John Casken
BRITISH CONNECTION
This season we feature two British composers of international repute who between them have contributed to the musical life of the country for the last 80 years : Benjamin Britten and John Casken .
With such a varied and often unusual catalogue , the music of Benjamin Britten is frequently featured by orchestras large and small as well as chamber ensembles , soloists and opera companies . In the first half of our season we reflect that variety with performances across all our series and programmes .
We start our focus on Britten with Late Mix pitching his first published work with one of his last . The late String Quartet No . 3 could be seen as his final musical statement before his death whilst his Op . 1 Sinfonietta is a self-assured work from his time at the Royal College of Music . At the centre of our celebration in October and November are three song cycles from different stages of Britten ’ s life , each charged with vivid imagery and emotion : ‘ Les Illuminations ’ written in his American period but embracing not only the French language but also elements of French style ; the most famous of the three works , his Serenade for Tenor , Horn and Strings written during World War II for the celebrated horn player Dennis Brain ; and finally Nocturne , written in the late 1950s and , like so many other works , premiered by Peter Pears . At opposite ends of the compositional scale are his ‘ Young Person ’ s Guide to the Orchestra ’ and his ‘ Phantasy Quartet ’ for oboe and strings presented by the Hallé in October and Northern Sinfonia soloists in November respectively . Britten had strong links to Russian musicians Shostakovich and Rostropovich and it was those relationships that influenced his Cello Symphony , altogether more ambitious than a concerto , performed in March by our Section Leader Cello Louisa Tuck .
Before the main series performances begin , our young musicians collaborate with Samling Academy singers to present his comic opera , ‘ Albert Herring ’ and throughout the season we will be working with local schools to create new works inspired by Britten ’ s incomplete radio plays in our composition project “ What would Britten have written ?” Performances and projects from Young Sinfonia , Quay Choirs and our Young Musicians Programme will feature Benjamin Britten and details of performances and showcase events will be featured on our website .
As we move into the second half of our season , we look ahead to June 2014 and the world premiere of a new concerto for violin and viola jointly commissioned by Thomas Zehetmair and Northern Sinfonia from John Casken . Entitled ‘ That Subtle Knot ’ the work is inspired by the poem ‘ Ecstasy ’ by John Donne and will receive its second performance days after its premiere in Northern Sinfonia ’ s London Series at Milton Court . John Casken was Composer-in-Association for Northern Sinfonia from 1990 to 2001 writing numerous works for the orchestra including his Cello Concerto written for Heinrich Schiff , ‘ Darting the Skiff ’ for strings , and ‘ Maharal Dreaming ’ a tone poem based on his opera ‘ Golem ’, performed this season by Mario Venzago in April 2014 . The orchestra and chorus have continued to perform his music , most recently his ‘ Farness ’ – three poems of Carol Ann Duffy and ‘ The Knight ’ s Stone ’ for chorus and flute which features in Late Mix in February 2014 .
John studied in Poland and formed a close relationship with Witold Lutosławski , inviting both him and the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu to Durham University , where he taught , to receive honorary doctorate degrees , a link that inspires a special Late Mix concert curated and conducted by John in April 2014 . Emeritus Professor of Music at the University of Manchester , having been Professor from 1992 to 2008 , John now lives and composes in Coquetdale and influences of the Northumberland landscape are just one source of inspiration for his music .
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