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Performance, Page 4

Musica Secreta’s new CD

Professor Laurie Stras writes: Musica Secreta’s new CD – out in 2017 on Obsidian Records It’s always difficult to keep things a secret when you are excited about them. I have known for months that my ensemble Musica Secreta’s new CD, Lucrezia Borgia’s Daughter, was signed up for release on Obsidian Records, but have had to wait until this week to tell anyone. It’s been doubly difficult because this project has been part of my life for at least eight years. Continue reading →

Superstar Summer

Jon Gingell teaches guitar at Southampton University as well as working in theatre as performer, programmer and copyist.  He is a Southampton Music graduate. Over the summer break, I have been dividing my time between theatre work in Paris, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and the National Theatre, and live gigs on the european blues festival circuit with American singer-songwriter Earl Thomas. In Paris I played guitar, ukulele and banjo for Damon Albarn’s musical Wonder. Continue reading →

Dedication

By Peter Bridgwood (MMus Performance) Written by the acclaimed playwright Nick Dear, Dedication explores the relationship between William Shakespeare and the 3rd Earl of Southampton Henry Wriothesley. Taking the extremely limited knowledge that we have about their relationship, Dear postulates three different story lines; an old man obsessed with the young Lord; a business relationship like any other; or a sordid love affair, condemned by the society of the time. Continue reading →

Harpsichords return to Mottisfont

University of Southampton researchers Katharine Hawnt and Christopher D. Lewis are involved in an exciting project to reintroduce the harpsichord at Mottisfont Abbey in Hampshire.  Booking for the 15 October event is now available from the Mottisfont event page. In March 2016 this small harpsichord was installed in the Boy’s Room at Mottisfont Abbey. Continue reading →

A Monday with Mark and Manuel

By Jeremy Hunt, Music Undergraduate Student On Monday 9th May, London-based pianist Mark Knoop and Italian flautist Manuel Zurria performed an exciting, modern programme of works by Laurence Crane, Conlon Nancarrow, Howard Skempton, Beat Furrer, and the University of Southampton’s very own composition lecturer, Matthew Shlomowitz. Continue reading →

Musical Mondays

by Harry Matthews, Music undergraduate student.  Mondays at Southampton always seem to be the busiest days of the week for me. On one Monday recently I started my morning rehearsing new pieces for my ensemble with David Owen Norris. The piano and percussion ensemble rehearsed ‘Workers Union’ by Louis Andriessen and a brand new work by third year composer Millie Aldridge. Continue reading →

Composition PhD partnering

by Ben Jameson, Composition PhD student. During the summer of 2015 I was working on a piece called Construction in Metal, for electric guitar and Guitar Hero Xbox controller, that was due to be performed in November of that year. As usual during the compositional process, I was periodically sending drafts to my supervisors in order to get valuable advice and feedback on my progress and how well the piece was working. Continue reading →

Evan Parker @ Southampton

On Tuesday 19th April, Evan Parker, the legendary saxophonist and forefather of British Free Jazz, met with Southampton University Music Department students prior to his enthralling recital in Turner Sims. He shared insights on his commitment to raising ecological awareness through touring Europe by train, free improvisation, and finding your musical identity. Dr Thomas Seltz, Head of Jazz and Pop. Continue reading →

Ekanayaka Visit

On Monday 18th April, Dr Tanya Ekanayaka, a classical pianist and composer from Sri Lanka signed to Naxos records gave a recital in Turner Sims concert hall and led a workshop with Southampton University Music Department students on the topics of piano performance, composition and improvisation. Dr. Thomas Seltz, Head of Jazz and Pop. Continue reading →

British music for the modern harpsichord

Modern harpsichord advocate and Southampton PGR student Christopher D. Lewis tells us about his new recording on the Naxos label, based on his PhD research: My new recording British Music for Harpsichord, released at the beginning of this month, includes 20th-century and contemporary works by Lennox Berkeley, Herbert Howells, Gavin Bryars and John Jeffreys. Continue reading →

Sound Heritage returns

Just before the spring break, the Sound Heritage network met up for its second study day on music research and interpretation in country houses. Instead of gathering in the university, we made a field trip out to Chawton, home of Chawton House Library and Jane Austen's House Museum. Continue reading →

Saxophone Masterclass

America saxophonist, Professor Jonathan Helton (pictured far right) visited Southampton on February 23. It was a fantastic morning full of saxophone talk and playing. Finalists Wayne Hau, Emily Cox and Laurence Astill and second-year student Hannah Brierley all performed for the masterclass. Following the class Dr. Helton and his duo partner, cellist Stephen Thomas played an exciting lunchtime concert of music for saxophone and cello. Continue reading →

Perfect Pianists

On Friday March 4th at 8pm on BBC 4, Professor David Owen Norris presents Perfect Pianists,  a compilation of archive film of great pianists, including Benno Moiseiwitsch, Myra Hess, Artur Rubinstein, Radu Lupu and Murray Perahia - David filmed the links at the Cobbe Collection at Hatchlands, so you’ll hear him as well, playing Chopin on Chopin’s own Pleyel. Continue reading →