The Hermes Experiment & Shiva Feshareki

The Hermes Experiment is a young and vibrant ensemble who will be laying at the Barbican this week. Amongst the set is Stevie Wishart's Eurostar - A journey between cities in sound, a piece created from found sound travelling between Paris and Brussels

Revel in the idiosyncratic sounds of vibrant contemporary quartet The Hermes Experiment, as they collaborate on a world premiere with composer and turntablist Shiva Feshareki.

Milton Court Concert Hall
Thursday 26 January 7.30 pm
2 hours 0 minutes
The Hermes Experiment is Anne Denholm harp, Marianne Schofield double bass, Oliver Pashley clarinet, Héloïse Werner soprano, Shiva Feshareki turntables and electronics

Programme
Oliver Leith Uh huh, Yeah
Stevie Wishart Eurostar – a journey between cities in sound
Mira Calix DMe
Jethro Cooke & The Hermes Experiment Metropolis
Shiva Feshareki New work (world premiere, Barbican co-commission*)*Co-commissioned by The Hermes Experiment and supported by the Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust, the Marchus Trust and the Hinrichsen Foundation

More details here
https://studentpulselondon.co.uk/index.php/partners/partners/barbican/the-hermes-experiment-shiva-feshareki

Six Brandenburgs: Six Commissions.
Commissioned by and performed at Music@Malling
It was thrilling to hear from director, conductor and violinist Tom Kemp from Music at Malling about the enthusiastic reception for the Six Brandenburgs : Six Commissions piece which includes Gold & Precious Silver by Stevie Wishart who was one of six prominent composers who were asked to compose a piece relating to the famous Bach Brandenburg Concertos.

In April 2022, the complete Brandenburg Concertos were performed alongside six new works by Brian Elias, Michael Price, Deborah Pritchard, Daniel Kidane, Joseph Phibbs and Stevie Wishart in 3 concerts in the iconic setting of Malling Abbey. 

The concerts received outstanding reviews in the national press.  

Fiona Maddocks gave the concerts 5 stars in The Observer “…the music superbly performed by Chamber Domaine.” 

David Nice in The Artsdesk gave another 5 star review describing the concerts as: "A colossal achievement made up of seemingly effortless and joyous playing meeting with an equally joyous audience response.” 

Michael White in The Catholic Herald commented: “..one of the best musical experiences I have had in ages. Everything felt cherished and delivered from the heart by the formidable musicians of Chamber Domaine."

The full reviews are here:
Fiona Maddocks, The Observer
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/30/manchester-collective-abel-selaocoe-the-oracle-qeh-queen-elizabeth-hall-london-review-music-at-malling-six-brandeburgs-six-commissions-music-x-museums-british-library-academy-of-st-martin-in-the-fields-zeffman-beethoven

David Nice, The Artsdesk
https://theartsdesk.com/classical-music/six-brandenburgs-six-commissions-chamber-domaine-malling-abbey-review-metaphysical

Michael White, The Catholic Herald
https://catholicherald.co.uk/an-outstanding-opera-and-some-memorable-interpretations-of-bach/

Please find below links to concert highlights:
Concert I: https://vimeo.com/744583790
Chamber Domaine 
Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No.1
Brian Elias - Sequel 
Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No.2
Michael Price - The Malling Diamond

Concert II: https://vimeo.com/744606361
Chamber Domaine
Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No.3
Deborah Pritchard - Illumination
Brandenburg - Concerto No.4
Daniel Kidane - Concerto Grosso

Concert III: https://vimeo.com/744615961
Chamber Domaine
Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No.5
Joseph Phibbs - Bach Shadows
Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No.6
Stevie Wishart - Gold and Precious Silver

View the programme
https://www.paperturn-view.com/?pid=Mjc279400
Chamber Domaine will be performing this project in festivals and venues in the UK and Europe in 2024/25 including the Wigmore Hall.  

Colourscape at Sevenoaks Festival
Saturday 18 June 2022
A day of music with the extraordinary Hurdy-Gurdy player, Stevie Wishart and movement artist, Jemima Brown
Colourscape comes to the Sevenoaks Festival for the ninth year running.
A day of free-flowing music in our Moonarooni Colourscape structure will open the 2022 Sevenoaks Festival

To check the Sevenoaks Festival website for more events and directions click HERE
LOCATION: Vine Gardens, Holly Bush Lane, Sevenoaks
TIMES: 11am to 4pm; Saturday June 22nd
ADMISSION: £5 adults; £2.50 children

STEVIE WISHART
Creative Retreat in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, UK 

Stevie Wishart and Ensemble Variances's Thierry Pécou share a creative retreat at Aldeburgh
By invitation from First Light Festival, composers Stevie Wishart from Brussels and Cambridge and Thierry Pécou (Ensemble Variances) from Rouen in Normandy, France undertook a joint creative retreat courtesy of First Light Festival in Lowestoft Suffolk and Britten Pears Arts at the Red Studio in Aldeburgh, Suffolk.

After a four-day research stay by Stevie who walked the Iken marshes around Snape and Aldeburgh, observing and recording birds, their songs and behaviours as well as other wildlife and atmospheres at different times of the day, especially rich at dawn and dusk and guided by a bird expert from Minsmere, former trumpeter David Staff, local bird enthusiast and photographer David Burns, neighbours at the Red House John and Chris, and Griff, an old hand,  she was joined by Thierry and together they walked the marshes, rose at 3am to catch the dawn chorus at Dunwich, an early morning walk to North Warren and then Shingle Street in search of bittern and then a late night trip to hear nightjars.

​Stevie and Thierry stayed at Church Walk in Aldeburgh, and in the Red Studio in the grounds of the Red House, formerly home of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears who built spaces for their friends to stay and develop their work in the peace of the Aldeburgh surroundings.

Both composers work with birdsong and other sounds of nature, recently in a new work from Stevie premiered at Bristol New Music:  Gardez la distance -  a piece for piano, clarinet and flute plus recorded birdsong and is the result of a study into how blackbirds learn to sing.

First Light Festival is a free 24-hour multi-arts festival in the beautiful coastal setting of Lowestoft - 18-19 June 2022

This retreat opportunity available for Stevie and Thierry  has been kindly made possible by First Light Festival and  Britten Pears Arts.

​May 2022