Death Speaks Programme FINAL FINAL

D e a t h B a r t s P a t h o l o g y M u s e u m S p e a k s T h u r s 2 8 t h J u n e 8 p m L o t t e B e t t s - D e a n * ( m e z z o - s o p r a n o ) Praised for her “urgent musicality” (The Guardian), Australian mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean enjoys a career encompassing opera, oratorio, contemporary music, art song, early music, and non-classical collaborations. After graduating from the Conservatorium of Music at Melbourne University and the Australian National Academy of Music, Lotte moved to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music. She is the recipient of the 2017 Peter Hulsen Orchestral Song Award and is an Associate Aritst of Southbank Sinfonia. Recent concert appearances include Wigmore Hall and St John's Smith Square, as well as Cheltenham and Buxton Festivals. Lotte is also a member of Ensemble x.y. A n d r e y L e b e d e v * ( g u i t a r ) Andrey Lebedev is an acclaimed Australian classical guitarist with an insatiable curiosity to explore new avenues of music making. He is the laureate of top international competitions including the 2017 ARD Competition and the 2018 Guitar Foundation of America. In 2014, he was the first young guitarist invited by Julian Bream to perform for the Julian Bream Trust, premiering Trust commissions by Harrison Birtwistle and Leo Brouwer at St John’s Smith Square. Andrey has performed at the Hong Kong Altamira International Guitar Symposium, Cultura Artistica Serie de Violao (Brazil), and Buxton International Festival. I o n a A l l a n ( v i o l i n ) Iona Allan is an Australian violinist currently completing a Master’s at the Royal College of Music (RCM) under the tutelage of Gabrielle Lester. Before moving to London, Iona performed frequently with the Melbourne and Queensland Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. In the UK, Iona has performed with acclaimed baroque ensemble Florilegium and held leading positions in RCM orchestras under Bernard Haitink and Vladimir Ashkenazy. Iona is an RCM Award Holder and Tait Trust Scholar supported by a Joan Weller Scholarship and the Ena Williams Award for Postgraduate Study Overseas. J o s e p h h a v l a t ( p i a n o ) Born in Hobart, Australia, Joseph Havlat has been studying at the Royal Academy of Music under Prof. Joanna MacGregor since 2012. He has performed in major concert venues around the UK, Europe, America, Japan, and Australia, both as a soloist and as part of chamber groups and orchestras. A keen chamber musician, he performs frequently with groups such as the Tritium Trio, Duo Ex Libris, LSO Percussion Ensemble, and contemporary music collective Ensemble x.y of which he is a founding member and artistic director. Joseph is also an avid composer, having written for the aforementioned ensembles, amongst others. Upcoming performances include several recitals at Dartington Music Festival in August 2018. *denotes City Music Foundation Artist P r o g r a m m e T r a d i t i o n a l A m e r i c a n F o l k S o n g O Death J o h n D o w l a n d ( 1 5 6 3 - 1 6 2 6 ) In darkness let me dwell Flow, my tears J o h a n n S e b a s t i a n B a c h ( 1 6 8 5 - 1 7 5 0 ) Chaconne from Partita in D minor, BWV1004 R a d i o h e a d ( 1 9 8 5 - ) Sail to the Moon H e n r y P u r c e l l ( 1 6 5 9 - 1 6 9 5 ) Dido’s Lament from Dido & Aeneas G y ö r g y K u r t á g ( 1 9 2 6 - ) Three Kafka Fragments R a d i o h e a d ( 1 9 8 5 - ) Pyramid Song M a u r i c e R a v e l ( 1 8 7 5 - 1 9 3 7 ) Le gibet [The gallows] from Gaspard de la nuit B r e t t D e a n ( 1 9 6 1 - ) Gertrude Fragments R a d i o h e a d ( 1 9 8 5 - ) How to Disappear Completely I n t e r v a L F r a n z S c h u b e r t ( 1 7 9 7 - 1 8 2 8 ) Wandrers Nachtlied II [Wanderer's Nightsong II] Der Tod und Das Mädchen [Death and the Maiden] Des Baches Wiegenlied [The Brook's Lullaby] D a v i d L a n g ( 1 9 5 7 - ) death speaks D e a t h S p e a k s In 'death speaks', Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang gives Death a h u m a n v o i c e . Premiered alongside his acclaimed 'the little match girl passion' (a fusion of Hans Christian Andersen's short story and Bach's 'St Matthew Passion'), this haunting song cycle continues its moving comparison between the worlds of the living and the dead. Revisiting Andersen's tale, Lang was reminded of the frequent occurrence of Death as a character in the songs of Schubert (e.g. 'Death and the Maiden'). In an attempt to create a fuller picture of this elusive being, Lang scoured every single Schubert song text, compiling every instance of when Death speaks. After roughly translating and trimming passages from 32 songs, Lang assembled them to create these five songs. For the music, Lang turned away from the classical song tradition. He notes that, "indie rock seems to be the place where Schubert's sensibilities now lie, a better match for direct storytelling and intimate emotionality." Appropriately, the piece was written for four musicians who started life in the classical sphere before drifting towards the world of indie rock: Shara Nova (My Brightest Diamond), Bryce Dessner (The National), Owen Pallett, and Nico Muhly. 'death speaks' is paired with songs and instrumental numbers from across the musical spectrum, all of which touch on the topic of mortality. Not often open to the public, The Pathology Museum, part of Queen Mary University of London, is a Grade II Listed Medical Museum situated at the top of St Bartholomew’s Hospital; it houses over 5000 medical specimens displayed over 3 mezzanine levels. L i g h t i n g : J oseph Ed Thomas S o u n d : Arthur Keegan-Bole City Music Foundation would like to thank the following for their part in making this peRformance possible: Carla Valentine Steve Moore Bell Percussion Jaques Samuel Pianos @CityMusicF www.citymusicfoundation.org Registered Charity Number: 1148641.

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