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Monthly Archive: April 2014
Savannah 2014
Posted on Saturday, April 12, 2014
I spent a delightful few days in Savannah, Georgia, courtesy of the wonderful festival set up there by Rob Gibson.
First up was the US premiere of The Given Note, re-worked since its premiere in Germany a couple of years ago. The performance featured some wonderful musicians, including Daniel Hope on violin, and the brilliant Spanish clarinettist Jose Franch-Ballester (photo (c) Frank Stewart)
Later in the week Avi Avital and the Dover Quartet gave a spell-binding performance of Cymbeline in one of the oldest synagogues in the US, congregation Mikve Israel. There was a golden light throughout the building which really brought out the sun-related themes of the piece to perfection.
It was also a real treat to hang out with mandolinist Mike Marshall and the extremely talented students on the 'Acoustic Music Seminar ' - a composition and performance workshop of sorts, the like of which I've never heard before, with some really gorgeous sonorities emerging from pretty much every piece. The whole week was inspiring and nourishing in the best possible way.
