Below you can see some of the highlights from our recent events. Follow us on Instagram!
We're getting in to the holiday spirit, and celebrating with a FREE chamber music event. We're exploring 
string duo works for violin and cello by three iconic Hungarian composers — Bartók, Kodály, and Ligeti. These musical pioneers shook up classical music in the 20th century, weaving Magyar folk music with innovations like micropolyphony into their work to create original and expressive soundscapes.
In keeping with the theme, there will also be traditional Eastern European folk music, Christmas treats, and a specially-themed DJ set from Nonclassical residents; expect to devour Beigli, dance to folk tunes, and shout “Boldog Karácsonyt!” by the end of the night.
We've invited two very exciting young musicians we've had our eye on to perform-
Violinist ELOISA-FLEUR THOM (" … a young British violinist of the front rank, impressively polished but with a distinctive and refined ear for character which is already making its special mark with audiences.” – Professor Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Principal, RAM)
Cellist MAX RUISI (Principal cellist, European Union Chamber Orchestra)
Individually the pair have been recipients of a long list of awards and together they are set to make a significant impact next year with their group 12 Ensemble, who have just been named Ensemble in Residence 2014 at the Forge in Camden.
PROGRAMME:
Kodály - Duo for Violin and Cello, Op.7 Ligeti - Hommage à Hilding Rosenberg Bartók - Selections from Hungarian Folk Melodies
Doors @ 6.30pm / Music @ 7.00pm Limewharf, Vyner Street E2 9DJ >>> Find this on Facebook eloisafleurthom.wordpress.com maxruisi.com
Ynight “Nonclassical” feat. Nonclassical London – Gabriel Prokofiev & Nwando Ebizie
On December 19 (BLOK Zürich) and 21 (Turnhalle Bern) the Ynight is featuring a Nonclassical London evening, with composer and DJ Gabriel Prokofiev (grandson of Russian composer Sergej Prokofiev) and DJ Nwando Ebizie. The music of Gabriel, an important representative of the “genre-bending” position in new composed music of today is at the center of the night – in compositions for string quartet, electronics and a spectacular piece for cello and 8 speakers. Later in the night, Gabriel and Nwando will remix the music played in the evening and the party begins.
With:
Yband:
Etienne Abelin, Milena Parobczy: Violins; David Schneebeli: Viola; Solme Hong, Cello
DJs Gabriel Prokofiev, Nwando Ebizie (Nonclassical London)
VJs Aaawesome Colors
Composer/Electronica/Remixes: Gabriel Prokofiev
Speakers: Sven Boenicke Audio
//// NEW SEASON OF MONTHLY CLUB NIGHTS @ THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS BEGINS 9/1/14 WITH A FREE ENTRY BATTLE OF THE BANDS ////
We're starting 2014 by moving our Monthly Club to a new venue The Shacklewell Arms in Dalston.
For the first club night of the year we're inviting submissions for entry to take part in our infamous BATTLE OF THE BANDS competition ...
Are you the next big thing in contemporary classical music? Forget all the embarrassing, ritualised humiliation of televised talent contests - Nonclassical's very own Battle of The bands presents the cutting edge of what is happening now in the classical world.
We've held the competition for five years now, with previous winners having even gone on to make excellent albums on Nonclassical Recordings, while both runners up and winners have gained exposure through performing at our events.
It's always one of our favourite nights, representing the full, diverse spectrum of contemporary music-making in London, from classically-inspired improvisation to live electronics, groups incorporating spoken word and extended vocal techniques, as well as more familiar groupings showcasing new work by emerging composers.
Information for Entrants This is a fantastic opportunity to perform at one of the UK’s leading alternative classical nights, and get involved in the scene: we are seeking to support the best in fresh young talent. It is an open contest for contemporary classical music groups, and instrumentation is limited only by your imagination. Any combination of acoustic and electronic instruments will be considered.
To be considered for entry please email: james@nonclassical.co.uk calling your email BATTLE OF THE BANDS.
PRIZES:
1st Prize:
- 1 bottle of Champagne - 10 CDs from the Nonclassical back catalogue - A slot at a Nonclassical monthly clubnight - Feature on Nonclassical website
- Runners Up:
- Feat on website - 3 CDs from the Nonclassical back catalogue - Free tickets to February's monthly Nonclassical Club
Event Details
Doors 8pm/9pm Start
The Shacklewell Arms, 71 Shacklewell Lane, London E8 2EB
FREE ENTRY
+Nonclassical Resident DJs
We're really excited to have improv. extraordinaire Steve Noble performing at our Evolution of the Drum Kit night.
It's really incredible how versatile an instrument the drum kit can be and we're delighted to be able to show it as part of our festival.
Also appearing on the night will be in-demand session player Ralph Salmins and Congalese drummer Jean-Claude Webs, each providing their own spin on things
To whet your appetites for what's in store, here's some choice selections of Steve performing:
Here he is with Peter Brotzmann on sax:
With Alex Ward on clarinet:
With Steven O' Malley:
and Solo, on solo snare, cymbals + Percussion:
In advance of our Pioneers of Percussion festival we invited David T. Little to tell us about his long-standing interest in percussion music, and to give us some examples of his favourite 20th and 21st century works along the way. Below is Part 2 of his response (you can read Part 1 here).
In 2002, David Lang composed The So-Called Laws of Nature, which I first heard in New York in 2004, performed by So Percussion. This 32-minute quartet might be the first really important statement for the genre at the start of the new millennium, and it—at least to my ears—places percussion back in one of its original positions, as the tool of ritual. It has a kind of concurrent stasis and motion that I find really mesmerizing—moving and powerful—like the best early minimalism, but with an occasional wink that, yes, it is 2002. In the spirit of Cage, it repurposes household items as musical instruments—terra cotta flowerpots, tea cups, home-tuned metal pipes—as well as using more traditional instruments like kick drum and guiro. It carried forward important traditions and connected them to the present time.
That same year came Julia Wolfe's Dark Full Ride, for four drum set. Written for Talujon, this piece is part of Wolfe’s series of pieces written for multiples of the same instrument: nine bagpipes, four drum sets, six pianos, and eight double basses. "Like staring for a long time at a Rothko painting,” Wolfe said, “I imagined each of these pieces as an exploration of one color. But in truth an instrument isn't really single timbre. There are a myriad of worlds within each sound."
http://youtu.be/g9sujrkxjLk
Wolfe explores this intensely in the first movement, written almost entirely for hi-hats. The composer in me is enchanted by the myriad colors that Wolfe and Talujon find from this simple instrument. The drummer in my digs that this piece has some of the sickest hi-hat licks around. The title itself is homage to the world of the drummer—named, I believe, after the Paiste Dark Full Ride cymbal—and seems to take some of its material cues from Drum ‘n’ Bass and other sample/looping based electronica, which had been emerging from the underground around that time. (For more super sweet hi-hat work, see also Bettison, Four Drums for Dresden, also for four drum sets. Also great is Bettison’s more recent Apart for 2 sets of amplified chromatic tuning forks.).
I didn’t know these pieces in 2003 when I wrote Speak Softly (the piece of mine featured on Nonclassical's festival) but that work also works with relatively restricted materials, in this case limiting my options to whatever I could do with four big wooden poles and four drumsticks between four players.
Similarly restricted in conception, though not in resulting experience, is Michael Gordon's remarkable Timber. A 75-minutes quintet written for simantras—i.e. amplified pieces of lumber—Timber was written in 2009 for Mantra Percussion and Slagwek den Haag, though not premiered until 2011. This work started with restrictions. As Gordon says in the notes, "I decided early on that Timber would be for non-tuned percussion and that each percussionist would play one instrument only. I thought of composing this music as being like taking a trip out into the desert. I was counting on the stark palette and the challenge of survival to clear my brain and bring on visions." And bringing on visions it does. Hearing this piece live is like a psychedelic experience, as you hear things that may not really be there and—through Jim Findlay's recently added lighting design—see things as if in an altered state. It's an incredible experience.
The notion of the percussion quartet as a pallet for a large statement was in the air, and when I wrote Haunt of Last Nightfall in 2010, this was definitely on my mind. Commissioned by Third Coast Percussion, and written for quartet and electronics, I tried to call upon my various experiences as a composer, listener and performer—remembering my Tanglewood epiphany—and to make a big statement, both musically and extra-musically. The work deals with history of the US-supported massacre at El Mozote, El Salvador in December of 1981; an event that though discussed a great deal in its time seemed to have dangerously faded in our collective memory.
Perhaps it was a sense of American war-weariness after the Bush-Cheney years, but Martin Bresnick—though we never spoke about it—seems to have been having similar thoughts around the same time, regarding both topic and grandness of statement: his stunning 34-minute Caprichos Enfaticos (2011), written for So Percussion and Lisa Moore is an 8 movements concerto for piano and percussion quartet "accompanied by interpolated DVD projections, created by Johanna Bresnick based on Francisco Goya’s book of etchings Los Desastres de la Guerra." It’s the work of a master craftsman, and contains some of the most elegant and lyrical xylophone writing I’ve ever heard. And if you’ve ever heard the xylophone, you know that this is quite a feat. There's a commercial recording of this out there, from Cantaloupe.
Also out on Cantaloupe is Paul Lansky's Threads (2005). Another major statement, this half-hour long "cantata" for percussion quartet is interweaves various passages focusing on different instruments—alternately pitched metals, drums, and Cage-like noise instruments—with a goal of highlighting “the wide range of qualities that percussion instruments are capable of, from lyrical and tender to forceful and aggressive, and weave them into one continuous "thread". Performed without pause, the 10 movement piece has been a huge additional to the percussion repertoire. I’d been willing to bet it has been performed hundreds of times since its premiere.
This piece marks an important and fruitful partnership between Princeton University and So Percussion, which continued with two monumental works: Steven Mackey’s It Is Time and Dan Trueman’s neither Anvil nor Pulley. These pieces—major statements both musically and topically—premiered together at Carnegie Hall, each occupying a half of the program. Hearing these pieces was a revelation to me, almost like hearing Florian's piece years earlier.
Steve's piece uses metronomes, Newton's cradles, and a microtonal steel drum, among other things, to augment the traditional percussion instrumentarium even further. The piece is meant "to speed, slow, warp, celebrate and mourn our perceptions of time." and creates mini-concerti for each of the members. Dealing with Steve’s sadness at "the immutability of time and the finite limits to how much of It I will be able to spend with my young family" and "fantasizes that we might have agency with respect to time." In a review of the premiere, critic Jeffrey Edelstein referred to the work as “abstract memento mori,” and that feels about right. It is a serious and very moving work (Linkfor review here).
http://youtu.be/9XXhjuQuldI
Dan's piece could almost be thought of as a double quartet for 4 players, as each musician plays not only percussion, but also laptop. A "wordless musical epic that explores the "man"/machine relationship in the digital age," the work includes "a turntable spinning vinyl with the fuzzy, crackling remains of some old sounding fiddle tunes; virtual metronomes, clicking relentlessly, but reset by striking raw chunks of wood; re-purposed golf video game controllers (joysticks with pull-strings, or "tethers"); a huge bass drum with speaker drivers attached, performed with hand-held microphones, the resultant feedback tuned via digital filters to the key notes of a well-known Bach Prelude; difficult drum machines; four virtuoso and highly imaginative percussionists." Yeah, it's all that.
http://vimeo.com/66296371
Each piece I've mentioned here has reassessed or expanded in someway the idea of the "percussion quartet," but Dan’s piece sort of blows it all out of the water for me. It is hard for me to imagine a percussion universe more expanded than the one he has created. For example, see "Act 4: Feedback [in Which a Famous Bach Prelude Becomes Ill-Tempered]". http://youtu.be/7kmxHP6wM9E
And there have been major statements from many other terrific composers, too. John Luther Adams’ 75-minute Strange and Sacred Noise (1991-97) and Three Drum Quartets from the Great Weather (1995), Augusta Read Thomas's Resounding Earth, Marcos Balter's dark rooms, Elliot Cole's Postludes. Shorter-but-still-great pieces include John Luther Adams’ Five Percussion Quartets from Coyote Builds North America and Qilyaun, Ted Hearne's Thaw, Caroline Shaw's Taxidermy, Ryan Streber's Cold Pastoral, Nico Muhly’s Ta and Clap, Andrew McKenna Lee’s Like a Sick, Breathing Tambura, Lukas Ligeti's Pattern Transformation, Carl Schimmel’s delightfully ridiculous Serving Size 4 Bunnies, Patrick Long’s Strange Loops, and Ryan Ingebritsen's Echoing Your Voice Just Like The Ringing In My Ears. These are all worth checking out. On the horizon I’ve heard rumors of a major new work by the Canadian composer Nicole Lizée, who has already written two quartets for So Percussion: Dystopia Suite (a MATA Festival commission) and White Label Experiment (for John Cage). This new work is a concerto for the drum set virtuoso (and frequent Lizée conspirator) Ben Reimer and the quartet TorQ. Knowing her other work, and her drum set writing for Reimer, this is definitely a work I’m eager to hear.
And quartets are also writing their own music, something more common for percussionists than in other instrumental disciplines it seems. Both So Percussion and Third Coast Percussion have been doing this a lot in recent years—and I’m sure they are not alone—with Jason Trueting and David Skidmore each emerging and interesting composers in their own rights. New York's ensemble et al. a quartet which mostly performs music written by the members, and they’ve got a new CD that’s about to come out. The results often provide yet another unique perspective on things, from the inside out.
What's interesting in all of this is that these are mostly large-scale pieces, falling into he 25-45 minute duration range, and often address large issues. It is as if the percussion quartet in the 21st century has become the domain the Big Statement, and the invented self. (Consider John Luther Adams' Inuksuit.) As I had realized hearing Prayer of the Possessed, no matter what music you wanted to make, you could most likely do it with percussionist as the core—in part because they are just up for anything—and composers of all stripes and experiences have taken up the challenge, writing large, important and terrific new works.
I’ve heard it said that the 20th century was the Percussion Century. The developments that occurred during that time were certainly staggering. But looking at the innovative and artistically important works that have been written just in the first 13 years of the new millennium, I'm starting to wonder if the 21st might surpass the 20th century as the most significant to the development of the genre. Time will tell, of course, but we're definitely off to a good start.
In advance of the launch of our percussion festival this week, to get everyone in the mood, a couple of the current London-based composers involved in the launch night have given us their top five percussion pieces. We're happy to say that several of their choices will be performed during the course of the festival!
Dave Maric
Dave Maric is a London-based composer who has specialized in writing for percussion, having written for star percussionist Colin Currie, as well as musicians Marielle and Katia Labeque, Fred Frith and many others.
Also a talented musician, Dave played in the late Steve Martland's band, and currently is playing piano and marimba with the Colin Currie Group and Steve Reich.
We'll also be celebrating the percussion music of Martland on the opening night, with a performance of his Starry Night by Catherine Ring and The Ryedale Players String Quartet.
Here's a sneak preview of his piece Run Chime, performed by Colin Currie and the Miro Quartet - come along to our opening night to see Catherine and the Ryedales perform it too!
Top 5 in no particular order:
1) Steve Reich - Drumming
2) Harry Partch - Daphne of the Dunes (has some stringed instruments too)
3) Bela Bartok - Sonata for two Pianos and Percussion 4) Harrison Birtwistle - Axe Manual
5) Igor Stravinsky - Les Noces (voices are used percussively!)
Tansy Davies
There will also be a piece by Tansy Davies at our opening night, this time originally composed for another percussion star, Joby Burgess, who will be appearing at Oval Space for our Pioneers of Percussion and Orchestra night.
One of Tansy's work is angular and rhythmic and often very percussion-heavy, taking influence from the classical avant-garde, funk and experimental rock. She's composed for the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, among many others
Top 5 in no particular order:
1) Xenakis: Rebonds B
2) Varese: Ionisation 3) Cage: 2nd Construction 4) Some Ethiopian folk music: BELOBELO (Album) by Wassie Etenesh & Mathieu Sourisseau
David T Little is the New York-based composer of the celebrated operas Soldier Songs and Dog Days, which “proved beyond any doubt that opera has both a relevant present and a bright future” (NYTimes), Little recently completed AGENCY for the Kronos Quartet, Haunt of Last Nightfall for Third Coast Percussion and CHARM for the Baltimore Symphony under Marin Alsop.
In advance of our Pioneers of Percussion festival (where David has a piece in the 6th November event) We invited David to tell us about his long-standing interest in percussion music, and to give us some examples of his favourite 20th and 21st century works along the way. Below is Part 1 of his response (read part 2 here).
Leading up to their Pioneers of Percussion festival, this November 6-22, the good people at Nonclassical have asked me to write a little something about, you guessed it: percussion. And the timing is perfect. I've been working on finishing up a recording of my 2010 percussion quartet Haunt of Last Nightfall with Third Coast Percussion for release on New Amsterdam Records this winter, and so I have been thinking about this world—specifically, the quartet—and of the pieces that have meant a lot to me.
I grew up as a drummer, playing both in rock bands and (believe it or not) in a fife and drum corps, but it wasn't until I was around 16 that I first heard a "classical" percussion quartet. I remember very clearly. It was Talujon's CD hum, and I was particularly enchanted by their recordings of Cage's Third Construction and Reich's Drumming, part I. It wasn't long after I heard the big three by Christopher Rouse: Bonham, Ogoun Badagris and Ku-Ka Illimoku. All blew my mind in a different and exciting way. (Tan Dun's Elegy: Snow in June, Varese’s Ionisation, Xenakis’ Okho and Psappha and Philippe Manoury’s Métal would all follow.)
Third Construction - Third Coast recording - Mode Records DVD release:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQt_1-ynSdg&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doJk4yPwJDk&feature=youtu.be
But though these were (and are) great pieces, they definitely felt like someone else's music. Even at the time, they weren't really instances of the genre speaking to me as a composer, as much as it was about these composers speaking to me as a listener. Perhaps it was because I was really just starting out at the time, but though I loved the pieces, I could never really have imagined writing one myself, despite being a percussionist.
Then in 2001 I encountered a piece that really blew things wide open for me: Prayer of the Possessed (1998), by Florian Magnus Maier. Florian and I were fellows together at the Tanglewood Music Center, and I happened to hear the piece in an after-hours listening party. (It wasn't a piece he played for the guest composers, if I recall.) I was maybe 22 at the time, the youngest in a much more professionally experienced class, and I often felt that inexperience pretty intensely; like I should have been writing music more like some of my older colleagues: notier, thornier, more modernist. But hearing Florian's piece was a revelation. I realized that I really could just write what I wanted—aesthetic warfare be damned—even if that “what” was death metal. I realized that all the so-called "rules" I had been reading about in books on "modern music" were totally arbitrary—or if not arbitrary, then at least biased. I could choose to ignore them and write the music I wanted to write, and wanted to hear.
Prayer of the Possessed (1998, excerpt), by Florian Magnus Maier.
Prayer of the Possessed takes its text "from the Book Maqlu (Mesopotamia, ca. 3000 BC), an exorcism called “A Most Excellent Charm Against the Hordes of Demons that Attack by Night.” This charm is "designed for a specific type of magical accident: The magician, returning from astral travel, finds his body possessed by discarnated hostile spirits. Trapped between his paralyzed mortal shell and the nothingness of unbeing, he mentally recites this spell to cast out the demon and regain control over his body. " Florian has since gone on to front the black metal band Dark Fortress—as well as continuing to compose concert music—and I love that in Prayer of the Possessed, he found a way to already be that person. This was a percussion quartet by a guy who could and would front a black metal band. That he’d defined for himself what kind of artist he was going to be was inspiring to me as a young composer. (Oscar Bettison's Dirty Cakes and Breaking and Entering, though not for percussion quartet, had a similar impact.) It was the most important thing I learned at Tanglewood that summer, and I've pretty much been operating that way ever them since.
/// 6pm / Limewharf, Vyner St. E2 9DJ ///
The closing night of the festival puts the spotlight on music in which performance art and extended technique stretch the boundaries of what percussion, and musical performance, can be ... expect plant pots, nudity, tables and tapdancing.
We'll be presenting works from composers including Rzewski, Globokar, Paul Burnell and Thierry De Mey.
We're delighted to be welcoming back some familiar faces from the Pioneers of Percussion series. Calie Hough, George Barton, and Catherine Ring, alongside Abstruckt and improv tapdancer Junior Laniyan.
They'll be performing:
Thierry de Mey - Silence Must Be
Francois Sarhan - Homework
F. Rzweski - Lost and Found
F. Rzweski - To the Earth
Serge Vuille - Modulation for two players on one snare drum
Vinko Globokar - ?Corporel
Thierry de Mey - Musique de Tables
Matthew Shlomowitz - Letter Pieces No.1
Paul Burnell - And She Flew
Paul Burnell - Psst
/// 1PM / St. Margaret's House, 21 Old Ford Road, E2 9PL ///
WORKSHOP
We're presenting a workshop exploring the interaction between african drumming and Steve Reich's 1970's music. The workshop will be lead by African drummer Abass Dodoo (Ginger Baker), and educator, and contemporary percussionist Serge Vuille.
The participants will get first hand participatory experience and essential theoretical knowledge of african drumming and rhythms, as well as of Steve Reich's 1970's music, influenced by his trip to Africa. Everyone will get to play drums and learn both traditional african and classic Reich rhythm and patterns. Abass and Serge will also share knowledge about the history of both these musical styles, reflect on how they can inform and influence each other and show scores, pictures and videos about Reich's Drumming, Music for Pieces of Wood and Clapping Music, and traditional and contemporary African Culture.
BIOGRAPHIES
Abass Dodoo was born into a family of well known royal drummers and from the age of 6yrs, he was inspired by his grandmother who taught him the drums by singing the rhythms. He was formally trained by his uncle, the famous Ghanaian master drummer Mustapha Tettey Addy, playing with the Royal Obonu Drummers from the age of 10years. Abass has been delivering workshops, performance and team building events for the past 30 years, nationally and internationally. He leads One-drum's dynamic performance work in a wide range of Africa’s drumming traditions.
Abass brings great understanding and awareness of his African cultural heritage to our contemporary, multicultural society through One-drum's educational workshops.
Serge Vuille is a freelance percussionist established in London. He founded and directs the ensemble We Spoke since 2008 with which he regularly performs in London, Switzerland as well as Paris, Berlin, Florence, Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro and Lima. He also plays with many ensembles including drums with the Martin Creed Band, percussion with the London Sinfonietta, and baroque percussions with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Serge is a professor for percussion at the Royal College of Music as a coach for the percussion ensemble and lecturer in experimental music.
MUSIC FROM: DAVID LANG / STEVE MARTLAND / TANSY DAVIES/DAVE MARIC / DAVID T. LITTLE / JUDD GREENSTEIN + NONCLASSICAL DJs
Very excited to be opening Pioneers of Percussion festival with a night in collaboration with New York's famous indie-classical label New Amsterdam.
Tracing the creative ties between these two great cities, it will be an overview of some of the most exciting new percussion-focused music currently being composed.
Music includes: David Lang: The Anvil Chorus Steve Martland: Starry Night Tansy Davies: Dark Ground Dave Maric: Run Chime David T. Little: Speak Softly Judd Greenstein: We Shall Be Turned
PLUS: The announcement and Premieres of our prize-winning piece for solo percussion. Competition details here.
Performers include: Catherine Ring (Colin Currie Group), James Larter (BBC Young Musician 2012 finalist), Tom Lee + Ryedale Players String Quartet: Mark Lee (Vln, Edward McCullagh (Vln), Joe Fisher (Vla), Gemma Kost (Cello) and special guests The Fellowship of The Ring.
Tickets: £5 Adv. / £6 on the door
Saturday 16th November: Pioneers of Percussion / Scala, 275 Pentonville Rd, N1 9NL
At the centre of Pioneers of Percussion festival, we're taking over Scala for our BIGGEST EVER EVENT. With three rooms of live music and DJs surveying a whole spectrum of percussion-led music throughout the night: tracing the history of percussion in musical modernism, and weaving in music from around the world to tell the full, rich, story of its development. From classics by Varese, Bartok, and Reich to virtuosos from the Indian and Japanese traditions. Meanwhile DJs from BBC's Late Junction and Nonclassical complete this vivid picture with sets throughout the night.
Performers of the scored works include: Serge Vuille (percussionist with London Sinfonietta, BBC Symphony Orchestra among others) & RCM Percussion Ensemble, George Barton, Emma Arden, Joe Richards, James Leveridge.
FEATURING:
STEVE REICH: Drumming. Reich's hypnotic 1971 masterpiece is given a rare complete performance, dramatically re-situated in Scala's main club space
EDGARD VARESE: Ionisation. One of the first works of its kind, Varese's Ionisation exploded the sonic possibilities of percussion writing. With its sleigh bells, temple blocks, whips and sirens, it remains an astonishing display of rhythm and sound colour
JOHN CAGE: 2nd Construction. Cage's 2nd Construction brings together four percussionists and a dazzling ensemble of water gongs and thundersheets alongside more familiar instrument
AMADEO ROLDAN: Ritmicas. Inspired by the Afrocubanismo movement in the early 1930s, Roldan's stunning Ritmicas stand as some of the earliest scored works for percussion
JOJI HIROTA. Award-wining Japanese taiko drummer performs with his ensemble.
SHAHBAZ HUSSAIN. Fast emerging as one of the most promising tabla virtuosos of his generation, Shahbaz Hussain has performed alongside such celebrated master musicians as Ustad Fateh Ali Khan and Ghulam Ali.
ABASS DODOO. Ghanaian percussionist Dodoo (who currently plays with Ginger Baker) leads a five-piece incarnation of his ensemble ONE-DRUM, drawing on Ghanian and other West African traditions.
SOUTHBANK GAMELAN. Since its establishment in 1987, Southbank Gamelan has gained an international reputation for its performances of traditional Javanese gamelan as well as contemporary works.
DUMTAK. Middle Eastern percussion duo Elizabeth Nott on arabic percussion and Sara Fotros on Iranian percussion, create a fresh and unique soundscape of Middle Eastern rhythm dialogues and their own original compositions.
ALSO FEATURING THE FOLLOWING WORKS:
Karlheinz Stockhausen Zyklus
George Crumb: Music for a Summer's Evening
Henry Cowell: Ostinato Pianissimo
Bela Bartok: Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion
Joel Rust: Skeins
John Cage: 1935 Quartet / Credo In Us / Child of Tree
Leon Michener: Klavikon
G. Prokofiev: Import/Export (Film)
Iannis Xenakis: Okho
Javier Alvarez: Temazacal
John Psathas: One Study
G. Prokofiev: 9 Triangles (London Triangle Orchestra)
Junk Orchestra Jam
Nick Luscombe (BBC Late Junction / DJ)
Joel Cahen (DJ), Andrew Dobson (DJ)
Nonclassical DJs: Gabriel Prokofiev / Nwando / James Greer / Sam Mackay
Tickets: £6/10/12 – (Wegottickets)
Saturday 9th November: Pioneers of Percussion and Orchestra / Oval Space, 32 The Oval, E2 9DT
Bartók’s masterpiece Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta broke new ground in the 1930s, placing the percussionist at thecentre of the classical orchestra. From its vibrant flashes of syncopation to its ominous, brooding atmospheres, and the unmistakable streak of traditional Hungarian melody, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta is among the essential works of early Modernism in music. Among the piece's champions was Stanley Kubrick, who used Its haunting slow movement to chilling effect in The Shining
Following his Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra, which received its acclaimed Proms debut in 2011, G Prokofiev turned his attention to another unfamiliar solo instrument: the orchestral bass drum, for his Concerto for Bass Drum. His Concerto elicits an astonishing palette of sounds, from the delicate scraping of the drum skin to the booming resonance of the low end. This innovative sound world is woven into Prokofiev's trademark hybrid musical language, informed by both modern classical and urban electronic forms.
Xenakis' Psappha (1976) for solo percussion takes its influence from the ancient Greek poetry of Sappho - "the first to introduce changes or metabolae in the rhythmic formulas she used" (Xenakis). Scored for sixteen unpitched instruments, divided into 'wood' and 'metal', and paying particular importance to contrast of attack and silence, the piece focuses no the rhythmic side to percussion and the exciting variety of sounds and effects that this can produce.
Young composer Kate Whitley's Split, for solo clarinet, solo percussion and string orchestra brings us up to date with the emerging generation of young composers. With Rozenn Le Trionnaire (clarinet) and Jude Carlton (percussion) as soloists.
Tickets: £8 /10 HERE (Wegottickets)
Wednesday 13th November: The Evolution of the Drum Kit | Sunday 17th November: Filmphonics / Hackney Picturehouse, 270 Mare Street, E8 1HE
We're teaming up with Hackney Attic once again on a couple of special film nights.
The first is on Wednesday 13th November and we're focusing on The Evolution of The Drum Kit. At the centre of the evening's proceedings is a screening of the award-winning 2012 documentary Beware of Mr Baker, which tells the story of how Ginger Baker became a pioneer of modern drumming, through his foundations in jazz and rock to his discovery of Afrobeat and African percussion. Featuring interviews with those he worked with over the years (Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce ... ) the film also reveals how beyond the prodigious talent, it is also Baker's fiery personality that has made him one of the most infamous musicians of his generation.
Here's the TRAILER for the film:
http://youtu.be/W5seWMYG9kk
The screening is followed by a sequence of short performances and talks from London’s most adventurous kit players, including Ralph Salmins (Van Morrison, Paul McCartney, George Martin, Elton John, Madonna, James Brown ... ). Jean-Claude Webs (D.R. Congo: Kanda Bongoman, Sam Magwana) and Steve Noble (N.E.W., DECOY, Rip Rig & Panic ... ). Full line-up to be announced soon.
Tickets HERE from Hackney Attic Website
Filmphonics on Sunday the 17th of November features films inspired by the theme of percussion. African Drum, Beyond the Beat (2012) looks at the various social functions of the drum in West African society, and is followed by a live discussion with director Tariq Richards. Meanwhile Ballet Mécanique (1923) is a rarely-screened Dadaist masterpiece, famous for its extraordinary percussive score by Georges Antheil.
For October's podcast we welcome Tom Rose and Laurie Tompkins of Manchester-based experimental music label Slip Discs who will be appearing at the Macbeth on Wednesday 2nd alongside fellow Northerner Larry Goves for our House of Bedlam pre-album release event. Facebook page Here.
It includes some of their own music as well as some House of Bedlam, alongside everything from Alva Noto, Ligeti, Leonard Cohen, Parmegiani and Talking Heads.
We’re very excited to finally announce the first full-length release from The House of Bedlam, the truly inimitable chamber group / band formed and led by acclaimed composer Larry Goves, and with words written and read by Mathew Welton. House of Bedlam are a really exceptional group and have long had a special place in our hearts, ever since their first mesmerising performances at the Nonclassical club-nights back in 2008. The players’ long association with Goves’ music makes them uniquely able to navigate his wild and vivid landscapes, and we’re proud that this disc finally puts Bedlam’s performances on record. Included are four pieces recorded at The Warehouse in 2008 and broadcast on BBC Radio 3′s Hear and Now programme, three pieces recorded elsewhere, and four remixes by Mira Calix, Gabriel Prokofiev, Dale Jonathan Perkins, and Devil Dandy.
>>> Listen to samples / buy the album (CD / FLAC / MP3)
TRACKLISTING
1 Sinew 2 Writing 21 3 Riviniana & the vermillion border 4 Poppy 5-7 deaf John’s dark house 8 Talking microtonal blues 9 Skein(2) 10 Skein(2) (G.ProkofIev Non-Blues Remix) 11 Sinew (Devil Dandy Remix) 12 deaf John’s dark house (Dale Jonathan Perkins Remix) 13 Sinew (Mira Calix Remix)
Music from: Cage / Xenakis / Edmund Finnis / Chantilly Codex / G.P. TelemannUK PREMIERES from Gunnar Karel Masson + Jan Flessel / + Nonclassical DJs
We're welcoming old friends Aisha Orazbayeva - a "profoundly radical and inventive" violinist (Sound Projector ) - and Lucy Railton, the outstanding young cellist who is one of the busiest and most familiar faces on the scene at the moment through being director and founder of Kammer Klang, LCMF and more.
It's going to be a varied feast of music in a variety of flavours; encompassing Telemann to Cage, alongside some of their own original work with film and live electronics. We have a couple of UK Premieres to look forward to as well: I am watching me watching you watching me by Icelandic composer Gunnar Karel Masson for violin and cello, and a piece by Jan Flessel for violin.
With DJing from our residents, food, and a bar open from 6pm, it's the perfect way to spend what will be the last of our Limewharf evenings before British Summer Time ends. But let's not dwell on that now ...
Advance Tickets: £5 / £6 On The Door
We are delighted to announce our first ever open call for works, in connection with our upcoming Pioneers of Percussion festival. The festival celebrates the explosion of percussion music in the twentieth century, and we are inviting composers to submit an original work to be included in this series.
The chosen piece will be played on the 6th November as part of the event New York / London at The Macbeth, Hoxton, alongside music by David Lang, Steve Martland, Tansy Davies, Judd Greenstein and more. The winning piece will be performed by a London-based percussionist, to be confirmed by Nonclassical in the coming days.
We are particularly interested in works that focus on new approaches to rhythm and that address the 'New York-London' theme.
Eligibility
Open to composers of any age, nationality and country of residence.
Requirements
- The composition should be a new or unperformed work. - The submitted work should be scored for solo percussionist. Electronics may also be possible but applicants should contact us with details in advance. - Applicants have their choice of any number of the following instruments:
bongos, congas, snare drums, bass drums (orchestral or pedal), cymbals (incl. hi-hats), woodblocks, opera gongs, tom-toms
Composers wishing to use other percussion instruments should contact Nonclassical (email address below). The duration of the work should be between 2 and 5 minutes.
A score, and if possible a rough recording, should be submitted to info@nonclassical.co.uk
Deadline is 5pm on Wednesday 16th October
We look forward to receiving your submissions!
House of Bedlam / Slip Discs / Nonclassical DJs
The Macbeth / 70 Hoxton Street, N1 6LP
We're thrilled to be welcoming House of Bedlam for the preview party of their upcoming album on Nonclassical Recordings.
HOUSE OF BEDLAM
Led by Larry Goves, the band links elements of both electronic and instrumental music with spoken word, taking influence from rock, folk, electronica and contemporary classical music.
The all-star cast also includes Oliver Coates, Tom McKinney and Matthew Welton.
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SLIP DISCS
Sliip discs is an experimental music label. Releases focus on new acoustic and electronic music spanning contemporary composition, electronica and the murky ground somewhere in between.
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In between sets, as usual Nonclassical's resident DJs will be playing the best in contemporary classical, new music and electronica.
Our second festival of the year charts the explosion of percussion music in the twentieth century, with talks, screenings, live music, DJs and workshops.
Wednesday 6th November, 8pm: New York / London: ‘What’s Happening Now’ The Macbeth, 70 Hoxton Street, N1 6LP We open the festival with a night in collaboration with esteemed New York label New Amsterdam, tracing the creative ties between these two great cities. Music including David Lang's classical The Anvil Chorus, and works by Steve Martland, Judd Greenstein and others, plus the premieres of our competition winners. More information / Tickets: £5 (Wegottickets)
Saturday 9th November, 7pm: Percussion and Orchestra Oval Space, 32 The Oval, E2 9DT Bartók’s masterpiece Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta broke new ground in the 1930s, placing the percussionist at the centre of the classical orchestra. Here it is heard in the contemporary surroundings of East London's Oval Space, alongside Gabriel Prokofiev’s recent Concerto for Bass Drum, a pivotal solo work by Iannis Xenakis - Psappha - and a large-ensemble piece by acclaimed young composer Kate Whitley entitled Split. Multi-Story Orchestra, conducted by Christopher Stark. Soloist: Joby Burgess. More information / Tickets: £8 / £10 (Wegottickets)
Sunday 10th November, 1pm: Reich in Ghana - Drumming Workshop St Margarets House, 21 Old Ford Road, E2 9PL In the early 1970s, Steve Reich travelled to Ghana to immerse himself in West African drumming traditions: in the process, he created a new, compelling musical language full of complex and shifting polyrhythms. For this workshop, participants will be joined by Ghanaian master drummer Abass Dodoo and classically-trained percussionist Serge Vuille to explore the profound influence of West African drumming on Reich's music of the 1970s. Tickets £8 / £5 (Wegottickets)
Wednesday 13th November, 7:30pm: The Evolution of the Drum Kit Hackney Picturehouse, 270 Mare Street, E8 1HE A night celebrating the evolution of the drum kit over the last century and its huge influence on music across many genres. Featuring a screening of the award-winning Beware of Mr Baker (2012), which tells the story of how Ginger Baker became a pioneer of modern drumming, through his foundations in jazz and rock to his discovery of Afrobeat and African percussion. The screening is followed by a sequence of solo performances and talks from internationally acclaimed drummers Ralph Salmins (Van Morrison, McCartney, Madonna ... ), Jean-Claude Webs (D.R. Congo: Kanda Bongoman, Sam Magwana) and Steve Noble (N.E.W., DECOY, Rip Rig & Panic ... ) + DJs Gabriel Prokofiev and Sam Mackay More information / Tickets: £7 (Hackney Picturehouse)
Saturday 16th November, 8pm - 3am: Pioneers of Percussion Scala, 275 Pentonville Rd, N1 9NL At the centre of the festival, Nonclassical takes over Scala to present iconic repertoire including: Edgard Varese’s Ionisation, (the earliest large-scale percussion ensemble work) and John Cage’s Constructions, virtuoso musicians Joji Hirota, Shahbaz Hussain and Abass Dodoo, and a complete performance of Steve Reich's seminal Drumming. With three rooms of live music and DJs surveying a whole spectrum of percussion-led music throughout the night, this is the unmissable centrepiece of the series. More information / Tickets: £6 (limited) / £10 / £12 (Wegottickets)
Sunday 17th November, 7pm: Filmphonics Hackney Picturehouse, 270 Mare Street, E8 1HE A film evening inspired by the theme of percussion. African Drum, Beyond the Beat (2012) looks at the various social functions of the drum in West African society, and is followed by a live discussion with director Tariq Richards. Meanwhile Ballet Mécanique (1923) is a rarely-screened Dadaist masterpiece, famous for its extraordinary percussive score by Georges Antheil. Tickets Available HERE (wegottickets)
Friday 22nd November, 6pm: Theatre of Percussion Limewharf, Vyner Street, E2 9DJ The closing night of the festival puts the spotlight on music in which performance art and extended technique stretch the boundaries of what percussion can be. With pieces by Thierry De May, Rzewski, Globokar and others, and performers including George Barton, Catherine Ring, and Calie Hough. Tickets: £5 advance (Wegottickets)
