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Nearly there...! -
17/05/2013
After almost two years preparation, my exhibition at Aldeburgh is now only three weeks away. There will be a total of 64 paintings to see: 39 on the walls - oil paintings of specific scenes, bars or even just one chord - from Gloriana. The remainder are small acrylics on canvas board: based around the opera itself or closely related themes such as Elizabeth I's palaces, or Tudor gardens. I shall be in Aldeburgh most days, between 8-23 June and am very much looking forward to this two-week long party!
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'Gloriana' exhibition - Aldeburgh - June 2013 -
28/04/2013
My new collection of 40 oil paintings, created to celebrate both the 60th anniversary of the first performance of 'Gloriana' and Britten's centenary will be on show throughout the 2013 Aldeburgh Festival. Dates: 8-23 June 2013, 10-5pm daily. Venue: Aldeburgh Cinema Gallery, High Street, Aldeburgh. This lovely, half-timbered gallery is situated above the Aldeburgh Cinema, opposite the Aldeburgh Bookshop at the northern end of the town. I will be resident in Aldeburgh for most days during the Festival and so hope to see as many friends as possible during the fortnight.
The Aldeburgh Cinema will be showing a live broadcast of Gloriana from the Royal Opera House on Monday, 24 June. For more information on this, please click on the link below.
Gloriana from the ROH
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Another choral music cover design -
05/04/2013
This is the sixth volume in the Boosey & Hawkes 'Concerts for Choirs' series. I have supplied paintings for the cover artwork for each of the collections. Kaleidoscope contains twenty secular settings for upper and unison voices compiled and edited by Ronald Corp.
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Paintings viewable on Matthew Barley's website, and in Bristol in September -
28/02/2013
My 13 Third Cello Suite paintings can now be viewed on Matthew Barley's 'Around Britten' website.
They will also be exhibited in the crypt of St George's, Brandon Hill, Bristol during the second half of September 2013, to accompany another of Matthew's concerts. Exact dates of the exhibition to be confirmed later.
Click for Around Britten Art page
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Third Cello Suite exhibition, Salisbury -
05/02/2013
My new Britten Third Cello Suite paintings were exhibited for the first time in Salisbury's Medieval Hall, as part of La Folia's Britten Centenary Celebration weekend at the end of January, 2013. The evening concert on 26 January included this cello suite, performed by Matthew Barley, who also played an improvisation on the suite under the blue 'Prisoners of Conscience' windows in the cathedral the same afternoon. Many thanks to La Folia, and particularly to Sue Kent (General Manager), Howard Moody (Artistic Director), Adrian Harris (photographer), John Waddington (for use of the Medieval Hall), Sally Schweizer (Britten's niece) for a fascinating talk and Matthew Barley for inspiring the paintings. The photo (above) shows myself and Howard Moody in front of 'IV Lento'.
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Salisbury weekend photos -
05/02/2013
Here are (L to R) Sue Kent, myself and Matthew Barley in conversation after his Cello Installation (improvisation) in Salisbury Cathedral on 26/1/13.
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Reflection -
05/02/2013
This photo shows Sally Schweizer, Britten's niece, in conversation with Howard Moody in Salisbury's Medieval Hall on 26 January. Their images are reflected in my painting 'Autumn'.
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Third Cello Suite Paintings -
05/02/2013
My paintings of Britten's Third Cello Suite are now all displayed on the Artworks page of this website.
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Watercolour and Works on Paper Fair -
17/01/2013
I will be exhibiting some watercolours at the 2013 'Works on Paper Fair' at the Science Museum, from 30 January-3 February, on Benjamin Hargreaves's stand. The opening preview on 30 January is from 2pm-9pm, and then the exhibition opening hours are: 11am-9pm (Thursday); 11am-8pm (Friday) and 11am-6pm (Saturday and Sunday). My paintings will be impressions of music by Bach, Beethoven, Britten and Tchaikovsky. For an invitation for free entry for two people, please contact me via this website by 25 January.
For more information, click here for the Works on Paper website
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The Third Cello Suite paintings -
12/01/2013
'The Third Cello Suite', my second major project for Britten's centenary year, is a new collection of works created in response to Matthew Barley’s recent recording of the Britten Third Suite for Cello. The paintings will be exhibited for the first time as part of La Folia’s Britten 100th Anniversary Weekend in Salisbury, during performances in Salisbury’s Medieval Hall on 26 January 2013. The exhibition will then accompany Matthew’s Around Britten tour, and will be shown at various venues throughout the UK during 2013. If you would like an invitation for the Private View of these paintings in Salisbury on 25th January, please get in touch with me via the 'Contact' form on this website.
La Folia website
Matthew Barley's website
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Gloriana - Benjamin Britten -
24/01/2012
Britten composed his opera 'Gloriana' in 1953. Though this masterpiece was written to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, it is actually based on the life of Queen Elizabeth I. I am planning a series of 30-40 paintings of the whole opera, which I will be starting work on very shortly, and hope to exhibit during the Aldeburgh Festival in June 2013. 2013 will be an astonishingly exciting year: not only is it the 60th anniversary of 'Gloriana' but the centenary of Britten's birth (22 November 1913). There will be year-long celebrations and many performances of his works including a new production of 'Gloriana' at Covent Garden. I am thrilled to be taking part in these celebrations with this solo show.
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Research at BPL -
03/02/2012
I recently spent two days at the Britten–Pears Library in Aldeburgh in order to look at archive material associated with the composition of Britten's opera 'Gloriana'. Among many fascinating documents, I was able to study Plomer's draft of the opera libretto, microfilm of Britten's composition draft, and Britten's own copy of Lytton Strachey's book 'Elizabeth and Essex'. The photo above shows a page of this book, with Britten's pencil marking in the left margin, highlighting a passage describing the character of the young Earl of Essex.
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'Messiaen and Synaesthesia' -
12/01/2013
The film that I made in January 2008 is still up on the website of the Philharmonia Orchestra and is now also on YouTube. Lasting about 5 minutes, it is introduced by Peter Hill, Messiaen's biographer. To see the film, click on the first link below. The October podcast, of which the film forms the latter part, also features interviews with Sir Charles Mackerras and George Benjamin and can be viewed in its entirety by clicking the second link below.
Messiaen and Synaesthesia film
October podcast
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