London-born Anna Clyne (b. 1980) is a Grammy-nominated composer of acoustic and electro-acoustic music, combining resonant soundscapes with propelling textures. She’s collaborated with cutting-edge choreographers, film-makers, visual artists and musicians, and her works are performed throughout the US and around the world. Recent honors include commissions from Carnegie Hall, Southbank Centre, Los Angeles Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony, and the Houston Ballet; performances by BBC Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic; and residencies with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, L’Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
July 16 | The Calidore String Quartet gives NY premiere of Breathing Statues
The Calidore String Quartet (2014–15 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence) come to Caramoor for the NY premiere of Grammy-nominated English composer Anna Clyne’s Breathing Statues on Thursday, July 16.
The work, premiered in February at Princeton University, was commissioned specifically to accompany works by Beethoven as part of the 250th anniversary of his birth.
“Breathing Statues draws inspiration and musical quotes from Beethoven’s String Quartets No. 13 in B-flat major Op. 130, No. 16 in F major Op. 135 and the Grosse Fuge Op. 133 … it also draws inspiration from ‘On Music’ — a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke ... The concept for Breathing Statues came from a poignant moment in the Große Fuge where the music stops and, in between moments of silence, breathes as it shifts from a root position E-flat major chord to a first inversion C major chord.”
July 23 | Musicians from The Knights give world premiere of Shorthand
Musicians from The Knights include the world premiere of Anna Clyne’s Shorthand, for solo cello and string quintet, on Thursday July 23. Cellist Karen Ouzounian (Evnin Rising Stars alumna) is the cello soloist.
“Shorthand references two themes from Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata for violin and piano (which inspired Leo Tolstoy’s novella The Kreutzer Sonata): the opening theme, as well as a second theme that Janácek also incorporated in his own String Quartet No. 1, "Kreutzer Sonata” (also inspired by Tolstoy’s novella). That second Beethoven theme inspires the opening material for Shorthand.”