the performer:
Eliza McCarthy (piano)
the programme:
Luther Adams + Berio + Levi + Donnacha + Downes
about the music:
McCarthy’s programme features some of the 21st century’s best composers.
The event is bookended by two monumental John Luther Adams pieces.
Tukiliit and Among Red Mountains were both written to reflect the great outdoors. Specifically, the vast and expansive landscape of the composer’s native Alaska.
Luther Adams’ music is rugged and elemental. It’s not so much about each note, but the overall effect. Listen to the start of Tukiliit, played here by Lisa Moore.
From the very first chord you get a sense of limitlessly open space.
The rest of the concert is made up of new works by Dennehy Donnacha & Kit Downes, two pieces by Mica Levi, and some Luciano Berio.
McCarthy has chosen two pieces by Berio: Brin and Erdenklavier.
Brin can be loosely translated from French to mean a wisp, or strand. To work out what Berio means by ‘strand’, it’s easiest to start from the end…
The final chord contains all of the notes in the piece, played at once. These notes, or ‘strands’, are slowly and ‘wispily’ strung out from the start. The wispiness is also achieved through the quiet dynamic, free rhythm, and watery use of the sustain pedal.
You’ll see what we mean in this recording by Andrea Lucchesini - Brin is the first piece in this selection of miniatures, from the very start up until 1.52.
The other Berio piece in the programme is Erdenklavier. This again links back to Luther Adams - not only this time with a focus on sound, but also by chiming in to the idea of a vast expanse and the outdoors.
It starts in a similar way to Tukiliit, with an open, ringing sound. This time with single notes, rather than chords, and at varying dynamic levels. Just as with Luther Adams, you can hear that the music is evoking a limitless landscape - Berio subtitles Edernklavier ‘pastorale’.
It’s in the same set of miniature pieces as Brin, so you can catch it from 5.18 in the recording above.
about the performer:
Eliza McCarthy is an exceptional pianist, specialising in contemporary and experimental music. She won the 2013 British Contemporary Piano Competition, and has since been the go-to for contemporary composers to work with, workshop, record, and perform their new pieces.
If that wasn’t amazing enough, alongside her life as a performer McCarthy also teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and University of Birmingham - helping performers engage with fear, anxiety and depression.
You can read more about McCarthy in this interview with SOLO.
the venue:
Kings Place is a young, independently-funded arts venue in the heart of King’s Cross, who aim to have a programme just as diverse, engaging and innovative as the city we live in.
It’s perfectly placed in the heart of the redeveloped King’s Cross quarter - across the canal from Granary Square, and around the corner from the recently opened Coal Drops Yard.
They also have a great young people’s programme in place - for some specially selected concerts at the venue you can pick up tickets for around half the price, and with no booking fee.
These tickets aren’t available to select on the booking page, and they can only be collected at the Box Office with proof of ID - give them a ring to check availability and reserve if you’re not able to drop in before the event.
the price:
£14.50 (£8.50 for under 30s, £6.50 for under 14s)