April 2017 – upcoming classical etc. gigs in London and Dublin – Workers Union Ensemble + SounDKard @ Nonclassical (12th); Quataurus Rex play works for string quartet-plus (13th); Benjamin Dwyer and Darragh Morgan launch albums (28th, 29th)

Three more imminent classical-plus events in London – plus one in Dublin – featuring various ensemble and solo artists (some of whom also compose) stretching the boundaries of form and texture.

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Nonclassical presents:
Nonclassical:Workers Union Ensemble + SoundKarD + DJ Ben Vince
The Victoria, 451 Queensbridge Road, Hackney, London, E8 3AS, England
Wednesday 12th April 2017, 8.00pm – information

“Join us in Dalston for performances by Workers Union Ensemble and SounDKarD with DJ sets by Ben Vince. Plus locally sourced craft beers and massive burgers! Includes two world premieres by Paul Whitty and Helen Papaioannou.

“Both ensembles programme new work alongside existing or flexible repertoire.”

Programme:

– Workers Union Ensemble:

Seán Clancy – Seven Lines of Music Slow Down And Eventually Stop
Jay Capperauld – Dehumanised Shock Absorbers
Laurence Crane – Old Life Was Rubbish
Helen Papaioannou – Backscatter (second premiere)
Nick Morrish Rarity – Junk Space

– SounDKard:

Duncan McLeod – No Man Is An Island
Amber Priestley – Flowers
Kate Halsall (arranger) – Wooden Trees (after John Cage/Laurie Anderson/The Beatles)
Ryoko Akama – Con de Structuring
Iain Chambers – I Became Mermaid
Catherine Lamb – Lineshadow
Paul Whitty – (new work – world premiere)

Helen Papaioannou recently revealed some of the details of her new piece in an interview on the WUE website – “‘Backscatter’ is a sort of mottling of sounds and notes which are bounced, echoed or split between individual players or subgroups. This hangs around short lines and motifs that churn into mechanistic loops, exploring different colours and textures within the ensemble… As in many of my recent works, particularly ‘Splinter’ (2016), the piece is built around hocketing. My fascination with hocketing lies partly in the interpersonal thrill & playfulness of coordinating patterns between two or more people. In recent pieces of mine this interleaves with an exploration of cueing and game strategies.” The full interview is here.

Here are a few preexisting versions of some of the other pieces:

 

 
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IKLECTIK Art Lab presents:
Quataurus Rex
IKLECTIK, Old Paradise Yard, 20 Carlisle Lane, Waterloo, London, SE1 7LG, England
Thursady 13th April 2017, 7.30pm – information here and here

“Quataurus Rex are a London-based string quartet of colleagues and friends who formed in London – the members are Amy Heggart and Sophie Cameron (violins), Alison D’Souza (viola) and George Hoult (cello). Individually they have performed throughout the UK in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall with orchestras and artists including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Skepta, Lady Leshurr and Laura Mvula.

“This night will feature a range of works for string quartet, electronics and loop machine crossing genres from contemporary classical to folk and electronic.”

Programme:

George Crumb – Black Angels (excerpt)
Sophie Cameron – Afterimage
Daniel Potter – Premiere
Pavel Fischer – Morava

Here’s a quick taste of the Crumb piece, as performed by the Kronos Quartet:

 
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Two concerts at the end of the month reveal and celebrate a pair of releases from the Irish experimental classical label Diatribe Records. The Dublin date features work by both Benjamin Dwyer and Darragh Morgan; the London date features Darragh alone.

• Benjamin Dwyer/Darragh Morgan – The Complex Dublin, 15 Little Green Street, Dublin, D7, Ireland, Friday 28th April 2017, 8.00pm – information here and here
• Darragh Morgan – IKLECTIK, Old Paradise Yard, 20 Carlisle Lane, Waterloo, London, SE1 7LG, England, Saturday 29th April 2017, 8.00 pm – information

“Benjamin Dwyer‘s’s music is forged from an intensive amalgamation of technical, improvisatory and interpretative elements. Experienced at the intersection of performance, gesture and compositional praxis, his music is further enriched through its deep immersion in ritual and symbol. His works have been performed worldwide by renowned musicians and ensembles.

As a classical guitarist and a major exponent of contemporary music and free jazz, Dwyer performs worldwide and has appeared as soloist with all the Irish orchestras, the Neubrandenburg Philharmonic (Germany), the Santos Symphony Orchestra (Brazil), the VOX21 new-music ensemble, the Callino Quartet (UK) and the Vogler String Quartet (Germany). He is a member of Barry Guy’s Blue Shroud Band and TIN (the UK-based Transdisciplinary Improvisation Network). Chiefly informed by continental philosophy, and post-colonial and feminist theory, Dwyer has also written extensively on music exploring themes such as Irish art music, the intersections of performance and compositional practice, improvisation, the classical guitar, and music as myth and symbol.

Originally premiered in November 2011, Benjamin’s ‘Umbilical’ is a composition for amplified Baroque violin, double-bass, harpsichord and tape, based on the myth of Oedipus but viewed from the perspective of his lover and mother Jocasta. The work was originally staged as a mixed-media event involving audio-visual content and Japanese Butoh dance. This month’s restaging will be performed by the same three live musicians who’ve been associated with it from the start – Barry Guy (double bass), Maya Homburger (Baroque violin) and David Adams (harpsichord).

 

 

“Darragh Morgan has emerged as one of Europe’s leading violinists, having achieved international recognition as both soloist and chamber musician. He has frequently appeared at major international festivals in many of the world’s most prestigious halls.

Darragh Morgan: ‘For Violin And Electronics’

“As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with artists such as Thomas Ades, Emmanuel Pahud, Joanna MacGregor, Nicholas Daniel and John Tilbury. As a highly active and renowned interpreter of contemporary music, he has worked with and premiered the music of many of the most important composers of our time including Arvo Part, John Tavener, Gavin Bryars, Howard Skempton, Michael Nyman, Gerald Barry and Michael Finnissy. He has led Ensemble Modern, London Sinfonietta, Musik Fabrik, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and was a member of the acclaimed Smith Quartet from 2005-2011. He is currently the violinist in the Fidelio Trio.

“Darragh’s new release on Diatribe, titled ‘For Violin And Electronics’, features works by leading electroacoustic composers Paul Wilson, Jonty Harrison, Ricardo Climent, Jonathan Nangle, Scott Wilson and Simon Emmerson.”

Tags: Alison D'Souza, Amber Priestley, Amy Heggart, Anna Durance, Barry Guy, Ben Oliver, Benjamin Dwyer, Catherine Lamb, Caz Wolfson, Daniel Potter, Darragh Morgan, David Adams, Dublin (Ireland), Duncan Macleod, Edward Pick, Ellie Steemson, George Crumb, George Hoult, Helen Papaioannou, Iain Chambers, IKLECTIK Art Lab (promoters), Jay Capperauld, John Cage, Joley Cragg, Jonathan Nangle, Jonty Harrison, Kate Halsall, Laurence Crane, Laurie Anderson, London (England), Maya Homburger, Mercedes Carroll, Nick Morrish Rarity, Nonclassical (event/promoter/record label), Paul Whitty, Paul Wilson, Pavel Fischer, Quataurus Rex, Ricardo Climent, Ryoko Akama, Sarah Dacey, Scott Wilson, Seán Clancy, Simon Emmerson, Sophie Cameron, SoundKard, Workers Union Ensemble