Our Debussy harp concert – and the wonderful NMC Records

Alison Gardiner’s delightful sketch of Nancy Ruffer, Hugh Webb and Bridget Carey at our sell out Debussy and Archbold concert on March 9th – of which more below. But first, the wonderful NMC Recordings.

NMC Recordings – a year to celebrate

Last week NMC Recordings celebrated the release of Sir Michael Tippett’s last opera, New Year recorded in April last year by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra prior to a live performance in Birmingham. (For more on the opera itself see the end of this post in January this year.)

The release of any new record is a cause for celebration for a record company – but this one is special. Rather shockingly it is the first ever recording of the last opera of one of our great British composers – ‘the missing link between Benjamin Britten and Mark-Anthony Turnage’. And it is by the company that has done SO much to promote and celebrate contemporary British music over the last three decades.

NMC was founded 35 years ago by the composer Colin Matthews, supported by the Holst Foundation,  ‘to remedy the almost non-existent representation of living British composers in the recording catalogues of major labels’ – a job that it has continued to do ever since. Occupying a unique position as both a record label and a charity it ‘supports composers at every stage of their career: from the emerging names taking part in our talent-development partnerships, to the rising-stars releasing their first portrait album in our Debut Discs series, and through to music by established voices that needs to be heard and is not available elsewhere’ – such as  Michael Tippett’s last opera! Just take a look at the list of composers that appears on their label and on their distributed labels to see the breadth of their reach – or check in to their education programmes taking contemporary British music out into secondary schools across the country.

Over those 35 years NMC has been too busy pursuing its mission to do much blowing of its own trumpet – so it is hugely satisfying that this month they have received some of the recognition that they so richly deserve with the award of Royal Philharmonic Society’s Gamechanger Award. An award that ‘celebrates those who in unique and contemporary ways break new ground in classical music… The award is presented to an initiative, individual, group or organisation for their inspirational and transformative work’. You can read more both about the award and the citation here.

Added cause for celebration is a grant from the Jerwood Foundation to support a new digital only series: a professionally recorded Digital EP accompanied by a music video and scrolling score video to be released via all download providers. The composers will also receive mentoring and have access to NMC’s specialist PR contacts, industry and fundraising experience, and new music audiences.

Like everyone in classical music NMC struggled through lockdown but three years on they are very much back on track – and what good news that it is for all of those composers, both young and not so young, struggling to get a hearing for their creations.

For more on NMC check in to their website here.

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A feast of Debussy with a touch of Archbold

I am delighted to say that in our really wonderful Debussy concert on March 9th we were also showcasing a contemporary composer with three short pieces by Paul Archbold. These were interweaved with some of harpist Hugh Webb’s favourite pieces of Debussy, a composer for whom Hugh has an especial fondness as not only being revolutionary in his approach to composing, but being the first to see the potential for the harp as a solo instrument rather than a ‘tinkly background accompaniment’.

To get us totally in Debussy mode, the trio started with the opening bars of L’après-midi d’un faune and so will I – moving on then to the first movement, the Pastorale, of the famous Trio for Flute, Viola and Harp. The trio was one of the last pieces Debussy was to write in 1915, in the middle of the Great War and, for Debussy, a deep depression. As an antidote he decided to write a set of six sonatas although he only managed to complete three before he died – the violin and piano sonata, the cello and piano sonata and this one for flute, viola and harp. The sixth sonata was intended to be for all of the instruments in the other five, but alas that never happened. As Hugh said, all of Debussy’s life was in this incredibly poignant trio. Apparently, when Debussy heard it played he said that he didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. Magic.

And finally a short piece of Paul’s music for solo harp – the third movement from Of Crossed Destinies, based on Italo Calvino‘s  novel, The Castle of Crossed Destinies, enabled by packs of tarot cards.

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Meanwhile…….

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Have you booked for Viola Lenzi and Isabella Gori playing some four-handed jazz and folk inspired music on March 23rd at the Highate Society?

Here for more details and to book

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and….

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Have you booked for our New Orleans jazz night with Dani Sicari and James Girling on April 15th?

Here for more details and to book.

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For future happenings in at Hampstead Lane and elsewhere – see our Upcoming Events page.

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