SIMON PARSONS is discomfited by an unflichingly negative portrait of motherhood and its trials
Fit as a fiddle
The sonic possibilities of the violin are tested to their limits in new works, reports SIMON DUFF
PAUL FOLEY recommends an extraordinary double bill that packs a punch and leaves you reeling
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by a play about AI that results in a deadening disconnect for its audience
SIMON PARSONS applauds an insightful state-of-the-nation play that explores the growing class divide in South Africa
MATTHEW HAWKINS pays tribute to the performance artist and costumier, Leigh Bowery
SIMON DUFF reviews a new composition by German composer and pianist Florian Weber that blurs the line between where improvisation ends and composition begins
New releases from The Jim Mullen Quartet, Caroline Kraabel/John Edwards, and Matthew Muneses/Riza Printup
The Expanded Violin
LSO St Luke’s London
EIGHT composers, curated by Anselm McDonnell, were given the brief to explore the tonal and sonic boundaries of the violin in his second event for the LSO in 2024.
The Irish-Welsh composer based in Belfast has composed over 90 works for orchestra, chamber groups and electronics, performed all over the world, and for this event two of his works were performed.
The musicians Mira Benjamin, Larissa O’Grady, Chihiro Ono and Amalia Young made up the quartet, who also used an assortment of electronic backing. They played in the round in Jerwood Hall under a constructed sound absorbent baffle, with a tasteful projection of shifting shapes and subtle tonal lighting, designed to match the mood of each composition.
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