Celebrating Collaboration
Peter Sheppard Skaerved introduces the first in a series celebrating collaboration in its forms.
December 17th
1. Collaborating with the Baroque - Vilsmaÿr, Biber, Grinling Gibbons, Nicola LeFanu
How do we reach back to the past? How does the old become new?
Johan Vilsmaÿr’s six ‘partias’ solo violin are xtraordinary bridge, from the virtuosic ‘German-speaking’ violin of the late 17th century, heard in the works of Biber, Baltzar, Matteis and Walther, to philosophical masterpieces of 1720s and ‘30s – Bach and Telemann’s. Peter explores this amazing colourful cycle, full of dances, re-tunings and ... canaries. Alongside this, a recent work, 'Prelude after Grinling Gibbons' by the great British composer Nicola LeFanu. This reanimates the art of the 17th century carver, Grinling Gibbons, through the music of Orlando di Lasso, and summons the spirits of King David and Saint Cecelia, with their harp and organ.
December 18th
2. Collaborating with Art - Paul Klee, Sadie Harrison, Hafliði Hallgrímsson, Aphra Behn, Robert Saxton
Where do the worlds of Art and Music counterpoint? Where do they collide?
Music and painting live in intertwined worlds, and many composers have found their inspiration the graphic Art. Peter introduces the work of the composer/painter Hafliði Hallgrímsson, whose cycle of solo violin works evokes the life of the painter violinist Paul Klee. Alongside these, two composers who have written and are writing cycles of works based on Sheppard Skaerved's own work with pencil and brush, Sadie Harrison and Robert Saxton.