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Anthony Gilbert — 'Those Fenny Bells'

Recent years for Gilbert have been productive ones, during which time he has written some of his finest music. Those present at the NMC Songbook concerts will have heard Gilbert's setting of John Clare with Those Fenny Bells. The piece is an astonishing interweaving of lines sung by mezzo-soprano and counter-tenor and played by vibraphone. Its virtues were noted by Andrew Clements for whom it was one of the Songbook's highlights.

You can hear the song on Spotify.

As part of their 30th Birthday celebrations, Endymion performed Gilbert's Doubles, from his quintet Word-Chimes in the Wind. I anticipate keenly the opportunity to hear this work in its full version.

Two works that warrant further consideration by all those interested in contemporary music are En Bateau, d'après Watteau and the Piano Sonata No. 3 autour des palombes. The former is the work of a composer in his prime. Setting texts by Baudelaire and Proust, this work projects Gilbert's own distinctive voice in the communication of both texts. Gilbert's text setting is luxurious, responding to the subtleties of the text, wrought of a lyricism that fits hand-in-glove his idiosyncratic voice with the poetic demands of the text. The latter, composed in 2001, is profoundly, meaningfully virtuosic. It is also staggeringly lyrical in the hovering weft of its counterpoint and cadence.

UYMP will soon release two new publications by Anthony Gilbert, Twinned Set, for solo bassoon, and Set Two, for solo bass clarinet. These paired pieces are recomposings of each other, with corresponding sets of artwork by various people with whom Gilbert is associated. They are aimed at good students and professional performers alike, and present some of Gilbert's most immediately creative work.

Those in Manchester can hear Dark Singing, Dancing Light receive its première performance on 24 November as part of the New Music North West Festival. Performing it will be the RNCM New Ensemble, conducted by Mark Heron with Linda Begbie as the solo bassoonist.

RNCM events

www.anthonygilbert.net/

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