Current Events - Concerts during Autumn 2011

Gabriel Jackson's Airplane Cantata : 24 October 2011

The BBC has commissioned a new work for Pianola! Gabriel Jackson, the Associate Composer of the BBC Singers, has recently completed a new work for soloists, choir and Pianola. Entitled "Airplane Cantata", the 20-minute piece sets both poetry and prose and covers the history and excitement of aviation from the legend of Icarus to the present day. The world premiere will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, and will take place at 7.30 pm on the evening of Monday, 24 October 2011, at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, in West London. For those living near enough to come in person, tickets will be available soon, and details will be posted here and on the BBC webpage for the event. Those living further afield should be able to listen to the concert either on the radio, or by means of the Radio 3 live stream on the Internet. Our Dutch correspondent, Mark Stikkelbroek, confirms that this latter method certainly works on the continent of Europe.

Percy Grainger plays the Grieg Concerto : 11 November 2011

Percy Grainger played many times in Britain while he was alive, but his posthumous career has also been rather notable. Back in 1972, he performed the Grieg Piano Concerto at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, accompanied by the English Sinfonia under the baton of Neville Dilkes. The Sinfonia's Concert Manager at that time was Rex Lawson, who edited the Duo-Art rolls and brought Percy in on cue, with a Steinway grand Duo-Art from Frank Holland at the British Piano Museum, and roll copies from Sylvia and Harry Medcraft in Harrow. Since then Percy has performed in various concert halls in Britain, Norway, Denmark, Australia and New Zealand, including an appearance at the Last Night of the Proms in 1988, at which his nerves caused him to come in a trifle late on the first chord, causing a slight intake of breath to Sir Andrew Davis and great amusement to the assembled Prommers. Nearly 39 years after his first posthumous engagement, Percy is now set to play with the Northern Sinfonia, conducted by John Harle, at the Sage, Gateshead, at 7.30 pm on Friday, 11 November 2011. Percy's new Duo-Art rolls come from the same Medcraft perforating machine, nowadays linked to computer thanks to the expertise of Anthony Robinson. The Sage website gives details of tickets and prices.