Sounding The Now: Great classical music and visual art of the last 50 years (Part 2)
27 April 2027 - 25 May 2027
10.45 – 12.45 Tuesdays
£86.00 – £357.00
Description
The last 50 years have produced some of the most exciting and powerful music, painting and sculpture in history, but to many people it remains an undiscovered world. This course aims to introduce participants to some of this era’s major composers including Luciano Berio, György Kurtág, Thomas Larcher, Kaija Saariaho and Caroline Shaw alongside artists such as Gerhard Richter, Marlene Dumas, Eduardo Burri, Chris Ofili and Olafur Eliasson. Poetry and prose illustrative of the era will also feature.
This series is a continuation of one presented in 2025, but no previous knowledge is assumed.
“A forensic examination of modern music and composition through the music itself and the writings of the composers and their contemporaries. I especially liked the analogies to the visual arts world. You’ve helped me organise my thoughts on these, at times challenging works giving one the confidence to discuss them. Entertaining, enjoyable and informative.”
Course Outline
27 Apr 2027 – In: Exploring Inner States
One particular mode of exploration for composers recently has been the exploration of inner psychological states. Composers have often set texts of great psychological acuity, embracing poetry, confessional prose, diaries and even the agony pages of magazines. We will listen to pieces by György Kurtág, Hans Abrahamsen, Rebecca Saunders, Thomas Larcher and Salvatore Sciarrino, as well as paintings by Eduardo Burri, Marlene Dumas and Maria Lassnig and texts by Shakespeare re-cast.
04 May 2027 – Earthwards: The Power of the Primitive
The primitive has been a key driver in the arts since the beginning of the 20th century. Picasso and Stravinsky, Matisse and Bartok are all indebted to a vision of mankind’s rawest impulses. More recently composers including Berio, Birtwistle, Monk and a new generation drawing on the visceral landscape of Iceland have continued this plunge into earth’s memories. We will look at art by Albrecht Durer and Chris Ofili, as well as other images and poetry associated with primitivism.
11 May 2027 – To the Limit: New Frontiers for Music
Pieces for symphony orchestra, for string quartet and for voice have been the occupation of composers since Haydn’s time. In the last 50 years some composers have sought to reinvigorate these forms by pushing their boundaries into new territories. We will hear pieces by Helmut Lachenmann, Brian Ferneyhough and Pierre Boulez alongside some of the writings and works of art that inspired them.
18 May 2027 – Within the Spectrum: Shifting & Blending
Spectralism has been one of the most influential approaches to composition in recent decades, including composers such as Gérard Grisey, Claude Vivier, Kaija Saariaho (whose L’Amour du Loin was a hit at ENO) and GF Haas (championed by Simon Rattle) among its ranks and producing masterpieces in the worlds of opera, orchestral and chamber music. At the same time, we will consider artists with an interest in fluidity of form including Gerhard Richter and Olafur Eliasson.
25 May 2027 – Outside: Sounds, Noises & New Attitudes
The new technologies have proved a fertile source of inspiration, exploring new sounds made possible by digital recording, computers, video-recording and the internet itself. But these new technologies and how they have changed our lives have themselves proved a subject for composers and artists. We will hear innovative compositions by Jonathan Harvey, Caroline Shaw and Simon Steen-Andersen and look at/listen to works that exist somewhere between the genres of performance art and music.