Amazingly, I am actually coming to the end of the Around Britten tour – just a couple of weeks left. But some exciting ones still to come: this Friday, the centenary day of Britten’s birth, I will be recording the whole Around Britten programme live in Sheffield at the Upper Chapel. With a quick mastering and balance check for the pieces with electronics over the weekend, the whole concert will be available from Tuesday exclusively on iTunes – you can pre-order it here – and it includes the whole Around Britten album as well, so at £7.99 for nearly 2 1/2 hours of music it is very good value! 🙂 The recordings of MacMillan, Fujikura and Jan Bang will be world premieres and it will be interesting to compare the live version of the Britten and Bryars with the studio one recorded in Canterbury Cathedral last year. It will also be my first available recording of Bach.
Then after a dozen or so workshops and a couple more concerts (see here for details), the grand finale, event number 100, will take place at Britten’s old residence, the Red House, near Aldeburgh. This will be on December 4th, the day Britten died, and I’ll be playing in the library where Britten composed so much of his music. It’s going to be super-special for me – what an atmosphere it will be.
4 Comments
Matthew
Congratulations! A terrific year with the Around Britten tour. A great achievement in celebration of a great composer. Very many thanks for Salisbury schools workshop, concert and installation earlier in the year. Also your concert at Nottingham University. I managed to get to both.
Sorry to miss you in Aldeburgh on Dec 4. I gather that Jane Mackay’s Britten pictures are being exhibited there too – wonderful pieces!! The address of the Red House is Golf Lane – not Gold!!!!!!
Thank you very much.
Tony Gelsthorpe
Dear Mathew
I too am so sorry to have missed you in Aldeburgh today (the 4th). Nothing indicated that it would be a private do, it’s a good job I telephoned before driving down!
I’m sure it must have been an incredibly moving occasion.
Having enjoyed all those snippets on line, I shall just have to go out and buy the CD now.
When you have time to speak to them, please do give my congratulations to your mum and dad on producing such a talented and inspiring musician. I still have fond memories of them – as well as their War on Want lunches!
Martin Stevens (retired Psychiatrist for the Elderly)
Hi Martin,
Good to hear from you – it’s a shame it wasn’t clear on the website – sorry about that. I’ve passed on your comments to my parents. All best, Matthew
And thanks Tony – Salisbury seems like such a long time ago now! Very happy you enjoyed it. M