Matthew Barley (cello) is undertaking a 100-event tour of the UK to celebrate the centenary of Benjamin Britten – the itinerary will include venues as diverse as a Victorian swimming pool, a lighthouse, a barn and the Wigmore Hall in London, as well as a host of educational projects. Cromarty Arts Trust is delighted to be hosting one of these concerts at the Stables on Sunday June 2nd at 4pm. The tour is accompanied by a new release on Signum Classics, Around Britten, described by Sinfini as “a defining statement in modern cello playing”.

“My intention is to create a programme that pays homage to Britten’s creativity and innovation.” says Matthew Barley. Cello playing is at the centre of Matthew Barley’s career, while his musical world has virtually no geographical, social or stylistic boundaries. Music Director of BBC2 TV’s Classical Star programme, Matthew Barley is passionate about education, improvisation, multi-arts projects, new music, and pioneering community programmes. He is a world-renowned cellist, who has performed in over 50 countries in many of the world’s great concert halls with orchestras including BBC Philharmonic, Vienna Radio Sympony, Czech Philharmonic, Melbourne and New Zealand Symphonies and the Kremerata Baltica.

Matthew Barley’s collaborations include Matthias Goerne, the Labeque Sisters, Viviane Hagner, Martin Frost, Thomas Larcher, Kit Armstrong, Amjad Ali Khan, Julian Joseph, Talvin Singh, Kathryn Tickell, Nitin Sawhney, and Deep Purple’s Jon Lord, and his new music group, Between The Notes, has undertaken over 60 creative projects with young musicians and orchestral players around the world.

The following five pieces form the basis of the recital programme, though there will be variations in certain venues.

A CYCLE OF THE SOUL

PRE-EXISTENCE : DAI FUJIKURA The Spirit of Beings

The concept of this piece is Pre-existence — the idea that the spirit of a newborn child chooses its parents before conception. The four movements in the piece are: Aria, Floating, Awakening and Unending and the electronic parts play on shuffle mode, so there are 24 different permutations for the piece that are not determined until the minute the piece begins on stage.

LIFE: J. S. BACH Suite No. 5 in C minor

Bach’s music has been described as ‘Supremely LIFE-affirming’. Bach’s fifth suite for solo cello is in the dramatic, velvety key of C minor, and to heighten the colour of this key, Bach requests that the top string be tuned down to a G. This re-tuning loosens the tension of the strings on the bridge, darkening the sound of the cello, and enabling wonderful three- and four-note chords in C minor to be played with ease.

DEATH: BENJAMIN BRITTEN Third Suite for Cello

Britten’s Third Suite for Cello is based on the Kontakion, the Hymn for the Dead. Written only a few years before the composer’s death, mortality was much on his mind at the time of composition — the Kontakion develops at the close of the work with a peaceful radiance that gives way to a final silence.

AFTERLIFE: JAN BANG Noticing Things

Jan Bang created all these sounds by remixing the electronic files from Dai Fujikura’s piece, The Spirit of Beings. The cello part is completely improvised, and the movements are entitled Replica, Flooded Corridors and Implanted Memories.

REINCARNATION: JAMES MACMILLAN And He Rose

And He Rose by James MacMillan is a response to half-remembered chants associated with Easter. The mood is joyful and energetic, like a sustained, physically exuberant alleluia.

As part of the Around Britten tour, production company Yeast Culture was invited to create a series of visuals to accompany Britten’s Third Suite for Cello which will be projected on screen at selected recital venues.

For more information and to book tickets (£10/£8 and £3 for children under 16) please cantact

Cromarty Arts Trust on 01381 600354 or email info@cromartyartstrust.org.uk

See here for full tour dates

Source: Cromarty Arts Trust