For this newly Camerata-commissioned violin concerto, Nick Martin has composed a love letter to the work of sculptor Dame Barbara Hepworth.
Nick Martin is a composer based in Copenhagen. Composed whilst staying in St Ives, Nick says, ‘A particular point of inspiration has been Barbara Hepworth’s Landscape Sculpture—a carved torso-sized, cradle-like form in elm with nine strings of fishing line. I found the number nine resonant, suggestive of the nine months of pregnancy’.
We present this new work alongside music by Mozart, Britten and Priaulx Rainier, all celebrating themes of youth or with a connection to Hepworth herself. Mozart’s Symphony No.1 was composed when he was just 8 years old, and you can hear the joy of youth in the wind solos. Similarly, the melodies that Britten draws on in his Simple Symphony were written whilst he was still a child, and are dedicated to his viola teacher. Britten and Hepworth were introduced to one another through the composer Priaulx Rainier. Movements was written whilst she was staying with Barbara Hepworth in St Ives during the winter of 1950–51.
Tamsin Waley-Cohen is a British-American violinist acclaimed for her poetic and expressive performances, with a passion for musical storytelling and a strong commitment to contemporary music: “I’m thrilled to be joining this project with the wonderful Manchester Camerata. Nick Martin’s new piece, inspired by the works of Hepworth, which I know so well and love, is resonant for me also because of its subject matter, the depiction of the symbiotic relationship between mother and child, an area rich in creative inspiration. The infectious enthusiasm of Mozart’s first symphony will be the perfect foil for Nick’s lyrical new concerto – I’m looking forward to our first rehearsal!”.
Programme
- Mozart Symphony No.1*
- Britten Simple Symphony
- Priaulx Rainier Movement
- Nick Martin Violin Concerto*
Performed by
- Tamsin Waley-Cohen Violin/Director*
- Caroline Pether Director
- Manchester Camerata
Tickets for Manchester | The Whitworth | 4 Sept 6:15pm & 8pm >
This concert will have a 15-minute pre-concert talk at the beginning, starting at 6:15 & 8pm respectively. Any accessibility enquiries or enquiries about the building in general, please contact whitworth@manchester.ac.uk or 0161 275 7450
TIckets for Wakefield | The Hepworth | 5 Sept 6:30pm & 8pm >
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