2010 - 2011 Season Press Release
11 July 2010
Scottish Ensemble announces its 2010 - 2011 Season
Highlights include:
- Pieter Wispelwey and Natalie Clein make their debut with the Ensemble in Scotland and London;
- Side by Side with senior students from the RSAMD in Scotland and Royal Academy Soloists in London;
- Four world premieres and one UK premiere, including works by Aulis Sallinen, Joe Cutler and James MacMillan;
- Build A Gig - the Ensemble's ground-breaking pilot project for schools continues for a second Season
This Season, the Scottish Ensemble maintains its reputation for pushing musical boundaries with its innovative programming, performing repertoire that stretches from the baroque to the contemporary, as well as creating new works through ambitious commissioning from leading composers.
The 2010- 2011 Season extends this tradition with the fruition of many projects that have evolved and developed over the past three years. 2010-2011 also sees the development of the Ensemble's creative collaborations with Alison Balsom, Anthony Marwood and James MacMillan, as well as creating new alliances with cellist Pieter Wispelwey, Natalie Clein and composer Joe Cutler.
The Ensemble will present music from the core of its chamber repertoire, with works by Vivaldi and Dvorak, as well as new arrangements for the enlarged forces of the Ensemble from Janacek and Schumann. It maintains its position as one of the leading contemporary music ensembles in the UK by presenting five new works, including the world premieres of a new work by James MacMillan's, written for Alison Balsom and the Ensemble, Tavener's In the Highest, Joe Cutler's New work for solo violin, ensemble and electronics and the UK premiere of Orlando Jopling's arrangement for violin and string orchestra of Schumann's Cello Concerto.
The Season also sees the development of the Ensemble's projects for children and young people, with their ground-breaking Build A Gig concerts in Ullapool and Greenock, and the continuation of free tickets for under 16s for all Scottish tours.
Remarking on the new Season, Artistic Director, Jonathan Morton said:
"I am proud to present our 2010-2011 season. Our audiences in Scotland and throughout the UK can look forward to our successful combination of unique programming and passionate performances. With a world-class soloist and guest-director, three significant new works, and collaborations with classical and electronic artists, we carry on expanding our musical horizons. As Scottish Ensemble enters its fifth decade, I very much look forward seeing the group flourish further, here and abroad. "
2010 - 2011 Season
In October, Pieter Wispelwey makes his debut with the Ensemble with a new commission from Aulis Sallinen Chamber Music VIII op 94 for violoncello and strings This work, a co-commission between the Ensemble, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Wurtemburg Chamber Orchestra and Sydney Conservatorium of Music receives its UK premiere in Dundee.
In December, the Scottish Ensemble continue their tradition of ‘Christmas with a twist' with a series of intimate candlelit concerts. Dvorak's mighty Serenade for strings forms the centrepiece of this tour, framed by his delicate vignette Notturno and Janacek's Kreutzer Sonata, arranged for the full forces of the Ensemble by Artistic Director, Jonathan Morton. Although written during the early part of the 20th century, this music continues to surprise.
In February, we celebrate the work of British composers, incorporating work from the Ensemble's existing repertoire and moving forward with the world premiere of Joe Cutler's New Work for solo violin, ensemble and electronics. Cutler's work is the latest in a series of projects which have evolved from the Ensemble's initial exploration of the electronic soundworld at the IRCAM residency in Glasgow. This was then further developed in a residency at Cove Park with Alistair MacDonald from the RSAMD and is taken to the next stage in the piece commissioned from Joe Cutler. The Ensemble will also be working with senior students from RSAMD Side by Side in Tippett's Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli.
In Glasgow the Ensemble will collaborate with Glasgow's Concert Halls for the second of their minimalist series, entitled ‘Sites and Sounds'. The immense stone space of Kelvingrove Museum's Centre Hall is a natural space for reflection and singing and, on February 12th, the Ensemble will be joined by one of the world's greatest choirs, The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and cellist Natalie Clein. We will perform the mystic music of two visionaries: Arvo Pärt, and John Tavener, with the world premiere of In the Highest.
The final concert tour of the Season sees the return of Anthony Marwood, one of the Ensemble's extended family as guest director. For some time the Ensemble has been looking to work with Anthony again and when he suggested Orlando Jopling's arrangement of Schumann's Cello Concerto for violin and string orchestra, this seemed the perfect opportunity.
WIGMORE HALL
This Season the Ensemble strengthen their relationship with Wigmore Hall with three London performances.
In October, the Ensemble and Pieter Wispelwey move south, with a performance on 16 October. The following day, the Ensemble will present Eight Seasons, a celebration of the Seasons from the Northern and Southern hemispheres in a Wigmore Hall Coffee Concert. The Scottish Ensemble with soloist/director, Jonathan Morton, will perform Vivaldi's famed violin concertos The Four Seasons, paired with Astor Piazzolla's Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.
In February 2011, Alison Balsom re-joins the Ensemble for the world premiere of James MacMillan's new commission for trumpet and strings, alongside works from their forthcoming CD together, which will be released on EMI Classics in the autumn. The Royal Academy Soloists also make their debut with the Ensemble, Side by Side, in Tippett's Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli.
PROJECTS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Build A Gig brings the musical, performance, planning and management expertise of the Ensemble into schools, enabling them to ‘Build A Gig' within their own school or community. The project extends to all aspects of concert promotion, allowing more students studying a diverse range of subjects to become involved in the project ie art, design, mathematics, geography, enterprise, business studies. The project also provides a valuable insight into the many skills required to bring a concert to fruition, particularly leadership and teamwork. Build A Gig has involved students from Ullapool High School and Greenock Academy and will culminate in two performances on 9 June and 14 June. This project is supported by Arts and Business' New Partners Scheme and Highland Council.
