Event information
Since the group was formed in 2007, the outstanding musicians of The House of Bedlam, directed by composer Larry Goves, have constantly shocked, amused and amazed audiences throughout the UK, with performances that embrace theatricality, spoken word and improvisation. During the lockdowns of 2020, they recorded Enclosure, a highly acclaimed album released on the NMC label. Their programme at Kettle’s Yard will feature works from that disc which flirt between Renaissance arrangements, disjointed earworms and skewed blues, alongside a new work by rising star composer Ellen Sargen in which the audience will be invited to witness a deeply personal dialogue between the players that delves deep into the insecurities, fears and desires of performing musicians.
£12 (£5 students), booking recommended
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Programme
Larry Goves: Distant airports
Ryoko Akamo: A sense of coming back
Larry Goves (after Claudia Sessa): Occhi io vissi di voi No. 1 & 2
Larry Goves: Nehemiah 2
Mary Jane Leach: Dowland’s Tears
Ellen Sargen: Lost in your whole world
Larry Goves: The clouds flew round with the clouds
Introduction to this year’s New Music series
“Organising the concerts for the New Music Series at Kettle’s Yard has yet again been nothing but a pleasure, because it’s always so heartening to discover that all the musicians I speak to are keen to come and perform in this unique venue. Working with them to shape programmes that will be ideal for the space has only further confirmed my belief that, despite the unprecedented challenges which composers and performers face today, the new music scene in this country is endlessly inspirational and exploding with energy.
In the four concerts of this latest series you’ll be able to hear some of the dazzling variety that underpins the music of today. There’s purity and the influence of the natural world in the music of Barbara Monk Feldman (19 January), a piano recital of breath-taking technical difficulty (16 March), the fertile soils of blending a multitude of styles and cultures (27 April) and the intuitive brilliance of top performers who simply enjoy making music together (1 June).
Our concerts are relaxed, informal and friendly, and I look forward to seeing you soon to experience great musicians performing some of the greatest music of our time.”
Tom McKinney, New Music Curator
About The House of Bedlam
The House of Bedlam are a chamber music ensemble dedicated to playing new, recent, and exploratory music. They have released music on Nonclassical and NMC and have been broadcast extensively on BBC Radio 3, and have performed extensively around the UK, particularly in their home town of Manchester. They are: LarryGoves (composer/electronics); Kathryn Williams (flutes); Carl Raven (saxophones/clarinets); and Stephanie Tress (cello).
