Solos, Duos and More

'We find musical Britan inconceivable without Odaline de la Martínez, and not just because she brings a gust of Latin energy and a warmth to the frequently staid groves of musical academy...'

The Independent

 

What does contemporary American music sound like? This kaleidoscopic programme offers not one answer, but seven — a succession of contrasting musical worlds in seven UK premieres. From the atmospheric and dreamlike to the intensely rhythmic; from intimate solo writing to richly layered ensemble textures and live electronics, Solos, Duos and More brings together music by seven distinctive living American composers.

 

Poetry, nature, imagination and abstract musical ideas inspire works that reveal the extraordinary variety of ways composers today can make instruments speak, sing, collide and transform one another. Performed by Lontano with an exceptional line-up of soloists, this is contemporary music at its most adventurous and immediate: intimate, surprising and full of discovery.

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Programme​

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Barbara Jazwinski Dreams of Vagabond Winds*

Elena Ruehr Of Water and Clouds*

Augusta Reed Thomas Rainbow Bridge to Paradise*

Arlene Sierra A Young Mind in Old Bees*

Alfred Lerdahl Three Diatonic Studies*

Daniel Asia Pine's Last Poems* 

Aaron Einbond Resistance*

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*UK Premiere

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Artists​

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Lontano

Odaline de la Martínez conductor

Aaron Einbond electronics

Heather Roche clarinet​

Dominic Saunders piano

Claire O'Connell cello

Alison Wormell bassoon

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Since its foundation in 1976, Lontano has been recognised as one of the UK’s most exciting and versatile exponents of twentieth and twenty-first century music. Lontano’s work includes themed seasons in London, opera and music theatre productions, concerts and tours throughout the UK and abroad, and regular recordings on its own LORELT label, as well as workshops and educational projects. Lontano also records for numerous other companies including Albany Records, Summit (USA), Da Capo (Denmark), Metier Records and Retrospect Opera (UK). The ensemble is internationally renowned, and its tours have taken it to many countries in Europe as well as both North and South America. The ensemble began their biennial London Festival of American music in 2006.

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​Born in Cuba and brought up in the USA, Odaline de la Martínez is now based in the UK where she has become a formidable force on today's classical music scene, pursuing a busy career as an award-winning composer, conductor, record producer and event curator. Working with everything from Mozart symphonies to the latest contemporary music, she has acquired an illustrious reputation for her versatile and eclectic vision, with a longstanding special commitment to contemporary music, women composers and Latin American composers in particular. Amongst her many achievements, Martínez was the first woman to conduct a BBC Prom at the Royal Albert Hall in 1984. 

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