In C in Swavesey
On Friday 15 October, eight Britten Sinfonia musicians joined over 50 children and young people from Swavesey on the opening night of the Village College’s new performance venue. The young musicians had been working over the past month with Fraser Trainer and musicians from Britten Sinfonia to learn to play Terry Riley’s seminal work In C, often hailed as the first true minimalist piece.
The joy of this piece, from a music education perspective, is the freedom it gives performers. Each of the 53 bars can be repeated as many times as the individual performer wishes, can be played faster or slower, and at different octaves. Performers take a break when they feel the performance would benefit from a thinner or quieter texture - or when they get tired. Many of the bars are playable by beginners, and in this case the ages of the children involved ranged from 5 to 16.
Riley recently led a performance of this piece at Carnegie Hall which lasted for over 2 hours; the Swavesey version, by comparison, was nearer to 30 minutes, with the youngest children performing pre-determined sections of the piece and the older ones using their listening skills and musical judgement to decide what path to follow through the music.
To see photographs from this project, and find out more, visit the Swavesey / Start Arts website.
Calendar
Next Production
Padmore sings Mahler
Bradford on Avon, Cambridge and London
12 - 17 May 2012
Due to family illness, Mark Padmore has had to withdraw from this performance. He will be replaced by baritone Roderick Williams.
Britten Sinfonia at Lunch 4
West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge
01 May 2012 1:00pm
Renowned tenor, Mark Padmore joins Britten Sinfonia for the final concert in the 2011-12 At Lunch series. At the centre of this programme is a work by British composer, Jonathan Dove, co-commissioned by Britten Sinfonia and Wigmore Hall with support from the Tenner for a Tenor campaign.
Britten Sinfonia at Lunch 4
Wigmore Hall, London
02 May 2012 1:00pm
Renowned tenor, Mark Padmore joins Britten Sinfonia for the final concert in the 2011-12 At Lunch series. At the centre of this programme is a work by British composer, Jonathan Dove, co-commissioned by Britten Sinfonia and Wigmore Hall with support from the Tenner for a Tenor campaign.
Norfolk & Norwich Festival - Padmore Sings Mahler
St Andrew's Hall, Norwich
11 May 2012 7:30pm
Due to family illness, Mark Padmore has had to withdraw from this performance. He will be replaced by baritone Roderick Williams.
Padmore sings Mahler
Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford on Avon
12 May 2012 7:30pm
Due to family illness, Mark Padmore has had to withdraw from this performance. He will be replaced by baritone Roderick Williams.
Padmore sings Mahler
West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge
16 May 2012 7:30pm
Due to family illness, Mark Padmore has had to withdraw from this performance. He will be replaced by baritone Roderick Williams.
Padmore sings Mahler
Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
17 May 2012 7:30pm
Due to family illness, Mark Padmore has had to withdraw from this performance. He will be replaced by baritone Roderick Williams.
Brighton Festival - Mahler & Schubert
Corn Exchange, Brighton Dome, Brighton
19 May 2012 7:30pm
Due to family illness, Mark Padmore has had to withdraw from this performance. He will be replaced by baritone Roderick Williams.
Bury St Edmunds Festival
The Apex, Bury St. Edmunds
20 May 2012 7:30pm
Britten Sinfonia returns to the festival for in 2012.
Brighton Festival - King Priam
Corn Exchange, Brighton Dome, Brighton
27 May 2012 7:00pm
‘I have to sing songs for those who can’t sing for themselves. Those songs come from the torments and horrors that have happened. I can’t lose faith in humanity.’ Sir Michael Tippett
Britten Sinfonia at Museo Reina Sofia
Museo Reina Sofia , Madrid
28 May 2012 7:30pm
Fabián Panisello conducts his song cycle Libro del Frio with soprano Allison Bell and Britten Sinfonia
