New Season: BBT Premières, Releases and Showcases
Commissioning a new work is inevitably a long term process but still one of the most rewarding projects chosen by Borletti-Buitoni Trust (BBT) award winners: in the coming season there are two world premières of new concertos. There are also five BBT-supported CD releases and BBT showcase concerts for six award winners.
In addition to supporting two successful CDs for French violist Antoine Tamestit, the Trust has co-commissioned a new viola concerto, Remnants of Song…An Amphigory, from the dramatic cutting-edge Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth. The world première will take place on 10th October 2009 at Musikprotokoll Graz with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Peter Eötvös, followed by further performances on 20th November at the Wien Modern Festival and 31st January 2010 with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin conducted by Alejo Pérez. The BBC Symphony Orchestra is planning the UK première of this work for early 2011.
BBT’s co-commissioners in this venture are the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation Radio and Television (ORF), Wien Modern Contemporary Music Festival, the late Betty Freeman and DSOB.
Dutch pianist Ralph van Raat will perform the world première of British composer Gavin Bryars’ first piano concerto on 19th February 2010 with the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic and Netherlands Radio Choir conducted by Otto Tausk at Vredenburg Utrecht and again the following day at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam. Although Bryars plays the piano himself this will be the first time in his long career of composing that he has written specifically for it. The work will also include a choral element with words from the poetry of Scottish poet Edwin Morgan. The Trust supported Dutch pianist Ralph van Raat’s first recording with Naxos resulting in a busy and fruitful relationship: an Artist Profile boxed set has just been produced featuring Adams, Lindberg, Rzewski and Tavener. Naxos plans to record the Bryars concerto.
The Borletti-Buitoni Trust occasionally organises private showcase concerts for its artists as an opportunity for them to meet and work together and also to present them to potential agents and promoters.
Wednesday 30th September at 7.30pm Mahan Esfahani & Erik Bosgraaf
Iranian-born harspichordist Mahan Esfahani and Dutch recorder player Erik Bosgraaf, both 2009 award winners, perform a salon concert at the home of Vernon and Hazel Ellis, 49 Queen’s Gate Terrace, London SW7 5PN.
For invitation email susanrivers@bbtrust.com
Wednesday 14th October at 7pm O Duo
The dynamic percussion duo, O Duo, comprising Owen Gunnell and Oliver Cox will give a free concert at Wilton’s Music Hall, 1 Graces Alley, London E1 8JB.
For free entry to the concert, email oduo@ycat.co.uk before 1st October.
Wednesday 4th November at 7.30pm Julian Steckel & Francesco Piemontesi
German cellist Julian Steckel and Swiss pianist Francesco Piemontesi give a concert in the art gallery-cum-drawing room of philanthropists Bob and Elisabeth Boas at their home 22 Mansfield Street, London W1G 9NR.
For invitation email susanrivers@bbtrust.com
Following the critical success of the quartet’s first CD with Virgin Classics (Ravel, Debussy, Fauré) BBT supported the second recording of the Brahms String Quartet No. 1 and Piano Quintet with Akiko Yamamoto released in September 2009.
As well as using his BBT award to fund the acquisition of new recorders and possibly a future new commission, this dedicated Dutch recorder player has put part of his award towards supporting the release in Autumn 2009 of Vivaldi’s Recorder Concertos on the Brilliant Classics label. These pieces are at the summit of virtuosic technique and as masterly and demanding as the Four Seasons is for violinists.
Finally, the BBT blog (www.bbtrust.com/blog) is a burgeoning site for more views and stories from BBT artists and associates. The latest entries come from pianist (and budding airline pilot) Ralph van Raat, Canadian baritone Joshua Hopkins, American pianist Shai Wosner, the Navarra Quartet and BBT film maker Graham Johnston.
Russian violinist Alina Ibragimova finally found the perfect place in Berlin to be both her home and a sound-proof, acoustically viable space in which to work and practice freely with her fellow musicians. Her BBT award from 2008 was the appropriate deposit to secure the property and also helped her buy a new bow.
The Leopold String Trio launched the Friends of the Leopold String Trio following the success of The Series, supported by BBT, in which the Leopolds presented both core repertoire and new string trios at the Turner Sims and Wigmore Halls. The Trio, which is determined to continue discovering, performing, recording and commissioning more works in the genre, performs the complete cycle of Beethoven trios at the Wigmore Hall on 26th and 27th September 2009.
BBT has supported 23-year-old Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang’s debut disc with EMI Classics: Sibelius Violin Concerto and three Humoresques and Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1, recorded live with the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln and conductor Thomas Søndergård. The CD is released worldwide in January 2010 with a pre-release in Scandinavia in August 2009.
BBT has supported New York-based pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute’s recording of Alban Berg for the Labor Music label as part of its Music of Tribute series that pays homage to great composers by linking their works with music often unknown, rediscovered or previously unrecorded. The CD is released in November and is available online from www.laborrecords.com.
This lively ensemble of seven musicians has recorded its debut album for the launch of the new Sonimage label to be released in early 2010. The repertoire consists of English music by Vaughan Williams (Phantasy Quintet), Elgar (Piano Quintet) and Sad Steps composed for them by Huw Watkins, published by Schott.