Programme
George Crumb Celestial Mechanics [Makrokosmos IV] Cosmic Dances for Amplified Piano, 1979
Claudia Molitor Polymer Hauntings, 2022
Max Syedtollan Electric Organ Duo, 2023 (world premiere)
Njabulo Phungula Playground Postcard, 2020
Gillian Walker Title tbc, 2023 (world premiere)
Uri Agnon Put Your Hands Together [for late capitalism], 2022
With society’s ever-increasing political polarisation, the temptation to shout louder in order to reach those who feel ideologically far from us is immense. However, as the battles over the climate crisis continue to rage on, it is clear that this combative communication structure often results in those in opposition feeling more defensive of their existing view.
In this concert, Yshani Perinpanayagam and Katherine Tinker will explore an alternative way forward, turning to art for one of its strongest powers: bringing people together, through cooperation, collaboration and play. It is no mistake that we play games and play music; the idea of play can make concepts too-messy for words far more accessible. Play is connection. Play demands concentration, imagination and innovation, the very qualities that can lead us towards solutions to the challenges that face us today.
The programme will start with George Crumb’s epic Celestial Mechanics [Makrokosmos IV] Cosmic Dances for Amplified Piano in which a rich and expansive kaleidoscope of sound is created, exploring the timelessness of the universe.The programme then moves to the urgency of the present moment: Claudia Molitor’s Polymer Hauntings is a requiem to fossil fuel, using one of its most day-to-day, visible manifestations: plastic. Ideas of activism, cooperation and play are then investigated in pieces by Max Syedtollan, Gillian Walker, and finally in Uri Agnon’s Put Your Hands Together [for late capitalism]: light-hearted and mischievous in its use of a simple gesture from both performer and audience member – a clap – to affect change.