British Composition Season continues to bring British contemporary classical music to Bucharest

British Composition Season, a project developed by British Council Romania and which started on December 21, brings its following concert on January 25, at Tinerimea Romana National Art Centre in Bucharest, starting at 18.30. The initiative comprises a series of four concerts, showcasing outstanding British contemporary composition, performed by Romanian musicians. The curator of the programme is Philip Cashian, Head of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

The concert on January 25 is built around miniatures for solo piano and piano quartet with Simon Bainbridge’s Piano Trio placed at the centre of the programme. Moving from the music of Michael Zev Gordon, Bryn Harrison and Richard Causton to the flamboyant Jiggedybox by Joe Cutler and from Harrison Birtwistle’s take on a Tango to the beautiful simplicity of Howard Skempton’s Cantilena, this concert is a quick tour of living British composers.

The next two concerts of the British Composition Season will take place on February 22 and 29 March 2011. The February 22 concert presents music from the expressionistic and evocative Palace at 4am by Simon Holt to Oliver Knussen’s ingenious arrangements of music by Perotin for wind quintet. The final concert juxtaposes music from nine very different middle generation composers and a new work from the young Ivor Bonnici. The programme ranges from the funk influenced music of Tansy Davies and jazz influenced Mark Anthony Turnage to Julian Anderson’s Bach Machine, based on the theme from A Musical Offering and Richard Baker’s exotic Los Rabanos.

The project also includes a series of discussions on the topic of contemporary composition, attended by five of the featured British composers, including the curator of the programme, Philip Cashian. The discussions hosted by the National University of Music in Bucharest are aimed at established and aspiring musicians, as well as the wider general public.

Entrance is free of charge. More information on the British Council website.