Britten’s Children, and his new work is included in a programme which features the perenially popular Trumpet Voluntary by Jeremiah Clark and Britten’s Simple Symphony,

More about ‘Shakespeare Scenes’ (the composer’s programme note):

‘Shakespeare Scenes’, (2012-13) for solo trumpet and strings, was commissioned by Simon Desbruslais, to whom it is dedicated, with funding from the Britten/ears Foundation and the RVW Trust. The Orchestra of the Swan and their founder/music director, David Curtis, being the ensemble giving the premiere and making a commercial recording of the work, it seemed appropriate to pay tribute to Stratford-upon-Avon’s greatest son. There are five pieces/movements whose tonal centres outline the musical letters of Shakespeare’s name, so that the latter forms the structural basis of the whole.

The first piece, The Magic Wood, refers to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the strings representing the magic wood/the fairy kingdom, the trumpet Puck. In the second piece, Falstaff, the trumpet plays the role of Falstaff, the three linked episodes depicting the fat knight waking, the Gad’s Hill episode (with clashing swords) and, closes with the death of Falstaff. The third piece, The Storm on the Heath, casts the trumpet as the mad, raving King Lear, with a solo violin as his Fool/Jester. Masque, the fourth piece, rather than referring to a specific play, pays tribute to the Masque as a genre (there are masques in various Shakespeare plays, The Winter’s Tale and A Midsummer Night’s Dream being well-known examples); the upper strings and ‘basses represent the dancers/the courtly crowd, the trumpet playing a Pavane followed by a Galliard, with the cellos accompanying. Although there  are no quotations from Tudor/Jacobean music, the trumpet’s music makes reference to music of the period. In the closing piece, The Magic Island (The Tempest), we hear the chastened Prospero (trumpet) and the now-tamed Caliban (solo viola) reconciled against a background of sustained ‘ringing’ string music.

Further information and tickets here

The concert forms part of the Straford-upon-Avon Arts Festival, and will be preceded by a talk.

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New hang at Tate Britain

Rehanging David Hockney’s ‘Mr & Mrs Clarke and Percy’ at Tate Britain (photo source: Evening Standard)

This week sees the unveiling of the new hang at Tate Britain, a chronological “walk through” 500 years of British art showcasing the Tate’s extensive collection with old favourites and some surprises along the way.

Previous hangs have attracted criticism for taking a radical thematic approach, but this new display is fresh and accessible. And the refurbished rooms in the Tate’s iconic home on London’s Millbank look fabulous.

Read my complete article here

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Who or what inspired you to take up the piano and make it your career?

My mother brought home from the public library a recording by Vladimir Horowitz. Already, I was studying music and learning to play the piano; but it was those sounds that ignited my musical interest.

Who or what were the most important influences on your playing?

Early on, it was recordings of Horowitz (I only wanted to play pieces he played, for example), and earlier pianists, Hofmann, Petri. Later, I went another direction. My teacher at Juilliard was Jacob Lateiner, an extraordinary virtuoso with nearly Talmudic insights! He offered intensely detailed scrutiny of music and high ideals. He was the most important example to me, and he was my friend. At the same time, my awareness of John Cage’s music and my work with it were important. That makes for some combination of compulsive preparation and considerable letting-go in performance.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

The greatest challenges are simple things, I believe. For virtuosos — or any kind of experts — it’s difficult to resist showing how much you can do, or know, or feel.

Which performances or recordings are you most proud of?

I’m pleased with a new recording of piano music by Meredith Monk that I made with Ursula Oppens. Along with solo pieces, there are 4 new transcriptions of Meredith’s music that I made from pieces that were first written for voices or other instruments.

Do you have a favourite concert venue to perform in?

Many. I play rather frequently in New York at Le Poisson Rouge (LPR). It’s a nightclub where very different kinds of music mingle or collide. One night, I played Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time right before a set by the French star Sylvain Chauveau.

Favourite pieces to perform?

I like performing chamber music. The necessary spontaneity and moment-by-moment awareness when playing with other people make the real pleasure of performing most clear.

What is your most memorable concert experience?

Probably that would be the first time I played in Los Angeles, with the L.A. Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl – but the day before the performance there was an earthquake!

What do you consider to be the most important ideas and concepts to impart to aspiring musicians?

Close listening and curiosity – that’s paying attention!

What are you working on at the moment?

There’s a new piano concerto written for me by William Duckworth. I’m doing a re-editing project based on recordings by Glenn Gould.

What is your present state of mind?

Anxious anticipation. In London at Kings Place on May 19th, I’m offering an improvisation with a backing track I prepared. (As well as composed pieces by Glass, Nico Muhly, and Alvin Curran.) Last season, at the urging of Ran Blake, I did an improv in a public concert. Now I’m hooked.

brucebrubaker.com

artsjounal.com/pianomorphosis

Bruce Brubaker appears at London’s King’s Place on Sunday 19th May in a concert entitled Plugged and Unplugged: Post-Minimalist Piano Music. Further information and tickets here

Bruce Brubaker is an American artist, musician, concert pianist, and writer born in Iowa. Brubaker trained at the Juilliard School, where he received the school’s highest award, the Edward Steuermann Prize, upon graduation. At Juilliard, where he taught from 1995 to 2004, he has appeared in public conversations with Philip Glass, Milton Babbitt, and Meredith Monk.

Full biography here

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Olivier Messiaen in 1930

The fascinating Rest is Noise festival at the Southbank Centre has now reached its mid-point, with the focus on music created out of oppression and war. In Friday night’s chamber concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall two pieces written in the most straitened circumstances during the Second World War were presented: Shostakovich’s Second Piano Trio, a haunting lament for the tragic victims of the war and conflict in general, and Messiaen’s extraordinary Quatuor pour la fin du temps (“Quartet for the End of Time”), composed and premièred in a German prisoner of war camp. The works were performed by world-renowned musicians – French brothers Renaud and Gautier Capuçon (violin and cello respectively), Denis Kozhukhin (piano) and Jörg Widmann (clarinet). They offered a highly emotional, profound and concentrated performance which demonstrated their commitment to and understanding of this difficult, meaningful repertoire.

Read my full review here