Event overview
020 7919 7645
‘When Jean Barraqué met Johannes Brahms’
Beethoven - Bagatelle Op. 126 No. 3
Beethoven - Bagatelle Op. 33 No. 7
Patrick Ozzard-Low - In the Mountains around Petrópolis (London première)
Patrick Ozzard-Low - Piano Sonata No. 2 (London première of complete work)
Andrew Zolinsky gives the London premières of two works by the British composer Patrick Ozzard-Low, together with two of Beethoven’s exquisite miniatures.
Piano Sonata No 2 (1996-2007) was composed, somewhat belatedly, in memory of Bill Hopkins—the brilliant English protégé and disciple of Jean Barraqué. The sonata lasts just under half-an-hour, and represents the culmination of a longstanding phase of influence (of Barraqué and to a lesser extent Hopkins). Its final part, however, glimpses a more individual trajectory—and a way forward. Asked to describe the piece in four words, Ozzard-Low jokingly replied: “When Barraqué met Brahms”. A performance given in 1997 of an early torso of the piece was described by the London Times as “arresting for the almost Brahmsian felicity of its none-the-less barn-storming avant-garde idiom”. In the Mountains around Petrópolis inhabits a less serious mood, comprising three simple pieces which reminisce about a love-struck journey through the Serra dos Órgãos (the Organ Mountains) in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Andrew Zolinsky prefigures these explorations with two of Beethoven’s finest gems—tender and late, early and cheeky.
Patrick Ozzard-Low (b. 1958) studied composition privately with Bill Hopkins (1943-81)—himself a pupil of the French composer Jean Barraqué (1928-73)—and later with Michael Finnissy. Several of Ozzard-Low’s early works reflect the influence of Barraqué—in 2015, the Los Angeles Times described the première of Ozzard-Low’s thirty-four-minute Sonata: In Opposition (1988-2007) for solo viola as: “closest to Barraqué's Piano Sonata… in spirit if not in sound, structure or style”. However, his music has always had diverse origins, not least in valuing the exploratory and empirical harmony of classical and romantic tonality, and since 2008 his music has become increasingly melodic, revelling in both tonal and spectral elements. Ozzard-Low founded and co-directed the Centre for New Musical Instruments (2000-2004) in London, and is currently writing two books: New Instruments for New Music (a catalogue raisonné of new acoustic instruments and technologies), and Contemporary Harmony. He holds a BA in philosophy and a PhD in composition.
Andrew Zolinsky is one of the most distinctive musical voices of his generation. His unique style of programming and his individual interpretations have secured performances at many prestigious venues and festivals. His work with living composers brings a vivid freshness, energy and passion to his interpretations of music from previous eras.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Oct 2017 | 6:00pm - 7:00pm |
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