expanding horizons

season2011/2012

‘ one of the most innovative and thrilling ensembles in Europe’ The Scotsman

‘a superior group of players’ The Herald ‘ played sublimely’ Scotland on Sunday

‘ most daring’ The Telegraph

Please note: all information is correct at time of print and is subject to change without prior notice. Please check Hebrides Ensemble’s website for up to date information.

Get closer to the music we commission and perform. Visit our website for online previews, podcasts, blogs: hebridesensemble.com

Welcome

Some of the most pioneering, visionary leaders in the world of composition emerged from the USA during the twentieth century. Our first programme of the 2011/12 Season presents some of those towering composers and endeavours to display their depth and diversity as well as their unique craftsmanship. The witty Piano Trio by Charles Ives contrasts with the darker world of George Crumb in his atmospheric and enigmatic Voice of the Whale in which the masked performers are bathed in blue light.

The hugely popular Steve Reich and John Adams, with Minimalist works New York Counterpoints for clarinet and tape and Road Movies for violin and piano respectively, add their invigorating, coruscating, driving music to a programme full of contrasts.

In the New Year we present a series of Lunchtime and Rush Hour concerts. These have proved very popular in the past with our audiences as they give an opportunity to hear a classic, iconic piece of chamber music alongside a new piece written for the same combination in a relaxed early evening or lunchtime setting, often with the composer present.

In March we will be returning to an old favourite of Hebrides Ensemble, the masterly Quartet for the End of Time by Messiaen, a piece we have recorded and performed many times together with new works from emerging composers.

This season of concerts which includes four world premiere performances alongside established masterpieces illustrates our commitment to music of the future as well as the past.

We invite you to share our curiosity and enjoyment of the huge wealth of great music now available to us.

I look forward to welcoming you to our concerts.

Best wishes

William Conway, Artistic Director

The USA produced some of the most ground-breaking and visionary leaders in the world of composition during the 20th Century.

This programme presents a few of those composers displaying their diversity as well as their unique craftsmanship.

The witty Piano Trio by Charles Ives contrasts with the darker world of George Crumb’s atmospheric and enigmatic Voice of the Whale in which the masked performers are bathed in blue light.

The concert also features popular Minimalist works New York Counterpoint by Steve Reich and Road Movies by John Adams – music for our time full of drive, vigour and joy.

Sunday 6 November, 7.30pm St Andrew’s in the Square, Glasgow

Monday 7 November, 1pm Perth Concert Halls

Monday 7 November, 7.30pm Eden Court, Inverness

Tuesday 8 November, 7.30pm Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh

Wednesday 9 November, 7.30pm Space to Create, Crear, Kilberry

Tickets and InformationSt Andrew’s in the Square, Glasgow (0844) 481 8898 (£7 – 14)

Perth Concert Halls* (01738) 621 031 (£6.50 – 7.50)

Eden Court, Inverness (01463) 234 234 (£8 – 12)

Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh (0131) 668 2019 (£7 – 14)

Crear, Space to Create, Kilberry(01880) 770369 (£22)

*Shortened programme including Reich, Adams and Ives.

american pioneersreich, ives, crumb, adams, higdon6 - 9 november 2011

‘profound and powerful’ The Guardian

‘dazzlingly brilliant’ The Scotsman

rush hour series30 January – 20 February 2012

In our mini-series of Lunchtime and Rush Hour concerts we continue our popular tradition of programming iconic chamber works alongside new commissions for the same instrumentation. Join us for new works by Peter Nelson and Alasdair Spratt coupled with Beethoven’s popular Septet op 20 and the mighty op 111 String Quintet by Brahms.

Beethoven Septet in E Flat Major (op 20) Peter Nelson Lost Landscapes Monday 30 January, 1pmPerth Concert Halls

Thursday 2 February, 6pmSt George’s West, Edinburgh*

Brahms String Quintet in G Major (op 111) Alasdair Spratt The Black Tree Thursday 9 February, 1pmWestbourne Music, Merchants House, Glasgow

Thursday 9 February, 6pmSt George’s West, Edinburgh*

Monday 20 February, 1pmPerth Concert Halls

*Join us after our Edinburgh concerts for a free glass of wine and an opportunity to socialise with our musicians. Buy tickets for both concerts in Edinburgh for £16.

Tickets and Information Perth Concert Halls(01738) 621 031 (£6.50 – £7.50)

Queen’s Hall Box Office (for St George’s West tickets, which will also available on the door) (0131) 668 2019 (£6 – £10)

Westbourne Music(0141) 649 5347 (£4 – £8)

Quartet For the end oF time26 – 29 march 2012

The Book of Revelation inspired Quartet for the End of Time, a timeless masterpiece written by the French composer Olivier Messiaen.

This dramatic and transcendent piece written while Messiaen was incarcerated in a prisoner-of-war camp is programmed alongside music drawing on the same instrumental resources but producing very different results.

Quartet for the End of Time, MessiaenNew Work, Suzanne Parry New Work, Mark Boden

Monday 26 March, 1pm Perth Concert Hall*

Tuesday 27 March, 7.30pm Eden Court Theatre, Inverness

Wednesday 28 March, 7.30pm St Andrew’s in the Square, Glasgow**

Thursday 29 March, 7.30pm The Jam House, Edinburgh**

*Shortened one hour programme including Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time **We will be joined in both Edinburgh and Glasgow performances by the writer and theologian Dr Richard Holloway.

Tickets and Information Perth Concert Halls (01738) 621 031

Eden Court, Inverness (01463) 234 234

Queen’s Hall Box Office (0131) 668 2019 (for Jam House tickets, which will also be available on the door)

St Andrew’s in the SquareGlasgow (0844) 481 8898

‘ And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire…’

The Book of Revelation

pierrot Lunaire, arnold schoenbergLove struck by the moon31 may 2012

Thursday 31 May, 6pmGlasgow City Halls

Tickets and Information Glasgow Royal Concert Halls(0141) 353 8000

The Times The Herald

‘ the key attraction of the evening was a performance of the Schoenberg that cast a deliciously human – sometimes gentle – dimension on this extraordinary work.’

The Scotsman

The ensemble is committed to commissioning and creating new chamber music, music-theatre and small-scale opera for the enjoyment of all.

We invite you to join a growing number of equally passionate individuals who actively support us and share our ambition and vision and are prepared to help safeguard our future. There are many ways in which you can support the work of Hebrides Ensemble.

Friends of Hebrides Ensemble We invite you to join Friends of Hebrides Ensemble where you will enjoy a wide range of behind the scenes benefits from as little as £25.

Commissioning Circle Join our Commissioning Circle where a one off payment, starting at just £100, ensures that new work is developed and performed to the highest standards. Members of the Commissioning Circle will be part of a special group of supporters who will become more closely involved in the work of the ensemble and the composers we work with.

Business Partners We are proud of the Ensemble, of our players and our programmes and are open to developing mutually beneficial relationships within the private sector. We can offer unique performances, access to our players and work and are keen to collaborate on specific projects developing contemporary classical music for future audiences.

Find Out More For further information about supporting Hebrides Ensemble, including the Commissioning Circle, Friends of Hebrides Ensemble and Business Partners, please contact Caroline Winn, General Manager, on 0131 208 3224 or email caroline@hebridesensemble.com

The support we receive is vital to the future development of our work. We would like to thank warmly the following for their current support:

Ann Hartree The Binks Trust Creative Scotland Freight Design The Garrick Trust The Gordon Fraser Trust The Holst FoundationThe Hope Scott Trust The Hugh Fraser Foundation Lindsays Charitable Trust PRS Foundation RE: NEW Music

‘ Special playing from a special group of musicians’

BBC Online

supporting hebrides ensemble

DESIG

N FR

EIGHT 0141 552 5303

Hebrides Ensemble St George’s West 58 Shandwick Place Edinburgh EH2 4RT

Room 223 The Briggait 141 BridgegateGlasgow G1 5HZ

Phone+44 (0) 131 208 3224

Webhebridesensemble.com   

Skype hebridesensemble

Emailmanager@hebridesensemble.com

Artistic DirectorWilliam Conwaywilliam-conway.com

General ManagerCaroline Winn

PressJane Nicolson

Board of DirectorsBenjamin Twist (Chair) Chris KelnarWilliam ConwayJennifer MartinMartin SucklingGlenys HughesPaul Jourdan

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Hebrides Ensemble is registered in Scotland No 132543 Registered Charity No SC017923