Nash Inventions 2024

The Nash Inventions concerts on 26 March 2024 at the Wigmore Hall in London celebrate the life and music of Sir Harrison Birtwistle, one of the major figures in the musical life of the UK in the 20th and 21st centuries. The relationship between the Nash Ensemble and Birtwistle spanned nearly four decades, and Nash had the privilege of commissioning a number of works from the composer over the years, some of which the Ensemble will be performing on 26 March 2024. The Nash Inventions concerts are supported by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.

Sir Harrison Birtwistle was not only one of the greatest composers the ensemble worked with, but also had a major influence on musicians and composers alike. As part of Nash Inventions, the Nash Ensemble will give two concerts in which three commissioned works will be performed. The first concert will include a newly commissioned work by Simon Holt for cello and piano, dedicated to Birtwistle. The second concert will conclude with one of Birtwistle's most haunting pieces, The Moth Requiem, for a choir of 12 female singers and an unusual ensemble of three harps and flute. In both concerts, the BBC Singers will sing his songs with the ensemble, together with soprano Claire Booth and under the direction of emerging conductor Geoffrey Paterson. The programme also includes one of Sir Harrison Birtwistle's late chamber works, Duet for Eight Strings, played by two of the ensemble's outstanding performers, Lawrence Power (viola) and Adrian Brendel (cello). Birtwistle said of the Nash Ensemble, "The ensemble is unsurpassed for its imaginative programming and captivating performances."

Further information:
nashensemble.org.uk

Date

April 26, 2024
Wigmore Hall, London