Philip Venables

A composer of ferocious dramatic instincts
— Alex Ross

Tag: Portrait

  • Portrait concerts at Musica Festival and Festival d’Automne announced

    Portrait concerts at Musica Festival and Festival d’Automne announced

    Musica Festival in Strasbourg has just announced its 2021 programme, and I’m delighted to say there will be a portrait concert of my work in the festival on 1st October. The concert will be performed by Lovemusic, with guest artists Grace Durham (mezzo-soprano), Andreas Borregaard (accordion) and Romain Pageard as the host of the evening. The show is called Talking Music, and will feature Klaviertrio im Geiste, Illusions, My Favourite Piece is the Goldberg Variations and Numbers 91—95 alongside the world premiere of two new settings of Simon Howard’s Numbers: Numbers 81—85 and Numbers 96—100. These new pieces have been commissioned by Musica Festival, Festival d’Automne in Paris, and Lovemusic. Oscar Lozano Pérez will be making video projections and mise-en-espace for the show. Talking Music will be repeated in Paris on 26th October in Theatre de la Ville / Espace Cardin, as part of a larger feature on my work in the Festival d’Automne.

    More information about the concert in Strasbourg is here.

    More information about the concert in Paris is here.

  • Featured composer at PLUG Festival

    Featured composer at PLUG Festival

    From 6th—10th May, I will be the featured composer at the PLUG Festival, a contemporary music festival at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. The PLUG Festival predominantly features the work of student composers from the conservatoire in an packed schedule of chamber concerts. I will be giving some consultation lessons to young composers there, and presenting a seminar on my work. On the final night of the festival, the Glasgow New Music Expedition will perform Illusions alongside some other new works by both students and established composers, all conducted by Richard Baker.

  • Riot Ensemble plays Illusions and Numbers 91–95

    Riot Ensemble plays Illusions and Numbers 91–95

    The Riot Ensemble is performing two pieces of mine, Illusions and Numbers 91–95, at Kings Place on Monday 17th September as part of the new ‘Luminate’ series.  It’s a semi-portrait concerto, with other composers Sarah Nemtsov, Lee Hyla and Helga Arias Parra also featured.  I’m really excited that the spoken part in Numbers 91–95 will be done by singer Sarah Dacey, from Juice Ensemble, whom I’ve known for a long while but not properly had the chance to work with.  I’ll be at the concert, and giving a short, free, pre-concert interview with Tim Rutherford-Johnson.

    Tickets are available here.

  • Portrait Concert / 30 June / St Luke’s

    Portrait Concert / 30 June / St Luke’s

    Fight music

    The first ever portrait concert of my work will be at LSO St Luke’s in London on 30th June 2013.

    The concert features five recent pieces from the last few years, performed in the concert by the Ligeti Quartet, Ashot Sarkissjan, The Warehouse Ensemble, Melinda Maxwell, Leigh Melrose, Richard Baker and The London Sprechchor.  The concert is being recorded live for my debut CD and also filmed for music videos.

    The concert is free (email me for an invitation), will last one hour, and will be followed by a wine reception.

    FIGHT MUSIC: music by Philip Venables

    Sunday 30th June, 2013, 7.30pm (doors open 6.30pm), reception 8.30pm

    LSO St Luke’s, 161 Old St., London EC1V 9NG

    Numbers 76-80: Tristan und Isolde
    Numbers 91-95
    New piece for solo violin and sprechchor
    Metamorphoses after Britten
    The Revenge of Miguel Cotto

    Performers: Ashot Sarkissjan, The London Sprechchor. Melinda Maxwell, Leigh Melrose, Richard Baker, The Warehouse Ensemble, Ligeti Quartet.

    Generously supported by the Arts Council, The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust and LSO Soundhub.

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