New Music North West (NMNW), the UK’s largest festival of new British music, returns to Manchester for eight days of music by 100 living composers.
Presented by the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) between Friday 22 and Friday 29 January, NMNW offers over 30 free and ticketed events (including afternoon and late night performances) incorporating more than 50 world premières by established and aspiring composers who live and work in the North West and whose contributions help make the area so musically vibrant. Concerts take place at the RNCM, Martin Harris Centre (University of Manchester), Chetham’s School of Music, St Michael’s (Ancoats) and BBC Philharmonic Studio (MediaCityUK).
Sir Harrison Birtwistle, a graduate of the Royal Manchester College of Music (RMCM), will be in residence for three days, hearing 12 of his works performed, and there’s electronics, opera, orchestras, chamber music, folk, and pop – sometimes separate, sometimes combined.
Highlights include concerts by the BBC Philharmonic, Psappha, House of Bedlam, The Vonnegut Collective, Vaganza, Solem Quartet, and RNCM Symphony and Wind Orchestras, in addition to Mysterious 44, a new opera by Kevin Malone based on Mark Twain’s The Mysterious Stranger stories that raises issues of humanism, peer pressure, superstition and individual responsibility – accompanied by a surround-sound electronic score, a specially recorded narration by Richard Dawkins and a singing computer.
Artistic Director Clark Rundell said: ‘NMNW is the largest festival of music by living British composers held in the UK this year. Don’t miss the chance to listen to the wealth of creativity from the brilliant composers and performers who live and work in the North West. With over 30 concerts to choose from, and performers ranging from the BBC Philharmonic, Psappha, and House of Bedlam, be prepared to pin your ears back and be taken on quite a listening journey.’
Over the past decade numerous new composers, artists and ensembles have opted to establish their careers in the North West, with Manchester in particular proving a popular choice. Following in the footsteps of RMCM alumni Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Alexander Goehr, Elgar Howarth and John Ogdon, RNCM composition tutors, alumni and students continue to excel. Many, including British Composer Award-winner Gary Carpenter, Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize-winners Larry Goves and Daniel Kidane, and Jack Sheen, 2012’s BBC Young Composer of the Year, will have works performed during this festival.
So what’s on? Here’s some of the highlights:
Fri 22 January, 7.30pm – Royal Northern College of Music
RNCM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Performs Gary Carpenter’s The Listening Project Symphony
Tickets £14, £17
Saturday 23 January, 8.00pm – Royal Northern College of Music
THE VONNEGUT COLLECTIVE
The ensemble delves into the psyche of Cornelius Cardew, with improvisation and compositions by Anton Hunter, Cath Roberts and Tullis Rennie.
Free admission, no ticket required
Monday 25 January 7.00pm – Royal Northern College of Music
MYSTERIOUS 44 (WORLD PREMIÈRE) – KEVIN MALONE
A new opera based on Mark Twain’s The Mysterious Stranger stories that raises issues of humanism, peer pressure, superstition and individual responsibility – accompanied by a surround-sound electronic score, a specially recorded narration by Richard Dawkins and a singing computer.
Originally commissioned by Manchester Opera Project with funds from Arts Council England, with support from the Ida Carroll Trust, University of Manchester and the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.
Tickets £15, students £8
Tuesday 26 January 7.30pm – Philharmonic Studio, MediaCityUK
BBC PHILHARMONIC AND PSAPPHA
The BBC Philharmonic performs new works by Robin Walker, Adam Gorb and students from the RNCM and The University of Manchester, whilst Psappha performs works by James Wishart, Anthony Gilbert and Mark Simpson.
Free admission, by ticket only (at bbc.co.uk/tickets)
Thursday 28 January 5.30pm and 10.00pm – Royal Northern College of Music
HOUSE OF BEDLAM – CHANGES AND NOSTALGIA
The 5.30pm show explores ideas about transformation in music, with works by Larry Goves, Christian Winther Christensen, Elliot Carter and Ben Hackbarth. The later show looks at lo-fi electronic sound, nostalgia and memory, responding to music by David Fennessy, Max Matthews and Jon Robinson.
Free admission, no ticket required
Friday 29 January 7.30pm – St Michael’s, Ancoats
PSAPPHA
Psappha concludes NMNW with music by Harrison Birtwistle, Leo Geyer, Aaron Parker, Daniel Kidane, Jack Sheen, Joshua Brown and Emma Wilde. from £5 on the door, advanced tickets from psappha.com
For full details of what’s on at each venue, see individual venue websites.
