SIR HARRISON BIRTWISTLE: A TRIBUTE

“The purpose of life is to pass the message on”: so reads the inscription on an art work by Bob Law, which was the inspiration for The Message, the duet which begins this concert in which the London Sinfonietta pays tribute to one of its longest-standing collaborators, Sir Harrison Birtwistle. This concert spans Birtwistle’s varied output, ranging from the duet written for the Ensemble's 40th birthday, to the epic and theatrical Verses, the first piece the composer wrote for the London Sinfonietta and requiring musicians to walk around the stage in strange and ritual processions.  In a second half performed side-by-side with musicians from the Royal Academy of Music The Fields of Sorrow was first composed for amateur musicians, while In Broken Images, co-commissioned by the London Sinfonietta, celebrates the formation of the Italian state.  Tonight’s concert is a showcase of an enormous, varied and mysterious ingenuity – and at its heart it is a celebration of our relationship with the late, great composer. 

Harrison Birtwistle  Duet 1 (The Message) 
Harrison Birtwistle  Virelai (Sus une fontayne) 
Harrison Birtwistle  Verses for Ensembles 
Harrison Birtwistle  The Fields of Sorrow 
Harrison Birtwistle  In Broken Images  

Abigail Sinclair soprano
Lisa Dafydd soprano
Martyn Brabbins  conductor 
Londinium (choir director Andrew Griffiths)
Royal Academy of Music Manson Ensemble 
London Sinfonietta